COLLECTIVE MADNESS Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people." Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Two government officials familiar with the matter confirm to ABC News that FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is stepping down immediately. He had long been expected to retire from government in March, when he was eligible to receive his benefits for his years of service. Now, he is vacating his post atop the FBI and taking time away from the agency but he will technically remain an employee of the bureau until his official retirement in March. McCabe's role in the FBI has been the topic of conversation recently, as last week two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been pushing FBI Director Chris Wray to replace McCabe, his deputy, and install new leadership within the FBI. A source familiar with McCabes thinking told ABC News that the deputy director in recent days had come to learn he was going to get slammed in an upcoming inspector general report on the actions of senior F.B.I. officials during the 2016 presidential campaign. It was going to be rough on him, the source said. The attorney generals push came as many Republicans, including President Donald Trump, continued to hammer McCabe and others at the FBI for what they allege is political bias in their law enforcement work. McCabe is known to be an ally of former FBI director James Comey. Prior to Comey's dismissal in May 2017, Comey had come under fire for his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server, which ultimately exonerated Clinton of criminal wrongdoing. More recently, McCabe has been under fire himself for alleged conflicts of interest because his wife ran for state-wide office as a Democrat in 2015 while the Clinton email probe was underway. However, emails and correspondence released by the FBI show McCabe recused himself from any public corruption cases ties to Virginia. According to the FBI documents, McCabe had no oversight of the Clinton matter until he became deputy director in February 2016, three months after his wife lost her election bid. Last month, Trump singled out McCabe in a tweet, writing, "How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin' James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife's campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?" White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on Monday that the president didnt have any involvement in the decision. The president wasn't a part of the decision-making process, Sanders said. As for whether anyone in the White House was in contact with the FBI on the matter, Sanders said she was not aware of any such contact. Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that President Trump called McCabe's wife a "loser" and expressed his anger about allowing fired Director James Comey to fly back on an FBI plane in a phone conversation the day after Comey's dismissal. NBC News first reported the exchange. ABC News has reached out, but has not received, a response to request for comment from the White House. Former Attorney General Eric Holder tweeted in defense of McCabe shortly after the news broke, calling him a "dedicated public servant" and warned of the impact that "bogus attacks on the FBI and Department of Justice can have long-term. "FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is, and has been, a dedicated public servant who has served this country well. Bogus attacks on the FBI and DOJ to distract attention from a legitimate criminal inquiry does long term, unnecessary damage to these foundations of our government," Holder wrote in a tweet. The president's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. was critical of McCabe formally remaining in the bureau until March when he is eligible to receive his benefits for his years of service. "So they will keep him on till then despite all this to make sure the American tax payer is stuck paying him for the rest of his life?" Trump Jr. wrote on Twitter. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. PARSIPPANY, N.J., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- One of New Jersey's fastest growing Christian churches, Liquid Church, has once again been selected to host Night To Shine sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, an unforgettable prom night experience designed especially for teens and adults ages 14+ with special needs. New this year, Liquid Church is turning the special event into New Jersey's largest Night To Shine prom, with 500 guests and 1000 volunteers gathered under one roof - the church's brand-new Broadcast Campus in Parsippany. Guests at Night To Shine will receive the VIP treatment, with a red carpet prom entrance and friendly paparazzi snapping their photo. Once inside, guests will visit stations for shoe shining, corsages and boutonnieres, limo rides, and games before moving on to the main event - dancing! The highlight of the evening will be the crowning ceremony, where each Night To Shine guest is crowned a prom king or queen. Also new in 2018, Liquid Church is hosting an All-Day Beauty Bar with free hair and makeup stations for guests and their caregivers to help them get prom-ready before the big event. Liquid Church is expecting over 500 prom guests to attend, and 1,000 Liquid Church volunteers will be on hand to create this special event, including 500 "buddies," who will serve as personal hosts for each and every prom guest. "It's truly our privilege and passion to serve families with special needs. We want our honored guests to feel supported as they engage with their peers, to feel a sense of belonging, and to recognize their God-given potential. Hosting Night To Shine is an incredible way that we do this at Liquid Church," said Tim Lucas, lead pastor and founder of Liquid Church. "We know that New Jersey has the highest rate of Autism in the nation. The need here is tremendous, and so we're not only hosting this event for the third year in a row, but in 2018 we're turning it into one of New Jersey's biggest parties - gathering more guests and volunteers in one location than ever before!" Worldwide, 375 churches honored more than 75,000 kings and queens of the prom in 2017 with the help of 150,000 volunteers across 50 states and 11 counties, showing tremendous growth since Night To Shine launched in 2015 with 44 host churches, 7,000 guests and the help of 15,000 volunteers. Night To Shine 2018 promises to be the biggest event yet, with over 500 locations already signed up to participate around the world. "Night to Shine is my favorite night of the year! It's also a favorite night for thousands and thousands of kings and queens all over the world that we crown at the end of this prom. Every town, every village, every state, and every country needs to host a Night to Shine for their special needs community. It's a time in which people can work together and be a part of something significant and life-changing and be blessed in the process. It's about being a part of one team, God's team," said Tim Tebow, founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation. For additional information on Night to Shine hosted by Liquid Church in Parsippany, please visit: LiquidChurch.com/NightToShine. For more information on the worldwide movement of Night to Shine, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, please visit: http://www.timtebowfoundation.org/index.php/night-to-shine/. ABOUT LIQUID CHURCH: Liquid Church is one of New Jersey's fastest-growing Christian churches. Officially launched in 2007 by Lead Pastor Tim Lucas, the church's vision and mission is to "Saturate the State with the Gospel of Jesus Christ," with six campuses in Essex, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, and Union Counties. Each week, over 4,000 people experience Liquid Church's worship services in New Jersey and around the globe through Church Online. As part of its global outreach, Liquid provides clean drinking water to the poorest of the poor, with dozens of completed wells in several countries including El Salvador and Nicaragua and most recently, Rwanda! Liquid Church's innovative approaches to outreach and ministry have been spotlighted by CNN, FOX News, and The Today Show. For more information, visit www.LiquidChurch.com. ABOUT THE TIM TEBOW FOUNDATION: The Tim Tebow Foundation exists to bring Faith, Hope and Love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need. That mission is being fulfilled every day through the foundation's seven areas of outreach, including W15H, Timmy's Playrooms, Orphan Care, Adoption Aid, the Tebow CURE Hospital, Team Tebow and Night to Shine. For more information on the Tim Tebow Foundation, please visit www.timtebowfoundation.org. Press Contact: Brooke LeMunyon - [email protected], 732-421-8162 SOURCE www.LiquidChurch.com Related Links http://www.LiquidChurch.com AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- LivingTree, the private, safe and secure engagement platform today announced that it has acquired district fundraising tool, Edbacker. With the acquisition, Gary Hensley will take the helm as the new CEO. Livingtree, the K-12 engagement company will now deliver three key products: LivingTree Engage - the rapidly growing communication and parent engagement platform (formerly known as LivingTree), LivingTree Giving - A district wide fundraising platform (formerly Edbacker), and LivingTree Messenger (formerly Class Messenger) - A teacher centric communications solution. "Districts, schools and educators need robust tools and tailored solutions," said Gary Hensley, new CEO of LivingTree. "LivingTree Engage, Giving, and Messenger offer the necessary tools to deepen parent involvement with teachers, deliver increased student achievement, and strengthen communication. Uniting our enterprise fundraising solution, Edbacker and LivingTree services, will continue to fulfill LivingTree's mission in helping better serve and connect their school communities." Hensley will be taking on his role as CEO after more than 12 years working in education, along with an extensive career in the technology industry. Prior to joining LivingTree, Hensley's founded and led Edbacker as CEO, developing a user-friendly, district-wide online fundraising platform to connect parents, corporations and districts to address America's education funding gap. Before Edbacker, Hensley served as Director of Strategic Partnerships and Product Management at Pearson, which bought Hensley's K-12 dropout prevention software. Edbacker's secure and transparent, fundraising solution eliminates unwanted surprises with one account for all transactions and a single district site for all fundraising search and visibility. The company was funded by 1776, Moonshots Capital, Michael Chasen, (Former Blackboard Founder and CEO), Capital Factory of Austin, and DC's Acrebay Investment Management. Edbacker's platform will now be offered through LivingTree and rebranded as LivingTree Give, allowing users to easily access and implement the built-in customizable approval process from teacher-to-district. "We're on a mission to expand our solution set to fully serve district needs with one comprehensive LivingTree platform. Hensley has a proven record in developing technology that solves critical gaps at the district level and will only continue to increase LivingTree's engagement impact," said Dean Drako, LivingTree Chairman. To learn more about how you or your school and classroom can get access to LivingTree, visit www.LivingTree.com or call toll-free (844-548-8733). About LivingTree Founded in 2012, LivingTree's mission is to connect the people who raise, develop, and educate our children. Through its fundraising platform LivingTree Giving, teacher based messaging app LivingTree Messenger, and communication and parent engagement platform LivingTree Connect, LivingTree aims to better serve and connect school communities. LivingTree has been recognized for its work by the Stevie Awards for Women in Business as the 2016 Gold Community Involvement Program of the Year and 2016 Silver Smartphone App of the Year. http://www.LivingTree.com Media Contact: Gabrielle Asadoor [email protected] 310.270.0992 SOURCE LivingTree Related Links https://www.livingtree.com MANCHESTER, Tenn., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kansas City, MO area residents and surrounding communities will soon have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the industry's top log home and timber frame home builders and experts during the Kansas City, MO Log & Timber Home Show at the KCI Expo Center, February 23-25. The show will run Friday from 1 p.m.7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m.6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is $20 per person at the door and $15 per person online or with discount coupon. Children 18 and under are free. Admission is valid all 3 days. The Kansas City, MO Log & Timber Home Show returns in February of 2018! "The Construction Industry is in full swing and if you've ever wanted to build a Log Home, a Timber Frame Home, or a Hybrid Home, there is no better time to start your journey than at our Kansas City, MO Show this February. The Log & Timber Home Show is designed to be an opportunity for those in the home journey to meet Log Home & Timber Frame Home Builders, Manufacturers, Maintenance Professionals, Rustic Furniture Artists, & more. Our Kansas City Show will provide you with access to exhibitors in all of these categories so that you can ask your questions in person, view modern floor plans and current industry building trends, attend workshops & much more. To see our full list of exhibitors and categories which will be present at our MO Show, we encourage you to visit our website at www.TheLogandTimberHomeShow.com & while you are there be sure to take advantage of our online show ticket discount or print the coupon to use onsite. We encourage you to bring your dreams, your floorplans, and your questions with you when you come to the 2018 Kansas City, MO Log & Timber Home Show," says The Log and Timber Home Show Manager Eric Johnson. Exhibitors will be on hand to assist visitors with construction and financing questions, floor plan ideas, maintenance options, rustic furniture and decor purchases, and more. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own home plans and ideas to be reviewed by industry experts. Attendees will be able to take part in a variety of free workshops presented by industry pros held throughout the weekend. The Log & Timber Home Shows are held throughout the country. Please call (931)-596-2992 or go to www.TheLogandTimberHomeShow.com for more information. Contact: Samantha Watters 931-596-2992 [email protected] SOURCE The Log & Timber Home Show CHAMBERSBURG, Pa., Jan. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Martin's Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc., the makers of Martin's Potato Rolls and Bread, announced today their 2018 food service trade show and food festival schedule. Martin's will be attending five major trade shows this year to support the fastest growing division of the Martin's business: the sale of potato roll and bread products to food service venues and restaurants in the United States and abroad. The trade show schedule kicks off next month with the New England Food Show held February 25-27 in Boston, Massachusetts (https://nefs.restaurant.org/Home). On May 19-22, Martin's will be attending their largest food service trade show, the National Restaurant Association Show (https://show.restaurant.org/Home), in Chicago. In July, Martin's is heading to San Antonio for the Texas Restaurant Association Marketplace (https://www.tramarketplace.com/). They wrap up their schedule in August attending both the Louisiana Hospitality Food Service Expo in New Orleans (http://www.lra.org/expo.html ) and the Western Foodservice and Hospitality Expo held in Los Angeles (http://www.westernfoodexpo.com/). "These shows provide a great opportunity to meet new potential food service institutions as well as meet with our existing partners, both national and international," states Terry Lushbaugh, Martin's food service manager. In addition to these trade shows, Martin's also plans on participating in several food festivals, which cater more to their end consumer. This schedule starts with the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival, February 21-25, in Miami, Florida (http://sobewff.org/). A month later, Martin's will be back in Miami for the Hamburger House Party presented by Burger Beast Feasts (http://www.hamburgerhouseparty.com/). Schedule at a Glance February 21-25 South Beach Wine & Food Festival Miami, FL February 25-27 New England Food Show Boston, MA March 10 Hamburger House Party Miami, FL May 19-22 National Restaurant Association Show Chicago, IL July 15-16 Texas Restaurant Association Marketplace San Antonio, TX August 4-6 Louisiana Hospitality and Food Service Expo New Orleans, LA August 19-21 Western Foodservice and Hospitality Expo Los Angeles, CA For more information on Martin's event participation, you can visit Martin's food service micro-site at https://foodservice.potatorolls.com/. Martin's Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc. is an all-American family owned and operated consumer goods company headquartered in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, focused on baking high-quality bread and roll products using high-quality ingredients. They are rigorously dedicated to extraordinary taste, quality, and customer service that proudly represents their legacy of cherished eating experiences and truly sets them apart from their competitors. Since the 1950s, the business has expanded from a home garage business into two commercial baking plants and continues to grow and flourish in areas of established distribution. For more information, visit www.potatorolls.com. SOURCE Martin's Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc. Related Links http://www.potatorolls.com "As a former business and sales leader at SABIC and E.I. Dupont de Nemours, Chris has a proven track record of profitably growing materials businesses, commercializing technology and winning in new market applications," said Ray Roberge, Materia's Chairman of the Board. "Chris is the right person at the right time to lead the growth of Materia's advanced polymer business and we are very pleased that he will be joining our team." "The Materia Board thanks Nitin for his many contributions and for positioning Materia for rapid growth through new strategic partnerships and expansion of the company's manufacturing footprint," said Roberge. "We wish Nitin much success in his new endeavor." Murphy joins Materia from SABIC where he served as Americas Director in the automotive business and Global Business Director for specialty blends and compounds driving impressive business growth. During his service at E.I. Dupont De Nemours, Inc., Murphy served in positions of increasing responsibility including automotive marketing manager, regional sales and marketing director and global initiatives director. In his most recent DuPont assignment, Murphy led the transition for multiple divestitures of large, complex global businesses and the negotiations and implementation that maximized divestiture value. "I am honored to have the opportunity to lead Materia at such a pivotal time in the company's history, as well as to work with such a committed and innovative team," said Murphy. About Materia, Inc. Materia, Inc. manufacturers Proxima thermoset resins used in the oil and gas, chemicals, transportation, and electronics materials industries. Materia's polymer experts work closely with customers to deliver customized solutions that meet performance requirements. For more information about Materia and the Proxima resins difference visit: www.materia-inc.com. For more information, contact: Alexandra Warren Marketing Manager 626.584.3941 ext 285 [email protected] SOURCE Materia, Inc. Related Links http://www.materia-inc.com WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools released its annual state-by-state ranking of public charter school laws, entitled Measuring Up to the Model: A Ranking of State Public Charter School Laws, Ninth Edition. The 2018 rankings demonstrate that many states, such as Indiana, continue to strengthen their laws based on prior indicators of success and that new states are relying heavily on those lessons learned. For the second year in a row, the 2018 rankings measure each state's charter school law against the National Alliance's updated model charter school law, New Model Law for Supporting the Growth of High-Quality Public Charter Schools: Second Edition, released in October 2016. The Ninth Edition of Measuring Up to the Model ranks public charter school laws in 44 states and the District of Columbia. Each law receives a score based on 21 essential metrics, flexibility, accountability, and equity. "We are pleased to see that many states continue to innovate and improve their public charter school laws, ensuring that more families have access to options in our education system. We are also energized by newer states continuing to learn from those who enacted public charter school laws before them," said National Alliance President and CEO Nina Rees. "We are looking forward to continuing to support public policies that foster the creation and operation of independent, public, tuition-free, and pioneering schools that are held accountable for student progress and achievement." Key findings from the report include: Indiana has the nation's strongest charter school law in the country for the third year in a row. Indiana's law does not cap charter school growth, includes multiple authorizers, and provides a fair amount of autonomy and accountability. Indiana has also made notable strides in recent years to provide more equitable funding to charter schools, although some work remains to be done. has the nation's strongest charter school law in the country for the third year in a row. law does not cap charter school growth, includes multiple authorizers, and provides a fair amount of autonomy and accountability. has also made notable strides in recent years to provide more equitable funding to charter schools, although some work remains to be done. Colorado jumped from #5 to #2, in part because of legislation that the state enacted in 2017 that will provide charter schools with equitable access to a local funding stream that most districts had refused to share with charter schools (i.e., local mill levy override). jumped from #5 to #2, in part because of legislation that the state enacted in 2017 that will provide charter schools with equitable access to a local funding stream that most districts had refused to share with charter schools (i.e., local mill levy override). Kentucky became the 44th state (along with D.C.) to enact a public charter school law in 2017. Kentucky lawmakers took great care in writing this law to ensure that the state heeded the lessons learned within the first quarter-century of the charter school movement and took into the account the state constitutional constraints that exist. As a result, they enacted a relatively strong charter school law, ranking #10. became the 44th state (along with D.C.) to enact a public charter school law in 2017. lawmakers took great care in writing this law to ensure that the state heeded the lessons learned within the first quarter-century of the charter school movement and took into the account the state constitutional constraints that exist. As a result, they enacted a relatively strong charter school law, ranking #10. The Top 10 includes a mixture of states with more mature movements ( Indiana at No. 1, Colorado at No. 2, Minnesota at No. 4, D.C. at No. 8, and Florida at No. 9) and states with newer movements ( Washington at No. 3, Alabama at No. 5, Mississippi at No. 6, Maine at No. 7, and Kentucky at No. 10). The fact that these states are in the Top 10 speaks to the fact that many existing states continue to strengthen their laws based on what's working (and what's not working) and that new states rely heavily on those lessons learned so they don't repeat the mistakes of the states that came before them. includes a mixture of states with more mature movements ( at No. 1, at No. 2, at No. 4, at No. 8, and at No. 9) and states with newer movements ( at No. 3, at No. 5, at No. 6, at No. 7, and at No. 10). The fact that these states are in the Top 10 speaks to the fact that many existing states continue to strengthen their laws based on what's working (and what's not working) and that new states rely heavily on those lessons learned so they don't repeat the mistakes of the states that came before them. States that are enacting laws for the first time and states that are overhauling their laws are bypassing states that were previously more highly ranked, such as Arizona , Louisiana , and New York . That doesn't mean that the laws have gotten weaker in the states being bypassed. They remain strong. What it does mean, though, is that more and more states have better and better laws across the country, a good place to be if you believe that all states should have high-quality charter school laws. , and That doesn't mean that the laws have gotten weaker in the states being bypassed. They remain strong. What it does mean, though, is that more and more states have better and better laws across the country, a good place to be if you believe that all states should have high-quality charter school laws. Overall, many states, like Indiana , have improved their laws by learning from the lessons of what has worked in other states. And all of the new laws that have been enacted since 2011 measure up well to the model. On the other hand, states that aren't strengthening their laws based upon lessons learned end up stagnant and dropping in the rankings. The key is for states to keep innovating and improving. , have improved their laws by learning from the lessons of what has worked in other states. And all of the new laws that have been enacted since 2011 measure up well to the model. On the other hand, states that aren't strengthening their laws based upon lessons learned end up stagnant and dropping in the rankings. The key is for states to keep innovating and improving. Maryland has the nation's weakest charter school law, ranking No. 45 (out of 45). While Maryland's law does not cap charter school growth, it allows only district authorizers and provides little autonomy, insufficient accountability, and inequitable funding to charter schools. Rounding out the bottom five states are Iowa (No. 41), Wyoming (No. 42), Alaska (No. 43), and Kansas (No. 44). Click here to read the full report: Measuring Up to the Model: A Ranking of State Public Charter School Laws, Ninth Edition. About Public Charter Schools Public charter schools are independent, public, and tuition-free schools that are given the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. Since 2010, many research studies have found that students in charter schools do better in school than their traditional school peers. For example, one study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that charter schools do a better job teaching low income students, minority students, and students who are still learning English than traditional schools. Separate studies by the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Mathematica Policy Research have found that charter school students are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, stay in college and have higher earnings in early adulthood. About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter sector. For more information, please visit www.publiccharters.org. SOURCE National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Related Links http://www.publiccharters.org/ NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into MetLife Inc. (NYSE: MET). On January 29, 2018, the Company disclosed "a material weakness in internal controls over financial reporting" that caused reserves to be reduced incorrectly in relation to outstanding payouts for annuity and pension recipients. As a result, the Company had postponed the release of its Q4 earnings report and expected to increase reserves by $525 million and $575 million, decreasing its Q4 earnings by $135 million to $165 million and 2017 profits by $165 million to $195 million. MetLife also revealed an ongoing SEC investigation into the issues surrounding the outstanding pension payments. On this news, the price of MetLife's shares plummeted. KSF's investigation is focusing on whether MetLife and/or its officers and directors violated state or federal securities laws. If you are a MetLife shareholder and have suffered losses, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ([email protected]), or visit http://ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-met/ to learn more. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include the former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. Contact: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner [email protected] 1-877-515-1850 206 Covington St. Madisonville, LA 70447 SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Related Links http://www.ksfcounsel.com REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Oracle announced that Italian fashion company Miroglio Fashion deployed the Oracle Retail Xstore Point-of-Service and Oracle Retail Customer Engagement to drive innovation and create connections between product, data and people. The Italian fashion retailer operates more than 1,100 stores, six commerce sites and 2,400 wholesale outlets in 34 countries and has 12 distinctive womenswear brands as Elena Miro, Fiorella Rubino, Motivi and Oltre. "As the consumer continues to evolve, our business must follow and innovate. With Oracle Retail, our physical and digital locations can now operate as part of a network to better serve our customer with unified stock management and unified shopping experiences across channels. Customers are empowered to engage with our brand as they choose," said Hans Hoegstedt, CEO of Miroglio Fashion. Miroglio Fashion launched the Retail 4.0 program as an initiative to foster innovation, drive efficiency and increase performance. With the help of Oracle Retail Consulting, Miroglio Fashion implemented Oracle Retail Xstore Point-of-Service and Oracle Retail Customer Engagement. In 2013, Oracle quickly declared Oracle Retail Xstore Point-of-Service as the strategic Omnichannel platform to deliver more innovation to the market. "We needed speed, efficiency and reliability to execute toward the vision of our Retail Innovation Program. Our leadership team declared explicit business targets. We designed the roll-out and a progressive migration process in advance of the implementation," said Francesco Cavarero, Group Chief Information Officer, Miroglio Fashion. "We are thankful for the collaboration with the IT and business leadership teams of Miroglio Fashion. The clarity and focus of the project and commitment to a vanilla implementation allowed my team to deliver on-time and on-budget in seven working months," said Lou Frio, Vice President of Global Consulting, Oracle Retail. "Miroglio Fashion leverages a remote deployment process to keep an aggressive yet healthy pace for the rollout." Oracle will convene a global community of retail leadership at Oracle Industry Connect April 10-11, 2018 in New York, NY. Oracle Industry Connect provides attendees with intimate peer networking opportunities in addition to over 30 customer-led presentations on adapting to market changes, simplifying operations and empowering authentic brand experiences. To learn more about Oracle Industry Connect 2018 and register to attend visit: www.oracle.com/oracleindustryconnect/ About Miroglio Fashion Miroglio Fashion is the company in the leading textiles and apparel Miroglio Group - founded in 1947 - which is specialized in womenswear. Today it is the number three company in Italy in this market. It creates, produces and distributes 12 brands through 1,188 branded sales outlets, 6 e-commerce websites and a wholesale network of 2,400 stores. Miroglio Fashion's growth path draws on the qualities that have made Italian entrepreneurship great, such as focusing on people, distinctive brand offerings, attention to detail, and an intimate, humane shopping experience, all backed up by latest generation technology. www.mirogliofashion.com About Oracle Retail Oracle provides retailers with a complete, open, and integrated suite of best-of-breed business applications, cloud services, and hardware that are engineered to work together and empower commerce. Leading fashion, grocery, and specialty retailers use Oracle solutions to anticipate market changes, simplify operations and inspire authentic brand interactions. For more information, visit our website at www.oracle.com/retail. About Oracle Oracle offers a comprehensive and fully integrated stack of cloud applications and platform services. For more information about Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), visit www.oracle.com. Trademarks Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. SOURCE Oracle Related Links http://www.oracle.com ZELIENOPLE, Pa., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Motion & Control Enterprises LLC (MCE) is proud to announce it was recently awarded the prestigious designation as a Connector Technology Center (CTC) by Parker Hannifin Corporation. The CTC designation is an elite honor reserved for the top tier Fluid Connector distributors who achieve specific proficiencies and capabilities as defined by Parker. MCE achieved the CTC designation following an exhaustive Management and Performance (MAP) evaluation of all nationwide Parker Fluid Connector distributors. The MAP evaluation extensively reviews distributor performance in 38 categories that Parker considers critical for the CTC. Among other things, MAP considers financial condition, management strength, planning capabilities, sales and marketing expertise, and historical performance. In addition to the CTC designation, Parker also recently awarded MCE's RitterTech-PA division with a Diamond Team Sales Award. To achieve this coveted distinction, the division must achieve 100% of established sales dollar quotas, meet specified yearly business objectives, and participate in Parker training sessions, among other things. "We are very proud to have received these distinctive Parker honors," said Tim Hall, CEO of MCE. "Our team has worked diligently to achieve these successes over the past year and we will continue to strive for excellence in 2018 and beyond." MCE is a multi-state industrial distributor of Parker Hannifin motion and control systems, Graco industrial lubrication equipment, Enerpac high-pressure power tools, and other top manufacturers of fluid power and industrial lubrication products. As such, MCE provides automation, motion and control, fluid handling, and lubrication expertise to the Great Lakes industrial region through the combined efforts of its operating divisions that include RitterTech, Primet Fluid Power, Tri-State Hose & Fitting and Fluid Systems Engineering. Headquartered in Western Pennsylvania, MCE has multiple regional fulfillment centers and ParkerStore locations throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania. If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Tammi Kaufman at (724) 816-8111 or [email protected]. SOURCE Motion & Control Enterprises HOLYOKE, Mass., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- It's not often that a Chief Medical Information Officer for a major hospital system joins a healthcare IT consultant, let alone a physician who then takes on the role of Chief Medical Officer for the firm. But that challenge is what attracted former Baystate Health System CMIO and PHO Chief Operating Officer Dr. Neil Kudler to Holyoke, Massachusetts-based healthcare consultancy VertitechIT. "IT consultants focused primarily on bits and bytes are doing their clients a disservice," says Kudler, who has held other senior executive and strategist positions at Baystate Health, one of New England's largest healthcare systems. "As CMO of VertitechIT, I'm in a position to bridge that all important technology gap between clinicians and the IT departments that must support them." VertitechIT is among the fastest growing healthcare IT consultancies in the country, focused on helping senior IT leaders to strategically and tactically transform the role of IT in the hospital setting. "Any consultant worth their fee can design and implement a new cloud strategy or infrastructure platform," says VertitechIT CEO Michael Feld. "Dr. Kudler gives us immense credibility on the clinical side of the house, providing guidance on things like diversified health system operations, population health, and data analytics." Before joining VertitechIT, Dr. Kudler served as Senior Healthcare Innovation Strategist for TechSpring Technology Innovation Center, and as Chief Operating Officer for Baycare Health Partners. He is a graduate of Colgate University and received his Master's degree from Harvard Divinity School. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from New York University and trained in internal medicine at UC San Francisco. About VertitechIT: To label us "Healthcare IT Consultants" would be like calling a laptop a typewriter. In short, VertitechIT helps healthcare IT departments become more efficient, save money, and where possible, monetize their assets. We view technology as a means of helping doctors and nurses spend more time with their patients. Working with leadership at some of the most prestigious hospitals and health systems in the country, we exceed expectations by shattering the usual barriers that arise between client and consultant. We eliminate in scope and out of scope arguments during the life of every contract by providing access to our entire staff for strategic advice on any topic, any time, no questions asked. Our Architects and Engineers are subject matter experts in hybrid cloud technologies, hyperconvergence, unified communications, and monitoring and management. Our Executive Project Officers have built and run telecommunications companies, managed IT for businesses and hospitals, and architected change to internal and external audiences on behalf of some of the biggest organizations on the planet. We utilize that experience to provide transformational services to CIOs and senior leadership, serving as the strategic technology liaison between them and their IT department. For more information, please visit VertitechIT.com or contact Vice President of Marketing and Communications Steve Shaw at 413-268-1630 or via email at [email protected]. SOURCE VertitechIT Related Links http://www.VertitechIT.com NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Morgan James' new cookbook, Impromptu Friday Nights: A Guide to Supper Clubs by Paul J. Kenny, aims to unite friends and family through the art of food. More than an average cookbook or menu guide, this multi-faceted new book teaches aspiring chefs and inexperienced hosts how to organize and throw the best dinner parties. Morgan James Publishing The best way to socialize is over a good meal, but restaurants can be crowded and eating out gets expensive. Chef Paul Kenny has found that the solution is supper clubs! Hosting regular dinner parties with a select group of friends is more intimate, more affordable, and more fun than going out to eat all the time. However, coming up with a unique menu, organizing the right guest list, and maintaining a fun, comfortable atmosphere for a party can seem daunting. In Impromptu Friday Nights: A Guide to Supper Clubs, Kenny has an answer for all these woes. The expert chef and experienced supper club host provides a step-by-step guide to organizing a successful, ongoing supper club. There's so much more to a dinner party than just the food. Impromptu Friday Nights offers readers tips on finding the right people, developing the menu, reducing stress, handling costs, party preparation, and actually cooking the meal. Each chapter outlines a different kind of supper club based on different preferences from a formal club for fine dining experts to a club for those who have zero experience but still love to eat. There's something for every type of foodie. Though not a cookbook, Impromptu Friday Nights contains sample menus complete with detailed recipes, for those who are just starting their cooking journey. Written by someone who loves great food almost as much as he loves sharing it with others, Impromptu Friday Nights: A Guide to Supper Clubs is a concise how-to planner with a whimsical tone that reminds readers that cooking should be fun and socializing should be stress-free. If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Paul J. Kenny, please call Nickcole Watkins at 516.900.5674. About the Author: Having spent 35 years working for Kraft foods, Chef Paul Kenny learned from some of the country's best chefs and food scientists. He eventually became Vice President of Marketing for the ingredients division of Kraft, where he got to work with such food experts as the scientist that invented Kraft Macaroni and Cheese as well as the chef that led innovation at Nestle for over 20 years. Paul's experience with these chefs combined with his studies of international cuisines have made him an expert in how food should be made, and how it should be enjoyed: in the company of friends and family. Kenny currently lives with his wife in Germantown, Tennessee, where they enjoy hosting dinner parties and crafting new culinary creations. More About This Title: Impromptu Friday Nights: A Guide to Supper Clubs by Paul J. Kenny, will be released by Morgan James Publishing on January 30, 2018. Impromptu Friday NightsISBN 9781683505044has 182 pages and is being sold as a trade paperback for $17.95. About Morgan James Publishing: Morgan James publishes trade quality titles designed to educate, encourage, inspire, or entertain readers with current, consistent, relevant topics that are available everywhere books are sold. ( www.MorganJamesPublishing.com ) MEDIA CONTACT: Nickcole Watkins Morgan James Publishing 516.900.5674 [email protected] AUTHOR CONTACT Paul J. Kenny 901.409.9632 [email protected] SOURCE Morgan James Publishing Related Links http://www.MorganJamesPublishing.com WYNCOTE, Pa., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For decades, all who have been a part of the movement that grew out of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan's groundbreaking ideas have been actively "Reconstructing Judaism." That has meant introducing transformative innovations to Jewish liferanging from the Bat Mitzvah to ordaining LGBTQ clergywhile being guided by the spectrum of Jewish texts, traditions, rituals, histories and cultures. And now, our mission and name are one and the same. Reconstructing Judaism is the new name for Reconstructionist Judaism's central organization, formerly known as the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College & Jewish Reconstructionist Communities. The adoption of a new identity comes at a time when the organization continues to make significant strides in cultivating more inclusive expressions of Judaism that meet the needs of Jewish communities of today and tomorrow. Whether by training rabbis to be entrepreneurs and changemakers, uplifting congregations and havurot, cultivating Jewish experiences in new venues, deploying digital networks to tackle the pressing challenges of Jewish life, investing in startup projects, or taking our values and approach to the public square through podcasting and other media, Reconstructing Judaism is at the forefront of the Jewish tomorrow. "We are committed to 'doing' Jewish. With our new name, we are defining ourselves by what we do, and not just what we believe or how we feel," says Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., president of Reconstructing Judaism. "We all have to be accountable for the Judaism of today, and we need to build it together so that it inspires people in every generation. We're thrilled and privileged to undertake Reconstructing Judaism for our time." Reconstructing Judaism serves and supports nearly 100 affiliated congregations across North America and abroad; oversees a rabbinical college that has graduated more than 400 rabbis; cultivates Jewish living that is relevant to today's Jews through grant programs and non-credit education; brings Jewish values to the public sphere; and inspires youth at two Reconstructionist-run summer camps. The organization's rabbinical college will change its name to the "College for Reconstructing Judaism" at the end of the current academic year. This announcement marks the start of a banner year for Reconstructing Judaism. The college will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. June marks the opening of Havaya Arts, the first Reconstructionist summer camp located on the West Coast. A long-awaited Reconstructionist movement convention, the first since 2010, will be held in November. And Reconstructing Judaism is launching Evolve, a two-year endeavor to engage Reconstructionist thinking on key questions facing the 21st-century Jewish community. Regarding the new logo, leaves sprout out from the ground and grow into the world, reflecting the Reconstructionist balance between groundedness in Jewish tradition and a focus on Jewish growth and reinvention. The phrase that accompanies the graphicDeeply Rooted, Boldly Relevantreinforces the Reconstructionist connection to Jewish tradition and texts, while emphasizing the need to reconstruct Judaism continually in a way that is relevant for today and tomorrow's Jewish communities, refreshing Judaism and allowing it to thrive. "'Relevant' is an imperative, not a descriptor," says Waxman. In arriving at this new identity, the organization employed a democratic Reconstructionist approach to decision-making, with a non-hierarchical focus on discussion, and the sharing of ideas. Members of North American Reconstructionist communities were invited to share insights on Reconstructionist Judaism and the organization that serves them in a series of online and in-person town halls and surveys over a period of more than a year. All told, more than 1,000 peoplefrom Los Angeles to Montrealshared their insights and ideas. Reconstructing Judaism's board of governors unanimously approved the name change at its October meeting. "This was a deeply Reconstructionist process that drew on the ideas of many participants," says Seth Rosen, chair of Reconstructing Judaism's board of governors. "We gained a great deal of insight into what matters most to those who are drawn to Reconstructionist Judaism." Reconstructing Judaism is the central organization of the Reconstructionist movement. We train the next generation of rabbis, support and uplift congregations and havurot, foster emerging expressions of Jewish life, and encourage people to be their best selvesalways helping to shape what it means to be Jewish today and to imagine the Jewish future. Reconstructionists approach Judaismand lifewith deep consideration of the past and a passion to relate it to the present. We have originated many of the core innovations of today's Judaism and lead efforts to make our congregations and havurot even more groundbreaking, inclusive and relevant. We welcome your voice, questions and participation in something larger. Get involved at ReconstructingJudaism.org. Contact: Bryan Schwartzman 215.576.0800, ext. 121 [email protected] Related Images image1.png Reconstructing Judaism image2.jpg Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D image3.jpg Seth Rosen SOURCE Reconstructing Judaism Related Links https://www.jewishrecon.org GLENDALE, N.Y., Jan. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- New York & Atlantic Railway (NYA) started an Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) program January 23, 2018. Nearly 40 NYA locomotive engineers and conductors in New York City and Long Island, New York will be screened for OSA and, if needed, will receive treatment under the support and care of the railway's medical team. NYA President James Bonner said, "The detection and remediation of OSA will positively impact employee health and improve employee alertness for safety sensitive jobs." OSA is a sleep disorder that causes fragmented sleep that often results in sleepiness, fatigue, and is associated with potentially serious health issues. NYA is the first short-line freight railroad in the United States to institute an Obstructive Sleep Apnea screening and treatment program, according to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. NYA's medical services and safety teams will be working with Rocky Mountain Sleep Disorders Center to institute this OSA program. "The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen Long Island General Committee of Adjustment, the union that represents NYA's engineers and conductors, has been supportive and helpful as NYA implements this valuable program," Bonner added. About New York & Atlantic Railway New York & Atlantic Railway (www.anacostia.com/railroads/nya) began freight train operation in May 1997 on 270 route miles of track owned by the Long Island Rail Road. NYA serves a diverse customer base and shares track with the densest passenger system in the United States. NYA connects with Canadian Pacific, CSX, New York New Jersey Rail, Norfolk Southern, Brookhaven Rail Terminal, and Providence and Worcester railroads. About Anacostia Rail Holdings Anacostia Rail Holdings Company is a short-line holding company operating six railroads in seven states. In addition to the New York & Atlantic Railway, Anacostia's other lines include Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad, Gulf Coast Switching Company, Louisville & Indiana Railroad Company, New York & Atlantic Railway Company, Northern Lines Railway, and Pacific Harbor Line. SOURCE New York & Atlantic Railway Related Links http://www.anacostia.com/railroads/nya CHICAGO, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NXT Capital announced today that it has expanded its relationship with Aflac Incorporated to include management of a portfolio of commercial real estate mortgage loans. Aflac Global Investments, the asset management subsidiary of Aflac Incorporated, has committed to fund a portfolio of up to $2.0 billion of floating-rate, first mortgage loans for institutional quality, middle market commercial properties throughout the U.S. on behalf of Aflac's general account, purchasing approximately $1.1 billion of these loans from NXT. Aflac also increased its minority equity investment in NXT by approximately $75 million to strengthen a partnership that began nearly a year ago with an agreement to manage a portfolio of middle market corporate loans. Today's announcement reinforces Aflac and NXT's mutual commitment to cultivating a long-term relationship and the enduring benefits of partnering together in two important private market asset classes. "NXT Capital is very pleased to further expand our strategic partnership with Aflac which, in addition to middle-market corporate loans, will now include access to our well-established commercial real estate lending platform," said Robert Radway, NXT Capital's Chairman and CEO. "We appreciate Aflac's recognition of NXT's expertise as an asset manager, our proven, broad-based direct origination capability and rigorous underwriting process for proprietary middle market corporate and commercial real estate loans." Radway went on to say, "This is a major win/win for Aflac and NXT Capital's commercial real estate business. The Aflac program expands NXT's financing capabilities and overall market competitiveness while providing significant opportunity for growth and delivering a continual flow of high quality 1st mortgage loans to Aflac's general account." Aflac Executive Vice President and Global Chief Investment Officer Eric M. Kirsch commented: "We are pleased to expand our relationship with NXT Capital following the success of our middle market lending program of last year. With this new agreement, NXT will play a key role in managing two floating-rate asset classes that are strategically important to Aflac and our hedged U.S. dollar program for Aflac Japan." Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Aflac Incorporated Frederick J. Crawford added: "Expanding the NXT partnership further solidifies the actions of the global investment platform to find assets generating attractive risk-adjusted net investment income. NXT has proven to be an excellent strategic partner, and we are excited to strengthen our relationship with a leader across both the corporate and real estate middle market lending markets." About NXT Capital: NXT Capital is a leading provider of structured financing to the U.S. middle market. Since its formation in 2010, the company has originated over $18 billion in total financing volume spread over 600+ transactions. With approximately $11.4 billion of committed capital at its disposal, NXT provides a full range of structured financing solutions on a direct basis through its Corporate Finance and Real Estate Finance groups. NXT manages capital for third parties through its asset management platform and offers investors proprietary access to primarily first lien senior secured loans that are not broadly traded or otherwise generally available without a loan origination platform. Investment offerings include levered and unlevered funds, separately managed accounts and CLOs. NXT's investor base includes public and private pension plans, insurance companies, endowments, foundations and other institutional investors. NXT Capital Investment Advisers, LLC, a subsidiary of NXT Capital LLC, is registered with the SEC as an Investment Adviser. See www.nxtcapital.com. About Aflac: When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For more than six decades, Aflac insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the leader in voluntary insurance sales at the worksite. Through its trailblazing One Day PaySM initiative, Aflac U.S. can receive, process, approve and disburse payment for eligible claims in one business day. In Japan, Aflac is the leading provider of medical and cancer insurance and insures 1 in 4 households. Aflac insurance products help provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For 11 consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2017, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America for the 19th consecutive year and in 2017 included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 17th time. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac and One Day PaySM, visit aflac.com or aflac.com/espanol. About Aflac Global Investments: Aflac Global Investments is the asset management division of Aflac Incorporated, with offices in New York and Tokyo and more than 100 professionals managing in excess of $110 billion on behalf of the general account of Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. Contact: Megan O'Brien 312.450.8087 [email protected] SOURCE NXT Capital, LLC Related Links http://www.nxtcapital.com ROSEMEAD, Calif., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Panda Express, America's favorite Chinese kitchen, today announced the grand opening of its newest Panda + Tea location on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Found in the heart of Pasadena at 216 S. Lake Ave., the establishment will be Panda Express' fourth Panda + Tea location, an innovative restaurant concept offering guests remixed Panda Express classics, alongside Panda's Asian-inspired tea bar beverages. As Panda Express continues to evolve its restaurant portfolio, Panda + Tea Lake Avenue will debut more vegetable-based sides and snacks, including Wok Seared Garlic Kale, Cabbage and Broccoli, Glazed Carrots and Brussels Sprouts, and an Asian Vegetable Crudite. Expanding its better-for-you food and beverage menus, the establishment will now offer guests the option of Quinoa Brown Fried Rice, alongside Panda + Tea's indulgent favorites like Chow Mein and Fried Rice. In addition, guests will enjoy a signature tea bar lineup featuring an array of rejuvenating pearl milk teas, fruit teas, lemonades, smoothies and sparkling yogurt drinks. Together with these delicious offerings, the location will serve up the customizable wraps and salads that Panda + Tea is famous for. The site of this Panda + Tea location is an area that Panda holds dear, as Lake Avenue was home to one of Panda Express' original 200 restaurants in existence. With a rich history in the area since 1993, Panda Express has been a part of the Pasadena community for more than 20 years. "Our intention for Panda + Tea Lake Avenue is to continually introduce our guests to a fresh and innovative new selections of menu items, inspired by the beloved flavors that are synonymous with Panda Express," said Andrea Cherng, chief marketing officer at Panda Express. "We are fortunate to have become so deeply ingrained in the Pasadena community and look forward to introducing a restaurant concept that is as special to us as the guests we serve here." In celebration of the grand opening, guests who visit the location on Feb. 6 between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. will receive a free new vegetable-based side with any purchase, and have the opportunity to sample mini flights from Panda + Tea's signature Tea Bar menu. Additionally, all attendees during this time will be provided with a Fortune Card at checkout to use toward a future meal. Honoring Panda's deep connection to the area, the restaurant will also donate a portion of its grand opening day proceeds to Families Forward Learning Center, an organization that provides free education and social services to low-income families in the area. Panda + Tea Lake Avenue will feature unique design elements that honor the past while celebrating the future, including a timeline mural showcasing the restaurant's heritage, and modern accents, such as a green grass wall created specifically for photo opportunities. The 2,850-square foot space will also showcase an open kitchen concept, fresh cut veggie display and decorative floor tiling reminiscent of a Chinese tea parlor. The establishment will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Sundays. For more information on Panda Express, please visit pandaexpress.com; for media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. About Panda Express Panda Express, America's favorite Chinese kitchen, is best known for its wide variety of original recipes including its Original Orange Chicken, SweetFire Chicken Breast, award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp and Shanghai Angus Steak. Founded in 1983 and now with 2,000 locations throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, Guatemala, Canada, Mexico, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Korea, Panda Express is part of the family owned and operated Panda Restaurant Group, the world leader in Asian dining experiences that also includes Panda Inn and Hibachi-San. For more information, visit pandaexpress.com, or follow on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. SOURCE Panda Express Related Links http://pandaexpress.com KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Many parents wish they had fewer arguments and better communication with their teenagers. Other parents long to see their young adult children become self-motivated enough to confidently conduct their lives with purpose. In their Amazon best-selling book, How to Get Your Son Back: 7 Steps to Reconnect and Repair Your Relationship, Dr. Fall and his son Austin offer lessons they learned in repairing their own relationship that could help other parents do the same. How to Get Your Son Back: 7 Steps to Reconnect and Repair Your Relationship Kevin Fall Kevin Fall is a father-turned-psychologist who in his first semester of graduate school fielded a call from Austin, asking for help. For the next five years, they lived as college roommates while Kevin got his doctorate and Austin transformed from a high school dropout, felon, and suicidal teen into a college graduate, loving dad, and thriving professional with a clean record. With their unique brand of expertise, these entertaining and informative professionals can discuss topics such as: Getting your basement-dwelling child motivated, independent, and out on their own. 7 steps that move you away from lecturing to leading your teen. Creating the type of deep relationship with your teen most parents can only dream about. Catastrophe or Opportunity? Using your teen's next crisis as fuel for change. Ways to turn your teen's self-destruction into motivation, meaning and purpose. CREDENTIALS: Dr. Kevin Fall is an award-winning speaker, author, psychologist, and leading expert on human connection. He received his doctorate in psychology from the University of Iowa and spent years working with clients ranging from high-performing college students to individuals with histories of violence and severe mental illness. Austin Fall lived and worked with his dad to reengineer his life. Today he is a college graduate with a clean legal record, a loving father, and a thriving professional who helps parents reconnect with and inspire their troubled teens to reach their full potential. Austin brings a unique and valuable perspective to the consultations he does with parents who are trying desperately to reach their teens and repair their relationships. AVAILABILITY: Kansas City, nationwide by arrangement and via telephone; available last-minute CONTACT: Austin Fall (913) 208-7075; [email protected]; www.LifeDoctor.com SOURCE Kevin Fall NUREMBERG, Germany, January 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- S ydney knocks New York off 3 rd place, while Melbourne jumps from 9 th to 7 th Tokyo records greatest score gain of all 50 cities The latest Anholt-GfK City Brands IndexSM (CBISM) reveals that Paris retains its position at the top. For the fourth time since the survey began, the global public regards Paris as the highest rated out of 50 cities. Australian cities also show improvement: Sydney overtakes New York (4th) to earn a spot back in the top three and Melbourne jumps to 7th place, surpassing Amsterdam (8th) and Berlin (10th). These are some of the findings from CBISM, a biennial study conducted in September and October of 2017. Score change 2017 rank City 2015 rank 2017 vs. 2015 1 Paris 1 +0.51 2 London 2 +0.52 3 Sydney 4 +0.97 4 New York 3 +0.67 5 Los Angeles 5 +0.91 6 Rome 6 +0.65 7 Melbourne 9 +1.64 8 Amsterdam 8 +1.36 9 San Francisco n/a +n/a 10 Berlin 7 +0.75 CBI[SM] scores range from 1-100. Score changes: small: +/-0.26-0.50; medium: +/-0.51-1.00; large: > +/-1.00 The study evaluates the power and appeal of each city's image, providing a holistic and detailed perspective based on six key dimensions: - Presence (the city's international status and standing) - Place (its physical outdoors aspect and transport) - Prerequisites (basic requirements, such as affordable accommodations and the standard of public amenities) - People (friendliness, cultural diversity, how safe one feels) - Pulse (interesting things to do) - Potential (the economic and educational opportunities available). CBISM also demonstrates the precariousness of cities resting on their nation's brand. A number of cities underperform their nation's standing as established in this year's Nation Brands IndexSM. Berlin is a prime example, just managing to hold onto a spot within the top-tier of cities. "This might be surprising given that Germany as a country took 1st place in the 2017 Nation Brands Index rankings and boasted the most balanced image of all nations surveyed", Vadim Volos, senior vice president of Social and Strategic Research and head of CBISM at GfK, comments. "This shows that cities cannot rest on their nation's brand, they must cultivate their own unique images as well. " Western cities tend to dominate the top half of cities, and in previous years, Western cities benefitted noticeably more than Eastern cities in the global public's estimations. 2017 shows a change in fortunes with marked improvement for many that is not constrained by region or developmental stage. For example, Tokyo is one of only a handful of non-Western cities that resides within the top half of cities. After experiencing a score decline in 2013, Tokyo has rebuilt and grown its image in the two consecutive CBISM studies. Tokyo enjoys the greatest score gain of any city (+1.79) in 2017's CBISM to draw to a tie for 11th position with Vancouver, surpassing Madrid, Barcelona, Washington D.C., Toronto, and Vienna. Looking at CBISM's Middle Eastern and African regions, Dubai is the only city within this region measured that does not rest within the bottom tier of cities. Dubai falls narrowly outside the top half (27th), with its Presence (15th) and Place (16th) rankings anchoring and propelling its image. Though Dubai is the city within the region with the best reputation, Durban wins the award for most improved (+1.51), which allows it to surpass Cairo. For more information on CBISM 2017, please contact Vadim Volos at [email protected] . About the study The Anholt-GfK CBISM is run once every two years and measures the image of 50 cities with respect to Presence, Place, Prerequisites, People, Pulse, and Potential. For the 2017 study, 5,057 interviews were conducted across 10 countries (Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Russia, South Korea, UK, and USA), with at least 500 interviews per country. Adults aged 18 or over were interviewed online in each country. Using the most up-to-date online population parameters, the achieved sample in each country is weighted to reflect key demographic characteristics including age, gender, and education of the online population in that country. Fieldwork was conducted from 20 September to 3 October 2017. The 50 cities ranked in the survey are as follows: Western Europe: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Basel, Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, Edinburgh, Geneva, London, Madrid, Munich, Paris, Rome, Stockholm Central/Eastern Europe: Istanbul, Moscow, Prague, Vienna, Warsaw Asia Pacific: Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta*, Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo North America: Boston*, Chicago, Dallas Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco*, Toronto, Vancouver*, Washington D.C. Latin America: Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago de Chile* Middle East/Africa: Cairo, Cape Town, Doha, Dubai, Durban, Johannesburg *Cities new to the CBISM 2017 are denoted with an asterisk. About Simon Anholt Simon Anholt is recognized as the world's leading authority on national image and identity. Professor Anholt was Vice-Chair of the UK Government's Public Diplomacy Board, and works as an independent policy advisor to the Heads of State and Heads of Government of more than 50 other countries. Anholt developed the concept of the Nation Brands IndexSM and the City Brands IndexSM in 2005. About GfK GfK connects data and science. Innovative research solutions provide answers for key business questions around consumers, markets, brands and media - now and in the future. As a research and analytics partner, GfK promises its clients all over the world "Growth from Knowledge". For more information, please visit http://www.gfk.com or follow GfK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GfK . SOURCE GfK HOUSTON, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Parker Drilling Company (NYSE: PKD) announced today that its 2018 Annual Stockholders' Meeting will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel located at 6 East Greenway Plaza, Houston, Texas 77046 on Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. Central Time (10:00 a.m. Eastern Time). Company Description Parker Drilling provides drilling services and rental tools to the energy industry. The Company's Drilling Services business serves operators in the inland waters of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico utilizing Parker Drilling's barge rig fleet and in select U.S. and international markets and harsh-environment regions utilizing Parker-owned and customer-owned equipment. The Company's Rental Tools Services business supplies premium equipment and well services to operators on land and offshore in the U.S. and international markets. More information about Parker Drilling can be found on the Company's website at www.parkerdrilling.com. Contact: Jason Geach, Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Development, (+1) (281) 406-2310, [email protected]. SOURCE Parker Drilling Company Related Links http://www.parkerdrilling.com MONTCLAIR, N.J., Jan. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pendo Systems, led by industry veteran Pamela Pecs Cytron, today announced their intention to target the Insurance sector with their Pendo Machine Learning Platform (PMLP). With advanced machine learning capabilities at its core, the Pendo Machine Learning Platform is a unique data management and intelligence platform, providing exploration, discovery and analysis capabilities across multiple disparate sources of unstructured data. PMLP is already proven within Banking and Capital Markets and 2018 sees Pendo Systems embarking on a focused campaign to penetrate the Insurance sector. The firm will continue business development within Financial Services. The new insurance division at Pendo Systems is advised by industry icon, William Hartnett. The business has already identified a number of very specific use cases which are ideally suited to the advanced data analytics capabilities PMLP can provide. By combining a set of proprietary algorithms with repeatable, controlled analysis of documents the Pendo platform enables users to immediately classify unstructured data and unlock the insights trapped inside millions of mission-critical documents. The platform delivers an unparalleled degree of accuracy and provides a 360 view of the business to support key strategic initiatives or any regulatory requirement. "The scale of the opportunity locked inside unstructured data is not just a banking issue, insurance is flooded with unstructured documents. From commercial submissions to P&C and beyond. This industry urgently needs to solve this problem if they are to take full advantage of their Artificial Intelligence endeavors. Pendo has both the platform and the in-house expertise to make this happen." Bill Hartnett - President, Hartnett Advisors In line with Banking and Capital Markets, all Insurance firms are also now under huge pressure to; reduce operating costs, significantly improve customer service capabilities and at the same time demonstrate compliance with a body of ever-growing regulatory directives. According to a recent report by a leading research house on the impact of regulation on the insurance sector: "Most insurers are moving ahead with their risk and compliance initiatives, even as certain areas pose regulatory uncertainty that will likely remain a significant and ongoing challenge. Even if lawmakers and regulators make certain definitive changes, insurance companies must continue to drive the effectiveness and efficiency of their risk and compliance programs so they meet applicable laws, regulations, and supervisory expectations." Pam Pecs Cytron said, "This is the perfect storm for Pendo. The global Insurance industry has to address their operational processes to remain viable in a highly competitive and increasingly regulated market. The urgent need to accelerate the adoption of new technologies which enable them to transform their existing capabilities and expand the range and depth of services they can provide to a discerning and highly demanding customer base has never been greater. Add to this, the impact of increasingly onerous regulatory pressures the Insurance industry now faces, we believe the timing of our insurance initiative is spot on. Over the last few months, we have experienced a surge of inbound inquiries and we are actively engaged in some advanced conversations with a number of large Insurance firms. We are excited about the opportunities these represent for the business." Pam concludes, "The deluge of unstructured data engulfing both the Financial Services and Insurance sectors is an unstoppable force and it is imperative all firms get a handle on it. Our platform enables organizations to effectively manage, explore and analyze their data which is taken from multiple sources. Whilst our goal, first and foremost, is to service the needs of our existing client base, this new market definitely looks to be extremely fertile. We are constantly re-investing in our team and product development roadmap so that the business can handle the increasing demand. Team Pendo is up for the challenge!" Pendo Systems The Pendo Machine Learning Platform (PMLP) is a data management and intelligence platform that provides exploration, discovery and analysis capabilities across multiple, disparate sources of unstructured data. It transforms unstructured data into AI-ready datasets at machine scale and significantly improves on standard NLP libraries by applying real-world, customer training data improving accuracy to over 95 percent. Headquartered in New Jersey with offices in Charlotte, North Carolina, the senior management team brings decades of experience developing, selling and supporting enterprise-grade software solutions to global banks, insurance companies, and asset management firms. The firm prides itself on maintaining its agile development philosophy in order to address the ever-changing environment of the financial services industry. Pendo Systems is certified as a Women's Business Enterprise by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation's largest third-party certifier of the businesses owned and operated by women in the United States. Pioneering the adoption of AI to exploit the value of unstructured data in Insurance Platform-proven and in-production within leading Financial Institutions For press information Clare Walsh | [email protected] | +44 7768 770757 Hannah Pewter | [email protected] | +44 7500 905415 For company information Philip Smith [email protected] | 646.354.0067 SOURCE Pendo Systems LOS ANGELES, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- With increasing number of international students being caught cheating in tests, accused of violating school rules and even being repatriated back to their home countries, we cannot help but wonder: what is the underlying reason leading to their academic failure and who are the ones to blame? For international students who study overseas in the US, the lack of interactive communication between parents and school teachers could cause negative impact on their academic performance as well as mental health. Chinese students who study by themselves in the US are facing multiple challenges such as cultural differences, lack of self-control and close supervision, and variety of temptations from both inside and outside the school which make them in need of special attention and extra care. "Disconnection and misunderstanding lead to such academic tragedies that we all don't want to witness," says Educare COO Gin Zhang. Such tragedies embolden Student EduCare to change the status quo. As an innovative educational product for enhancing the communication among parents of K12 international students, school and host families, EduCare has developed critical functions such as real-time bilingual chat, appointment scheduler, and electric authorization to ensure effective message delivery and parent's direct involvement in their student's lives. Those functions enable students to stay on the right path. In order for students to succeed, all they need is just a little additional help. "It's really a revolutionary experience, now I'm just fingertip's distance from my kid," shared by a Chinese mother who recently downloaded Educare. If you would like more information about our App, please contact Ian, Wang at 626-373-1206 or email at [email protected]. Contact Ian, Wang Telephone 626-373-1206 Cell 765-714-4335 Email [email protected] Website http://www.studenteducare.com/ SOURCE Student EduCare Related Links http://www.studenteducare.com/ ALLENTOWN, Pa., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) today announced a goal to cut the company's carbon dioxide emissions 70 percent from 2010 levels by 2050 as it works to advance a cleaner energy future. The company expects to achieve the reductions through a variety of actions. These include replacing Kentucky coal-fired generation over time with a mix of renewables and natural gas while meeting obligations to provide least-cost and reliable service to customers. And they include taking actions across PPL's U.S. and U.K. operations, such as improving energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from substations and reducing vehicle fleet emissions. "As the world considers climate change and as PPL looks to the future, we will continue to take steps to minimize our impact on the environment, transform the way we generate electricity and incorporate new, lower-emitting technology," said William H. Spence, chairman, president and chief executive officer for PPL Corporation. Since 2010, Spence said PPL has cut its carbon dioxide emissions by nearly half, spinning off its competitive generation business, including nearly 4,000 megawatts of coal-fired generation, retiring approximately 900 megawatts of coal capacity in Kentucky, and replacing much of that retired Kentucky generation with a new, highly efficient natural gas, combined-cycle unit that emits about 60 percent less CO2 per megawatt-hour. In addition, the company's Kentucky subsidiaries built the state's largest universal solar facility, began offering solar options to Kentucky customers and completed the renovation and upgrade of the Ohio Falls hydroelectric facility. As with the recently announced plans to retire an additional 272 megawatts of coal-fired generation in early 2019, PPL's Kentucky subsidiaries are always looking for lower cost options to reliably meet their customers' energy needs while advancing a cleaner energy future. As discussed in PPL's recently released climate assessment report, the Kentucky subsidiaries will likely economically retire the bulk of their coal-fired units by 2050. PPL also plans to achieve additional emissions reductions across its U.S. and U.K. business, the vast majority of which is focused solely on delivering electricity, rather than generating it. Steps will include reducing greenhouse gas emissions at its substations through leak detection sensors, monitoring and proactive equipment replacements; improving energy efficiency at its facilities; and transitioning to a cleaner fleet of trucks and vehicles. In the U.K., for example, PPL's Western Power Distribution utility is already taking significant steps to reduce its carbon footprint by ensuring all replacement vehicles have lower carbon dioxide emissions than those they replace and by ensuring all of its new or refurbished buildings meet robust, recognized energy efficiency standards. In Pennsylvania, meanwhile, PPL Electric Utilities is working to replace all of its traditional bucket trucks with electric-lift models that reduce emissions. "PPL remains committed to looking for additional opportunities to reduce its carbon footprint as we help customers do the same through education and energy efficiency programs and as we work to prepare the U.K. and U.S. energy grids for more distributed energy resources," Spence said. Additional carbon dioxide reductions of about 45 percent are required from the company's current business mix to achieve the 70 percent goal by 2050. "As we highlighted in our recent climate assessment report, we regularly assess the risks and opportunities associated with climate change," Spence said. "Based on that assessment, we believe the goal we have set is both achievable and in the best interests of PPL's customers and shareowners as we look to grow value moving forward." Spence said the new goal is part of PPL's broad commitment to sustainability. PPL has enhanced its disclosures around sustainability and climate-related issues in recent years. The company's actions have included adopting the most widely used standard worldwide for PPL's annual sustainability reporting and issuing a detailed climate assessment report in late 2017. PPL also participated throughout 2017 in an Edison Electric Institute (EEI) pilot program to develop a template for utility reporting on environmental, social and governance performance. The template, developed in consultation with major institutional investors, provides a condensed, consistent look at sustainability metrics. It was released in December. The company also intends to respond this year to an annual climate survey by CDP, formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project. CDP provides another outlet for companies to disclose environmental data important to investors and other stakeholders. For more information on PPL's sustainability initiatives or to access PPL's annual sustainability report, climate assessment report and completed EEI sustainability template, visit www.pplweb.com/sustainability. Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) is one of the largest companies in the U.S. utility sector. PPL's seven high-performing, award-winning utilities serve 10 million customers in the United States and United Kingdom. With about 13,000 employees, PPL is dedicated to providing exceptional customer service and reliability and delivering superior value for shareowners. To learn more, visit www.pplweb.com. Certain statements contained in this news release, including statements with respect to future business conditions, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Although PPL Corporation believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in the statements. The following are among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements: market demand and prices for energy; competition; operating performance and costs of plants and other facilities; and political, regulatory or economic developments and conditions. Any such forward-looking statements should be considered in light of such factors and in conjunction with PPL Corporation's Form 10-K and other reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Note to Editors: visit our media website at www.pplnewsroom.com for additional news and background about PPL Corporation. Contact: For news media: Ryan Hill, 610-774-5997 For financial analysts: Andy Ludwig, 610-774-3389 or Lisa Pammer, 610-774-3316 SOURCE PPL Corporation Related Links http://www.pplweb.com CHICAGO, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Chicago Auto Show is proud to announce Cars.com, State Farm and Wintrust as premier partners of the 2018 Chicago Auto Show, Feb. 10-19 at McCormick Place. In addition to premium exhibit and branding space on the show floor and market-wide promotional activities, premier partners enjoy category exclusivity and receive additional exposure to show attendees through a benefits package. "As the nation's largest auto show quickly approaches, exhibitors and sponsors are lining up and ready to engage the masses," said Chicago Auto Show Chairman John Hennessy. "According to Foresight Research, 65 percent of people who visit the Chicago Auto Show are there to shop a statistic that applies to all exhibitors, even sponsors." With its new premier partner status, Cars.com will enjoy category exclusivity and power the show's new BUZZHUB, a space designed for social media engagement featuring a 21-ft. wall broadcasting real-time trending feeds, giant #CAS18 block letters for pose-worthy moments, enlarged Instagram frame and charging stations to refuel attendees' smartphones. The new #CAS18 BUZZHUB is also home to live radio broadcasts and Best of Show voting kiosks. State Farm returns as a premier partner and will offer attendees an interactive State Farm Garage exhibit. This year's space features an all-new Auto Love Wall where attendees can share their fondest car memories, an engraving station where participants walk away with a personalized keychain and a photo mosaic interactive where attendees take a car photo and add it to a larger visual display eventually creating a magnificent auto memory mosaic. State Farm representatives will also field thousands of questions and assist attendees at its Here to Help Center in the Grand Concourse throughout the run of the show. As a new premier partner for 2018, Wintrust becomes the presenting sponsor of the Super Car Gallery and is the source for discounted tickets for opening weekend and weekday admissions. Visit any of the bank's 150 community locations and pick up a voucher to save $3 off general admission for opening weekend or $6 off any weekday. Wintrust also returns as a corporate supporter of First Look for Charity, the Chicago Auto Show' black-tie gala fundraiser, as the company is committed to going above and beyond banking solutions to support Chicagoland communities. "As a company built for this area, Wintrust is committed to supporting iconic Chicago events and organizations that make this area so unique," said Wintrust President & CEO Ed Wehmer. "The Chicago Auto Show definitely fits into that category. We are proud to be the Chicago Auto Show's Premier Bank Sponsor and align ourselves with such an exciting, innovative event." The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) returns to the Chicago Auto Show for the second year in a row with an even larger presence during the show's Media Preview. SMDI will again be the presenting sponsor of the Concept & Technology Garage with a tailgating-themed activation, light snacks and beverages. Added this year, SMDI will also be the exclusive corporate partner of the Midwest Automotive Media Association opening breakfast and a sponsor of the What Drives Her industry luncheon, which includes SMDI Vice President Jody Hall as a panelist. Official sponsors XFINITY and the Chicago Tribune will also return to provide unique opportunities. Show attendees who visit the XFINITY Lounge at the show will receive a hands-on X1 Experience. Additionally, fans can take part in the #XFINITYFast social media challenge for the chance to win prizes. The Chicago Tribune will again host Women's Day at the Chicago Auto Show on Tuesday, Feb. 13, when women are admitted at a discounted price and special activities geared towards women will be available. For more details on the 2018 Chicago Auto Show and a full lineup of events, please visit www.chicagoautoshow.com. About the Chicago Auto Show The Chicago Auto Show is the largest auto show in North America, spanning more than one million square feet of production, concept and exotic vehicle exhibit space. In addition to hosting multiple world and North American vehicle debuts, the Chicago Auto Show's First Look for Charity raises more than $2.5 million annually for 18 vital Chicago organizations in a single night. The 2018 public show is Feb. 10-19. For more information, visit www.ChicagoAutoShow.com or www.Facebook.com/ChicagoAutoShow. The 2018 Chicago Auto Show is officially sanctioned by the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers. Founded in Paris in 1919, it is known as the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs. About the Chicago Automobile Trade Association Founded in 1904, the Chicago Automobile Trade Association is one of the nation's largest metropolitan dealer organizations. It is comprised of more than 420 franchised new-car dealers and an additional 150 allied members. The group's dealer members employ about 20,000 people in the metropolitan area. The association has produced the world-famous Chicago Auto Show since 1935. For more information please visit www.CATA.info. SOURCE Chicago Auto Show Related Links http://ChicagoAutoShow.com FREMONT, Calif., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- RAVPower, the popular charging brand, have just launched their 2-in-1 charging device that is power bank and wall charger in one. Thanks to RAVPower's inventive engineering, you can now unplug your wall charger from your outlet at home, collapse the plug, and take it with you as a fully functioning portable charger. Sunvalleytek International Inc. Sunvalleytek International Inc. "Our goal was to provide a true one stop solution to our customers and have them avoid carrying multiple chargers for different situations," says Allen Fung, cofounder of RAVPower. "The convenient 2-In-1 Charger can easily be taken on the go thanks to its portable size and collapsible plug, or be used as a wall charger when home or away." Featuring two 3.4A USB ports (2.4A max per port) and a 10000mAh capacity battery, RAVPower's latest portable charger can recharge your iPhone X 2.2 times, iPhone 8 3.2 times, S8 twice, or the iPad mini 4 1.2 times. Other features include: A huge 10000mAh capacity Two USB ports with a 3.4A total output Three way recharge: AC outlet, car charger, and a solar charger Complete phone security with RAVPower's MultiGuard safety system The RAVPower 2-in-1 Wall Charger and Power Bank is currently on sale on Amazon for $25.99. About RAVPower Founded in 2011, RAVPower has grown to become the one-stop power charging solution for millions of customers from around the world. RAVPower's wide variety of portable chargers ranges from high-capacity external battery packs to travel-friendly multiport USB chargers to high-tech offerings which utilize Qualcomm's Quick Charge technology. https://www.ravpower.com/26800mah-Type-C-external-battery-charger-black.html About Sunvalleytek Founded in 2007, Sunvalleytek has grown to become a leading eCommerce company that is home to seven major international consumer brands: RAVPower, TaoTronics, VAVA, Anjou, and Sable. From energy-saving LED desk lamps to next-generation portable chargers to 100% pure essential oil, the Sunvalleytek's brands have regularly become top-sellers in many leading eCommerce platforms across the world. https://www.sunvalley-group.com/en/index.html Media Contact: Allen Fung General Manager of RAVPower 1-510-260-5089 Sunvalleytek International Inc. 46724 Lakeview Blvd, Fremont, CA 94538, USA http://www.sunvalleytek.com SOURCE Sunvalleytek International Inc. Related Links http://www.sunvalleytek.com SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today unveiled a new addition to the Razer Broadcaster range of professional-grade streaming equipment, the Razer Seiren Elite microphone. Razer Seiren Elite The Razer Seiren Elite is a dynamic USB microphone packed with professional grade features to bring high quality audio to live streamers and YouTube broadcasters. The single capsule design, coupled with built-in filter and limiter gives a richer, warmer vocal tone previously only found through high-end broadcast equipment. The Razer Seiren Elite features a single dynamic capsule and cardioid capture pattern for accurate wide frequency recording. The built-in high-pass filter removes unwanted low-frequency vibrations, such as fan noises or air conditions hums. And when the excitement gets too much, a digital/analog vocal limiter will automatically adjust audio gains to prevent distortion and popping, keeping streams and recordings balanced and smooth. "Most professional-grade microphones require additional recording equipment, like mixers and converters, that you need to get your sound onto your PC," says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. "The Razer Seiren Elite solves that problem, letting broadcasters focus on their content and letting the Seiren Elite handle their audio." The Razer Seiren Elite simplifies the audio set-up process by being a simple plug and play operation, not requiring external mixers, amplifiers or signal converters. The Razer Seiren Elite is the latest addition to the Razer Broadcaster range, which includes the Razer Kiyo, a streaming camera with built-in ring light which was won the Tom's Guide Innovation award for peripherals and the Laptop Mag Editors' Choice in 2017. Price: Razer Seiren Elite: USD$199.99 / 219.99 Availability: Razerzone.com January 2018 Worldwide January 2018 Razer Seiren Elite Product features: Single Dynamic Capsule For rich and warm vocal quality Inbuilt High-Pass Filter For ultra-clean recording signals Digital/Analog Vocal Limiter For zero distortion 16-bit/48kHz Resolution To optimize your stream Zero Latency Monitoring For zero audio lag Flat Frequency Response Monitoring For accurately reproduced sound Microphone Specifications Sample Rate: min 44.1kHz / max 48kHz Bit Rate: 16bit Capsule: Single Dynamic Capsule Polar patterns: Cardioid Frequency response: 50Hz-20kHz Connectivity: USB only Max SPL: 120dB Headphone amplifier Impedance: 16 Power output (RMS): 85mW (at 16 ) Flat Frequency Response: Yes Zero-Latency Monitoring: Yes Images: Render Lifestyle Photography Video: Launch Trailer For more information about the Razer Seiren Elite, please visit www.razerzone.com/seiren-elite. ABOUT RAZER: Razer is the world's leading lifestyle brand for gamers. The triple-headed snake trademark of Razer is one of the most recognized logos in the global gaming and esports communities. With a fan base that spans every continent, the company has designed and built the world's largest gamer-focused ecosystem of hardware, software and services. Razer's award-winning hardware includes high-performance gaming peripherals, Blade gaming laptops and the acclaimed Razer Phone. Razer's software platform, with over 40 million users, includes Razer Synapse (an Internet of Things platform), Razer Chroma (a proprietary RGB lighting technology system), and Razer Cortex (a game optimizer and launcher). Razer services include Razer zGold, one of the world's largest virtual credit services for gamers, which allows gamers to purchase virtual goods and items from over 2,500 different games. Founded in 2005 and dual-headquartered in San Francisco and Singapore, Razer has nine offices worldwide and is recognized as the leading brand for gamers in the USA, Europe and China. Razer is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Stock Code: 1337). Press Contacts: Americas Stephen Huynh [email protected] Alain Mazer (Global Director of Public Relations) [email protected] Europe/Africa Jan Horak [email protected] Asia Pacific China Leonard Le [email protected] Razer For Gamers. By Gamers. SOURCE Razer Related Links http://www.razerzone.com DENVER, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Recondo Technology is pleased to announce it has earned the 2018 Best in KLAS ranking for the Patient Access category. Recondo's automated revenue cycle management solutions help hospitals and healthcare systems process large volumes of queries to payers at unprecedented scale and speed by leveraging touchless processing, helping these providers brings millions of dollars in revenue back to the bottom line. "On behalf of the hardworking and talented team at Recondo Technology, I want to express our gratitude to our customers for partnering in Recondo's vision to reinvent and automate the hospital's revenue cycle," said Jay Deady, CEO of Recondo Technology. Deady went on to further describe this vision. "Beginning in 2015, we partnered with our leading clients to implement a three-year improvement plan focused on key attributes--highly reliable, innovative SaaS software and revenue cycle content; a new client implementation and support model implemented by our COO, Perry Sweet and team; and leading-edge integration of actionable intelligence delivered directly into the workflow of our clients' revenue cycle platforms of choice, such as Epic and others," Deady said. He added, "Given that KLAS rankings are based on objective customer feedback, clearly this vision has been successfully achieved in actual practice." KLAS ranking puts touchless automation in the spotlight Communicating with healthcare insurance companies is a manual and time-consuming process for providers, with many relying on armies of internal or outsourced staff to keep up. In response, a growing number of providers are turning to automation to carry out these transactions with payersusing automated solutions to verify a patient's coverage for services and the patient's financial responsibility; obtain prior authorizations for services; and confirm the approved or denied status of claims. The efficiency of automating these revenue cycle transactions is quickly realized. In just one patient access example, Recondo customers experienced a 100 percent increase in account processing throughput using AuthInitiate, the latest addition to Recondo's Authorization-Denial Prevention suite. "Hospitals that automate revenue cycle management functions routinely recoup tens of millions of dollars in revenue. For example, St. Francis Hospital increased point-of-service collections by $4 million after deploying our patient estimation solution. In another example, by automating claim status verification with our ClaimStatusPlus solution, Avera Health freed $2.1 million from over-aging accounts," Deady noted. Recondo's automated solutions have proven to be so effective for providers, the company experienced an almost 40 percent year-over-year growth in bookings in 2017 following similar growth in 2016. ClaimStatusPlus, the industry's leading automation tool for touchless claims follow-up, has helped significantly drive that growth with new customers including Bons Secours, University of Colorado Health and Stanford Health Care. Additional new Recondo customers include St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, USC Health, Banner Health, Stormont Vail and Ensemble Health Partners. Automation is on the cusp of becoming mainstream in the healthcare revenue cycle industry, thanks in large part to the success of solutions like Recondo's and the focus on automation by prestigious research organizations such as KLAS. Additional accolades The recognition from KLAS follows closely on the heels of Recondo's full suite of revenue cycle solutions being selected as a "best-in-class" platform vendor for the Revenue Cycle Innovation Center by Baker Tilly, a leading full-service consulting and advisory firm. The center was formed by Baker Tilly to help its clients break the pattern of commonly under-performing revenue cycle programs that are failing to deliver on expected ROIs in the ever-changing healthcare environment. Having identified automation as a key strategy to overhaul such programs, Baker Tilly sought the most innovative platform SaaS vendor in healthcare revenue cycle automationand found it in Recondo Technology. In 2017, Recondo was also recognized by Black Book Research as one of the top three leaders in revenue cycle management software. Deady concluded by noting that in the near future, the most effective automation tools will incorporate artificial intelligence capabilities like robotic process automation, machine learning, and natural language processing. "Our own solutions are now deploying these capabilities to create a truly 'touchless' financial clearance. Look out for more great news for Recondo and our customers in the coming months," Deady said. For the full "2018 Best in KLAS: Software & Services" report, visit: https://klasresearch.com/report/2018-best-in-klas-software-and-services/1253 About KLAS KLAS is a data-driven company on a mission to improve the world's healthcare by enabling provider and payer voices to be heard and counted. Working with thousands of healthcare professionals, KLAS collects insights on software, services and medical equipment to deliver reports, trending data and statistical overviews. KLAS data is accurate, honest and impartial. The research directly reflects the voice of healthcare professionals and acts as a catalyst for improving-vendor performance. To learn more about KLAS and the insights we provide, visit www.KLASresearch.com. About Recondo Technology Recondo's cloud-based solutions deliver industry leading automated, accurate, and actionable financial clarity to all participants within the healthcare revenue cycle. Recognized by Black Book Research as one of the top three leaders in revenue cycle management software, Recondo empowers more than 900 hospitals with solutions that connect providers, payers, and patients to ensure proper payments across the care continuum. The company's patented software and expertise streamline operations and allow providers to be paid more, faster, and at a cheaper cost. Recondo brings efficiencies and cost savings to patient access through to payment processinga continuum today where inaccuracy and inefficiencies currently cost U.S. healthcare a staggering $480 billion per year. Learn more at www.recondotech.com. Media contact: Stephanie Janard Amendola Communications for Recondo Technology [email protected] 704.418.9874 SOURCE Recondo Technology Related Links http://www.recondotech.com ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Refresco (Euronext Amsterdam: RFRG), an independent bottler of beverages for retailers and A-brands in Europe and the US, today announces completion of the acquisition of the bottling activities of Cott (NYSE: COT, TSX: BCB). The resulting combination creates the world's largest independent bottler for retailers and A-brands with leadership positions across Europe and North America. In combining Refresco's strong European capabilities and Cott's strength in the UK and North America, Refresco almost doubles its production volume to approximately 12 billion liters. The combination provides customers access to seamless service across geographies and an unrivalled production platform with access to all non-alcoholic beverages categories. Refresco now has a footprint of 59 facilities in 12 countries, employing over 9,500 people. CEO Refresco, Hans Roelofs: "Today's completion signals an important moment reinforcing our position as the leading industry player. Combining the two businesses is in the heart of our buy & build strategy. The joined business will be well positioned to meet customers' continuously changing needs and requirements and offers ample opportunity for employees to develop their careers in an increasingly international setting. The company has a well balanced portfolio with exposure to all categories for retailers and a strengthened contract manufacturing exposure with unique geographical spread for branded beverage companies. With its increased scale, Refresco will have greater opportunities to invest in innovation, to further optimize our business and achieve profitable growth. I look forward to welcoming our new colleagues in the US, Canada, UK, and Mexico and to the exciting opportunities ahead." Integration and next steps The closing follows Refresco shareholder approval, the approval in principle of the UK competition authority (CMA) and the relevant competition authorities in both the US and Canada. The CMA's green light is conditional upon the sale of the Aseptic-PET facility at the Nelson site to a suitable buyer. Until that time Refresco and Cott will continue to operate separately in the UK. Integration will start immediately in North America. In the UK, integration will commence once we have executed the proposed remedy. In the new combination, Refresco's activities in North America are significantly extended, resulting in national coverage with 22 manufacturing sites in the US, 4 manufacturing sites in Canada and 1 manufacturing site in Mexico. Furthermore, Refresco now has 26 manufacturing sites in continental Europe and 6 manufacturing sites in the UK. In the UK, Cott's bottling business will be integrated into Refresco Europe and Cott's North American organization will be combined with Refresco North America. The Cott bottling activities add new capabilities and expertise as well as the potential to share best practices across the combined activities of Refresco. There is significant value creation potential through scale benefits in raw material and packaging procurement, the realization of opex and capex efficiencies in footprint, utilization and logistical optimization, as well as benefits from integration and streamlining of the combined organization. Further details about organizational structures and financials will be provided in due course as appropriate. About Refresco Refresco (Euronext: RFRG) is the world's largest independent bottler of beverages for retailers and A-brands with production in Europe, North America and Mexico. The company has pro forma volumes and revenue of circa 11.6 billion liters and circa 3.6 billion, respectively. Refresco offers an extensive range of product and packaging combinations from 100% fruit juices to carbonated soft drinks and mineral waters in carton, PET, Aseptic PET, cans and glass. Focused on innovation, Refresco continuously searches for new and alternative ways to improve the quality of its products and packaging combinations in line with consumer and customer demand, environmental responsibilities and market demand. Refresco is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and has more than 9,500 employees. www.refresco.com About Cott Cott is a route based service company with a leading volume-based national presence in the North America and European home and office bottled water delivery industry and a leader in custom coffee roasting, blending of iced tea, and extract solutions for the U.S. foodservice industry. Our platform reaches over 2.3 million customers or delivery points across North America and Europe supported by strategically located sales and distribution facilities and fleets, as well as wholesalers and distributors. This enables us to efficiently service residences, businesses, restaurant chains, hotels and motels, small and large retailers, and healthcare facilities. Notes to the press release This is a public announcement by Refresco N.V. pursuant to section 17 paragraph 1 of the European Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014). This public announcement does not constitute an offer, or any solicitation of any offer, to buy or subscribe for any securities in Refresco Group N.V. SOURCE Refresco Related Links http://www.refresco.com ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Robbins-Gioia, LLC (RG) was awarded a sole source, three-year contract for the sustainment of the Emergency Management Command and Control System (EMC2) for the U.S. Air Force. RG originally developed the EMC2 application to establish a real-time tracking system of personnel during an emergency or other incident, while protecting personally identifiable information (PII). Working from the Ogden Air Logistics Complex (ALC), Hill AFB, UT, RG will provide program management, technical programming, requirements management, configuration and change management, system testing and sustainment, and training. "RG is very pleased to continue our support for EMC2. This innovation was recognized in 2017 as one of the Top 30 Finalists from ACT-IAC's Igniting Innovation event and we will make further enhancements as this program grows in the future," says Jeff Philippart, RG's Director of Defense Business. The U.S. Air Force emergency operations center can use EMC2, which mandates Smart Card access and data encryption, to identify the location and status of ALC personnel based on their work assignment to quickly and accurately produce accountability for over 8,500 personnel, while mitigating the potential exposure of PII to loss or misuse. At RG, we provide management consulting, managed services, and JFAST software. We partner with our clients to test and refine every solution to meet their exact needs. We take pride in tackling complex management challenges with fresh and innovative insights and in transforming our clients' vision into reality. Contact: Lindsay Phillips Director, Marketing RG 703-739-5663 [email protected] www.teamrg.com SOURCE RG Related Links http://www.teamrg.com LAMBERTVILLE, N.J., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- RobustWealth, a digital wealth management platform built for financial advisors by financial advisors, has started expanding internationally, beginning with a speaking engagement and partnership with Bahrain Fintech Bay and the FinTech Consortium. The first step in this emerging partnership is a keynote speech at the launch event for Bahrain Fintech Bay, the largest fintech hub in the Middle East, and part of the agenda of The GCC Financial Forum conference being held on Feb. 20-21 in Manama, Bahrain. RobustWealth Chairman Rick Frisbie will speak about RobustWealth's platform, its features and how the technology can be adopted by institutions and financial advisors. "RobustWealth has quickly become a digital advice platform of choice for financial advisors and institutions here in the U.S., and we're excited to offer our services and solutions internationally," Frisbie said. "We're grateful to Bahrain Fintech Bay for recognizing how we can support financial institutions in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and are looking forward to a productive experience at The GCC Financial Forum." RobustWealth is a digital advice provider delivering custom-built enterprise solutions for financial services companies seeking to automate the rebalancing and trading of their clients' portfolios. The RobustWealth platform also delivers a suite of seamlessly integrated operational and technology features to optimize efficiency and workflow. As such, it caught the eye of Bahrain Fintech Bay the Middle East's leading fintech hub designed to incubate insightful, scalable and impactful fintech initiatives. "With RobustWealth on the forefront of FinTech innovation in the U.S., we felt strongly about inviting their team to become involved with Bahrain Fintech Bay, starting with The GCC Financial Forum," said Maissan Al Maskati, Chairman of Fintech Consortium. About RobustWealth RobustWealth is a digital wealth management platform built by and for investment advisors, and engineered to satisfy their unique needs. It integrates previously modular features into one seamless suite that advisors can leverage to optimize their practice on their clients' behalf. The easy-to-use technology is delivered in a completely private-labeled environment. For more information and the latest updates on RobustWealth, please visit us on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/robustwealth About The Bahrain FinTech Bay ("BFB") The Bahrain FinTech Bay ("BFB") will be the leading FinTech Hub in the Middle East, located in the Arcapita Building, Bahrain. Bahrain FinTech Bay will provide a physical hub to incubate insightful, scalable and impactful FinTech initiatives through innovation labs, acceleration programs, curated activities, educational opportunities and collaborative platforms. Bahrain FinTech Bay partners with governmental bodies, financial institutions, corporations, consultancy firms, universities, associations, media agencies, venture capital firms and FinTech start-ups to bring the full spectrum of financial market participants and stakeholders together. For more information on Bahrain FinTech Bay visit http://bahrainfintechbay.com/ Contact: Jen Diehl, Gregory FCA for RobustWealth [email protected] 610-228-2124 SOURCE RobustWealth "Hoda has deep industry connections with top executives in the travel, hospitality, leisure and real estate industries," said Constantine Alexandrakis, leader of Russell Reynolds Associates' U.S. Region. "Her work recruiting and advising international senior management teams in these dynamic and agile sectors will have an immediate impact on our clients' growth capabilities as they look for ways to leverage their human capital for success." Tahoun joins Russell Reynolds Associates from another global executive search firm, where she was a Principal in the Global Hospitality and Real Estate Practice. Previously, she was a Partner at a boutique executive search firm which focused on real estate, hospitality and infrastructure. Earlier, she was an Assistant Vice President at SHUAA Capital in Dubai, where she led investment banking efforts at the firm. Tahoun has also held roles at American Express, Bank of America and Citi. Tahoun holds a B.S. in finance from Rutgers University and an M.B.A. in international business and finance from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. About Russell Reynolds Associates Russell Reynolds Associates is a global search and leadership advisory firm. Our 425+ consultants in 46 offices work with public, private and nonprofit organizations across all industries and regions. We help our clients build teams of transformational leaders who can meet today's challenges and anticipate the digital, economic and political trends that are reshaping the global business environment. From helping boards with their structure, culture and effectiveness to identifying, assessing and defining the best leadership for organizations our teams bring their decades of expertise to help clients solve their most complex leadership issues. www.russellreynolds.com Contact: Vijaya Singh Russell Reynolds Associates 212-351-1987 [email protected] SOURCE Russell Reynolds Associates Related Links http://www.russellreynolds.com "When I first started exploring this opportunity, Saint Michael's stole my heart," said Sterritt, who charmed the large audience by likening the whole process to online dating. "The more I fell in love with Saint Michael's, the more I realized how fundamentally the institution's values and mine were in alignment" -- devoted to learning, social justice, hospitality, respect of the dignity of every human being and stewardship of the planet, she said, adding, "The spirit of Saint Michael's came through loud and clear at every turn." Sterritt proposed taking a "Triple A" approach to her work, which she said stands for "analysis assessment and action." That means "building on the great work" of current President Jack Neuhauser, making an assessment of possible bold new directions and taking actions on the best of those options. "All of that takes a village and we we'll do it together," she said. "As a person called to a life of service, I am profoundly honored to be admitted to your company." During the half-hour gathering, the assembled community heard from members of the Search Committee Trustees Chair and Committee Chair Mary Kate McKenna '80, Mike New, former VP of Human Resource and Administrative Service, who emceed the half-hour gathering; Kimoi Seale '06, assistant dean of students/assistant director for the Center for Multicultural Affairs, representing staff, Emily Ferreri '19 representing the student body, and Professor of French Peter Vantine, representing faculty. Sterritt greeted and thanked each with a warm hug. Directly following the community event, area press gathered with Dr. Sterritt and the Search Committee and administration leaders in the Hoehl Welcome Center for brief remarks and interviews. The remainder of her day on campus included lunch with the College's founding Edmundite community, a stop in the Campus Book Store to stock up on Saint Michael's and Purple Knight "bling," and a tour of the president's house hosted by President Neuhauser. Late in the afternoon she headed back to North Carolina, where she currently serves as president of Salem Academy and college in Winston-Salem N.C. The Presidential Search Committee announced its selection Friday to the Saint Michael's community. Dr. Sterritt will assume her duties as president in July 2018. The College shared more of Dr. Sterritt's background during last Friday's announcement. That information follows from the original press release: "The Committee is thrilled to have Dr. Sterritt, a scholar and experienced administrator, coming to lead the College at such a crucial time in our history," said Mary-Kate McKenna '80, Presidential Search Committee Chair, and Chair of the Saint Michael's College Board of Trustees. Sterritt holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in French from Queen's University Belfast, and a master's degree and a doctorate in French from Princeton University. Prior to assuming the position at Salem, Sterritt served as dean for administration at Harvard College, and as a member of the faculty of arts and sciences. Prior to Harvard, Sterritt held positions as associate dean and associate vice provost and was a member of the faculty at Stanford University. Previously she had held positions at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and Princeton University. "Dr. Sterritt possesses a deep love of the liberal arts and a clear vision for the future of higher education," McKenna said. "She was the unanimous choice of the Board of Trustees and we all look forward to working with Dr. Sterritt in the years ahead. We are at a pivotal time in higher education and Dr. Sterritt is the visionary president we need to lead Saint Michael's College boldly into the future." Very Reverend Stephen Hornat '72, Superior General of the Society of Saint Edmund and search committee member, said it is no surprise to him that out of the 65 applicants to apply, Sterritt would rise to the top of the list. "We are fortunate to attract someone of her caliber. Her graciousness and warmth mesh well with our Edmundite tradition of hospitality," Hornat said. "She will make a great president and will have the prayers and support of the Edmundite and larger Saint Michael's community." Current Saint Michael's College President John J. Neuhauser said, "Saint Michael's is a special place and Dr. Lorraine Sterritt is a wonderful choice to lead the College at this time." Neuhauser said Sterritt brings "an intelligence and depth of understanding of the importance of a liberating education to our nation, and she couples this with a genuine concern for all members of the College community, students, alumni, staff and faculty. Years from now we will only grow in appreciation for the fine work of the search committee." Biology professor Mark Lubkowitz, who participated on the search committee, said about the process, "I have been impressed by the thoughtfulness and integrity applied at every step of the search process. It is always a challenge to carefully consider all the voices in the community, but in true St. Mike's fashion, we were dedicated to getting it right." Lubkowitz added, "Presidents are expected to inspire, nurture, and bring out the best of the students, staff, and faculty. Dr. Sterritt strikes me as person who will do just that. She is the right person at the right time." Staff also were well-represented throughout the search process by members on the committee and through a group of staff in interview sessions with final candidates. Search committee member Kellie Campbell '08 M'12 said, "Given our residential nature, staff play a huge part in the educational experience of our students. Dr. Sterritt clearly understands and appreciates this and conveyed that very well throughout the process. I am excited to work with her when she arrives." The search committee involved student input throughout the process and student participation in the interview sessions with final candidates. Emily Ferreri '19, student representative on the search committee, said, "Dr. Sterritt strikes me as an individual who is deeply invested in the well-being of students and I believe that the student body will find her to be a visibly engaged, supportive, and inspiring leader." Sterritt expressed her enthusiasm to join the community of Saint Michael's College. "I am very excited and deeply honored to assume the presidency of Saint Michael's College," she said. "The people with whom I met in the interview process impressed me with their dedication to learning and service to humanity grounded in Edmundite ideals. Their devotion to the welfare of humanity and to care for the environment is exemplary." Sterritt added that she and her husband, Bert Lain, "are thrilled to be joining the Saint Michael's community." About Dr. Lorraine Sterritt Born and raised in Ireland, Sterritt first came to the United States on vacation in 1984, when she visited New York, Boston, and Vermont, and in her words, "fell in love with Vermont." She moved to the United States in 1985. Sterritt has a career of nearly 30 years in education in the U.S. starting at Chatham Hall, an all-girls college-preparatory boarding school in Chatham, VA, where she was Director of School and also taught French and Latin from 1985 to 1991. From 1991 to 1996 Sterritt studied at Princeton University, where she also served as Assistant Master of Wilson College. In 1996, she became associate dean of freshmen at Harvard University before moving to the University of Pennsylvania, where she served as Dean of Freshmen and Director of Academic Advising. From 2004 to 2010, she was administrator with teaching roles at Stanford University, and served as Associate Dean for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Humanities and Sciences. From there she moved to Harvard, where she was a member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University and Dean for Administration at Harvard College. Sterritt has served as president of Salem Academy and College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, since 2014. About Saint Michael's College Saint Michael's College, founded in the great Catholic intellectual tradition, which also recognizes the principles of social justice and compassion, is a selective, fully residential Catholic college in Vermont's beautiful Green Mountains. Our closely connected community delivers an internationally-respected liberal arts and graduate education near Burlington, one of the country's best college towns. To prepare for fulfilling careers and meaningful lives, students here grow intellectually, socially, and morally, learning to be responsible for themselves, each other and the greater world. For more information, contact: Mark Tarnacki 802.654.2795 [email protected] SOURCE Saint Michaels College MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Jan 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Santa Margherita USA, a national wine importer, has announced the addition of two Italian wineries to their portfolio; Ca Maiol of Lombardy and Cantina Mesa of Sardinia. These two wineries join the company's stable of wine producers, which now number ten in total. The addition of these wineries to Santa Margherita USA's parent company, Santa Margherita Gruppo Vinicolo's portfolio commenced in August 2017, and the company has since transitioned to representing both estates in the international markets. Santa Margherita USA will now begin presenting Ca Maiol and Cantina Mesa via their import portfolio and distributor network covering the United States. Gruppo Santa Margherita was founded in 1935, and holds a long tradition of innovative and forward-thinking winemaking, production methods and investments in the wine industry. This addition to their portfolio expands their offerings from renowned winemaking areas, with the addition of Italy's Lugana and Sardinian wine regions. "We are pleased to have the opportunity to represent both of these unique producers in the United States," commented Santa Margherita USA CEO, Vincent Chiaramonte. "Ca Maiol expands our depth and cements our expertise as a resource for top quality Italian white wines. Cantina Mesa is a quality Sardinian producer, and brings our customers the authenticity and diversity that they are looking for." As part of their desire to expand their footprint representing the world's highest quality wine regions, the addition of Cantina Mesa to the Santa Margherita USA portfolio now adds Vermentino, Carignano del Sulcis and Cannonau to their lists of wines, while Ca Maiol brings native Italian grape varieties Trebbiano di Lugana, Groppello and Marzemino. Ca Maioland Cantina Mesa will be available through Santa Margherita USA's distributor network nationwide. About Ca Maiol Ca Maiolwas founded in 1967 by Walter Contano. Located at the shores of Lake Garda, in the heart of northern Italy's Lugana D.O.C., it comprises a total of 345 acres of vineyards and produces sparkling, white and red wines. The estate was the first winery from the Lugana appellation to have a wine awarded with Tre Bicchieri from Italy's Gambero Rosso Wine Guide. About Cantina Mesa Founded in 2004 by Gavino Sanna, Cantina Mesa is made up of approximately 173 acres of vineyards in the Sulcis-Iglesiente region of southwestern Sardinia. Focused on producing wines from the region's indigenous grapes, the estate's bottlings are from the Vermentino di Sardegna D.O.C., Cannonau di Sardegna D.O.C.and Carignano del Sulcis D.O.C. Mesa takes its name from the Spanish word for TABLE, evoking meals shared with family and friends, alongside authentic, soulful wines from the region. Every bottle is founder and Sardinia native Sanna's "message in a bottle- a message of love for Sardinia". About Santa Margherita USA Established in 2014, Santa Margherita USA is a fine wine import company representing premium and ultra-premium wine estates. Santa Margherita USA represents ten world-renowned wineries throughout the United States including Santa Margherita, Ca' del Bosco, Kettmeir, Lamole di Lamole, Sassoregale, Torresella, Feudo Zirtari, Fattoria Sardi, Ca Maioland Cantina Mesa. The wine portfolio is a dynamic and diverse mosaic of Italy's finest wine regions including the Veneto, Alto Adige, Franciacorta, Lugana, Tuscany, Sardinia and Sicily. For more information, visit www.santamargheritausa.com SOURCE Santa Margherita USA Related Links http://www.santamargheritausa.com MELBOURNE, Australia, January 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Shping, an innovative shopper marketing platform, have today announced the end of their presale after successfully reaching a hardcap of US$3 m three days before its scheduled end date. All Token Buyers purchasing Shping Coin during the period of the Token Presale were awarded a very generous bonus of 40 per cent in Shping Coins, free of charge. The amount raised will be used for the continued business development of the Shping app and the Shping Coin system in the regions of Australia, New Zealand, China & Singapore. "We're astounded, humbled and incredibly grateful for the community who have rallied so passionately behind this project," said Shping Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Gennady Volchek. "The people have voted with their wallets-they believe in this project and Shping Coin just as passionately as we do, and we do not intend to let them down." "With the funds from the Presale alone, we'll be able to deliver on the requirements for Phase 1 of our roadmap which is incredibly exciting. But with the Crowdsale coming up, this is just the beginning of our expansion plans." From verifying a product's authenticity to looking up a product's ingredients, consumers will have access to an increasingly useful resource through the Shping app and platform. Brands, retailers and organisations that have acquired Shping Coins, an ERC-20 compliant cryptocurrency during the Token Presale are now able to allocate these to their consumers to fuel engagement and incentivise information exchanges between parties. Shping Coins also enable organisations to utilise the innovative shopper marketing and brand protection platform to influence and reward consumers to make smarter, safer and more rewarding shopping choices. "We have learned a lot through this process and the team will be working even harder to ensure our Crowdsale is easy to transact with as possible for businesses looking to acquire SHPING, as well as experience and new crypto enthusiasts alike." "From everyone at Team Shping - we want to thank all of our supporters and contributors." The Presale is just the first chapter of the Token Sale and the remaining Shping Coins available for purchase can be acquired during the CrowdSale from the 22nd of February to the 23rd March, 2018. With a minimum purchase amount of 1000 SHPING (just US$10) and an introductory price of US$0.01, buying Shping Coins will be more accessible for everyone. Those wishing to obtain Shping Tokens can still do so through the upcoming Shping Token Crowdsale which will commence at midnight, Central European Time (CET), on the 22nd of February, 2018 and will conclude at 23.59 pm (CET) on the 23rd March of, 2018, unless sold out earlier. Any deposits left over from the Presale can also be used for the CrowdSale and for the first day of the Crowdsale only, participants will receive a 20 per cent bonus. To sign up and take advantage of the upcoming Shping Token Crowdsale, head to tokensale.shping.com Join us at Telegram About Shping Shping started its life as Authenticateit in 2012. Concerned about the growing threat of counterfeit and unsafe products entering legitimate retail situations, Shping's founders developed a robust ecosystem to help organisations verify the authenticity of products through the supply chain up to the point of purchase. Today, Shping has evolved into a powerful, all-round brand protection, marketing and consumer engagement platform. Fuelled by product information supplied by brands, retailers, government institutions, certification agencies, customs, product recall portals and GS1, Shping's Global Product Database is set to become the largest of its kind in the world. Shping has recently added a revolutionary cryptocurrency-based reward system to allow product brands, retailers and related organisations to reward consumers who use the innovative Shping App to help them make smarter and safer shopping decisions. More info on the Shping Token Sale: The Token Crowdsale will commence at midnight on 22nd February 2018 and will conclude at 23.59pm on 23rd March 2018, Central European Time (CET). Token Buyers who meet one of the following conditions listed in the below table during the period of the Token Crowdsale will be eligible to receive Bonus Shping Coins and/or Shping Platinum Status for Life. This will be the only time this exclusive privilege will be on offer. Bonus Shping Coins are calculated as a percentage of the tokens purchased for the designated Period of the Token Crowdsale, and are awarded free of charge. For example, a Token Buyer wishing to purchase 100,000 Shping Coins on Day 1 of the Token Crowdsale will receive a bonus of 20,000 Shping Coins for a total of 120,000 SC. At the conclusion of the Token Sale, those wanting to use the platform who does not yet have Shping Coins will need to acquire them through the open market. Contributions to the Token Sale will be used to drive the adoption of the app, the development of the product roadmap and to enable Shping to expand into other countries. To learn more about the upcoming Shping Token Sale, head to tokensale.shping.com Shping Media Enquiries: Tony Lee, [email protected] SOURCE Shping Digital Payments Market expected to hit 726 Billion by 2020 NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - The company's latest application update responds to global market demand from Enterprises and Retail businesses integrating and marketing private or affinity card scheme programs with the need for integrated secure payment applications on popular OS. The company introduced today new features including a card emulation module with a feature rich suite of options including card create or integrate, customer registration, ekyc, multi-currency top-up & card-to-card transfers to name a few. The payment industry for decades has been limited by choice of card management platforms, also limiting both issuers and processors with scalable solutions to deploy and meet the build-outs wanted by Retailers and Global Enterprises. The new card emulator module allows for Financial Institutions and Global enterprises the flexibility of open resources, and the ability to integrate existing card solution APIs or create and covert to their own virtual card schemes. CEO Massimo Barone stated "We are excited about the timing of this new release as we are heading into major trade events including Seamless Asia in Bangkok, Mobile World Congress in Barcelona & the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago all this first half of the year. The importance of introducing a card emulator creates significant opportunities with financial institutions and global enterprises because of the need to support customer requirement build-outs for existing and new projects. Furthermore, with the addition of many new Cryptocurrencies our ability to support the exchange of private schemes and process multiple currencies is imperative to the company's success." Digital payments expected to hit 726 billion transactions by 2020 but cash isn't going anywhere yet Emerging markets Emerging markets are expected to grow at a rate three times that of developed economies in terms of digital transaction volumes. Digital payments in developing markets grew 21.6 percent between 2014 and 2015, compared to a 6.8 percent rise in mature markets. Non-cash payments in Asian emerging markets are projected to grow by almost a third (30.9 percent), led by powerhouses China and India. "Expansion in emerging Asia was due to impressive growth across all geographies as increased adoption of mobile payments and wallets generated a proliferation of card use," the authors of the study wrote. Digital invoicing, virtual payment cards and cloud-based accounting are also seeing popular use in emerging Asian economies. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/09/digital-payments-expected-to-hit-726-billion-by-2020-study-finds.html About the GenoPay application The Genopay application layer is an extended mWallet module of Genorocity.com offering QR code frictionless payment, card registration and fulfilment, integrated international payment host gateway into the Genorocity.com platform. The module is developed entirely on a card emulator management solution allowing Enterprises the ability to add multiple private, membership, identification and affinity card schemes to the host. This feature rich ecosystem allows for easy integration with EMV POS, ePOS, mPOS, Ecommerce & Mobility solutions. About SmartCard Marketing Systems, Inc. SmartCard Marketing, Inc. (SMKG:OTC) is a Fintech Mobility solutions provider to the global payments industry delivering a cloud-based agnostic platform to Issuing & Acquiring banks, telecoms & enterprises. The company offers proprietary industry applications for payment acceptance. The brands include; Genorocity.com, a coupon & incentive management platform, Check21SAAS.com a Remote Check Deposit solution, Mtickets.events a mobile ticketing & events management solution, Emphasispay.com a payment ecosystem for alternative payment solutions & Articul8te.com its most recent offering for Social-media, Task & Content management. For more information, go to www.smartcardmarketingsystems.com SOURCE SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc (SMKG) Related Links www.smartcardmarketingsystems.com GREENWICH, Conn., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Strategic Value Partners, LLC and its affiliates ("SVPGlobal"), a global investment firm focused on distressed and deep value opportunities, today announced the appointment of Dagmar Kent Kershaw, formerly head of the Credit Fund Management team in Europe and Australia at Intermediate Capital Group, to its Advisory Council. Ms. Kershaw brings to SVPGlobal more than 20 years of experience in investment, asset management and financial services and a wealth of relationships established over that time. At Intermediate Capital Group she led a 9 billion business investing in alternative credit: leveraged finance, direct lending and structured credit. Prior to ICG, Ms. Kent Kershaw spent 10 years at Prudential M&G where she was variously Head of Structured Credit Products and Head of Private Placements. She began her career at Scotia Capital and NatWest Bank. She currently serves as a board member of Aberdeen Smaller Companies Income Trust Plc, the LSE-listed investment trust. As a member of SVPGlobal's Advisory Council, Ms. Kershaw will work with the firm's team of more than 100 globally, with her primary focus being to further the European franchise. SVPGlobal's Advisory Council will now number seven, including Dr. Bernd Fahrholz, previously Deputy Chairman of the Board of Allianz AG and Chief Executive Officer of Dresdner Bank AG, Jose Barreiro, formerly Global Head of Corporate and Investment Banking at BBVA, and Flip Huffard, formerly Senior Managing Director of The Blackstone Group. Victor Khosla, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of SVPGlobal, commented: "Dagmar has a strong record in, and knowledge of, credit investing. Her network across the European investment and financial community will be of great value to us at SVPGlobal." Ms. Kershaw commented: "I have known SVPGlobal for many years and it's great to have the opportunity to work with such an excellent team at one of the leading distressed debt investors in the world. I look forward to contributing to its continued success." About SVPGlobal SVPGlobal was founded in 2001 by Victor Khosla. With approximately $7.1 billion in assets under management, SVPGlobal is a global investment firm with primary offices in Greenwich (CT), London, Frankfurt and Tokyo, focused on distressed and deep value investments. SVPGlobal seeks to create value in its investments through its substantial industry, restructuring and operating experience. For further information, please contact: James Madsen / Alex Jones, Greenbrook Communications, +44 207 952 2000 Todd Fogarty, Kekst, +1 212 521 4854 SOURCE Strategic Value Partners, LLC LOS ANGELES, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TechDay, a one-day tech expo, has officially launched its fourth annual Los Angeles show. The event is set to be held at The Reef on September 27th, 2018. Designed to connect startups with the resources they need to grow, TechDay events are held annually in Los Angeles, New York, and London, and have come to be fixtures within the entrepreneurial communities they serve. Exhibitors are technology startups at various stages of development, and serving a variety of markets and industries, including Quora, ZipRecruiter and WeWork. This wide range of companies exhibit to connect with TechDay's audience of investors, accelerators, early adopters, corporate end-users, tech talent, and members of the press. One measure of the immense value of the TechDay LA audience is seen in the aggregate $34 billion in assets under management represented by the investors who take part in the event. "The tech community in Los Angeles has helped TechDay LA grow each year since its debut four years ago," said Casey Mruk, TechDay Los Angeles' Event Director. "The launch of TechDay Los Angeles 2018 has been met with great excitement. Attendee registration is running a full 100% ahead of where it was a year ago at this time, and exhibitors are joining the show faster than ever before. The show sold out each of the last two years, and at this rate, TechDay LA 2018 is expected to sell out sooner than any event we've ever produced." The growth and support for TechDay Los Angeles is a reflection of the city's continued development as a major tech player. With a $11.2 billion total exit value since 2010, and 38% increase in funding for startups, LA has arrived as one of the top startup markets in the U.S. Companies that are no longer in "startup" mode, but have an interest in aligning their brand with the powerful technology start-up community are invited to develop custom event sponsorships. For details and more information, contact Sharon Lieberman TechDay's COO at [email protected]. Startups interested in reserving exhibit space are invited to contact Event Director Casey Mruk, at [email protected]. To learn more about attending TechDay LA, visit https://techdayhq.com/los-angeles. About TechDay TechDay is the largest startup event series in the world, hosting annual shows in New York City, Los Angeles, and London. TechDay is owned and managed by Continental Exhibitions, a leading producer of business-to-business events, including tradeshows, conferences and webinars since 1984. SOURCE TechDay Related Links techdayhq.com LONDON, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5291762 The global automotive relay market is anticipated to reach USD 19.5 billion by 2025 Increasing vehicular safety regulations in various regions across the globe is driving the automotive relay market. Further, increasing adoption of electric vehicles amongst passenger car segment end users has made automotive electronics including the automotive relay industry to gain significant market share. Systems such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), electronic stability control, electronic steering systems, brake-by-wire systems, and airbags are gaining momentum across the globe, owing to their safety and comfort benefits. Strict safety guidelines employ substantial pressure on Tier-1 suppliers and the OEMs to design improved safety systems for automobiles. According to General Safety Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 of Europe, from 1 November 2014, several new safety features have been made obligatory for light trucks, heavy commercial vehicles and new passenger cars. Furthermore, there is a growing demand for enhanced comfort and convenience in automobiles. Many governments provide lucrative offers to promote the selling and usage of Electric Vehicles EVs. Tax benefits are provided at the time of purchase. However, the extent of exemption depends on the size of batteries used in the vehicle. In the United States, insurance companies provide discounts on insurance policies to customers and utility companies are offering low electricity rates. Also, few states offer credits to electric vehicle manufacturers and buyers for their costs and purchase of charging equipment. Many European countries follow incentive-based programs for promoting EVs. Countries, like Germany and Austria, offer tax exemptions and reductions. Further key findings from the report suggest: The increasing vehicular safety norms across the globe and growing adoption of electric passenger car vehicles amongst end users are expected to drive the market. Electric automotive parts have diversified over the past decade, leading to an increase in the number of relays used as switching devices as well as variation in the required features of each relay Asia Pacific is a key revenue generating region and captured a significant market share in 2016. The region exhibits a high growth potential, which may be attributed to high vehicle demand in this region. The key players in the market include ABB Group, Denso Corporation, Eaton Corporation plc, Fujitsu Limited, Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. (HELLA). Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5291762 About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com LONDON, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5291728 The global nanosatellites and microsatellites market is expected to reach USD 4.97 billion by 2025 Evolving regulatory framework to accommodate small satellite systems for the development of the space industry is expected to propel market demand. Nanosatellites and microsatellites have proven to be dynamic for embracing new developments in various sectors such as weather information and climatic research, multimedia communications, telephone and television, data distribution, transportation and logistics, navigation, safety, security, and rescue. As these satellites have paved the way for cost-effective earth observation missions along with the development of small launchers and small ground stations connected with cost-effective data distribution methods, industry participants have shifted their focus toward developing nanosatellites and microsatellites. Moreover, CubeSats, which are smaller than nanosatellites are witnessing a rise in popularity due to their shorter time to orbit and lower manufacturing costs. With the emergence of nanosatellites and microsatellites, there has been a development of a new niche market dedicated to small satellites. Several new players are embracing miniaturized technologies along with a range of advanced launch technologies. Furthermore, to develop sustainability in the market, players are maintaining a steady flow of microsatellite launches for widening their customer base. Increasing demand from economies such as India and Japan is contributing to the growth of the nanosatellite and microsatellite market. For instance, in the wake of miniaturization, Japan is developing strategies to tap the demand for compact satellites and aircraft. Further key findings from the report suggest: The nanosatellite segment is expected to dominate the market over the forecast period, with a projected CAGR of close to 22% from 2017 to 2025 The commercial application segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 20% over the next eight years, fueled by the growing use of these satellites in automotive navigation systems and by space agencies Asia Pacific is expected to be fastest-growing region, primarily attributed to the increasing government support for digitization and the growing initiatives for developing space programs The technology and academic training application segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.5% over the forecast period The key players in the industry include Dauria Aerospace, GomSpace Group AB, Innovative Solutions in Space, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and SpaceQuest Ltd. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5291728 About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com The number of HEDIS measures for which ZeOmega is now certified has doubled since 2017. This demonstrates the commitment of ZeOmega in helping health plans stay ahead of the curve: ZeOmega provides a vetted and quality-proven PHM platform that monitors performance, identifies members that have yet to meet the target of the measure, and develops a plan to intervene before the measurement period ends. Once intervention opportunities are identified, health plans can give attention to areas of concern prior to year-end evaluations. This helps streamline workflow, reduce per-capita cost of care, improve HEDIS performance, and enhance the health of populations. In 2017, Jiva was certified on five HEDIS measures that helped health plans address access and availability of care, prevention and screening, and the complex care needs of behavioral health. This year, by expanding HEDIS certification, health plans will also be able to identify possible overuse of care or the appropriateness of careboth of which help improve efficiency and optimization of care, as well as heighten overall outcomes. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of healthcare organizations and manages the evolution of HEDIS, the performance measurement tool used by more than 90 percent of the nation's health plans. HEDIS is designed to provide purchasers and consumers with the information they need to reliably compare performance. Since its introduction in 1993, HEDIS has evolved to become the gold standard in managed care performance measurement. Its reporting enables employers, consultants, and consumers to evaluate and compare the performance of health plans in areas ranging from preventive care and consumer experience to heart disease and cancer. "Based in part on HEDIS scores, NCQA Health Insurance Plan Ratings play a critical role in the reputation and success of our health plans," says Sam Rangaswamy, Founder and Chief Executive Officer for ZeOmega. "Using the robust reporting tools in the Jiva platform, health plans can continuously track HEDIS-related performance indicators, such as breast cancer screening rates, and address gaps as soon as they are identified. We are excited to have doubled our certified HEDIS measures this year." NCQA's HEDIS Measure Certification program provides precise, automated testing that verifies compliance with HEDIS specifications and satisfies the source code review portion of the HEDIS Compliance AuditTM. HEDIS measure certification ensures improved precision and efficiency of the source code review portion of the HEDIS Compliance Audit and promotes further consistency of HEDIS data. HEDIS is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). About ZeOmega Jiva, the HIE-enabled and powerful population health platform from ZeOmega, delivers high-value, strategic solutions enabling payers and care-delivery organizations to improve individual health and provider performance. With deep domain expertise and a comprehensive understanding of complex population health challenges, ZeOmega serves as a true partner for clients, offering flexible deployment and delivery models that leverage an innovative platform designed to integrate workflow, analytics, content, and communication capabilities. By consistently meeting customer expectations and project benchmarks, ZeOmega has earned a reputation for responsiveness and reliability. For more information, visit www.zeomega.com or call 214-618-9880. Follow ZeOmega on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. SOURCE ZeOmega SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The RealReal, the leading authenticated luxury consignment company, today announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the University of Arizona to create a new degree program for gemology. The RealReal is funding an endowed chair in the UA College of Science with the intent of helping the University of Arizona develop new research and technology. An undergraduate program will be offered, along with a graduate program for master's and PhD students emphasizing gemological research and skills will be made possible through this endowment. Finally, Gem-A (Gemological Association of Great Britain) is also partnering with the UA and The RealReal to allow students in the program to obtain their individual gemology certification. As a key leader and innovator in the industry, The RealReal is joining the University of Arizona and Gem-A to further their shared values of education, innovation, and expertise. Together, they will develop unique technologies to enhance the study of gemology. For The RealReal, these advancements will also provide its gemologists, buyers, collectors, and potential sellers with elevated knowledge and information. The new degree program will be located in Tucson, Arizona, the mineral and colored stone capital of the world. Students will learn on campus and in state-of-the-art labs located in the University of Arizona's new Gem and Mineral Museum in downtown Tucson. "As the market leader in the jewelry resale market, we have always invested heavily in gemologists, research, and technology," said The RealReal CEO Julie Wainwright. "Collaborating with University of Arizona on this new degree program will enhance our efforts and the entire industry. We have had great success working with University of Arizona gemologists in the past and are extremely impressed with their expertise. We are excited to share their knowledge with the world." "The RealReal is clearly an innovator in the luxury space. The University of Arizona is a known innovator in many aspects of retail, forensic sciences, and development of novel programs. I am thrilled that these two entities who are currently leading in their respective fields are now working together to build this gemology program. These partnerships are how transformative changes happen." - Joaquin Ruiz, Dean, UA College of Science; UA Vice President for Innovation; Executive Dean of the Colleges of Letters, Arts and Sciences About The RealReal The RealReal is the leader in authenticated luxury consignment. With an expert behind every item, we ensure everything we sell is 100% real. We have 60+ in-house gemologists, horologists and brand authenticators who inspect thousands of items available online each day. As a sustainable company, we give new life to pieces by brands from Chanel to Cartier, and hundreds more, supporting the circular economy. We make consigning effortless with free in-home pickup, drop-off service and direct shipping. At our store in SoHo NYC customers can shop and consign and meet with our experts to learn more about luxury authenticity and sustainability. In eight Luxury Consignment Offices across the country, our expert staff provides free jewelry, watch and handbag valuations. Extend the lifecycle of luxury items. Join the consignment movement. Press Contact: Natalie Shalk [email protected] 650-823-5892 SOURCE The RealReal Related Links http://www.therealreal.com SANTIAGO, Chile, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Republic of Chile (" Chile ") announced today the aggregate principal amount of valid tenders of each series of Old Notes set forth in the table below that has been accepted pursuant to its tender offer previously announced (the " Tender Offer ") to purchase for cash debt securities of each series listed in the table below, subject to the terms and conditions contained in the Offer to Purchase, dated January 29, 2018 (the " Offer to Purchase "). Tender Orders that are not for Permitted Tender Amounts have not been accepted. The aggregate Purchase Price plus Accrued Interest for all Old Notes accepted for purchase is US$989,197,102. The Tender Offer for Non-Preferred Tenders and Preferred Tenders expired as scheduled at 12:00 noon and 4:00 p.m., New York time, respectively, on Monday, January 29, 2018. Old Notes Aggregate Principal Amount of Preferred Tenders Aggregate Principal Amount of Preferred Tenders Accepted Aggregate Principal Amount of Non-Preferred Tenders Aggregate Principal Amount of Non- Preferred Tenders Accepted 2020 Notes US$126,878,000 US$58,553,000 US$33,530,000 US$0 2021 Notes US$53,002,000 US$53,002,000 US$57,852,000 US$0 2022 Notes US$91,437,000 US$91,437,000 US$22,985,000 US$0 2025 Notes US$261,105,000 US$261,105,000 US$14,240,000 US$0 2026 Notes US$508,789,000 US$508,789,000 US$24,547,000 US$0 In accordance with the Offer to Purchase, the Purchase Price to be paid for each US$1,000 principal amount of each series of Old Notes accepted pursuant to the Tender Offer will be as specified in the table below. The Purchase Prices set forth below were calculated in accordance with the methodology announced by Chile in the Offer to Purchase. Old Notes Outstanding Principal Amount as of Monday, January 29, 2018 ISIN / CUSIP Reference U.S. Treasury Security Bloomberg Screen Reference Yield Fixed Spread (Basis Points) Purchase Price (per US$1,000 principal amount of Old Notes) 2020 Notes US$739,844,000 US168863AV04 / 168863AV0 2.000% due 01/31/20 FIT1 2.120% T+6bp US$1,041.02 2021 Notes US$561,204,000 US168863AW86 / 168863AW8 2.000% due 01/15/21 FIT1 2.252% T+13bp US$1,029.83 2022 Notes US$634,119,000 US168863BN78 / 168863BN7 2.375% due 01/31/23 FIT1 2.492% T+8bp US$985.71 2025 Notes US$758,262,000 US168863BW77 / 168863BW7 2.250% due 11/15/27 FIT1 2.697% T+17bp US$1,016.54 2026 Notes US$1,349,122,000 US168863CA49 / 168863 CA4 2.250% due 11/15/27 FIT1 2.697% T+30bp US$1,009.00 Holders of Old Notes held through DTC which have been validly tendered and accepted pursuant to the Tender Offer, must deliver their accepted Old Notes to the Billing and Delivering Bank for settlement no later than 3:00 p.m., New York time, on the Settlement Date, expected to occur on Monday, February 5, 2018, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase. Holders of Old Notes held through Euroclear or Clearstream, Luxembourg, which have been validly tendered and accepted pursuant to the Tender Offer, must deliver their Old Notes to the Billing and Delivering Bank, at the latest, using the overnight process, one day prior to the Settlement Date and must not use the optional daylight process. Failure to deliver Old Notes on time by any holders may result (i) in the cancellation of your tender and in you becoming liable for any damages resulting from that failure, (ii) in the case of Preferred Tenders (a) in the cancellation of any allocation of New Notes in the New Notes Offering (as defined below) in respect of your related Indication of Interest and/or (b) in the cancellation of your tender and in your remaining obligation to purchase your allocation of New Notes in respect of your related Indication of Interest, and/or (iii) in the delivery of a buy-in notice for the purchase of such Old Notes, executed in accordance with customary brokerage practices for corporate fixed income securities. All Old Notes that are tendered pursuant to Tender Orders placed through a Dealer Manager and accepted will be purchased by the Billing and Delivering Bank as instructed by Chile. Only the Billing and Delivering Bank will be liable for the payment of the Purchase Price and Accrued Interest for Old Notes validly tendered and accepted. Chile will not be liable under any circumstances for the payment of the Purchase Price and Accrued Interest for any Old Notes tendered in the Tender Offer by any holder. The Billing and Delivering Bank will not be liable for payments to any holder of Old Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase if such holder fails to deliver such Old Notes on or prior to the Settlement Date as described in the Offer to Purchase. Chile will apply a portion of the net proceeds of its New Notes offering announced yesterday, Monday, January 29, 2018 (the " New Notes Offering ") to purchase the Old Notes from the Billing and Delivering Bank at the applicable Purchase Price plus Accrued Interest. The Tender Offer is conditioned upon the underwriting agreement for the New Notes Offering and the Dealer Manager Agreement relating to the Tender Offer not having been terminated prior to or at the time of the Settlement Date. The Tender Offer is not contingent upon the closing of the New Notes Offering. Capitalized terms not defined in this communication have the meanings specified in the Offer to Purchase. Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated acted as Dealer Managers for the Tender Offer, and questions regarding the Tender Offer may be directed to the contact information below: Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC J.P. Morgan Securities LLC Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated 388 Greenwich Street New York, New York 10013 United States of America Attention: Liability Management Group 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 United States of America Attention: Liability Management Group 383 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10179 United States of America Attention: Latin America Debt Capital Markets One Bryant Park, 8th Floor, New York, New York 10036 United States of America Attention: Liability Management Group Collect: (212) 723-6106 Toll-free: (800) 658-3745 Collect: (212) 902-6595 Toll Free: (800) 828-3182 Collect: (212) 834-7279 Toll-free: (866) 846-2874 Collect: (646) 855-8998 Toll-free: (888) 292-0070 Chile has filed registration statements (including a prospectus) with the SEC for the New Notes Offering and issuance of the New Notes. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in the registration statements and other documents that Chile has filed with the SEC for more complete information about Chile and such offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, Chile, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you the prospectus or any prospectus supplement for this offering if you request it by calling Citigroup Global Markets Inc. at 1-800-831-9146, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC at 1-866-471-2526, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated at 1-800-294-1322 or J.P. Morgan Securities LLC at 1-866-846-2874. The following additional information of Chile and regarding the New Notes is available from the SEC website and also accompanies this free-writing prospectus: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/19957/000119312518024137/d470610dfwp.htm https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/19957/000119312518022581/d538640d424b3.htm https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/19957/000119312518022614/d531998dfwp.htm https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/19957/000119312518010136/0001193125-18-010136-index.htm https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/19957/000110465917038709/0001104659-17-038709-index.htm https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/19957/000119312518008229/d455930dsb.htm https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/19957/000090342315000718/rocsb.htm Important Notice The distribution of materials relating to the New Notes Offering or the Tender Offer and the transactions contemplated by the New Notes Offering and the Tender Offer may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions. Each of the New Notes Offering and the Tender Offer is void in all jurisdictions where it is prohibited. If materials relating to the New Notes Offering or the Tender Offer come into your possession, you are required by Chile to inform yourself of and to observe all of these restrictions. The materials relating to the New Notes Offering or the Tender Offer, including this communication, do not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer or solicitation in any place where offers or solicitations are not permitted by law. If a jurisdiction requires that the New Notes Offering or the Tender Offer be made by a licensed broker or dealer and a Dealer Manager or any affiliate of a Dealer Manager is a licensed broker or dealer in that jurisdiction, the New Notes Offering or the Tender Offer, as the case may be, shall be deemed to be made by the Dealer Manager or such affiliate in that jurisdiction. Owners who may lawfully participate in the Tender Offer in accordance with the terms thereof are referred to as "holders." The New Notes Offering and the Tender Offer have been prepared on the basis that any offer of New Notes in any Member State of the European Economic Area (" EEA ") will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended (" Prospectus Directive ") from the requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of New Notes. Accordingly any person making or intending to make an offer in that Member State of the New Notes or the Tender Offer which are the subject of the offering contemplated in the New Notes Offering or the Tender Offer may only do so in circumstances in which no obligation arises for Chile or any of the Dealer Managers to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive in relation to such offer. Neither Chile nor the Dealer Managers have authorized, nor do they authorize, the making of any offer of New Notes in circumstances in which an obligation arises for Chile or the Dealer Managers to publish a prospectus for such offer. The New Notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the EEA. This EEA selling restriction is in addition to any other selling restrictions set out in the New Notes Offering and the Tender Offer. The New Notes are not authorized for public offering under the Austrian Capital Markets Act (Kapitalmarktgesetz) and no public offers or public sales or invitation to make such an offer may be made. No advertisements may be published and no marketing materials may be made available or distributed in Austria in respect of the New Notes. A public offering of the securities in Austria without the prior publication of a prospectus in accordance with the Austrian Capital Market Act would constitute a criminal offense under Austrian law. In the Bahamas, the New Notes are being offered and sold only to Accredited Investors (as defined in the Securities Industry Regulations, 2012) and will be subject to the resale restrictions contained in Regulation 117. As a condition of the purchase of the New Notes, each purchaser will be required to attest to the purchaser's status as an Accredited Investor acknowledging that the securities purchased are subject to restrictions on resale. In Belgium, the New Notes Offering and the Tender Offer are not directly or indirectly, being made to, or for the account of, any person other than to qualified investors (gekwalificeerde beleggers/investisseurs qualifies) within the meaning of Article 10, 1 of the Belgian Law of June 16, 2006 on the public offering of investment instruments and the admission of investment instruments to trading on a regulated market (Wet op de openbare aanbieding van beleggingsinstrumenten en de toelating van beleggingsinstrumenten tot de verhandeling op een gereglementeerde markt/Loi relative aux offres publiques d'instruments de placement et aux admissions d'instruments de placement a la negociation sur des marches reglementes), as amended or replaced from time to time (Belgian Qualified Investor), that do not qualify as consumers (consumenten/consommateurs) within the meaning of Article I.1, 2 of the Belgian Code of Economic Law of February 28, 2013 (Wetboek van economisch recht/Code de droit economique), as amended or replaced from time to time (Consumers). A Consumer within the meaning of Article I.1, 2 of the Belgian Code of Economic Law is any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside their trade, business, craft or profession. Belgian Qualified Investors are professional clients and eligible counterparties as referred to in Annex A and Article 3, 1 of the Belgian Royal Decree of June 3, 2007 containing detailed rules implementing the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (" MiFID ") and the Commission Directive 2006/73/EC implementing MiFID as regards organizational requirements and operating conditions for investment firms and defined terms for the purposes of that Directive (Koninklijk besluit tot bepaling van nadere regels tot omzetting van de richtlijn betreffende markten voor financiele instrumenten/Arrete royal portant les regles et modalites visant a transposer la directive concernant les marches d'instruments financiers), as amended or replaced from time to time. As a result, the New Notes Offering and the Tender Offer do not constitute a public takeover bid pursuant to Articles 3, 1, 1 and 6, 1 of the Belgian law of April 1, 2007 on public takeover bids (Wet op de openbare overnamebiedingen/Loi relative aux offres publiques d'acquisition), as amended or replaced from time to time. Consequently, the New Notes Offering and the Tender Offer and any material relating thereto have not been and will not be, notified or submitted to, nor approved by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority (Autoriteit voor Financiele Diensten en Markten/Autorite des Services et Marches Financiers) pursuant to the Belgian laws and regulations applicable to the public offering or tendering of securities. The New Notes Offering and the Tender Offer as well as any materials relating thereto may not be advertised, nor distributed, directly or indirectly, to any person in Belgium other than Belgian Qualified Investors acting for their own account who are not Consumers, and may not be used in connection with any offering in Belgium except as may otherwise be permitted by law. The New Notes Offering cannot be considered to be a regulated investment service such as investment advice as listed under Annex I to the European Directive 2004/39/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on MiFID, as amended or replaced from time to time. The New Notes Offering and the Tender Offer have not been and will not be approved by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority, as neither constitute a public offer in accordance with the Danish Securities Trading Act nor the Danish executive order on takeover bids. No prospectus (including any amendment, supplement or replacement thereto) has been prepared in connection with the offering of the New Notes that has been approved by the French Autorite des marches financiers or by the competent authority of another State that is a contracting party to the Agreement on the EEA and notified to the French Autorite des marches financiers and to Chile; neither the Tender Offer nor the New Notes have been offered or sold nor will be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France; the materials relating to the New Notes have not been distributed or caused to be distributed and will not be distributed or caused to be distributed to the public in France; such offers, sales and distributions have been and shall only be made in France to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifies), as defined in Articles L. 4112 and D. 4111, of the French Code monetaire et financier who are investing for their own account and are not individuals. The direct or indirect distribution to the public in France of any so acquired New Notes may be made only as provided by Articles L. 4111, L. 4112, L. 4121 and L. 6218 to L. 62183 of the French Code monetaire et financier and applicable regulations thereunder. The other legal entities referred to in Articles L. 3412 1 and D. 3411 of the French Code monetaire et financier are eligible to participate in the Tender Offer. The Tender Offer has not been and will not be submitted to the clearance procedures (visa) of nor approved by the Autorite des marches financier. With respect to persons in Hong Kong, the New Notes Offering and the Tender Offer are only made to, and are only capable of acceptance by, professional investors within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong (the " SFO ") and any rules made thereunder (" professional investors "). No person or entity may issue or have in its possession for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere, any advertisement, invitation or document relating to the New Notes, Old Notes or the Tender Offer, which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong, including in circumstances which do not result in the document being a "prospectus" as defined in the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong) other than with respect to Old Notes which are or are intended to be tendered, or New Notes which are intended to be purchased, only by persons outside Hong Kong or only by "professional investors" as defined in the SFO and any rules made under thereunder. In Italy, this announcement is only being distributed to and is only directed at, and the prospectus supplement and the Offer to Purchase documents may only be distributed, directly or indirectly, to qualified investors. This announcement has not been approved by the Mexican National Banking and Securities Commission (Comision Nacional Bancaria y de Valores). This announcement may not be publicly made or distributed in Mexico, but may be made to qualified or institutional investors pursuant to the private placement exemption set forth under Article 8 of the Mexican Securities Market Law. With respect to persons in Peru, this announcement is not intended for any person who is not qualified as an accredited investor, in accordance with provisions set forth in CONASEV Resolution No. 079-2008-EF/94.01.1, and as subsequently amended. No legal, financial, tax or any other kind of advice is hereby being provided. This announcement does not constitute a public offer of the Old Notes in the People's Republic of China (the " PRC "). Except to the extent consistent with applicable laws and regulations in the PRC, the Tender Offer is not made in the PRC to or for the benefit of, legal or natural persons of the PRC. According to the laws and regulatory requirements in the PRC, with the exception to the extent consistent with applicable laws and regulations in the PRC, the Tender Offer may, subject to the laws and regulations of the relevant jurisdictions, only be made to non-PRC natural or legal persons in any country other than the PRC. Neither this announcement nor any other documents or materials relating to the Tender Offer has been or will be registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The Tender Offer does not constitute a public tender offer for the purchase of Old Notes or a public offering of securities in Singapore pursuant to Section 273(1)(e) of the Securities and Futures Act (Chapter 289) of Singapore (the " SFA "). Accordingly, the Tender Offer is not being made, and this announcement and any other documents or materials relating to the Tender Offer are not to be circulated or distributed, whether directly or indirectly, to persons located or resident in Singapore other than to (i) an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA, (ii) a relevant person as defined in Section 275(1) of the SFA, or to any person as referred to in Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA. This announcement is being made in Switzerland on the basis of a private offer, not as a public offering. Neither this announcement nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the Tender Offer constitutes a prospectus as such term is understood pursuant to article 652a or article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations, and neither this announcement nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the Offer may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland. Neither the communication of this announcement nor any other offer material relating to the New Notes Offering and the Tender Offer has been approved, by an authorized person for the purposes of section 21 of the UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. This announcement is only being distributed to and is only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) to investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (as so amended, the " Order ") or (iii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Articles 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such other persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). Any investment or investment activity to which this announcement relates is available only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this announcement or any of its contents. SOURCE The Republic of Chile TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackstone to acquire 55% interest in F&R with Thomson Reuters to retain 45% stake Values F&R business at ~$20 billion Thomson Reuters to receive ~$17 billion in gross proceeds Partnership expected to strengthen F&R's growth trajectory Reuters News remains part of Thomson Reuters: F&R to enter into 30-year agreement to secure access to news services provided by Reuters for a minimum of $325 million annually Thomson Reuters plans to use net proceeds to invest in its core Legal and Tax & Accounting units, pay down debt and repurchase shares Full-year 2017 results expected to meet or exceed guidance (to be released on February 8 ) On an IFRS basis, full-year revenues expected to increase 1%; Operating profit expected to increase approximately 25%; Diluted earnings per share (EPS) expected to decrease approximately 50% (as the prior-year period included $2 billion gain on the sale of IP & Science) Full-year adjusted EBITDA margin expected to be between 30.1% and 30.4% and Full-year adjusted EPS expected to be between $2.48 and $2.51 vs. $1.79 for the prior year on a non-IFRS basis Annual dividend maintained at $1.38 Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to enter into a strategic partnership with Blackstone. As part of the transaction, Thomson Reuters will sell a 55% majority stake in its F&R business to private equity funds managed by Blackstone. The transaction values the F&R business at approximately $20 billion. Thomson Reuters will receive approximately $17 billion in gross proceeds at closing (subject to purchase price adjustments) funded by $14 billion of debt and preferred equity to be incurred by the partnership and a $3 billion cash equity contribution by Blackstone. Thomson Reuters will retain a 45% interest in the F&R business. Thomson Reuters will also maintain full ownership of its Legal, Tax & Accounting and the Reuters News businesses. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and GIC will invest alongside Blackstone for the transaction. The F&R business provides a broad range of offerings to financial market professionals. Its global content sets include fundamentals, estimates and primary and secondary research. F&R also provides customers with tools, platforms, venues and services to enable fast, intelligent decision-making. The businesses that will comprise the new F&R partnership had 2017 revenues of approximately $6 billion. "This deal strengthens F&R and should accelerate its growth and benefit its customers across the sell-side, buy-side and trading venues. Blackstone's strong relationships in the financial services industry and long and successful history of corporate partnerships will help F&R provide new and innovative products and services, drive further efficiencies and navigate ongoing industry consolidation," said Jim Smith, president and chief executive officer of Thomson Reuters. "I am proud of the F&R organization and all of the hard work that has gone into turning around the business over the last six years. Today's announcement reflects the strength of the F&R business and its future potential. We believe F&R will be even stronger with Blackstone as a partner. The transaction will provide immediate value to Thomson Reuters shareholders and our ownership interest in F&R will enable Thomson Reuters to participate in the future upside of the business." Martin Brand, a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, said: "We are excited to partner with Thomson Reuters one of the most trusted companies in financial technology. The F&R division has tremendous assets, including a world-leading data business, essential risk and compliance solutions, OTC trading venues, wealth management software, and a strong desktop business. The partnership with Blackstone provides an opportunity to increase efficiency and accelerate revenue growth through innovation and focus on creating uniquely compelling products for F&R's customers." Joe Baratta, Blackstone's Global Head of Private Equity, said: "We are delighted to partner with Thomson Reuters in continuing to grow the F&R business. This is a landmark transaction for Blackstone and our investment partners." The new partnership will be managed by a 10 person board composed of five representatives from Blackstone and four from Thomson Reuters. The President and CEO of the new partnership will serve as a non-voting member of the board following the closing of the transaction. At the closing of the proposed transaction, F&R and Reuters News will sign a 30-year agreement for Reuters to supply news and editorial content to the new partnership. Under the agreement, F&R will pay Reuters a minimum of $325 million annually. For the duration of the news contract, Thomson Reuters will grant F&R a license to permit F&R to brand its information feeds and products/services with the "Reuters" mark, subject to applicable limitations and restrictions set forth in a trademark license agreement. "Reuters News will maintain complete editorial freedom, and continue to operate under the Trust Principles. There has never been a more important time for providing trusted news, and that is what Reuters will continue to deliver on with accuracy and integrity," added Smith. Thomson Reuters plans to use the estimated $17 billion of gross proceeds from the transaction as follows: Pay down sufficient outstanding debt to allow the company to remain below its target net debt-to-EBITDA leverage ratio of 2.5x (debt repayment estimated at approximately $3 billion ). ). Pay cash taxes, transaction expenses and other costs required to establish F&R as a standalone company and minimize the resulting stranded costs at Thomson Reuters (estimated at $1.5 - $2.5 billion ). - ). Pursue organic and inorganic opportunities in the key growth segments of the company's Legal and Tax & Accounting businesses (estimated at $1 - $3 billion ). - ). Use the balance (estimated at $9 - $11 billion ) to repurchase shares via a substantial issuer bid/tender offer made to all common shareholders following the closing of the transaction. - ) to repurchase shares via a substantial issuer bid/tender offer made to all common shareholders following the closing of the transaction. The company expects its principal shareholder, Woodbridge , will participate in the issuer bid/tender offer. Woodbridge intends to maintain its ownership in the 50% to 60% range. After closing of the transaction, Thomson Reuters will focus its efforts on expanding its market segment positions and accelerating growth in its Legal, Tax & Accounting and Regulatory businesses. Thomson Reuters will be well capitalized with significant capacity for organic and inorganic growth, with expected pro forma net debt-to-EBITDA of approximately 2.1 times (excluding the $1 - $3 billion of proceeds retained for reinvestment). Thomson Reuters is also expected to benefit from its 45% retained interest in F&R over time. The sale is subject to specified regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of applicable waiting periods under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. The sale of a majority stake in F&R to Blackstone is not subject to any financing condition. Blackstone has obtained debt and equity commitments for the transaction. Thomson Reuters and the Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company have agreed to make consequential modifications to the Trust Principles arrangements on closing to reflect the transaction. Thomson Reuters expects the transaction to close in the second half of 2018. Guggenheim Securities, LLC (lead), TD Securities Inc., and Centerview Partners LLC are serving as advisors to Thomson Reuters. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is serving as legal counsel to Thomson Reuters for the transaction, with Torys LLP serving as Canadian legal counsel. Norton Rose Fulbright is serving as legal counsel to the Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company. Canson Capital Partners, BofA Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, and J.P. Morgan are acting as financial advisors to Blackstone. Debt financing related to the transaction is being provided by J.P. Morgan, BofA Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is acting as legal counsel to Blackstone. Thomson Reuters Reports Expectations for Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2017 Results Thomson Reuters today also announced that it expects to meet its previously announced outlook for 2017, and reported its expectations for the fourth-quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2017. Fourth-quarter 2017 / IFRS basis The company expects to report revenues between $2.9 billion and $2.95 billion , up approximately 3% from the prior-year period (up approximately 1% on a constant currency basis). and , up approximately 3% from the prior-year period (up approximately 1% on a constant currency basis). Operating profit is expected to be between $440 million and $450 million , up approximately 50% primarily because the prior-year period included $212 million of severance charges. and , up approximately 50% primarily because the prior-year period included of severance charges. Diluted EPS is projected to be down approximately 75% primarily due to a $2 billion gain realized in 2016 on the sale of the company's IP & Science business. Fourth-quarter 2017 / non-IFRS basis The company expects to report adjusted EBITDA between $870 million and $880 million and an adjusted EBITDA margin between 29.5% and 29.8%. and and an adjusted EBITDA margin between 29.5% and 29.8%. The company also expects to report adjusted EPS between $0.58 and $0.61 . Full-year 2017 / IFRS basis The company expects to report revenues between $11.3 billion and $11.35 billion , up approximately 1% from the prior year (up approximately 2% on a constant currency basis). and , up approximately 1% from the prior year (up approximately 2% on a constant currency basis). Operating profit is expected between $1.74 billion and $1.76 billion , up approximately 25% from the prior year. and , up approximately 25% from the prior year. Diluted EPS is projected to be down approximately 50% from 2016, primarily due to a $2 billion gain realized in 2016 on the sale of the company's IP & Science business. Full-year 2017 / non-IFRS basis The company expects to report adjusted EBITDA between $3.4 billion and $3.45 billion and an adjusted EBITDA margin between 30.1% and 30.4%. and and an adjusted EBITDA margin between 30.1% and 30.4%. The company also expects to report adjusted EPS of between $2.48 and $2.51 . Full results for the fourth-quarter and full-year 2017 will be released on Thursday, February 8, 2018. Dividend On January 30, 2018, the Thomson Reuters board of directors approved maintaining the dividend at $1.38 per common share. A quarterly dividend of $0.345 per share is payable on March 15, 2018 to common shareholders of record as of February 22, 2018. Thomson Reuters will hold a conference call to discuss additional details related to the proposed transaction today at 6:00 PM Eastern Time. A live webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of www.thomsonreuters.com. Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of news and information for professional markets. Our customers rely on us to deliver the intelligence, technology and expertise they need to find trusted answers. The business has operated in more than 100 countries for more than 100 years. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges (symbol: TRI). For more information, visit www.thomsonreuters.com. Blackstone Blackstone is one of the world's leading investment firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our asset management businesses, with over $385 billion in assets under management, include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone. NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES Thomson Reuters prepares its financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). This news release includes certain non-IFRS financial measures, such as adjusted EBITDA and the related margin, adjusted EPS and net debt. Thomson Reuters uses these non-IFRS financial measures as supplemental indicators of its operating performance and financial position. These measures do not have any standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS and therefore are unlikely to be comparable to the calculation of similar measures used by other companies, and should not be viewed as alternatives to measures of financial performance calculated in accordance with IFRS. You can find additional information about our use of non-IFRS financial measures in our most recent annual and quarterly reports which are available on www.thomsonreuters.com. THOMSON REUTERS SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking, including Mr. Smith's remarks, the company's current expectations regarding the timing for closing of the transaction, its uses of proceeds and 2017 fourth-quarter and full-year financial results. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and reflect our company's current expectations. As a result, forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including the parties' ability to receive regulatory approvals and satisfy conditions to closing as well as other factors discussed in materials that Thomson Reuters from time to time files with, or furnishes to, the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. There is no assurance that a transaction involving all or part of the F&R business will be completed or that other events described in any forward-looking statement will materialize. Except as may be required by applicable law, Thomson Reuters disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. This news release does not constitute an offer to purchase, or a solicitation of an offer to sell, securities of the company, nor is it a substitute for any issuer bid, tender offer or other documents that may be filed by the company with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities or the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. CONTACT MEDIA David Crundwell Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs +1 416 649 9904 [email protected] INVESTORS Frank J. Golden Senior Vice President, Investor Relations +1 646 223 5288 [email protected] SOURCE Thomson Reuters Related Links http://www.thomson.com NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Traveling High and Tripping Hard by Joseph Davida is now available where fine books are sold. What happens when you take a musician with a quest to find the meaning of life, the herculean task of trying to save the world, and insatiable wanderlust? Throw in a liberal dose of drugs, sex, and rock and roll and what results is Traveling High and Tripping Hard by Joseph Davida. The story of one young man's quest to find meaning through a series of altered states and high adventures, Traveling High and Tripping Hard is highly unusual, highly unorthodox, and highly entertaining. Davida, a recoveringor perhaps, reformedrock musician is hardly what you'd call an everyman: after accidentally ingesting a large dose of PCP at eight years old, David had an apocalyptic vision that altered the course of his life forever. Tasked with the monumental mission of saving the world, Davida launched a course of self-discovery that led him both inward and outward. From exploring the jungles of Central America, the pyramids of Egypt, Buddhist and Hindu temples of Kathmandu, Davida never wavered in his mission, even when faced with real hardships, doubt, and despair. Davida bares it all in Traveling High and Tripping Hard. A memoir like no other, Traveling High and Tripping Hard serves up a grand reminder that the truth is always stranger than fiction. Resplendent with laugh-out-loud moments, awe-inspiring travel tales, and staggering stories certain to induce slackjawed disbelief, Traveling High and Tripping Hard is a bold, balls-out, bodacious book. But what shines through in this buoyant memoir is despite Davida's unusual backstory, the concepts, questions, qualms and quandaries he faces are real, relatable and universal. While some may find his methods for discovery outrageous, few of us can deny that at a certain point, we've asked the same questions. And while most of us will never pursue such a rigorous quest with quite the same vigor, ultimately Davida's journey is one that we're all on together. At its heart a story that probes such universal themes as loss, sense of place, purpose, belonging, Traveling High and Tripping Hard covers the highs, lows and all points in between. An engaging, self-aware and often self-deprecating narrator, Joseph Davida provides a glimpse into those strange places that lie somewhere between the darkness and light, hope and despair, and spirituality and madness. A consummate storyteller with a keen eye for detail and unmistakable appreciation of the absurd, the sublime and the downright inexplicable, Davida delivers a confident and un-put-downable debut. Part adventure narrative, part memoir, part spiritual tale, Traveling High and Tripping Hard takes readers on one hell of a trip. Joseph Davida is the pen name of a successful Nashville- based entrepreneur, former rock musician, and New York native. He is currently at work on his next book, as yet untitled. www.josephdavida.com Traveling High and Tripping Hard is published in trade paper (ISBN: 9780999397503) and eBook editions. PRLog ID: www.prlog.org/12689193 SOURCE Joseph Davida, author Related Links http://www.josephdavida.com "Today, technology is vital to an organization's survival - it's no longer on the fringes, all companies should be tech companies. TribalScale provides essential, innovative services unlike anything I've seen and has the means to invest in and create new tech businesses through its Venture Studio arm. I believe this is where our future is headed, which is exactly why I've joined TribalScale. The company's values align with mine, and I'm thrilled by the opportunity to lead this team," said Kirstine Stewart, President and CRO of TribalScale. "TribalScale has the five key ingredients necessary for creating innovation; venture capital for funding new companies, a stellar rolodex of industry leaders, a global network and presence, partnerships with corporations who trust us with their digital roadmaps, and a best-in-class team of experts. Bringing Kirstine on as President is not only important for gender diversity at the C-level in our industry, but it positions TribalScale to accelerate our pace of innovation and take our company to new heights," said Sheetal Jaitly, CEO of TribalScale. Formerly, Kirstine led growth and strategy at Diply as Chief Strategy Officer, during which Diply ranked number one on Deloitte's Fast 50 Tech growth companies in Canada. In 2016, Kirstine was the VP of Media at Twitter, overseeing North American partnerships across all verticals. She previously served as Managing Director for Twitter Canada, led operations, advertising and partnerships, building the Canadian business from the ground up Canada became the fastest growing country for Twitter's revenue worldwide. Prior to joining Twitter in 2013, Kirstine was the EVP of CBC's English services, she oversaw the network's English-language radio, television, and digital programming, and she was responsible for the CBC's revenue and operations. Under Kirstine, the CBC was ranked number one as Consumer Brand of the Year. Kirstine will remain an advisory to Diply, in addition to the other advisory roles she holds with TheScore, WOW! Unlimited Media, Kognitiv, The DMZ, and most recently #MoveTheDial. About TribalScale TribalScale is an innovation firm that delivers first-class product strategy, design, and development for mobile, web, and emerging technologies. TribalScale also co-creates disruptive startups in partnership with entrepreneurs and corporations through Venture Studio. With an in-house team of engineers, designers, product managers, and quality assurance experts, TribalScale helps businesses innovate and transform into digital-first companies by creating digital product solutions for voice, AI, blockchain, and cutting-edge technologies. TribalScale works with startups and global brands like ABC News, CBS Radio, and PGA Tour. Learn more: www.tribalscale.com SOURCE TribalScale NEW YORK, January 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Tyto Care, a telehealth company with breakthrough technology for conducting comprehensive examinations and telehealth visits, anytime, anywhere, today announced that it has raised $25 million in its most recent round led by Ping An Global Voyager Fund and including both new and existing investors. Ping An joins a large list of strategic investors already backing the company, including Cambia Health Solutions, Walgreens, Orbimed, Fosun Pharma and LionBird. The growth round also includes new participants like Qure, Israel's first exclusively-focused digital health fund, established with Johns Hopkins University. As part of the oversubscribed round, Tyto Care has the option to expand funding to $28 million in the next few months. Following its FDA clearance in late 2016, and the launch of its products in the United States in early 2017, Tyto Care has gained significant traction with major US health systems, telehealth companies, large private practices and employers. Tyto Care will use the additional funding to continue its expansion in the US market and enhance its product offerings and smart data analytics to empower both clinicians and consumers doing telehealth. The funds will also help Tyto Care fulfill the demand for its products outside the US and penetrate both the European and Asian markets. As part of this funding, Ping An and Tyto Care will form a strategic partnership to implement Tyto into Ping An's offerings in the Chinese market. "We are very excited about our strategic partnership with Ping An, and the huge business opportunity it offers. Over the last nine months we have seen great traction with some of the largest hospitals and health systems in the US, and this investment will allow us to continue building upon our momentum to deliver the best telehealth experience to consumers," said Dedi Gilad, Co-Founder and CEO of Tyto Care. "This new investment by Ping An, the number one insurance group by market capitalization globally, and one of the largest investment and asset management companies in the world, will enable us to fulfill the promise of transforming primary care and expand the reach of telehealth into more homes around the world." "Tyto Care is a high-quality firm with a unique end-to-end solution in home telehealth care," said Jonathan Larsen, Chief Innovation Officer of Ping An Group and Chairman & CEO of Ping An Global Voyager Fund. "We are delighted to be their lead investor in this funding round and to have Tyto Care as our strategic partner in China." Dr. Marco D. Huesch, the Fund's Chief Medical Officer, added that "this market-leading innovation is clearly differentiated by its AI-enabled guidance algorithms which allow users to self-acquire high quality images suitable for clinician diagnosis, and by its modular platform allowing integration into cloud-based electronic health record systems." About Ping An Group Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. ("Ping An" or "the Group") is dedicated to becoming a world-leading personal financial services provider. Ping An is the No.1 insurance group globally in terms of market capitalization and the 39th largest company in the 2017 Global Fortune 500. As at 30 June 2017, the Group had over 143 million individual customers and over 400 million digital users across all of its platforms. As at the end of June 2017, the Group's consolidated total assets reached USD 917 billion and currently has a market capitalization of over USD 190 billion. Ping An has also incubated leading app-based portals such as Lufax (the largest digital wealth management platform in China with over 30 million users) and Ping An Good Doctor (the largest telemedicine platform in the world with over 170 million users). The Ping An Global Voyager Fund was launched in 2017 with a mission to invest in world class FinTech and digital health capabilities. Ping An has seeded the fund with an initial US$1 billion in committed capital. The fund's investment areas include core banking, insurance and healthcare technologies, innovative digital business models, unique customer experiences, and AI. As a result of its tight affiliation with Ping An, the Global Voyager Fund is uniquely positioned to deliver scale access to the China market for portfolio companies. For more information, please visit http://t.sina.com.cn/pingan, http://t.qq.com/pingan or http://www.pingan.com.cn. About Tyto Care Tyto Care is transforming primary care by putting health in the hands of consumers. The company seamlessly connects people to clinicians to provide the best remote home examination and diagnosis solutions. Tyto Care has three telehealth products: TytoHome for consumers, TytoPro for professionals, and TytoClinic for remote point-of-care locations. All solutions are designed to replicate a face-to-face clinician visit and include a hand-held modular examination tool for examining the heart, lungs, skin, throat, ears and body temperature; a complete telehealth platform for sharing exam data, conducting live video exams and scheduling visits; a cloud-based data repository with analytics; and built-in guidance technology and machine learning algorithms to ensure accuracy and ease of use. The Tyto platform also allows for simple integration with EHR systems and other telehealth platforms. To watch a demo video, click here. For more information please visit http://www.tytocare.com. Contact Allison Grey [email protected] +1-323-283-8176 SOURCE Tyto Care LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- IEEE Computer Society announced today that IEEE members will receive a 15% discount on tuition for technical classes at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). "This is an outstanding opportunity for Computer Society members to take advantage of the excellent courses offered by UCI," says Jean-Luc Gaudiot, 2017 IEEE Computer Society President, and Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UCI. University of California Irvine (UCI) is ranked among the top 50 universities nationally, and tenth among all public universities by U.S. News and World Report. The Division of Continuing Education (DCE) at UCI has been offering education for adult learners for over half a century. Today UCI offers over 60 convenient online programs with a focus in high job-demand industry sectors. UCI's technical online course topics include: To view all of the exciting new courses and programs that are of particular interest to IEEE members, visit https://ce.uci.edu/areas/ieee/. About IEEE Computer Society IEEE Computer Society, the computing industry's unmatched source for technology information and career development, offers a comprehensive array of industry-recognized products, services and professional opportunities. Known as the community for technology leaders, IEEE Computer Society's vast resources include membership, publications, a renowned digital library, training programs, conferences, and top-trending technology events. Visit www.computer.org for more information on all products and services. SOURCE IEEE Computer Society Related Links http://www.computer.org BOSTON, January 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- After over ten years of being one of the leading Atlassian Platinum Solution Partners in Europe, Valiantys is pleased to be entering the US market with the launch of Valiantys US, located in central Boston. "Valiantys brings a stellar global reputation in the geographies where they are today, which has won Valiantys the Atlassian Partner of the Year Award from 2013-2017," says Emery Geosits, US General Manager at Valiantys. "Now that we are local, Valiantys is able to meet our US customers face-to-face to discuss their objectives. The team in the US is thrilled to better serve this community and we look forward to building our relationship-centric strategy to provide guidance around Atlassian tools." "While Valiantys has serviced some of the largest US Atlassian clients for years, the addition of our Boston office, and regional investment dedicated to US businesses, will allow us to further tailor our professional services for enterprise teams. It will also enable us in assisting them to build a strategic position for international deployments," says Francois Dussurget, CEO of Valiantys. "We are pleased to be an official United States Platinum Solution Partner and will continue our legacy of having highly skilled technical depth for Atlassian products." To mark this milestone in Valiantys' expansion, Valiantys will be hosting a couple of launch events over the coming months. On February 6th, 2PM EST, the Valiantys US team will give a webinar on Jira for Agile project management: Scrum vs Kanban. Participants can register online at this link. Valiantys US will also be hosting a launch event in Boston on April 5th, 2018. This will be an opportunity for the Atlassian community to meet Valiantys consultants in person and learn more about the available Atlassian services. For further details on the event, email Valiantys at [email protected]. About Valiantys Valiantys is a top Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner with proven expertise in DevOps, Agile and ITSM. Our mission is to revolutionize the way teams collaborate and empower them to work smarter. We've rendered client-tailored services to over 3,500 companies, providing expert guidance on the deployment, adoption and support of Agile tools. We're a global company with Atlassian certified consultants in Canada, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Find out more at www.valiantys.com. Press Contact: Maud Eon Marketing Director [email protected] SOURCE Valiantys SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Violin Systems LLC, the enterprise storage industry leader for extreme performance with consistent low latency and data services, was selected as one of four companies highlighted as providing "Innovative Solutions to Data Storage Challenges" in a recently published Frost & Sullivan Stratecast Analysis by Vice President of Cloud Services, Lynda Stadtmueller. Stratecast collaborates with Frost & Sullivan clients to reach smart business decisions in the rapidly evolving and hypercompetitive Information and Communications Technology markets. Stratecast Perspectives & Insight for Executives (SPIE) Volume 18, Number 1 looked at storage providers that stand out for their innovative solutions and growth potential. Violin was selected as a company worth watching because of its ability to retain and regain the confidence of more than 100 large business customers, including many Fortune 500 companies. "The company originally made its mark with market-leading hardware-based all-flash array storage systems only to lose ground as the market shifted to software-based controls and features," the report states. "Today, the new Violin Systems is turning its culture of innovation toward software development, particularly with the Concerto OS 7 data services platform that support advanced functionality for data scaling, cloud data tiering, data protection, data reduction, and business continuity. The Violin Symphony management system provides granular visibility and insight into the Violin Flash Storage Platform and Violin All Flash Arrays." "We are honored to be named among the select few storage companies to watch in Frost & Sullivan's latest Stratecast," said Ebrahim Abbasi, Violin Systems' CEO and president. "Ms. Stadtmueller definitely captured the spirit of our company's re-emergence when she said that we are returning to our roots as market leader in all-flash arrays by focusing on innovative technology. With an emphasis on software-based solutions, an aggressive product roadmap and commitment to continued innovation, I'm confident that we will not only be a company to watch for 2018 but for many years to come." Violin has made an excerpt from the Frost & Sullivan SPIE available for download to interested parties from its website at https://www.violin-systems.com/wp-content/uploads/SPIE-2018_Frost-and-Sullivan.pdf. Other companies in this report Other companies selected were Elastifile, SwiftStack, and StorONE. About Violin Violin, the disruptive innovator in All Flash Arrays, is revolutionizing how businesses operate by enabling storage technology to be Instrumental to their company by changing the SLAs and capabilities of private, hybrid and public cloud environments. The Flash Storage Platform, powered by Concerto OS, a fully integrated storage operating system, is the industry leader in the combination of every significant category measured in all flash arrays: low latency, affordability, density, scalability and performance. With tightly integrated data services, the Violin Flash Storage Platform provides a unique combination of data protection, business continuity, and data reduction services onto a flexible, uniquely scalable solution called Scale Smart, delivering significant CAPEX and OPEX savings. Founded in 2005, Violin is headquartered in San Jose, California. Contact: Judy Smith, JPR Communications 818-798-1475 [email protected] SOURCE Violin Systems LLC Related Links http://www.violin-systems.com CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Existing and new investors filled the company's initial Seed Round up to the authorized $5.5M level. Previous and new investors filled the round including Skywood Capital, with personal investments from partners at Eastham Capital, Fairhaven Capital, and Equity Resource Investments. Co-Founder and CEO Eric Janszen is the largest single investor. New investors included Greycroft partner Jon Goldman through his GC VR Gaming Tracker Fund. The Tracker fund is focused on VR, AR, esports, and game start-ups. Greycroft is a limited partner in the fund. VirZOOM started shipping its VZ Arcade virtual reality fitness game suite commercially in June 2016. In 2017 the company expanded into China with Mandarin language content for PC VR distributed via WinMR HMD maker 3Glasses. December 2017 VirZOOM announced expansion into the commercial gym market worldwide in commercial partnership with Life Fitness, the world's largest commercial fitness equipment company. The round is intended to fund the company to expand its commercial business worldwide with 2nd generation products VZ Module and VZ Sensor that make any stationary bike VZ-Ready for VirZOOM VR Fitness content. VirZOOM was co-founded by veteran game architect Eric Malafeew and finance and technology industry executive Eric Janszen. Malafeew, with Virginia Tech undergrad and MIT graduate engineering degrees led major successful video game projects for HMX including Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Dance Central following robotics and flight simulation engineering roles in the defense industry. With a passion for bike riding Janszen brings a mix of experience to the project including CEO of venture-backed companies, sales and product management executive roles, patent authorship, market analysis and forecasting, and writer for business publications including Harvard Business Review. "VirZOOM is skipping past the early adopters to bring VR to mass market customers through cardio exercise motivation. The company is making actual sales, shipping products commercially for a year and a half and forming commercial partnerships with major fitness equipment companies like Life Fitness, who can help VirZOOM scale," said Jon Goldman, investor and founder of the GC VR Gaming Tracker Fund. "We welcome our new investors and are pleased to see many previous investors participate as well, some for a fourth addition to their previous investments," said Co-Founder and CEO Eric Janszen. "Their continued confidence in our project is greatly appreciated by the team." About Tracker Tracker is a vertically focused investment fund dedicated to supporting seed stage companies across the VR, AR, video game and e-sports sectors. The fund is managed by Jon Goldman, a Greycroft Venture Partner, and leverages his network and Greycroft's early-stage investment expertise and infrastructure to offer value to early-stage companies innovating in these spaces. Tracker is independent of Greycroft's family of core funds but counts Greycroft, a leading venture capital firm focused on investments in the Internet and mobile markets, as an LP and close business partner. About VirZOOM Co-founded by CEO Eric Janszen and CTO Eric Malafeew in February 2015 and VirZOOM is the world leader in VR Fitness with a proven content platform for consumer and commercial applications. VirZOOM VR Fitness content is available for all major tethered and mobile VR platforms. VirZOOM motivates consumers to exercise on average for 38 minutes per session 3.25 times per week. VirZOOM's customers have since June 2016 collectively traveled more than 250 thousand virtual kilometers and burned more than 4.4 million real calories. SOURCE VirZOOM BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Campus Management announced today that Marymount California University (MCU) has chosen the enterprise suite of CampusNexus solutions to support their mission of fostering a student-centered approach to learning. Using CampusNexus Student, CampusNexus CRM and CampusNexus Finance, HR & Payroll deployed in the CampusNexus Cloud, MCU is aligning its IT infrastructure to meet their student growth and business goals. "By choosing Campus Management as our administrative software solutions partner, MCU will be better positioned to meet students' technology expectations, and allow students to make data-driven decisions about their education journey," said MCU CFO Kathleen Ruiz. "Campus Management's focus on delivering innovative solutions that enable student success and lead to better career outcomes is going to have a positive impact on our student body. We're excited to begin the implementation process." Campus Management has a 30-year history of providing higher education institutions with the robust solutions needed to engage students, operate efficiently and enable innovation. Its solutions are built on Microsoft technology, allowing clients to leverage the flexibility, security and scalability of Microsoft Azure, Dynamics and other products. "MCU's approach to enriching students' lives through a high-tech, high-touch learning environment is compelling and complementary to our solutions," said Campus Management CEO Jim Milton. "Together, we are going to transform the way students interact with the institution during their educational journey and as alumni. We are excited about MCU's vision and look forward to enhancing it through our technology and partnership." About Campus Management Corp. Campus Management is a leading provider of cloud-based SIS, CRM and ERP solutions and services that transform higher education institutions. Today, more than 1,100 institutions in over 30 countries partner with Campus Management to transform academic delivery, student success and operational efficiency. About Marymount California University Marymount California University is a Catholic institution that welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds into a quality, values-based education. The institution has a beautiful campus in Rancho Palos Verdes in Los Angeles County and offers student-centered learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. Media Contact: Ashley Prince Media Relations Campus Management Corp. 954-249-1124 [email protected] SOURCE Campus Management Corporation Related Links http://www.campusmgmt.com "WAV Group has provided this level of strategic consulting for decades, but has always relied on our clients or their SaaS vendors for implementation," said Victor Lund, Founding Partner of WAV Group. Now WAV Group will bring on a senior technology resource to help clients directly navigate the challenging waters, explained Lund. "David's 14 years of working with Michael Saunders and interacting with other firms from Leading RE and The Realty Alliance brings a unique skill set to WAV Group's new services. As the business unit leader, Gumpper will be directing our resources and with his deep technology acumen will help companies see projects though to the end. His real world knowledge addressing the technology, data and security challenges brokers face today should prove invaluable to technology firms, MLSs, and brokerages," added Lund. Gumpper's focus will be on helping firms develop sound technology strategies that position them for success with workable and practical plans to implement initiatives. His breadth of knowledge covers technology infrastructure, security, cloud deployment, telecommunications systems, web and mobile application development, lead generation processes, business workflow efficiencies, measuring and analyzing marketing campaigns, and leveraging data for informational knowledge to help brokerages make more well-informed decisions. "David is great at both technology infrastructure, as well as consumer-facing marketing technologies," said Marilyn Wilson, Founding Partner of the WAV Group. "He is one of the most strategic, hardest-working executives I have met. He's that unique person who can outline an exciting vision and flawlessly execute the program. He has proven time and time again that he knows how to help organizations create a competitive advantage using today's technologies. His passionate leadership, both as a technology and industry advocate, is an extraordinary addition to our team." Wilson notes that David's experience is not only in residential real estate, but all home services, including support for Mortgage, Title, Insurance, New Home Development, Commercial Real Estate, Property Management, and Relocation. "David's expertise is in making all of those disparate business operations work in a cohesive manner to maximize value," Wilson added. "He also has deep levels of experience supporting IT infrastructure, Security, Accounting Systems, and leveraging APIs to get these companies' systems to talk to each other." In 2015, Real Trends honored Michael Saunders & Company as the #1 Web Site in the U.S. as voted by 70 of the top Chief Marketing Officers and Chief Information Officers in real estate. Gumpper's strong leadership skills led him to become the chairman of the Marketing Technology Advisory Council, the group that drives technology initiatives and partnerships for the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. In addition to his skills as a strong technologist, Gumpper has been an effective advocate for technology policy, which has helped all brokers compete more effectively. He was instrumental in driving the on-going overhaul of the real estate industry's IDX Policies, which have given brokers more flexibility to offer "pendings" and "solds" on their websites, and he's been active in supporting the adoption and utilization of the Real Estate Standards Organization, or RESO Data Dictionary and the RESO Web API. His effective advocacy efforts earned him a position as a broker representative to serve on the Multiple Listing Technology and Emerging Issues Advisory Board and Multiple Listing Issues & Policy Committee for the National Association of Realtors. Currently, Gumpper serves on the Board of Directors for RESO. During Gumpper's 24 years as a technologist, he has deployed and managed information technology platforms for the University of Dentistry and Medicine of New Jersey, Ricoh Corporation, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals before moving to Florida in 2003 to become Director of Information Technology for Michael Saunders & Company. He currently resides in Bradenton, FL with his wife Kelly, who works for the State College of Florida. The Gumpper's eldest son, Ryan, is a PhD Chemistry candidate at Georgia State University, and their younger son, Evan, attends the University of South Florida. ABOUT THE WAV GROUP The WAV Group is a leading consulting firm for the real estate industry, serving many of the largest and most successful Multiple Listing Services (MLS), REALTOR Associations, real estate brokerages, and real estate technology firms for more than 15 years. With an unsurpassed depth of experience in technology, strategic planning, research, business development, sales, product development, marketing and communications in the real estate industry, the WAV Group serves as a virtual executive, and helping clients meet the objectives of their business or association, more quickly, more effectively and more affordably. The firm's diverse collection of global industry experience allows it to cross-fertilize ideas and bring best of breed solutions to its clients. More information is available at http://www.wavgroup.com. Media Contact: Kevin Hawkins 206.866.1220 [email protected] SOURCE WAV Group Related Links http://www.wavgroup.com BROOMFIELD, Colo., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Webroot, the Smarter Cybersecurity company, and LogRhythm have released a new fulfillment option for LogRhythm next-gen SIEM customers, enabling them to easily add the Webroot BrightCloud IP Reputation service. The new fulfillment site provides integration information and streamlines the delivery process, enabling LogRhythm customers to quickly enhance their SIEM with Webroot BrightCloud Threat Intelligence. About the Partnership: The joint Webroot and LogRhythm solution automatically integrates actionable BrightCloud Threat Intelligence into the LogRhythm next-gen SIEM for comprehensive, real-time threat visibility and contextual security analytics. The integrated solution automatically takes action and responds to security events or alarms in the LogRhythm next-gen SIEM and leverages the real-time capabilities of the Webroot BrightCloud IP Reputation Service to help LogRhythm customers identify the malicious IPs in their network traffic. Once a threat is identified, the integrated solution provides deep visibility into network behavioral changes and malicious IPs, in addition to automating the remediation of attacks. Webroot is an integral part of the LogRhythm Threat Intelligence Ecosystem, a group of threat intelligence vendors providing unparalleled security intelligence through a next-generation security analytics and intelligence platform. Key Quotes: Matthew Winter, VP of Marketing & Business Development at LogRhythm "Webroot's new fulfillment site is a welcomed addition to the LogRhythm Threat Intelligence Ecosystem. The Webroot BrightCloud IP Reputation Service greatly enhances the analytics and incident response workflow of the LogRhythm next-gen SIEM platform. This integrated solution gives our customers highly-accurate threat intelligence, allowing them to detect and respond to threats more quickly and efficiently." Michael Neiswender, VP of Worldwide OEM Sales at Webroot "Cyber threats have become more advanced, making it challenging for organizations to protect their customers. Through our partnership, LogRhythm can provide its customers with proactive protection against modern threats. The Webroot BrightCloud IP Reputation Service protects LogRhythm users from malicious IP traffic by integrating accurate and timely threat intelligence into the network perimeter and services." Additional Resources: About LogRhythm LogRhythm is the pioneer in Threat Lifecycle Management (TLM) technology, empowering organizations on six continents to rapidly detect, respond to and neutralize damaging cyberthreats. LogRhythm's TLM platform unifies leading-edge data lake technology, artificial intelligence, security analytics and security automation and orchestration in a single end-to-end solution. LogRhythm serves as the foundation for the AI-enabled security operations center, helping customers secure their cloud, physical and virtual infrastructures for both IT and OT environments. Among other accolades, LogRhythm is positioned as a Leader in Gartner's SIEM Magic Quadrant. About Webroot Webroot was the first to harness the cloud and artificial intelligence to protect businesses and individuals against cyber threats. We provide the number one security solution for managed service providers and small businesses, who rely on Webroot for endpoint protection, network protection, and security awareness training. Webroot BrightCloud Threat Intelligence Services are used by market leading companies like Cisco, F5 Networks, Citrix, Aruba, Palo Alto Networks, A10 Networks, and more. Leveraging the power of machine learning to protect millions of businesses and individuals, Webroot secures the connected world. Headquartered in Colorado, Webroot operates globally across North America, Europe, and Asia. Discover Smarter Cybersecurity solutions at webroot.com. Social Media: Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook 2017 Webroot Inc. All rights reserved. Webroot, SecureAnywhere, Webroot SecureAnywhere, Webroot BrightCloud, BrightCloud, and Smarter Cybersecurity are trademarks or registered trademarks of Webroot Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners. SOURCE Webroot Related Links http://www.webroot.com CHEVY CHASE, Md., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- WeddingWire, Inc., the global online leader connecting engaged couples with wedding professionals, has launched its latest resource, the Wedding Cost Guide, for addressing the age old question: how much does a wedding cost? The company is the only brand in the wedding industry with a feature that provides engaged couples with average cost data for vendors in various markets across the US. Engaged couples underestimate how much they will spend on their wedding by about 40 percent and rank understanding vendor pricing information as a top wedding planning pain point, according to WeddingWire research. The Wedding Cost Guide's category-specific pricing data includes the high, low and average range of what other real couples recently spent in their geographic area and surfaces added details to help couples have a clearer understanding of what to expect to pay for a comprehensive set of wedding services. For example, if you have a larger bridal party, expect to shell out more when considering florals for each attendant (the average cost of a bridesmaids bouquet is $75). On average, couples in the U.S. spend nearly $30,000 on wedding ceremony and reception costs, yet determining how to budget for the various vendors and services involved often feels like an overwhelming challenge. By providing realistic costs for everything from the photographer to the wedding cake, as well as information on sometimes unforeseen or not-included costs that can impact a budget, WeddingWire offers financial insight and education to couples as they start making decisions about their big day. With this new resource, couples and their families can feel more confident and validated in vendor choices that may impact their bottom line. Once couples are armed with more knowledge, they can easily search and filter by price point in WeddingWire's comprehensive vendor directory which features over 200,000 local wedding professionals across the U.S. "Setting a budget is a critical first step in wedding planning, but today's couples remain unclear on how it could -- and should -- all add up," said Sonny Ganguly, CMO, WeddingWire. "That's why we've collected this key information, making it accessible and customizable. Our goal is to educate couples about vendor pricing and empower them to feel confident with each choice they make." WeddingWire also presents engaged couples with an additional resource by bringing to light wedding date data on the most popular dates, as well as important events and holidays, all of which can impact availability and vendor pricing. For more information, and to find out what couples near you are spending on specific wedding services, visit weddingwire.com/cost. About WeddingWire, Inc. WeddingWire, Inc. is the leading global online marketplace, connecting consumers with local wedding professionals and a suite of comprehensive tools that make wedding planning easier. Operating within a $200 billion industry, WeddingWire helps 13 million couples every month find the right team of wedding professionals to personalize and pull off their special day. Consumers around the world are able to read more than 5 million vendor reviews and search, compare and book from a directory of over 400,000 vendors. Founded in 2007, the WeddingWire portfolio serves couples and wedding professionals across 15 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. The company has more than 900 employees and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with international headquarters in Barcelona, Spain. Visit WeddingWire online at WeddingWire.com and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/WeddingWire and @WeddingWire on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Contact: Stephanie Colpo WeddingWire [email protected] 301.231.9473 SOURCE WeddingWire, Inc. Related Links https://www.weddingwire.com NEW YORK, January 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EverCompliant, the pioneer of Electronic Money Laundering Detection and Prevention (known as Transaction Laundering), announced their continued, industry-leading growth in 2017. The firm's client roster now includes some of the largest institutions across North America, Europe, and Asia, who collectively monitor millions of merchants within their platforms. Their proprietary and highly-effective method for uncovering Transaction Laundering has fueled a surging demand that yielded more than 300% in company growth in 2017. EverCompliant's 2017 key milestones include: More than 300% in both customer base and revenue growth Over 200% employee growth, added to support expected 2018 expansion Over 300% increase in merchants monitored by customers Highlighted by CB Insights as one of the "Tech Startups Redefining the Financial Services Industry" Key executive hires including Chief Revenue Officer, VP of Marketing, and GM-Israel The company enables banks, payment service providers and payment facilitators to identify and eliminate fraudulent transactions processed for illicit purposes through legitimate merchants. EverCompliant protects its customers from hefty fines, chargebacks and reputational damage caused by unknowingly facilitating money laundering and other criminal activity. "We are very proud of the progress we've made over the course of 2017," said Ron Teicher, CEO of EverCompliant. "As we move into 2018, we will continue to lead innovation in the payments industry and reduce the risk associated with accepting payments online, while educating the public on the significance of Transaction Laundering. Our growth signals that we are answering an unmet need in the market." Last year, EverCompliant announced its new headquarters in New York City, as it continues to expand in the North American region. CEO Ron Teicher joined COO Daniel Klein in NYC, while Chief Revenue Officer Alasdair Rambaud was brought on to head the new San Francisco office. Joining them is Sean Goldstein, VP Marketing, who will lead the company's marketing efforts, and Sophie Chetboun, GM Israel, to head their Tel Aviv facilities. "By adding top-notch executives to the existing team - Alasdair Rambaud, Chief Revenue Officer; Sean Goldstein, VP Marketing and Sophie Chetboun GM, Israel - we are poised to further accelerate our growth," added Ron. "As leaders in the FinTech and payments industry, we will continue to provide the most advanced tools on the market to enable our customers to mitigate the enormous risk associated with elusive criminals committing online money laundering." EverCompliant launched several industry-first technologies in 2017, including deep machine-learning technology within their MerchantView platform, enabling the most accurate and scalable merchant risk detection and Electronic Money Laundering Prevention solution available. About EverCompliant EverCompliant is the pioneer and industry leader in Electronic Money Laundering Detection and Prevention (known as Transaction Laundering). The company's flagship product, MerchantView, is the first and only dedicated solution on the market designed from its core to detect and prevent Transaction Laundering. MerchantView applies proprietary cyber intelligence technology to identify unknown and hidden merchants funneling transactions through seemingly legitimate storefront websites. EverCompliant's technology has been adopted by large-scale financial institutions and payment service providers in Asia, Europe, U.S. and the Middle East. EverCompliant is headquartered in New York City with offices in San Francisco, Shanghai and Tel Aviv. Contact: Jordana Klausner GKPR 1-305-282-9421 [email protected] SOURCE EverCompliant CLEVELAND, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Northeast Ohio native Chef Sean Brauser, a 2-time world pizza champion, is launching a brand-new brick oven, New York style pizza at all thirteen northeast Ohio PIZZAFIRE locationsand the pizzas can be delivered, all starting February 1st! The New York Pizza has a foldable crust, hearty pizza sauce, and bakes in less than 4 minutes. "I knew that a true New York style pizza was missing in Northeast Ohio," said Brauser. "I wanted to fill that gap with a Cleveland inspired brick oven pizza that beats any pizza you could find in NYC." PIZZAFIRE - Northeast Ohio Native, CEO and Founder Chef Sean Brauser The Cleveland at PIZZAFIRE - Available For Delivery, Dine-In, or Carryout PIZZAFIRE restaurants were launched in 2014 by world pizza champion and renowned Chef CEO & Co-Founder Sean Brauser (winner of Best Gourmet Pizza in America) along with world-class pizza Chef Bruno DiFabio (winner of "The 2014 World's Best Pizza" contest in Italy). The core menu that made PIZZAFIRE a household name features the Neapolitan style pizza, which has a thin, firm but chewy crust with fresh toppings. "With the launch of our new residential and office delivery program, we felt it was imperative to add an authentic New York style pizza to our menu. This style of pizza has a slightly thicker crust than our traditional Neapolitan pizza, and will show up at your doorstep fresh and hot," stated CEO and Co-Founder, Sean Brauser. "We are so excited to deliver our authentic brick oven pizza directly to our guests, and of course you are always still welcome to dine-in and try one of our Award-Winning Neapolitan pizzas." Along with the introduction of the New York Style pizzas, PIZZAFIRE is also adding wings to the menu, available bone-in or boneless - the perfect accompaniment to any pizza. At PIZZAFIRE, it will always be about "Fast and Fresh". There are over 40 different fresh toppings, including 6 different sauces, 5 different cheeses, and flavor combinations you won't find anywhere else, including an exclusive selection of Award-Winning Pizzas. Watch as each pizza is built and individually crafted by a personal PIZZAFIRE chef. It then goes into the 800-degree authentic brick oven where it is fire-baked for 180 seconds! Or, get it delivered and sit back and relax. The first PIZZAFIRE location opened in Akron, OH in 2014. PIZZAFIRE now has 24 locations in six states, with multiple openings schedule for 2018. Quick Info: www.PIZZAFIRE.com Media Contact: Megan Duniec, PIZZAFIRE, [email protected], 234.802.0302 SOURCE PIZZAFIRE Related Links http://www.PIZZAFIRE.com Oil Prices Will Be Affected By Geopolitical Risks in 2018 The end of 2017 was clearly positive for oil-exporting nations. For example, Brent oil futures traded at 66,60 dollars per barrels on December 29th. Will the existing bullish trend persist in 2018? If to take into account the forecasts made by a number of international oil experts, we can expect short-term rallies up to 80 dollars per barrel. However, the oil market has been really volatile and is probably going to be. This means that we may also see major retracements further down the road. The thing is that the market is indeed sensitive to external factors, which was confirmed by the market behavior seen over the last trading week of 2017. The rally to 67 dollars per barrel was mainly caused by the explosion of an oil pipeline in Libya , which reduced the daily oil export by 70-100K barrels. There was another factor contributing to the price rally. The thing is that the U.S. crude oil inventories report indicated a major drop in oil production and inventories. According to Yaroslav Lisovolik, Chief Economist for the Eurasian Development Bank, is now heavily dependent on the oil supply coming from the United States. However, even the American shale oil is not capable of making up for the growing geopolitical risks we all can see these days. Some other experts, such as A. Golubovich and A. Orlov from Arbat Capital, think that the key geopolitical risks are related to Donald Trump's possible decision to punish Iran and put those anti-Iranian sanctions back or even to sic Saudi Arabia on Iran's satellites in the region. If the latter is the case, most of the oil export from the Persian Gulf may well be disrupted, which will probably push the prices higher to 80 barrels a day. However, on the other hand, this may trigger a major retracement to 45 dollars per barrel further down the road, maybe next year. At the same time, of the participants of the OPEC+ deal change the plan and suspend the deal prematurely, somewhere in mid-2018, this is definitely going to make the market really nervous. Also, a record-high amount of long positions for crude oil, which may later make the prices retrace by 5-10 dollars per barrel alter on. You are free to discuss this article here: forum for traders and investors U.S. DoE Predicts Oil Market Oversupply over the Next 2 Year The United States Department of Energy doesn't believe in the OPEC+ deal and expects excessive supply in the global market over the next 2 years. In particular, the January short-term report released by the DoE confirms that. They say this is going to be long-term oversupply. Apparently, the oversupply is expected to take place as the result of the shale oil renaissance in the USA , Canada and other oil nations not participating in the mentioned oil agreement that was designed to cap the production and balance the market to let the prices grow to comfortable levels. Those nations are expected to export 2,4 million barrels a day. On a global scale, the global supply is expected to increase by 2,8 million barrels a day, which the highest increase since 2014. At the same time, the global demand for crude oil is expected to grow by as little as 1,7 million barrels a day. Apparently, Asian exporters are expected to contribute to this demand growth since Europe is unlikely to consume more crude oil than today. Canada is expected to cut down on the consumption . Last year, the average daily production and consumption stayed at 97,97 million barrels and 98,38 barrels respectively. This made the oil inventories decrease, which consequently led to a 30% increase in oil prices all the way up to 69 dollars per barrels for Brent oil, which became the highest price since December 2014. However, the DoE experts believe that the party is almost over for the OPEC and some of their allies. The thing is that the oil producers altogether are expected to start producing 0,2 million barrels a day more than consumed worldwide, and the oversupply is going to increase up to 0,35 million barrels a day in 2019. In some quarters, the oversupply may increase to 1 million barrels a day. This means that the OPEC+ deal is probably doomed to fail. The thing is that the commercial oil inventories are expected to grow all the way up to 2,964 billion barrels against 2,908 billion barrels in December 2017, to 3,049 billion barrels on late 2019. At the same time, the DoE predicts a faster-than-expected increase in the American shale oil production. To be more specific, the forecast was raised from 10,23m b/d to 10,58m b/d, to 11,4m b/d in 2019, FortFS experts report. You are free to discuss this article here: forum for traders and investors Cryptocurrencies Won't Help Dictators Get Around Sanctions According to Bloomberg, all the attempts made by authoritarian governments and dictators to get around Western sanction are vain. While North Korean hackers are stealing bitcoins, Venezuela n President Nicolas Maduro is launching a national cryptocurrency while backing it with massive oil inventories to get international investors back. At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Finance is working hard to come up with legislation allowing some legal entities to enter the global international market of cryptocurrencies and trade them on online exchanges. The cryptocurrency craze in those countries seems to be underway. The thing is that the West imposed some sanctions on them to prevent them from entering international financial markets. So, they hope to get around them by accessing cryptocurrencies instead. However, the experts say that while those cryptocurrencies can be used to get around any sanctions by a handful of companies and individuals, this is not going to save the day for the entire economies since the market is still too young and small. According to Coinmarketcap, the total market cap of all the cryptocurrencies altogether is around 700 billion dollars. For the sake of comparison, this is 1/7 of the daily forex turnover. By the way, forex is a legal and internationally recognized financial market, actually the worlds biggest one. So, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury isnt warried about the possibility of Russia and other dictatorships using cryptocurrencies to try and get around those sanctions since online exchanges do require verification and the same info that banks do. So , from this prospect , there is no big difference . On top of that, the Western sanctions are aimed at specific companies and individuals rather than assets, thats why they work for each source of income they count on. And even if some investors get interested in Using cryptocurrencies to cheat is especially difficult for oil exporters since they still need dollars to sell crude oil anyway. However, those isolated nations may well be using cryptocurrencies to move funds worldwide. This is what the Western financial authorities should be worried about. On top of that, the Western sanctions are aimed at specific companies and individuals rather than assets, thats why they work for each source of income they count on. And even if some investors get interested in Venezuela n oil-backed cryptocurrency, them may fall prey to the same sanctions as well.Using cryptocurrencies to cheat is especially difficult for oil exporters since they still need dollars to sell crude oil anyway. However, those isolated nations may well be using cryptocurrencies to move funds worldwide. This is what the Western financial authorities should be worried about. You are free to discuss this article here: forum for traders and investors Clive Palmer, whose company Mineralogy in November won a claim for $US150m in unpaid royalties against two Citic Pacific subsidiaries, has denied he has purchased the Figtree Pocket trophy home, Rivergum Retreat. It has been on the market with an asking price of more than $8 million. The vendor is Peter Bond, the founder of the failed Linc Energy Group, who paid $9.5 million for the luxury waterfront in 2008. The luxury waterfront has a 132m of water frontage to the Brisbane River, nine bathrooms and seven parking spots. The Australian reported the rumoured acquisition along with Palmer's denial. The property still appears on listing websites. News Ltd reported Palmer made an offer of $7.4 million. The Brisbane home of the mining magnate Peter Bond and wife Louise had been listed for sale in 2016. Bond and his wife, Louise, took the property to auction in August last year, where they knocked back a bid of $9.25 million. They bought it for a cut price $9.5 million in 2009 after it had spent over two years on the market. It had initially been listed for $12 million by Zoe Cheihk, wife of developer George Cheihk. The homestead encompasses a vast 1956 sqm of floor space and has seven bedrooms, nine bathroom and three home offices. The luxury aspects continue with a 12 seat gold class cinema room. Apartment supply in inner Brisbane exceeds demand, pushing the vacancy rate to 4%, according to REIQ December quarter rental data. Inner Brisbane (0-5 kilometre ring) vacancies rose from 3.7% in September last year to 4% in the December quarter, however the middle ring tightened from 3.4% to 2.1%. The REI advised the vacancy rate of inner Brisbane had only reached 4% or higher twice before December 2013 when it reached 4.1% and March 2017 when it peaked at 4.4%, the highest level since records began in 2008. REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella said this news was disappointing for investors, but not unexpected give strong levels of apartment supply coming to the market. Approvals have fallen in the past six months and we know that this period - where supply exceeds demand - is likely to be only temporary thanks to a steadily growing population and consistent demand for inner city accommodation, she said. Just how temporary is difficult to predict but our expectation is that demand will start to catch up to supply very quickly and vacancy rates will return to the typically healthy levels this market usually achieves of around 2.5 3.5%. The middle ring (5-20 kilometres) is affordable, and in most suburbs there is the convenience of good infrastructure and public transport and tenants have a good range of options to suit many budgets, Ms Mercorella said. Cookies What are cookies ? How do we use cookies? How to control cookies? Managing cookies in your browser see what cookies you have got and delete them on an individual basis block third party cookies block cookies from particular sites block all cookies from being set delete all cookies when you close your browser X A cookie is a small text file that a website saves on your computer or mobile device when you visit the site. Cookies are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.Website use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. ("Google") to help analyse the use of this website. For this purpose, Google Analytics uses"cookies", which are text files placed on your computer.The information generated by the cookies about your use of this website - standard internet log information (including your IP address) and visitor behaviour information in an anonymous form - will be transmitted to and stored by Google including on servers in the United States. Google will anonymize the information sent by removing the last octet of your IP address prior to its storage.According to Google Analytics terms of service, Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website and compiling reports on website activity.We not use, and not allow any third party to use the statistical analytics tool to track or to collect any personally identifiable information of visitors to this site. 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You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer and you can set most browsers to prevent them from being placed.Most browsers allow you to:If you chose to delete cookies, you should be aware that any preferences will be lost. Also, if you block cookies completely many websites (including ours) will not work properly and webcasts will not work at all. For these reasons, we do not recommend turning cookies off when using our webcasting services. PCCWs video-on-demand (VOD) service Viu has unveiled for a Middle East audience Spotlight 2, its 12th original series and the second made with writer and director Vikram Bhatt. Directed by Siddhant Sachdeva, Spotlight 2 is set in the music industry and stars Karan V Grover, Aditi Arya and Ruhi Singh. The 13-part digital series also features seven originally composed tracks played by musicians Harish Sanganay and Ankit Shah.When Spotlight 1 was a success, I was confident I would make another one. This story encapsulates the loneliness that stardom brings along with the glitz and glamour in the life of a superstar. This story is very apt for the digital platform . Today, the first screen of preference is the mobile phone so it was only natural that I present this franchise to the audience on the web, said Bhatt.Wesam Kattan, vice president - content & brand marketing, Viu Middle East, added: At Viu, we focus on creating compelling content and a viewing experience that captivates our audience and is relatable at the same time. With the Spotlight franchise, we continue our successful association with Vikram Bhatt that we started a year ago with Gehraiyaan and Spotlight 1.We are excited to launch Spotlight 2 and in the upcoming months for our Bollywood loving audience in the Middle East, you will see a lot more exciting original shows from Viu . African pay-TV operator MultiChoice is to be investigated over alleged improper payments, South Africas communications regulator has confirmed. The payments, to ANN7 and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), were allegedly made to sway Government policy on digital migration in favour of MultiChoice The complaint, lodged by the Democratic Alliance (DA), will now be investigated by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).The DA is pleased that Icasa has agreed that the payments require investigation. South Africa deserves to know whether the payments were indeed above board, as MultiChoice has maintained, said Democratic Alliance Shadow Minister of Communications Phumzile Van Damme.There is no issue with companies lobbying for policy positions through debate, but a situation where policy is bought cannot be allowed. It is tantamount to policy capture.The DA looks looks forward to further engaging with Icasa on this matter for clarity to be provided once and for all, she added. Telefonica and Netflix are reportedly negotiating an alliance in Spain after being unable to reach an agreement for over two years. According to reports from Expansion , El Espanol and El Confidencial, quoting Telefonica sources, the telcos president Luis Miguel Gilperez and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings are aiming to agree a major deal in Spain.The partnership would be similar to the agreements reached with Vodafone and Orange in 2016, which allowed the pay-TV providers to integrate Netflixs subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) catalogue into their content portfolios, so Movistar+ clients would have access to Netflix from their connected set-top boxes (STBs).Last year Telefonica was said to be open to an agreement, following a troubled period in which the telco and Netflix were not communicating at all. The deal now under negotiation would come into effect for the second half of 2018.As Movistar+ is the leading pay-TV provider with almost 3.7 million subscribers and Netflix tops the wave of growing SVOD players with nearly 1.2 million , an agreement to consolidate their positions is seen as a natural step.Since it launched in Spain in late 2015, Netflix hadnt been able to reach a peering agreement with Telefonica , so the telcos broadband customers have been putting up with the poorest performance of the streaming service in the country. HBOs subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service in Spain is adding KID-E-CATS to its family content catalogue. The launch follows a deal reached by the distributor APC Kids , which has also inked agreements for the series with Turners Italian channel Cartoonito, MTG Latvia & Lithuania and C4U (Kids1TV) in South Korea.The international show is based on an original ratings-winning Russian series produced by CTC Media and Studio Metrafilm, which reached 342 million views on YouTube and a 5.6% average rating (children 4-6) on Carousel.Lionel Marty, managing director of APC Kids , commented: Having already established a successful viewership in 148 countries, we are excited to bring KID-E-CATS to additional territories and to introduce this loveable, playful show to new audiences. Normally, when multiple political parties in a European country negotiate to form a coalition government, the policy issues on the table are so localized that they have little bearing on the United States. Coalition negotiations ongoing in Germany, however, are an exception to this rulenot only because the result will help determine how the European Union operates over the next four years, but also because Berlin is prizing the kind of common-sense, pragmatic foreign policy in the Middle East that Washington could use more of. In what would be a dramatic change in its previous approach, the 28-page framework agreement between Germanys two establishment parties suspends all arms sales to any country participating in Yemens civil war. The policy shift is a complete reversal of the status-quo in Berlin, coming a year after defense exports to Saudi Arabia more than tripled. The Trump administration would be wise to consider a similar directive. There is no vital national security interest at stake for the U.S. in the countrys three-year proxy war. Indeed, by providing Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners with critical military enablers like mid-air refueling, arms sales, and political cover at the United Nations, the U.S. is contributing to a conflict that has been taken advantage of by the very same terrorist groups it is supposed to be combating. Freezing U.S. arms sales to the Saudi-backed coalition in Yemen and removing itself from the war entirely would accomplish two objectives: get the U.S. out of an armed conflict that has severely damaged its reputation and which serves no U.S. national security purpose; and begin the process of winding down the violence that has killed at least 10,000 people, shattered Yemen as a nation-state, and helped instigate what the United Nations has called the worst humanitarian disaster on the planet today. What lured the U.S. military into the Yemeni proxy war to begin with? It is a good question that has never been fully explained by the previous administration, not to mention the current administration. We can only surmise that the White House believes it would be a tragedy if the Houthis were in charge. But in the grand scheme of American foreign policy, which armed faction controls the seat of power in Sanaa is largely immaterial to Washingtons Middle East policy? Central governments in Yemen both in times of war and in times of peace are but one player in a game where many actorsfrom political parties and secessionists to terrorist groups and tribesare also on the field vying for power. The central governments authority, whether under the rule of the late Ali Abdullah Saleh or Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, is often limited to the capital city and challenged by the countrys complicated mosaic of tribes that resist any demand judged as against the interests of their members. In short, Yemen is an inherently weak state, vulnerable to the long arms of its neighbors. Oil cannot be the answer for Americas military and political assistance to Saudi Arabia, nor the United Arab Emirates. Compared to its neighbors, Yemen barely registers as an oil producerand whatever dwindling amounts of crude oil it does produce is dependent on the volatile the security environment. The fact the poorest southwest nation on the Arabian Peninsula is not even an OPEC member is suggestive of its status as a third-tier country. Perhaps counterterrorism is the reason for Washingtons involvement? Unfortunately, that does not make sense either. The Houthis have no association with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) or the Islamic States branch in the country, two terrorist groups that have either attempted attacks on American targets or aspire to. In fact, the Houthis and AQAP are sworn ideological enemies with two vastly competing interpretations of how Yemen should be governed. And, in case that isnt enough of a reason to hate one another, the two have also engaged in battles. Nor is it the case that the Saudi-led air war against the Houthis is helping counterterrorism efforts against AQAP and ISIS. The opposite is the case. According to U.S. Central Command and the Director of National Intelligence, Yemens conflict is undermining the wider counterterrorism fight by diverting the attention of regional powers and the Yemeni government from a jihadist threat which has continued to recruit and expand. In a report to Congress last year, the U.S. intelligence community assessed that AQAP exploited the conflict and the collapse of government authority to gain new recruits and allies and expand their influence. In an end-of-year assessment last December, the Pentagon also reported that the Yemeni branch of ISIS doubled in size, hardly a sign of an effective counterterrorism campaign. Iran, undoubtedly, is a big factor in the Trump administrations Yemen calculations. While the relationship between Tehran and the Houthis is generally regarded as a tactical alliance to bleed the Saudi treasury, exhaust the Royal Saudi Air Force, and expose Riyadh as a paper-tiger, the U.N.s conclusion that the November launch of a Houthi ballistic missile towards the Saudi capital contained Iranian markings means the partnership is more than just symbolic. If U.S. refueling of Saudi aircraft and billions of dollars in U.S. defense exports to Riyadh are designed to blunt the impact of Iranian weapons and supplies to the Houthis, it is not working. If the strategy were successful, scholars of the region would not be referring to the unfolding conflict as Saudi Arabias Vietnam. To say the U.S. is not getting any benefit from its participation in this conflict would be an understatement of epic proportions. What Washington is receiving instead is enormous pressure from the human rights community for enabling Saudi Arabias behavior, which has included violations of international humanitarian and human rights law; the bombings of funerals, markets, homes, factories, and ports; and up until early this month the quarantining of the countrys busiest Red Sea port and the systemic blocking of the food and medical aid that millions of Yemenis need to survive. On a humanitarian and moral level, U.S. policy in Yemen is a catastrophic blemish on its record. But just as importantly, the current policy is a strategic mess putting the U.S. in the middle of a violent contest for influence between the regions two preeminent military and diplomatic powers. Tehran and Riyadh may have a lot at stake in Yemen, but Washington does not. The U.S. must stop picking winners and losers in the Middle Easts centuries-long sectarian fights; stop providing Saudi Air Force with the munitions, aircraft, and fuel it needs to continue a military strategy that has failed; help shock a U.N.-led diplomatic process back to life; draft a more impartial Security Council resolution outlining in general terms a possible power-sharing settlement the international community would support; and last but certainly not least, start being more far more selective in when and where and on behalf of whom America deploys its military. Daniel DePetris is a fellow at Defense Priorities. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an assault near the Marshal Fahim National Defense University in Kabul. Amaq News Agency, one of the so-called caliphates propaganda arms, has released several short statements since the attack on the military academy began earlier today. At least 11 Afghan service members were killed, according to initial casualty reports. It appears that the raid was yet another inghimasi operation involving several jihadists. Inghimasis are generally well-trained guerrilla fighters who are prepared to die in battle. They are different from traditional suicide bombers in that they dont detonate their explosive belts or vests at the outset of the fight, but instead first battle their enemies with light arms or other weapons. They immerse themselves in the battle before killing themselves. Dawlat Waziri, the spokesman for Afghanistans Ministry of Defense, told the press that at least five jihadists carried out the attack. Citing Waziri, the Associated Press reported that two fighters blew themselves up, two others were killed during the firefight, and the fifth was detained. The tactics described by Waziri are generally consistent with an inghimasi operation. Amaq claims that the jihadists also targeted an American base affiliated with the Marshal Fahim National Defense University. The same military academy was struck by a Taliban suicide bomber in Oct. 2017. Fifteen Afghan recruits were reportedly killed when a Taliban martyr blew himself up near the facility. The Taliban included the operation in its year-end round-up for 2017, boasting that a self-sacrificial attack was carried out on a vehicle carrying workers of Marshal Fahim military academy near Qambar square in the heart of Kabul. The bombing inflicted heavy losses and casualties on the stooge military officials, the Talibans Voice of Jihad website claimed. The Islamic States Khorasan province (also known as Wilayah Khorasan, and ISIS-K) has conducted similar operations in Kabul in the past. In Mar. 2017, for instance, another team of five fighters broke into the Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital, killing and wounding dozens of victims. [See FDDs Long War Journal report, Islamic State suicide team assaults military hospital in Kabul.] The Afghan capital has been hit hard in the past eight days, as jihadists have struck three times. Two of the attacks were conducted by the Taliban and the third, earlier today, was claimed by the Islamic State. On Jan. 20 and 21, a Taliban assault squad raided the Intercontinental Hotel. Afghan security forces finally ended the siege after more than 12 hours. At least 22 people, including several Americans, were killed and others wounded. It was the second time the hotel had been targeted in such a manner, as another jihadist team invaded the hotel in 2011. On Jan. 27, a Taliban suicide bomber detonated his vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) an ambulance packed with explosives at the second gate of the old ministry of interior building in Kabul. The death toll from the bombing has climbed to more than 100 victims. And now the Islamic State claims that its representatives were responsible for the killings in Kabul earlier today. The Islamic States Khorasan also claimed the Jan. 24 suicide assault on a Save the Children charity office in Jalalabad, Nangarhar. Amaq News has reported on a series of smaller attacks throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent days. For example, Amaq says that Abu Bakr al Baghdadis loyalists: killed an Afghan police commander and one of his bodyguards in Jalalabad, assassinated two militiamen who were loyal to the Afghan government in Nangarhar, killed five members of the Afghan Army in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack on a vehicle traveling in Nangarhar, and detonated another bomb at a Sufi shrine in the same eastern Afghan province. In addition, Amaq says that an Islamic State gunman assassinated a policeman in Quetta, Pakistan. These are only a few of the operations recently claimed. On some occasions, there is confusion as to the identity of the jihadists responsible for any given operation, as defectors move back and forth between organizations and the Taliban is not always eager to claim credit for its attacks. Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal. During the 2016 election, Donald Trump repeatedly voiced criticism towards defense spending in Europe. As president, Trumps administration initially seemed to follow through on this promise: Defense Secretary Mattis gave alliance members one year to ramp up their military budgets to pay their fair share in defense spending. Now that this deadline is about to expire, little has changed. While allies have increased defense spending, they still fall far short of Trumps goal. It stands to reason that Europe should be more interested in a United States that reins in military expenditures, reducing debt and deficits, thereby stabilizing an economy intertwined with that of Europe. It also stands to reason to ask if subsidizing European military forces is the right thing to do. In 2014, President Barack Obama, in response to Russias invasion of Crimea, began the European Reassurance Initiative, claiming in a speech in Warsaw, Poland: Under this effort, and with the support of Congress, the United States will preposition more equipment in Europe. We will be expanding our exercises and training with allies to increase the readiness of our forces. The European Reassurance Initiative (ERI), as part of the National Defence Authorisation (NDAA), was renamed European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) in fiscal year 2018. This program is designed to support U.S. military presence in European countries, specifically Central and Eastern Europe. In 2017, the EDI budget increased from $789 million to $3.4 billion to fund an additional Army Armoured Brigade Combat Teams (BTC), at approximately 4,000-5,000 troops, 90 Abrams tanks, 90 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and 112 support vehicles. However, the EDI is not merely an authorization for funding of an American military presence, as it also specifically subsidizes European fighting forces. For instance, Baltic nations such as Estonia pocket several millions of dollars to strengthen airbases. Lithuania is receiving funds to modernize training grounds. The focus on the Baltics is the result of being directly on Russias border. Also, Central European nations, as well as Western nations such as Germany profit from U.S. support. Trump's rants on "giving money to Germany" (in military aid) have been debunked, as direct American aid in subsidies is negligible. However, the U.S. does spend significant amounts on maintaining military bases in countries like Germany, negating the need for similar bases of their own. Funds, as every economist would confirm, are fungible. As long as Germany spends less on military defense because of the U.S. military presence, American tax money is, therefore, subsidizing Germany. What is curious is that despite Trump's tough talk on NATO in presidential debates , he has yet turned his talk into action. In fact, the U.S. Department of Defense met the budget requests of the EDI, which raises spending from $3.4 billion to $4.7 billion: increasing training to improve the readiness of troops ($217 million), improving infrastructure ($338 million) and increased "building of partnership capacity" (which means subsidisation allied country's military forces) of $267 million, compared to 2017. The U.S. has met the full extent of EDI budget requests three years in a row and that instead of making European countries pay, America increased its military expenditure on the old continent. According to the policy think tank Rand Corporation, Germany does contribute $1 billion of the annual expenditure for U.S. bases, so it would be erroneous to say that America bears the burden of these expenses on its own. Still, it is important to point out that unlike Japan and South Korea, which contribute 50 percent and 41 percent respectively to the costs, Berlin only covers one-fifth of the total costs. The excess funds are then, instead, used to fund welfare programs, such as higher education (which is virtually tuition-free in Germany). During Germany's last election campaign, German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to increase the military budget to 2 percent of GDP by 2024. This was a promise that her political rivals on the side of the Social Democrats framed as "submitting to Trump." However, it seems fair to point out that making the American taxpayer indirectly fund welfare programs in Germany, a country not in need of financial aid is a troublesome proposition. European nations can stand on their own two feet when it comes to organizing their defense. If Europe does not feel satisfied with its level of defense, it should have those debates within its own countries, without asking Americans for handouts. Alternatively, to phrase it differently: if you bankrupt yourself by buying expensive gifts for your friends, just so they stay your friends, then maybe you are doing something wrong. Bill Wirtz is a Young Voices Advocate. His work has been published in Newsweek, Washington Examiner, and The American Conservative, as well as Le Monde and Le Figaro. Florida tomato farmer Tony DiMare has a complaint about NAFTA. He says Mexican farmers are trading unfairly. How? By developing ways to produce tomatoes year-round and provide them in all seasons to consumers, at lower prices than many Florida farmers can afford to charge. But that isnt trading unfairly; its trading efficiently. And isnt that the goal of free trade? In an interview with CNBC, DiMare inadvertently touched on the key question in any debate between free trade and protectionism: Is the principal purpose to coddle producers, or is it to ensure the best deal possible for consumers? Some tomato farmers may regard it as unfair when their Mexican counterparts manage to turn what was once open farm acreage into a greenhouse environment to facilitate year-round production. But consumers in Florida and all of the other states no doubt consider it more than fair. The end result: They can get a wider choice of tomatoes, at a lower price than they would otherwise pay, 52 weeks of the year. Make no mistake, most American farmers and farm organizations support NAFTA. In fact, they consider it a godsend, mainly because it has been. In its 25-year life, NAFTA has delivered unprecedented benefits to American farmers and the rural communities that depend on them. In 1993, American farmers exported $8.9 billion to Canada and Mexico. Last year they exported more than $43 billion. Those exports have been vitally important to sustaining farms, jobs, and rural communities, particularly in recent years when farm incomes have declined. What some seem to often forget is that before NAFTA eliminated them, Mexicos tariffs were considerably higher than U.S. tariffs. If NAFTA were to go, those high Mexican tariffs would return. How high a tariff wall would American farmers suddenly be faced with? Just consider five examples: Up to 75 percent on chicken, 45 percent on cheese, 25 percent on beef, 20 percent on almonds, and 10 percent on pork. At the same time, U.S. tariffs, although lower than Mexicos, would also be resurrected. In other words, Mexico would likely respond to the end of NAFTA by imposing a huge tax on Mexican consumers every time they buy food from the United States. The United States presumably would respond by imposing a tax on American consumers every time they buy food, such as tomatoes or avocadoes, from Mexico. Basically, both countries negotiating teams are holding a gun to the heads of their own consumers and threatening to pull the trigger. If you like being a hostage, you must love being a consumer during this free trade negotiation. Which brings us back to the question that DiMare inadvertently raised. Is the purpose of a market economy to cling to domestic jobs by imposing tariff and non-tariff barriers to keep out competition? Or is it a market economys purpose to keep down prices and increase consumer choice by encouraging more competition? If Mexican farmers are able to produce tomatoes year-round, that serves the needs of consumers, including American consumers. What should U.S trade negotiators do demand that Mexican farmers be less efficient? That would be like telling a U.S. company not to use artificial intelligence, or telling a Japanese company not to use lean production methods, because it allows them to produce more efficiently. Or telling Henry Ford not to use the moving assembly line to produce the Model T. Doesnt it just make more sense for companies outside the United States to embrace artificial intelligence and companies outside Japan to embrace lean production methods, and for auto companies to embrace each others best production methods, as they have? Ultimately, of course, trade deals are negotiated by politicians and their representatives. Politicians care more about jobs than they do about the interests of consumers, because jobs are easier to boast about. And of course, a job is more central to peoples ability to survive and even to their self-identity. We may consume a thousand different goods and services, but we only produce one, and that one is more important to us than all of those we buy. But that is why it is all the more important for politicians to provide leadership. At the very least, they most make it clear that trade agreements exist to encourage efficiency, not discourage it. And they must refrain from insulating domestic producers from competition at the cost of exposing domestic consumers to higher costs and fewer choices. As President Trumps speaks to Congress in his State of the Union address, he will assuredly be a steadfast voice once again for the pro-life consensus in our nation. President Trump stands with the majority of Americans who believe, according to 2018 Marist polling, that abortion should be substantially limited. Just over a week ago, the president made history when he addressed an audience of over 100,000 pro-life Americans via satellite at the 45th annual March for Life. As he noted in his remarks, people from across the nation flooded the streets of Washington, D.C., united by their love, joy and hope for one beautiful cause: to build a society where life is celebrated, protected, and cherished. We, the pro-life consensus, have accomplished a great deal over the past year. Within his first three days in office, President Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City policy. Originally introduced under President Reagan, this policy ensures that taxpayer dollars do not fund abortion internationally, a decision that 83 percent of Americans support. Additionally, the president solidified his commitment to defending life abroad by withdrawing funds from the U.N. Population Fund and UNESCO, groups that promote abortion as a global solution instead of recognizing it as a destructive human injustice. Domestically, this year the administration relieved states from being compelled to fund our nations largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, under the Title X funding stream. The administration also offered respite for religious groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor and non-sectarian pro-life groups like the March for Life from carrying life destructive drugs and devices in our health-care plans. We, the pro-life consensus, are confident that 2018 will bring continued progress toward building a culture of life that will embrace the dignity of human life in its earliest stages rather than seek to destroy it. Just over a week ago, we saw the House pass the Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act -- a bill that, if signed into law, would solidify the protection of life outside the womb. Though a legislative victory, the sad fact that only five Democrats voted to protect these viable, vulnerable infants is a clear sign that there is much work ahead in changing the hearts and minds of some of our most influential leaders on these mainstream consensus issues. Thanks to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Senate will vote and hopefully pass the common-sense Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act this week, delivering it to the presidents desk to sign into law just as he asked at the March for Life. The United States is one of only seven countries to allow abortion this late, yet, until now, we have failed to stand with the three in four Americans who wish to see abortion limited to, at most, to the first three months of pregnancy. Additionally, it is our sincere hope that 2018 is the year that Congress will defund Planned Parenthood, our nations largest abortion provider and an organization that is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice. Over 60 percent of Americans do not want their taxpayer dollars going toward the more than 300,000 abortions committed each year in Planned Parenthoods across the country. They would rather redirect that half a billion dollars of federal funding to community health centers that provide a whole host of life-affirming health services, and have much better regulatory oversight. We grieve the loss of 60 million Americans whose lives have been ended by abortion since it was legalized in 1973, but we also have great hope for ending this human rights abuse in the future and restoring a culture of life in the United States. President Trump is expected to seize the bully pulpit during his State of the Union address to present a path forward on expiring protections for children brought to this country illegally by their parents. But since the outline of his plan is already garnering resistance from the GOPs right flank -- not to mention requisite Democrats Tuesday nights speech could test the limits of the presidents power over his own base of support on immigration policy. With the clock ticking on DACA, the Obama-era executive order Trump rescinded in September, the way in which the president frames his proposal could set the trajectory for ongoing negotiations in Congress. Fractures within the Republican Party on this issue make piecing together a winning coalition difficult, and election year politics bring concerns about depressing the party base in an already challenging midterm climate. GOP leaders have been looking to the presidents guidance, and believe his previously hard-line approach to immigration policy a signature position in his 2016 campaign -- make him uniquely positioned to chart the course. The administration has introduced a framework that allows a citizenship pathway for nearly 2 million undocumented immigrants in exchange for $25 billion in border security and significant changes to legal immigration programs, including ending the diversity visa lottery system and curbing family migration. While Democrats are broadly opposed to the latter two provisions, Republicans are divided on the citizenship aspect. Some of the more conservative lawmakers believe their own standing is on the line with the party base, and have equated the presidents plan with amnesty. You cant go to the base and tell them this is a win here. Its a lie, said one House GOP aide after the White House briefed congressional staff on the proposal last week. Virginia Rep. Dave Brat said Trumps plan would be a disaster for the GOP. I think the White House staff and Senate staff who helped to write that thing took their eye off the ball and off the promises the president made to the American people, said Brat, who in the 2014 primary defeated Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a supporter of legal status for young immigrants. This will be a devastating damage for the Republican Party if we go down this road with a huge amnesty that doesnt get the policy right. Conservatives have rallied behind a proposal from House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte that is stricter on enforcement and provides protected status to a smaller number of Dreamers, but not a pathway to citizenship. The legislation would likely repel Democrats needed for any plan to pass the U.S. Senate, but has attracted the support of House lawmakers like Martha McSally, who is running in the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate seat in Arizona. One of her opponents, Kelli Ward, denigrated the White House proposal, reflecting the sentiments of the party base in difficult primary elections. This is potentially a really dangerous thing for the president because immigration is his issue. If he ends up welching on this, he seriously undermines his political capital, said Mark Krikorian of the conservative Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for curbs on legal immigration. Anything he says thats going to try to appease the Democrats is going to anger his own voters even more. Democrats are also using the State of the Union to drive the debate on immigration. Two dozen lawmakers are bringing so-called Dreamers as guests and are planning to hold a press conference with the young immigrants hours before the speech begins. The president acknowledged the stakes of his address Monday. For many, many years, theyve been talking immigration, they never got anything done. Were going to get something done, we hope, Trump told reporters. Hopefully the Democrats will join us, or enough of them will join us, so we can really do something great, for DACA and for immigration generally. Immigration activists say they are watching for the tone the president strikes in his speech. Its critical because what the president says from that podium sets a narrative, said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum. Is he going to be talking about people here to do harm and [who] should not be here? Is he going to conflate MS-13 violent criminals with the immigrant community? If the presidents guests for the address are any indication, it is likely he will play up the law-and-order themes of his campaign. The group of people Trump invited to the House gallery include family members of MS-13 gang-related murder victims and a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement special agent who investigates transnational criminal organizations, including MS-13. Those invitations are likely designed to reassure the presidents base. Dan Holler, a vice president at Heritage Action for America, said grassroots conservatives are energized by the debate over immigration. He said there are major risks and rewards for Trump and Republican lawmakers, depending on which proposals move forward. If the president gets a substantial win on immigration policy, I think the conservative base is highly motivated heading into 2018, Holler told RCP before the White House proposal was released last week. (Heritage later criticized it over the citizenship provision.) By contrast, if the president signs a deal that looks very much like Graham-Durbin, theres amnesty for multiple millions of people, weak border-security language, that demoralizes the conservative base, the Republican base. Still, the administration pointed to endorsements for its proposal from immigration restrictionists such as Sens. Tom Cotton and David Perdue. I think conservatives recognize the benefit to really securing our border and helping to fix these long-term problems, White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short told Fox News Sunday. I think we're going to get widespread support on our side. Still, Trumps push in the State of the Union will be just the starting point. Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford said he told the president that he is best positioned to forge consensus. I have pushed on the president to say, You're the only one that's heard everybody, Lankford said. He is uniquely in that position to say this is the right way to do it. Caitlin Huey-Burns is a national political reporter for RealClearPolitics. She can be reached at chueyburns@realclearpolitics.com. Follow her on Twitter @CHueyBurns. Got some scoop for our reporters or editors? Click on the link below to send us your information. Send your news In recent years, Zumba has become a trendy form of exercise for all ages. On Friday Feb. 9, the 40 Watt Club on 285 W Washington Street is hos Veteran Chinese rights activist Zhang Lin arrived in the United States on Jan. 26 to be reunited with his two daughters who fled China after being denied schooling by the country's state security police. Zhang's youngest daughter Anni was once dubbed "China's youngest prisoner of conscience" after she was denied schooling when he was under surveillance. Anni and her older sister Ruli left China for California after their father's arrest in August 2013, where they were taken in by Reggie Littlejohn, founder of the Women's Rights Without Frontiers rights group, and granted political asylum. After his daughters escape, Zhang and three fellow activists were jailed for gathering a crowd to disrupt public order for their role in the campaign for Zhang Annis place in school. Zhang was released last August and spoke to RFAs Mandarin Service about how he was eventually allowed to leave China: RFA: How are you finding things here? Zhang Lin: I am staying at a friends place in New York right now. I think its going to take me a while to get acclimatized. I still feel a bit disoriented. RFA: There has been a certain amount of debate online about which organizations helped you to leave China. Can you confirm which ones? Zhang Lin: The main ones were Womens Rights Without Frontiers, Womens Rights in China, and Anne Noonan of the Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting. RFA: You visited the United States in 1997. Twenty years later, what is the reason for your trip here this time? Zhang Lin: The first time I came to the U.S. it was just to take a look at it, because I was young, and I wanted to see what a genuinely free and democratic system was like. I stayed here for a year that time, and I got a very strong desire to see Chinese people able to live freely like Americans so I went back to China to work for democracy. It was all a bit hurried at the time. The reason I am in the U.S. now is that I have spent the whole of the past 20 years either being put in jail or under very close surveillance. There is no room for me to exist there, or to promote democracy. I came to see my two daughters, and to live a life that is free free from surveillance. RFA: How long did the whole process take, getting to the U.S. this time around? Zhang Lin: It took a long time; several months. I waited for three months in Nepal this year because John Kamm of the Dui Hua Foundation, who also played a big role, had started talks with the U.S. government. The Dui Hua Foundation was also instrumental in persuading the Chinese government to give me a passport. RFA: Were you under pressure from the Chinese government before you left? Zhang Lin: Yes, the Chinese police and other security departments expended a lot of energy on me after I got out of jail the year before last. I didnt know why they had paid such attention to me over the past 20 years, because I thought that there were far more politically sensitive dissidents than myself who were able to move freely around Chinas cities and provinces. But I was detained and told to leave town wherever I went. I went to Beijing to try to find a job, and I couldnt get a job in Shenzhen, Chengdu or Chongqing, and I was hounded from all of those places. That happened to me wherever I went in China. And the fact that I was under continuous and close surveillance all added to the pressure on me. I have been jailed five times during the past few years The most recent time was for three-and-a-half years because of my daughters Anni [and the campaign for her schooling]. If the Chinese authorities want to get you, theres nothing you can do about it. They can detain you whenever they want on any pretext and send you to jail. The charges against me were ridiculous. RFA: What was life like in prison? Zhang Lin: Over the past few years in jail I was able to protect my health and not suffer too much damage inside. I didnt go on regular hunger strikes as I did in the past, nor did I try to fight the system. But I still got a lot of health problems, and I have mostly been trying to take care of my health in the past couple of years. Also after I got out, I kept a low profile, because I wanted to get a passport and leave. RFA: When you were released from re-education through labor in 2001, you published a book entitled Sorrowful Soul, which described all the difficulties and struggles you have had over the years. It seems that your troubles have continued since then. Is yours still a sorrowful soul? Zhang Lin: Yes. Id even say that Im even sadder and more despairing than I was back then, because then I was still full of passionate hope for China, that it might develop in a healthier, democratic direction. But 20 years of persecution and struggle have left me feeling that there is no hope for China; that everything there is getting worse and worse. RFA: What is getting worse? Zhang Lin: Politically, I think we are seeing a turn to the left, and nobody knows what direction we are going in right now They have polluted the environment to the point where it can barely support human life any more. Three of my relatives were diagnosed with terminal diseases in the space of a month; this is the result of the serious pollution. The level of environmental pollution in China is terrifying right now. RFA: Can you give us a description of civil rights activism in China? Zhang Lin: Things are getting more and more difficult for anyone trying to defend their rights. Recently Sui Muqing, an extremely ethical and professional lawyer, had his license to practice revoked. Then there was the persecution meted out to lawyers in large numbers since July 2015. We still dont know what happened to lawyer Wang Quanzhang to this day. Many other rights activists have been subjected to worse persecution. There is less and less space for rights work in todays China. RFA: How are your two daughters? Zhang Lin: Theyre doing really well. I am very, very happy with the way they both turned out. They are both Christians now, and theyve been very well raised. I have seen a lot of their photos, and you can tell from the expressions in their eyes in those photographs that they are happy, which pleases me greatly. Both of my daughters are also full of self-confidence, and they are very articulate, which tells me that they have been doing really well during the past four years in the U.S. RFA: What are your plans now that you are here in the U.S.? Will you ever go back to China? Zhang Lin: I have no plans to go back for the time being. I had actually planned to leave several years ago, and just as I was getting ready to go, they detained my daughter out of the blue which made me very angry, and I wrote something about that and posted it online. Then they pinned a charge on me and sent me to prison for another three and a half years. So I have been wanting to get out of China for some time now because I dont see any likelihood that it will move towards a democratic system any time soon. Reported by Wang Yun for RFAs Mandarin Service, and by Fok Leung-kiu for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. China's state security police are recruiting agents, some of them as long-term 'moles,' from among the more than half a million students studying overseas, RFA has learned. The secret police are particularly keen to infiltrate overseas Chinese dissident groups, such as those fighting for democracy in their home country, or among emigre ethnic minority Tibetans and Uyghurs, according to overseas activists. U.S.-based rights activist and Georgia University student Sulaiman Gu told RFA that he was recently called up by the state security police, who tried to recruit him at the University of Georgia. "According to my understanding, you wouldn't be taken straight to prison the moment you came back to China," a secret police officer tells Gu in a recording of a recent phone call shared with RFA. "But seeing as you are pretty active and you have said various things that have had a negative impact on the country and the government, you are definitely a person of interest," the voice says. "We are interested in [exiled Chinese billionnaire] Guo Wengui, also in the activities of that little circle of yours," the officer continues. "Such as how many people are involved in pro-democracy groups in the U.S., what the current situation is, what their events usually consist of." "If you were able to send [such information] to the higher-ups, using me as a channel, you could end up better off than the majority of people just from doing that little bit of work," he says. Families, friends harassed Gu said some of his fellow students have received similar phone calls. Meanwhile, the secret police have also repeatedly called up his relatives back home in China. "The secret police have harassed my family and friends on many occasions, frightening them by saying they have a blacklist of all dissident youth studying overseas, and that I am on the list of people to be charged with 'incitement to subvert state power outside China'," he said. Gu, whose name has appeared in signature campaigns addressed to Chinese President Xi Jinping, said he contacted state security police officer Xu Yongquan, who was "very friendly." "He suggested that I write up a secret report, but I don't trust this state security policeman," he said. "They are saying I can go back now, but I think this is part of their spy recruitment drive, or maybe they are trying to lure me back." "I think that anyone who signed the open letter to Xi Jinping ... is running a huge risk right now," he said. Repeated calls to Xu Yongquan's cell phone rang unanswered during office hours on Friday. Wu Lebao, a fellow Georgia University student, said that he and his friends and family have received similar phone calls. "They have harassed me repeatedly and asked me to give them information about the activities of overseas democracy activists and dissidents," Wu told RFA. "They are particularly interested in the activities of Uyghurs and Tibetans." "This would be a requirement if I wanted to return in future," he said. "I told them I wasn't going back, and they said I would have to come back to see my ageing relatives. This is coercion." Relentless pursuit Chen Yonglin, a former diplomat who defected from the Chinese consulate in Sydney in 2005, said the ruling Chinese Communist Party is relentless in pursuing its critics beyond its borders. "When I worked at the Chinese consulate, they were very concerned about the attitudes of overseas [Chinese] students," Chen said. "The Chinese government is definitely organizing them to report back to the party, using a twin-pronged approach of threats and profit." "On the one hand they threaten and put pressure on them, and on the other they say that the party will reward those who cooperate," he said. "The Chinese Communist Party has poured huge amounts of money into its infiltration networks." The administration of President Xi has become increasingly repressive, amid ever-tightening controls on the media, online speech, religious groups, and civil society, the U.S.-based freedom-of-speech watchdog Freedom House said in a recent report. It said Xis new era, will bring with it further increases in party controls over information, society, culture, the military, and the economy, adding that the presidents emphasis on a growing international role for China means the likely export of authoritarian ideology to other developing countries. Last November, publishers Allen & Unwin withdrew a book exposing the Chinese Communist Party's activities in Australia from publication at the 11th hour after last-minute "legal advice," although its author, Charles Sturt University author and ethicist Professor Clive Hamilton, said he still plans to publish it elsewhere. The book, titled Silent Invasion: How China Is Turning Australia into a Puppet State, details the low-key and sometimes clandestine efforts of Chinese Communist Party agents within Australia's borders to influence public opinion. Reported by Ng Yik-tung and Wong Lok-to for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Jannat Ara, the wife of a Rohingya refugee leader who was abducted at the Kutupalong camp in southeastern Bangladesh over the weekend, stands outside their hut at a sub-camp there, Jan. 29, 2018. Police are investigating the abduction of two Rohingya men in the refugee camps of southern Bangladesh amid allegations from an eyewitness that Rohingya insurgents snatched the pair. The sister of a Rohingya camp leader at the sprawling Kutupalong refugee camp said dozens of men who identified themselves as members of al-Yaqin also known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) dragged him and his brother away after tying them up and beating them on Sunday night. They are al-Yaqin members. They introduced themselves to us as Al-Yaqin members, said Senwara Begum, the sister of camp leader Saif Ullah and Shawkat Ullah (also known as Surotullah). She said she witnessed their abduction after a group of about 100 people who wore traditional Burmese lungis, a sarong-like garment, surrounded their hut at a sub-camp at Kutupalong. Saif Ullah is known as a Majhi, or camp leader, and oversees 152 Rohingya families who live in huts at Block EE of the sub-camp. They forcefully took my brothers by dragging them away. They beat up my Bhabi [brothers wife] as she protested, Begum told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. At least eight of the people who surrounded her familys hut were ARSA members, she said. We knew them from Burma. My brothers did not support them, Begum said, referring to Myanmar by its other name. She said she suspected that the men took her brothers to Balukhali, another refugee camp in Coxs Bazar district. ARSA is the rebel group that launched attacks on police and army posts in Myanmars Rakhine state, which provoked a brutal crackdown by the Myanmar military that forced at least 655,000 Rohingya Muslims to seek shelter in neighboring Bangladesh since late August 2017. The missing leaders wife, Jannat Ara, also witnessed the incident, which took place around 8 p.m. Sunday. She asked the large group of strangers to identify themselves, but they ordered her husband to come out of the hut. As my husband and his brother went out, they started beating them. I started shouting. But nobody came to their rescue, Ara told BenarNews. ARSA expanding influence in camps: security source The police in Ukhia, a Coxs Bazar sub-district that houses the camp, confirmed that the two men were abducted. They are investigating the case and launched three searches for the men at Kutupalong, Balukhali and another refugee camp in the area, but were not able to locate them on Monday, Maksud Alam, an officer-in-charge of investigations at the local police station, told BenarNews. We do not know who abducted them, he said. A security official posted in Ukhia who requested anonymity said some ARSA members have been active in refugee camps. The Majhis are very influential people in their blocks. ARSA is targeting the Majhis who would not support them. ARSAs target is to expand its influence among the refugees, the source told BenarNews. The abductions came in the wake of three killings of Rohingya at the refugee camps since Jan. 13, which a local commander with Bangladeshs Rapid Action Battalion security force had described last week as internecine conflicts between Rohingya refugees. At least two of the slain refugees were camp leaders. We are trying to find the culprits, Alam said. We are still investigating the incidents. Meanwhile, senior Rohingya leader Jafar Alam said ARSA has been trying to recruit youths to its ranks by luring them with false promises. Their motivation is Fight for ARSA. If you die, you will step into heaven, he told BenarNews. Other Rohingya refugees expressed support for ARSA. ARSA is not a militant outfit. They are fighting to establish our rights, Zohur Ahmed, a 24-year-old resident at Kutupalong, told BenarNews. Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. A group of Kachin Independence Army soldiers take a break in northern Myanmar's Kachin state in an undated photo. The military is continuing its attacks on territory controlled by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in war-torn northern Myanmars Kachin state in the run-up to a national peace conference, and the KIA believes the armys goal is to take the land before talks begin, an officer from the ethnic militia said Tuesday. The government army wants to control the area before the peace conference, and thats why it has been cleaning KIA troops out of the region, said Lieutenant Colonel Naw Bu, spokesman of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the KIAs political wing. Government soldiers launched air strikes in the Tanaing township gold and amber mining region, an area controlled by the KIA which relies on its natural resources as a source of income through the levying of a five-percent tax on mine operators. The KIA is one of several militias with which the Myanmar government is trying to end decades of ethnic separatist civil wars and forge peace in the country through a series of peace negotiations launched in August 2016 by de facto national leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The next round of talks is scheduled for February. Naw Bu also said he believes the government military is trying to force the KIO to sign a peace pact through its continued offensives. The KIO/KIA is not a signatory to the government-backed Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) that eight of the countrys more than 20 ethnic armies signed in October 2015. The government army, which has accused the Kachin rebel organization of illegally using the areas natural resources and taking money from mining businesses that should otherwise go to the state, has also continued its attacks to prevent the KIO from making money, Naw Bu said. It intends to hurt the KIOs income with fighting in Tanaing, Mansi, and Sumprabung townships, he told RFAs Myanmar Service. There was no comment from Myanmars military, which rarely speaks to the media. The Myanmar army air-dropped fliers by helicopter in the Tanaing mining region in June 2017, warning residents and mine workers that they had to leave by mid-month, when it planned to clear the area following a new round of fighting with the KIA. Air raids on KIA camps by the government army this month have killed two people in the Tanaing region and injured 10 others, Naw Bu said. 200 women, children flee The attacks trapped more than 3,000 mine workers and residents in the area after Myanmar troops blocked roadways during the strikes. More than 200 women and children who fled fighting in the mining area arrived in Tanaing town and require food and shelter, said a government worker who declined to be named. About 1,000 people are staying in the town, and some are being treated for injuries at the hospital, he said. Authorities are sending only women and children back home, but not the men, the source said. They said the [government] army will investigate the men. They need food there. Government troops have regularly clashed with the KIA, which controls large swathes of territory in the state, since a 17-year bilateral cease-fire agreement collapsed in 2011. The clashes have left hundreds dead and more than 100,000 displaced. The KIO/KIA is among the ethnic armed groups that have called for equal rights and greater autonomy within a federal union in the governments ongoing peace process. Reported by Nay Rein Kyaw and Tin Aung Khine for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Myanmar students protest for an increase in higher education funding at Yadanabon University on the outskirts of the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, Jan. 23, 2018. University administrators in Myanmar ordered the suspensions of nearly 50 university students at several universities for taking part in protests demanding an increase in the countrys underfunded education budget, a higher education official said Tuesday. Forty-eight students enrolled in various universities in Myanmar were dismissed from their classes after they joined in the protest, with some vowing to stay out of school rather than promise not to demonstrate, sources say. The four-day protest that began on Jan. 22 at Yadanabon University on the outskirts of the central Myanmar city of Mandalay was broken up by police three days later, though authorities briefly held more than 70 protesters before sending them home. Those suspended include 14 students from Yadanabon University, 11 from the University of Technology in Yamethin, nine from University of Meiktila, six from The Meiktila University of Economics, one from the Technological University in Meiktila, four from Monhyin Degree College in northern Myanmars Kachin state, and three from Sagaing University of Education in northwestern Myanmar. Aung Min, deputy director general of the Department of Higher Education, told RFA on Tuesday that the dismissals were ordered by university administrators, who also have the authority to decide whether to accept the students back. The Department of Higher Education hasnt released any order to dismiss the students, he said. Myanmars Education Minister Myo Thein Gyi asked Aung Aung Min and the director general of the Department of Higher Education to meet with students who stayed at a protest camp, he said. The meeting was not successful, although we discussed the issue with students and members of parliament, he said. Because we are university teachers, we have to resolve problems through negotiations if we have more protests in the future related to this issue. Aung Aung Min said his departments budget covers 133 universities and 25 two-year education colleges for elementary teachers. The department has planned to provide four years of instruction rather than two to students training to be teachers, putting a further strain on the higher education budget. I have asked for what I need, but we must ask for funds incrementally, because I dont know how much funding we have for [schools] in the entire country, he said. Only lawmakers know, and thats why we told the students to talk with the parliamentarians. They met and talked, but the meeting was not successful. Sagaing students march Meanwhile, more than 100 university students in Sagaing region on Tuesday called for the removal of the governments ban on student-led protests, the readmission of the 48 suspended student protesters, and an increase in higher education funding. We are calling for justice, but we havent had any response from the government, said Phyo Kyaw Thu, a member of the student union at Sagaing University of Education. If we are ignored, we will continue fighting. Students marched across the campus, displaying signs and banners historically associated with Myanmars student movement against Myanmars previous military-led regimes, the online news service Democratic Voice of Burma reported. The National Network for Education Reform (NNER), a coalition of educators working independently of the government education system, also said it opposed the suspensions of several students at Yadanabon University who took the lead in the demonstrations, the report said. NNER believes that the students exercised their freedom of expression by peacefully protesting, said a statement issued on Monday. Coercive detention and dismissal of student protesters from their respective universities is not in line with democratic traditions and standards. Such measures were used by previous dictatorial regimes. Student protestors were routinely imprisoned by the former military junta that ruled the country for a half-century, prompting international criticism from rights groups. In January 2015, hundreds of students from across the country began marching from Mandalay to Myanmars commercial capital Yangon, demanding that the government amend the National Education Law. They called for a decentralized education system, changes to university entrance exam requirements, modernization of the national syllabus, the right to form student unions, and instruction in the countrys ethnic minority languages. More than 100 students and their supporters were arrested and jailed in February 2015 during a peaceful protest that turned violent when police attacked them in Letpadan in the Tharrawaddy district of the countrys Bago division, where they had stopped during their cross-country march. They were later released after democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy took power in April 2016, though concerns persist over violations of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression in the formerly military-ruled country. The passage of the National Education Law in June 2016 again angered student activists who said the law in its amended form failed to include key provisions they believed had been agreed to in government-sponsored talks. Reported by Thet Su Aung and Khaymani Win for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. A prominent Uyghur Islamic scholar has died in Chinese police custody, some 40 days after he was detained in the Xinjiang regional capital Urumqi, overseas Uyghur organizations said on Monday. Muhammad Salih Hajim, 82, died in custody, about 40 days after he, his daughter and other relatives were detained, the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) said in a brief statement. The exact circumstances of his death are unknown, but he was taken into custody approximately 40 days ago, along with his daughter and other relatives, said the UHRP. UHRP calls on the Chinese government to reveal under what conditions he was being kept, and to release his relatives if they are not being charged with any crime, said the statement, which also called for international pressure on China to release thousands of Uyghurs detained in re-education camps. The fate of Salih's daughter and the other relatives detained with him is unclear. We have heard of his death but we are not sure when he died, police officer at Urumqi Ghalibiyet Police Station told RFAs Uyghur Service. Spokesman Dilxat Raxit of the World Uyghur Congress hailed Salih as one of the most respected and influential Uyghur religious scholars and noted his reputation as the first scholar to translate the Quran into Uyghur. We believe the Chinese government is covering up his death to prevent any potential unrest, said Raxit, who also expressed concern that authorities would refuse to hand over Salihs body to his family, fearing it would spark unrest. The fact that China dares to murder such renowned Uyghur religious leaders indicates how brutal Chen Quanguo is waging a campaign targeting all Uyghurs in East Turkestan, he added, referring to the Communist Party secretary in Xinjiang. UHRP Director Omer Kanat called Salihs death a blow to the Uyghur community, given his respected status as a religious leader and scholar. Imprisoning an elderly man without charge demonstrates the lengths to which the Chinese authorities are going in their re-education campaign. Not even individuals who were government-approved members of the religious establishment are being spared, added Kanat. The UHRP said it was unknown whether Salih was held in a normal prison or one of the re-education camps Chen has opened, where thousands of Uyghurs are being detained in harsh conditions and many report overcrowding. Chen turned the region into an open air concentration camps for the entire Uyghur population, said the WUCs Raxit. Since April last year, ethnic Uyghurs accused of harboring extremist and politically incorrect views have been detained in re-education camps throughout Xinjiang, where members of the ethnic group have long complained of pervasive discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression under Chinese rule. Since Xinjiang party chief Chen was appointed to his post in August 2016, he has initiated unprecedented repressive measures against the Uyghur people and ideological purges against so-called two-faced Uyghur officialsa term applied by the government to Uyghurs who do not willingly follow directives and exhibit signs of disloyalty. China regularly conducts strike hard campaigns in Xinjiang, including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material. While China blames some Uyghurs for "terrorist" attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009. Reported by by Shohret Hoshur and Alim Seytoff for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Alim Seytof. Written in English by Paul Eckert. BRUSSELS -- Hungary is seeking the introduction of more exemptions to the European Union's arms embargo on Belarus, according to several sources familiar with the matter. Sources who were not authorized to speak on the record told RFE/RL on January 30 that Hungary is keen to expand the number of exemptions to include helicopter spare parts and equipment used for shooting sports. Biathlon rifles are already subject to an exemption. Hungary is so far the only EU member state calling for more exemptions. But the 28 nations have until February 28 to unanimously expand the arms embargo, and EU diplomats will try to find a compromise ahead of the deadline. The EU first introduced the arms embargo, along with visa bans and asset freezes on four Belarusian companies and 174 individuals, including President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, after a violent crackdown on demonstrators that followed the December 2010 presidential election. The EU removed the companies and 170 individuals, including Lukashenka, from the sanctions list in February 2016, citing what it said were improvements in the human rights situation in the ex-Soviet republic. CIA Director Mike Pompeo has said Russia will target U.S. midterm elections in November as part of the Kremlin's efforts to influence domestic politics across the West. "I haven't seen a significant decrease in their activity," Pompeo said in an interview with the BBC aired on January 30. Asked if Russia would try to influence the midterm elections, the CIA chief said, "Of course. I have every expectation that they will continue to try and do that." But I am confident that America will be able to have a free and fair election, that it will push back in a way that is sufficiently robust that the impact they have on our election won't be great, he added. U.S. intelligence agencies said in January 2017 that they had determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a concerted hacking-and-propaganda campaign aimed at influencing the U.S. presidential election last year, with the goals of undermining faith in the electoral process, denigrating Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton, and improving President Donald Trump's chances of winning. U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller and three congressional panels are investigating the alleged meddling and whether there was collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Trump denies there was any collusion and Putin has denied that Russia interfered in the election, despite what U.S. officials say is substantial evidence. Pompeo also told the BBC that Chinese efforts to exert covert influence over the West were just as concerning as Russian subversion. "Think about the scale of the two economies," Pompeo said of Russia and China. "The Chinese have a much bigger footprint upon which to execute that mission than the Russians do." "We can watch very focused efforts to steal American information, to infiltrate the United States with spies, with people who are going to work on behalf of the Chinese government against America," he also said. I'm a little late to the party here, but I probably can't avoid commenting on the Russian Culture Ministry's recent decision to ban the film The Death Of Stalin. Scottish director Armando Iannucci's highly acclaimed black comedy, of course, lampoons the power struggles, intrigue, and backstabbing that followed the Soviet dictator's demise in 1953. The authorities in Moscow have called it an "insulting mockery" of the Soviet past and have threatened to shut down and fine cinemas that screen it. And to be sure, part of the official reaction to the film can be explained by Russians' sensitivity about the darkest chapters of their history. And part of it can be explained by the revival of the cult of Stalin in the popular imagination and the Kremlin's manipulation of this for political purposes. But these things are insufficient, I think, to explain what is happening. As Vladimir Putin campaigns for what many in Moscow believe will be his last term as president, and as the Russian elite becomes increasingly obsessed with life after Putin, the film appears to be touching a nerve about the Russian present and the future as much as about the Soviet past. A necessary caveat here: No, Putin is not Stalin. I get that. But not since Stalin has the Russian political system been so centralized and centered on one individual as it is now. Not since Stalin has Russia's stability appeared to be dependent on one man. And a lot of powerful people are getting increasingly nervous about what happens when that one man is removed from the equation. So I would argue that The Death Of Stalin has touched a nerve not just because it is seen as a mockery of the Soviet past, but also because it appears to be a potential harbinger of Russia's future. Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page. Three leading Dutch banks and the nation's tax service have been hit by powerful cyberattacks over the past several days that have blocked access to websites and online banking services. Dutch media reported on January 29 that ING, ABN Amro, and Rabobank had been targeted in a total of seven major attacks over the last week. The Dutch Revenue Service was also attacked, and its site was down briefly on January 29. Officials at all four institutions said no personal data or client details were compromised. It was not clear who was responsible for the attacks. Dutch antiterrorism chief Dick Schoof declined to comment on speculation that the attack could have been connected to recent media reports that Dutch intelligence services provided "crucial intelligence" to the United States in its investigation into what U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded was a Russian hacking-and-influence campaign to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The Dutch daily Volkskrant reported that Dutch security agents had accessed computers used by a Russian hacking group known as Cozy Bear in 2014 and monitored it for at least one year. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa TBILISI -- Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze says at least 14 people were injured when parts of the ceiling collapsed in a subway station in the Georgian capital. The incident occurred in the Varketili subway station on January 30. Kaladze, who visited the injured who were taken to Tbilisi's Ingorokva clinic for treatment, said that children were among the injured. A police officer was also hospitalized, according to the Interior Ministry. Kaladze told journalists that the city will pay all the medical expenses of the injured. Earlier, Kaladze had visited the subway station and said that it had been renovated last year, adding that anyone found responsible for the incident would be held accountable. Police and rescue teams were sent to the station, which was temporarily closed to the public. The Tbilisi City Transportation Police have launched an investigation into the ceiling's collapse. With reporting by Interpress.ge Rights watchdog Amnesty International says it is "outraged" at the execution in Iran of a young man convicted of a murder he committed when he was 15. The group said in a January 30 statement that 22-year-old Ali Kazemi was hanged earlier the same day in a prison in Bushehr Province. "His execution was scheduled and carried out without any notice given to Ali Kazemis lawyer, as required by Iranian law," Amnesty said. By carrying out this unlawful execution, Iran is effectively declaring that it wishes to maintain the countrys shameful status as one of the worlds leading executers of those who were children at the time of their crime, said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty Internationals Middle East and North Africa deputy director. This is nothing short of an all-out assault on childrens rights, as enshrined in international law, which absolutely bans the use of the death penalty against someone who was under 18 years of age at the time of the crime. Kazemi was convicted in connection with the fatal stabbing of a man during a fight in March 2011, when he was only 15. It is long overdue for the head of Irans judiciary to intervene and establish an official moratorium on executions of juvenile offenders. Iranian parliamentarians must amend the Penal Code to ban the use of the death penalty against anyone who was under 18 at the time of the offense, Mughrabi said. Amnesty said it has found that prison officials and prosecutors in Bushehr "tormented Ali Kazemis family by making contradictory statements as to whether and when the execution would be carried out." There was no immediate comment from Iranian officials. Iranians appear to have taken inspiration from a woman who landed in jail late last month for a peaceful protest against Iran's strict Islamic dress code, echoing frustration at official restrictions on women's appearance in public. At least three more women ditched their head scarves again on January 30, more than a month after 31-year-old Vida Movahedi's daring but silent plea for greater freedom for tens of millions of women in Iran. Movahedi became a symbol of defiance after she stood on a metal utilities box on a busy street in the Iranian capital on December 27 and silently waved a white scarf from a stick to challenge the obligation since Iran's 1979 revolution for women to wear head scarves. She was dubbed "the girl from Enghelab (Revolution) Street" as word -- and memes -- of her action spread. Public concern mounted for Movahedi's safety after reports of her arrest, particularly with the authorities clamping down on protests and possible dissenters as antiestablishment unrest spread to dozens of Iranian cities in late December and early January. Movahedi has now been freed, according to a January 28 Facebook post by leading Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who said Movahedi was initially released and rearrested. Spreading The Word, Ditching The Scarf Now Iranians on social media praising the protesters claim "the girl from Enghelab Street" has proliferated, and photos testifying to a budding headache for Iranian authorities emerged one after the other on social media on January 29. They show at least nine other women posing in similar fashion in Tehran and the central Iranian city of Isfahan. One has reportedly been detained by the authorities, while the fates of the others are unclear. Iran's clerically dominated authorities insist that women, even foreign visitors, must cover their head and hair in public with a scarf, known as the hijab. In the photos, the women's heads are uncovered as they stand on utility boxes or other objects on the streets of Tehran with scarves held up on sticks. One woman who was said to have been arrested and was identified as Narguess Hosseini, stood at the same spot as Movahedi. Women who appear in public without the obligatory hijab can face fines and prison sentences ranging from 10 days to two months. Some Iranians drew comparisons between the "girl from Enghelab Street" posts and the late civil-rights activist Rosa Parks, whose refusal to sit in the "colored section" of an Alabama bus in 1955 resonated throughout the United States. "The girl from Enghelab Street is being multiplied while blowing a new spirit to the civil-rights struggle and civil disobedience of the Iranian people," dissident journalist and former Culture Ministry official Issa Saharkhiz said in a Twitter post that included an image from Isfahan. Rights lawyer Sotoudeh said the protests were an indication that many women are fed up with the obligatory hijab and predicted they would continue. "I don't think women can tolerate the pressure [over the hijab] for a long time," Sotoudeh, who has been jailed in Iran for her defense of human rights, told RFE/RL by telephone from Tehran. "In all civil-rights protests with similar demands, a permanent result has been reached after a long time by respecting two principles: being [public] and peaceful." Writing on her Facebook page, Sotoudeh said that women should be given the right "to manage" their own bodies. In one photo posted online by a social-media activist known as Vahid Online on January 30, two young women with short hair can be seen standing together on concrete posts in Tehran while holding up scarves on sticks. Long Time Coming Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi said the current acts of defiance were the culmination of years of protests against the hijab. "The first demonstrations against the hijab took place a few days after the revolution on March 8, 1979. Since then, we've seen other acts of protests against the imposition of the dress code," Ebadi told RFE/RL in a reference to broad expressions of concern nearly four decades ago. Iranian women have more quietly resisted the hijab for decades by pushing the boundaries of acceptable dress and criticizing the restrictions. Some have posted hijab-less photos on a Facebook page founded by exiled journalist Masih Alinejad, whose call for women to wear white scarves and protest the hijab on Wednesdays appears to have been behind Movahedi's protest. "I hope that my sisters continue this protest to demonstrate that women, like men, [should be] free to decide on their clothing. The [Iranian] establishment should acknowledge this minimum for women," Ebadi said. In a fresh sign of growing support even among men for the antihijab protests, the picture of a young man mimicking the recent acts of defiance by women emerged on social media on January 30. The unidentified man is seen standing on a metal box while holding a white scarf. A prominent Iranian reformist who has been under house arrest for the past seven years has criticized Irans supreme leader, urging him to introduce and implement major reforms "before it is too late. Mehdi Karrubi said on January 30 that Irans Ayatollah Ali Khamenei needs to stop blaming foreign enemies for Irans problems and, instead, accept responsibility for your policies of the last three decades. Karrubi, a Shiite cleric like Khamenei, also said recent protests that began over economic conditions in Iran were inevitable because of the depth of "injustice, corruption, and discrimination" in the country. At least 25 people were killed and more than 3,000 detained during the protests that began in Mashhad and other cities on December 28. The protests spread to more than 70 cities and towns across the country and continued into January -- with some demonstrators calling for Khamenei to step down. "I urge you, before it is too late, to open the way to structural reforms of the system," Karrubi wrote in an open letter than was published on January 30 on Saham News, the official website of his reformist political party that is blocked in Iran. "The system is going downhill to such an extent that it feels endangered by a few thousand people demonstrating," he wrote. "Instead of repeating accusations of links with the enemy and instead of harsh confrontation, listen to them, Karrubi said. You have been Irans top leader for three decades but still speak like an opposition, Karrubi also criticized the involvement of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a security force directly loyal to the Khamenei, in political and economic affairs. The "catastrophic outcome is clear to everyone today," Karrubi wrote. "More than 50 percent of the country's wealth is in the hands of state bodies over which there is no supervision, he said. Poverty and unemployment are plaguing the country." Karrubi also said Khamenei had reduced parliament to "an obedient assembly" under his thumb and the influence of IRGC lobbies by vetting candidates in elections. He said the Assembly of Experts -- a council of clerics charged with electing, supervising, and even disqualifying Irans Supreme Leader -- has turned into a "ceremonial council that only praises the Leader." Karrubi on January 30 also called for Iranian authorities to release Iranians who were detained during the recent wave of protests. Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said on January 30 that "fewer than 300" people were still in detention in relation those protests. Karrubi, a former speaker of parliament, helped lead mass protests against alleged election rigging in 2009 after official election results in the country said he lost his bid for the presidency. He has been confined to house arrest, without having been charged or facing trial, since February 2011 reportedly on the orders of Khamenei. Hard-line authorities in Iran have publicly accused him of being a seditionist and a traitor. With reporting by Reuters, AP, BBC, and AFP UN mediator Matthew Nimetz on January 30 held talks with officials in Athens amid efforts to end a long-running dispute between Balkan neighbors Greece and Macedonia over the latter's official name. Greece has been objecting to Skopjes use of the name Macedonia since its independence from the former Yugoslavia in September 1991, an objection which has complicated the Balkan countrys bids to join the Europe Union and NATO. "I think there is a momentum here and we should seize the momentum," Nimetz told journalists after a meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias -- and ahead of similar talks in Macedonia's capital, Skopje. "There's a time for decision-making and I think we're there," Nimetz said. "So I think, in my view, we're talking about weeks of discussion to see where we are." Greece disagrees with Skopje using the name Macedonia, arguing that this implies territorial claims on its own adjoining province, also called Macedonia. The dispute has prevented Macedonia from joining NATO, of which Greece is a member. The left-led governments in both countries have pledged to seek a solution this year. "The first thing to discuss is a name in the language or languages of the neighboring country which cannot be translated in any other language," Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias told ERT television after the talks. Kotzias added that Athens will submit a draft proposal to Skopje as soon as next month. Greek officials favor a compound name that will somehow qualify the word Macedonia, although it is unpopular with the right-wing populists who are the junior government partner in Athens. Many Greeks also object to any use of the word Macedonia in their neighbor's official name. A nationalist rally in the northern city of Thessaloniki drew more than 100,000 people on January 21, and a similar rally is scheduled in Athens on February 4. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on January 27 that he is ready to accept a "composite name" that includes the moniker "Macedonia." That could mean a name such as Upper Macedonia or New Macedonia, he said following talks with the leaders of most opposition parliamentary parties. But Tsipras failed to receive backing from Greek opposition parties, with Conservative New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis saying, "We will not divide Greeks to unite Skopje." Based on reporting by AP and Reuters Police in Moscow have arrested two prominent associates of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny on charges of urging people to participate in an illegal public demonstration. Navalny's spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, and Ruslan Shaveddinov, who hosts programs on Navalny's YouTube channel, were detained on January 30 at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and taken into custody. They were expected to appear in court on January 31. On January 28, the two activists hosted an Internet broadcast covering a Navalny-organized national protest calling on Russians to boycott the March 18 presidential election. Navalny, who is barred from participating in the election because of a felony embezzlement conviction that he says is politically motivated, has said the election amounts to "the reappointment" of President Vladimir Putin. Navalny was himself arrested on his way to the January 28 protest in Moscow but was later released pending a court hearing. At least 350 people were detained nationwide. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert on January 29 criticized the detentions, saying of Putin that "confident political leaders do not fear competing voices." Pakistani officials say at least six members of a family were killed when an explosion ripped through a car in a northwestern region near the Afghan border. The family was on its way to attend a funeral in the Kurram tribal area when the blast occurred, local government official Akbar Iftikhar said on January 30. "Three women and three men died on the spot," Iftikhar said, adding that it was unclear whether the blast was caused by a landmine or a roadside bomb. Mumtaz Hussain, a doctor at a hospital in Parachinar, the main town in Kurram, said one survivor was in a stable condition. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Kurram has a history of sectarian violence. It was unclear whether the victims of the latest attack were Shia or Sunni Muslims. Shia make up some 20 percent of Pakistans population. With reporting by Reuters The U.S. military has said that "a human error in labeling" led to the accidental classification of previously available information about the war in Afghanistan. Captain Tom Gresback, a spokesman for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, said in a January 30 statement that "it was not the intent of Resolute Support to withhold or classify information which was available in prior reports." The statement came one day after an independent federal auditor, the Special Inspector-General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), stated in its quarterly report that it was told not to release data on the amount of territory controlled or influenced by the Taliban and the government. The military also classified information about the size of the Afghan military and police forces. "This development is troubling for a number of reasons, not least of which is that this is the first time SIGAR has been specifically instructed not to release information marked 'unclassified' to the American taxpayer," SIGAR John F. Sopko wrote in the report. "Aside from that, the number of districts controlled or influenced by the Afghan government had been one of the last remaining publicly available indicators for members of Congress -- many of whose staff do not have access to the classified annexes to SIGAR reports -- and for the American public of how the 16-year-long U.S. effort to secure Afghanistan is faring," he added. The Western-backed government in Kabul has been struggling to fend off the Taliban and other militant groups since the withdrawal of most NATO troops in 2014. Kabul in recent weeks has been hit by several deadly assaults, including a massive suicide car bombing in a crowded central area on January 27 that killed more than 100 people and was claimed by the Taliban. On January 29, U.S. President Donald Trump rejected the possibility of negotiations with the Taliban anytime soon. "We don't want to talk with the Taliban," Trump said. "There may be a time, but it's going to be a long time." "We're going to finish what we have to finish" in Afghanistan, he also said. Trump in August unveiled his new strategy for the South Asia region, under which Washington has deployed 3,000 more troops to Afghanistan to train, advise, and assist local security forces, and to carry out counterterrorism missions. The United States currently has around 14,000 uniformed personnel in the country. With reporting by AP and Reuters The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Russia violated the rights of three men who were jailed in connection with a protest on the eve of President Vladimir Putin's inauguration to his current term. In a decision issued on January 30, the ECHR found that Russian authorities violated the rights of Andrei Barabanov, Aleksei Polikhovich, and Stepan Zimin during their detainment and prosecution over the protest on Moscow's Bolotnaya Square on May 6, 2012. The court ordered Russia to pay Polikhovich and Zimin 12,500 euros ($15,500) each, and Barabanov 10,000 euros ($12,400). The decisions supported the activists' claims that the authorities violated articles of the European Convention on Human Rights including a ban on torture, the right to liberty and security, and freedom of assembly and association. More than 400 people were detained after clashes erupted at the 2012 protest. Police and protesters blame each another for the violence. The rally was one of a series of large opposition protests sparked mainly by anger over evidence of widespread fraud in the December 2011 parliamentary elections and dismay at Putin's decision to return to the presidency after a four-year stint as prime minister. More than 30 people were prosecuted in connection with the clashes, and more than 20 were sentenced to prison or served time in pretrial custody. For months Russia's business and political elite were fretting about the planned release of a U.S. list of potential Russian targets for fresh sanctions -- including government officials and "oligarchs" purportedly close to the Kremlin. After that unclassified list was published by the U.S. Treasury Department just before a congressionally mandated deadline on January 29, it emerged that the "oligarchs" list precisely matched the top 96 people in the Forbes list of richest Russians. The same day it was revealed that Washington would not impose secondary sanctions targeting financial transactions with Russian state-owned companies. Investors took the news in stride -- for the moment, at least. Russian markets on January 30 brushed off the release of the so-called Kremlin Report that lists the 96 "oligarchs" and 114 senior Russian political figures that Washington says have gained wealth or power thanks to their association with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "For now it all looks pretty mild," Oleg Kuzmin, an economist with the investment bank Renaissance Capital, told Reuters. The document was widely derided by political analysts, Russia watchers, and those featured in it as a crude copy-and-paste job from the most recent Forbes list of Russian billionaires and from an official directory of officials posted on the Kremlin's website. Those included in the list were never expected to face immediate sanctions, and the Treasury Department said that inclusion does not mean the individuals meet "the criteria for designation under any sanctions program." "The lack of market impact stems from the fact of low risk of new sanctions after the release of the reports and rather mechanical and formal approach in constructing the Kremlin list," Dmitry Polevoy, chief economist at ING in Russia, told RFE/RL. Polevoy wrote in a note to investors -- headlined Russia Sanctions: Take It Easy -- later on January 30 that the inclusion of a "wide range of top political persons and all major oligarchs/businessmen makes it hard to believe that all or the majority of them will face sanctions." Unwanted (Unearned?) Scrutiny But risk analysts said the so-called Kremlin Report could nonetheless prompt Western investors to take a second look at doing business with anyone included on the list, which features several powerful Putin associates already under U.S. and EU sanctions over Russian interference in Ukraine. "I think it will lead to enhanced due diligence by some Western businesses and financial institutions in their dealings with the identified parties," Erich Ferrari, a Washington-based lawyer who specializes in U.S. Treasury sanctions, told RFE/RL. "That would have the potential to delay business ventures that those parties are involved." The report, which was mandated by a U.S. law reluctantly signed by President Donald Trump in August, required the administration to compile a list of wealthy Russians according to "their closeness to the Russian regime and their net worth." Many wealthy Russians included in the final unclassified document are not seen as having close ties to the Kremlin, and some have clashed with Russian authorities or left the country altogether. Maximilian Hess, senior political risk analyst at AKE Group, said that while the wide net cast by the Treasury report could mitigate the concerns of those named, they were "still being effectively designated as politically exposed persons by the U.S. government." "This will invite additional compliance scrutiny for their dealings in the West," Hess told RFE/RL. Enough For Now? One section of the law -- known as the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act -- focuses on Russian sovereign debt, which Moscow has used to shore up strategically important companies since Washington and Brussels imposed sanctions on Russia following its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. Analysts from Societe Generale said in a January 30 note to investors that the "current U.S. approach significantly diminishes the risk of harsh measures against Russian sovereign debt over the short term," Bloomberg reported. Raiffeisen analysts said in an e-mailed note that the "breadth and lack of specific details" in the Treasury document "suggests the U.S. isn't ready for another round of toughening sanctions," Bloomberg reported. Polevoy, ING's chief economist for Russia, said in his investor note that the "pending status" of potential new U.S. sanctions against Russia might be "intended" and "a sufficient tool for the U.S. administration." As was expected, Russian officials on January 30 reacted angrily to the release of the list, with Putin calling it an "unfriendly act" and his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, describing it as "aggressive" and "quite unprecedented." Polevoy said that "markets should mostly look through the (sometimes hawkish) responses from the Russian political side to the release of the report." Putin said on January 30 that Moscow would refrain from countermeasures "for now." With reporting by Alan Crosby President Vladimir Putin has called the whistle-blower who has provided evidence of what investigators say was an elaborate state-sponsored doping program a "jerk" who should not be trusted. Putin made the comments on January 30 after a German television documentary quoted Grigory Rodchenkov as saying that the Russian president must have been aware of the doping program. "They've got this jerk, Rodchenkov," Putin said, apparently referring to the United States, where he is under witness protection. "Everything is based on the statements by this man who can hardly be trusted in any way," Putin said. Putin said that it's partially Russia's "own fault" for being under scrutiny for doping. "After all, there were instances of doping use," he added. Putin has repeatedly denied state involvement in doping and claimed Rodchenkov forged doping evidence against Russian athletes at the behest of "foreign" forces. In an ARD documentary aired on January 29, Rodchenkov said Russia's doping program "came right from the top, from the president. Because only the president can appoint the domestic secret service FSB for such a specific task." The former director of Russia's anti-doping laboratory also confirmed the content of secret documents that, according to ARD, say that state-organized doping practices existed for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and London 2012. In May 2016, he described in an interview to The New York Times an elaborate doping scheme that he said involved dozens of Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Earlier on January 30, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Rodchenkov's claims as "yet more slander which doesn't have a single piece of evidence to support it." "Mr. Rodchenkov is a wanted man, he is under investigation," Peskov said. "He is an odious individual who has problems with the law." Russian prosecutors have accused him of being largely responsible for the doping scandal. Rodchenkov organized the Russian system of doping before fleeing to the United States in 2016 and providing evidence of it to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, who led a WADA-commissioned investigation. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended Russia in August 2016 as a result of the probe. McLaren confirmed many of Rodchenkov's allegations in his reports, and an IOC panel said in November that Rodchenkov was a "truthful witness." With reporting by AFP and TASS The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was heckled by delegates as he addressed Syria peace talks in Sochi on January 30. Hecklers accused Russia of killing civilians with air strikes in Syria, while others responded with cries of "long live Russia." (Reuters) MOSCOW -- Russian social-media users did not appear to be impressed with the fruits of the U.S. Treasury Department's monthslong effort to identify "oligarchs" and officials close to President Vladimir Putin. Some suggested that the list of 210 names released on January 29 contained little evidence of independent research, while others wrote it off as a lazy copy-and-paste of a Kremlin staff directory and Forbes Russia's list of the wealthiest Russians. "You're going to laugh, but the first part of the U.S. Treasury Department list practically entirely repeats the major staff and key officials section on the Kremlin website," tweeted Andrei Zakharov, a journalist for the RBC media outlet. Konstantin Kosachyov, a prominent lawmaker in the Federation Council, wrote on Facebook that a quick scan through the list made him think that "they had simply copied the Kremlin telephone directory." The greater part of the list was made up of 114 senior political figures, among whom only two are lawmakers. Yet even as it was cast as a lazy facsimile of the Kremlin phone book, it was officially described as an attempt to harm ties between Washington and Moscow. In comments to RIA Novosti, Vitaly Milonov, a lawmaker in the State Duma best known for his persistent antigay campaigning, proposed that Russia consider implementing some kind of a "mirror response" against Washington. He proposed targeting U.S. officials "guilty of waging this sanctions war against our country." A Who's Who? Criticism from lawmakers, who often carry the Kremlin's message to the media, came despite many observers suggesting that the list fell flat. Yevgeny Kaspersky, the founder of the Internet security company Kaspersky Lab who was named on the list, claimed that the Treasury Department document "100 percent" matched Forbes' list of the wealthiest Russians. (The 96 "oligarchs" listed comprise all of the Russian dollar billionaires listed by Forbes.) He suggested that the authors of the list do not know what an oligarch is, and that Washington did not appear to be allowing for the possibility that a Russian businessman could be legitimately successful. Some took shots at those who didn't make the list. Aleksei Venediktov, chief editor of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, suggested on the Telegram messaging service that not being listed was an illustration of certain individuals' lack of clout in Russia's Kremlin-dominated political system. He suggested that "the most interesting [thing] is that there are no governors and not a single deputy (apart from [Federation Council speaker Valentina] Matviyenko and [State Duma speaker Vyacheslav] Volodin -- who are members of the Security Council)." This, he wrote, illustrated that "they don't influence decision making." Igor Korotchenko, a regular pro-Kremlin and hawkish pundit on state TV, noted with suspicion the absences of the names of former Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin and Anatoly Chubais, the head of the Russian state nanotechnology company, Rusnano. Both are often associated with more "liberal" wings of Putin's elite, and seen as at odds with conservative factions. "A question for the State Department: why aren't Chubais and Kudrin on the sanctions list?" Some in the opposition were also disparaging of the list, suggesting the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had watered it down to undermine the credibility of punitive sanctions the United States has imposed against Russia for its actions in Ukraine, human rights violations, and meddling in the U.S. presidential election. "I did actually think the Trump administration would sabotage the sanctions against Putin, but I didn't even expect such a formal approach," tweeted Vladimir Milov, a former deputy energy minister who is now in the opposition and supports presidential aspirant Aleksei Navalny. "Instead of a report on the Putin mafia, they've just copied surnames known to everyone from the Internet, and that's all." Georgy Alburov, an activist at Navalny's Anticorruption Foundation, posted a tweet in which he expressed glee at news of lawmakers responding to being listed. "The 'Putin list' is a strange and pointless thing, but how nice it is to see these United Russia asses flaring up every 10 seconds. I haven't seen anything like it in a while." Some warned that, regardless of how much or little effort went into it, the list would have an impact. Dmitry Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, tweeted: "The power of U.S. sanctions is not in the specifics of people or companies blacklisted but in a simple message: those who want to do deals with Russians might have to deal with the United States. The recent Kremlin list underlines that message." A conference in Russia aimed at helping resolve Syria's seven-year civil war concluded on January 30 with a final statement that endorsed the country's territorial integrity and called for self-determination through "democratic" elections. Russia hosted what it called the Syrian Congress of National Dialogue in the Black Sea resort of Sochi with the primary aim of establishing a mechanism for drafting a new Syrian constitution. But in a blow to Russia, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the talks were boycotted by the leadership of the Syrian opposition, while the United States, Britain, and France declined to attend because of what they said was Assad's refusal to properly engage. The Sochi conference's final statement did not make reference to Assad, who has ruled Syria since 2000 when he took over the presidency from his father. The statement called for the maintenance of Syria's security forces, but insisted they must "operate within the law." The nearly 1,600 delegates -- representing organizations approved by the Syrian government, as well as the ruling Baath Party -- set up a 150-member committee charged with creating a draft constitution. The West backs a separate UN-mediated peace process, which has so far failed to inch toward ending the war. The latest round of those talks took place in Vienna last week. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told French lawmakers on January 30 that the Syria peace process should take place under UN auspices and not under Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on January 30 read out a statement from President Vladimir Putin saying the conditions were ripe for Syria to turn "a tragic page" in its history. But some participants heckled him, accusing Russia of killing civilians in Syria with its air strikes. Participants who declined to be identified told Reuters that organizers had later been forced to suspend a plenary session due to squabbling among delegates over who would be chosen to preside over the congress. In a further setback, one group of delegates, which included members of the armed opposition who had flown in from Turkey, refused to leave Sochi airport until Syrian government flags and emblems, which they said were offensive, were removed. Turkish and Iranian government delegations attended the congress, as did UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa ON MY MIND There are a lot of ways to look at the so-called "Kremlin list," the U.S. Treasury Department's report naming Russia's 210 most influential officials and oligarchs who could be subject to future sanctions. Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich ridiculed it as a "Who's Who in Russian Politics" book and nothing more. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov alternatively claimed he was "indifferent" to it and called it "unprecedented" in scope. But the list's breadth, comprising so-called Russian liberals as well as anti-Western hard-liners, sends a clear message that anybody who serves Vladimir Putin's regime, regardless of their political orientation, is complicit in its actions -- and potentially subject to sanctions. It is important to remember that the list is just an initial step naming those who could in the future be subject to sanctions -- meaning that there are now a lot of people who are wondering whether they will be eligible for a visa or able to open a Western bank account in the future. And in many ways, the publication of the list heralds the close of an era in which Russian officials were able to accumulate their wealth in a corrupt and autocratic system and then stash it in the safe harbors of the West, protected by the rule of law. The much-anticipated Kremlin list is the beginning of a process, not the end. IN THE NEWS The U.S. Treasury Department has released a hotly anticipated list of 210 Russian officials and billionaires believed to have close links to President Vladimir Putin, exposing them to scrutiny and potential future sanctions in a move that has angered the Kremlin. Washington says a Russian military jet engaged in an "unsafe interaction" with a U.S. Navy surveillance plane over the Black Sea on January 29, coming within 1.5 meters and crossing directly in front of the U.S. plane. Rights activists say two Russian men whose marriage in Denmark was indirectly acknowledged by Russian authorities have fled the country, citing a "real threat" to their liberty and security. Russia has shown more "openness" to U.S. suggestions on a possible UN peacekeeping mission in war-torn eastern Ukraine, but Washington and Moscow remain far from striking a deal, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine says. Delegates have gathered in the southern Russian city of Sochi for a two-day conference aimed at helping resolve the seven-year civil war in Syria, but the main groups opposing the Syrian government are boycotting the event. Russia's state statistics service says the country's birthrate dropped 10.7 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year. Vladimir Putin's spokesman says the Kremlin does not consider opposition leader Aleksei Navalny a threat. Putin must have been aware of what investigators say was an elaborate state-sponsored doping program, a German television documentary quotes whistle-blower Grigory Rodchenkov as saying. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says that Moscow believes a U.S. list of rich Russians seen as close to President Vladimir Putin is an attempt to meddle in the country's March 18 election. The International Paralympic Committee has maintained its suspension of the Russian Paralympic Committee but said that some Russians will be allowed to compete as neutrals at the Winter Paralympics in March. A car belonging to Russian presidential hopeful Ksenia Sobchak's campaign chief in the northwestern city of Pskov has been torched in an alleged arson attack. Authorities in Russia's Far East say they have detained several people on suspicion of smuggling parts of endangered Siberian tigers, brown bears, and other animals. WHAT I'M READING Initial Reax To The 'Kremlin List' The Moscow Times has published a rundown of the initial reactions of Russian officials to the U.S. Treasury Department's list of top Kremlin officials and oligarchs who could be subject to sanctions. And NewsRu.com has a couple brief rundowns of the initial reactions to the list in the Russian media. Kremlin Trolls And Anti-Semitism Anton Shekhovtsov has an op-ed in Haaretz on how pro-Kremlin trolls are increasingly using anti-Semitism to appeal to the far right. Shekhovtsov's Tango Noir Reviewed Martin Dewhirst reviews Shekhovtsov's book Russia And The Western Far Right: Tango Noir. It's Not Just About Trolls In The New York Times, Nina Jankowicz explains why trolls and fake news are only part of the West's Russia problem. Western Mistakes On Russia Veteran Kremlin-watcher Edward Lucas, senior vice president of the Center for European Policy Analysis and author of the book The New Cold War, explains the 10 mistakes the West makes about Russia. Life After Wartime In her column for Republic.ru, political commentator Tatyana Stanovaya looks ahead to Putin's fourth term and asks if there is "life after war." The Death Of Stalin Today Also in Republic.ru, historian Sergei Medvedev explains why the Russian elite is so upset about the film The Death Of Stalin. 17 A nomadic woman looks out from a window of her house in the Talesh area of Iran, close to the Caspian Sea. Due to heavy snow and a shortage of grasses, Talesh nomads descend from the mountains to the foothills in winter and return in late spring. (AP/Ebrahim Noroozi) KYIV -- The gathering was large and formidable, with hundreds of mostly young men in fatigues keeping tight ranks on Kyiv's central Independence Square before marching in formation to a torch-lit fortress on a hillside in the Ukrainian capital. There, in the January 28 spectacle, 600 of them swore an oath to clean the streets of illegal alcohol, drug traffickers, and illegal gambling establishments. Their mission would seem righteous enough. And it was featured in a slickly produced video with aerial drone footage, sweeping edits, and menacing music that caught the attention of many on social media. But Ukraine observers and rights groups are sounding the alarm, because this was not a typical commencement, and the men are not police officers. They are far-right ultranationalists from the Azov movement, a controversial group with a military wing that has openly accepted self-avowed neo-Nazis, and a civil and political faction that has demonstrated intolerance toward minority groups. "We will not hesitate to use force to establish order that will bring prosperity to every Ukrainian family!" reads a message alongside the video, published on the Facebook page of the newly formed group, called the National Militia. In the clip, they vow also to protect the nation "when government organs can't or won't help Ukrainian society." That approach could concern Western backers in Kyiv's campaign against armed Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country, where a conflict that has lasted nearly four years has killed at least 10,300 people. "Ukraine would be violating its international obligations under human rights law if authorities either tolerate abusive militia who undermine [the] population's liberty, security, freedoms or provide an abusive militia with the color of law but [do] not impose on them exacting standards on use of force," Tanya Cooper, Human Rights Watch (HRW)'s Ukraine researcher in Kyiv, told RFE/RL in e-mailed comments as media buzzed over the appearance of the National Militia. Matthew Schaff, Ukraine director of the U.S.-based NGO Freedom House, told RFE/RL by phone that simply their creation "does damage to democracy in Ukraine." Nationalistic Agenda Founded in 2014 as a volunteer battalion to help an overmatched Ukrainian military fight off the threat in its east, the Azov movement uses fascist symbols and has been accused by international humanitarian organizations of human rights abuses in the conflict zone. The National Militia is an independent group that is merely the latest component of Azov's civilian and political wing, known as the National Corpus. It is led by lawmaker and former Azov Battalion commander Andriy Biletsky, once the head of Ukraine's neo-Nazi Social-National Party, who attended the ceremony. Azov officially founded the National Corpus in October 2016, incorporating two other nationalist groups, including Patriot Of Ukraine, which according to Halya Coynash of the Kharkiv Human Rights Group "espoused xenophobic and neo-Nazi ideas and was engaged in violent attacks against migrants, foreign students in Kharkiv, and those opposing its views." That inaugural ceremony arguably had pomp more reminiscent of 1930s Germany than of postwar democracy. It included nationalist chants, raised fists, and a torchlight march through central Kyiv. National Corpus's political aims at the time of its creation included the restoration of Ukraine's nuclear-power status, which was abandoned in a major boost to nonproliferation soon after the breakup of the Soviet Union; the nationalization of companies that were owned by the government when Ukraine gained independence in 1991; and the legalization of firearms for personal protection. Its foreign policy sought to cut cultural, diplomatic, and trade ties with Russia, and urged a public discussion about restoring the death penalty in Ukraine for crimes such as treason and embezzlement of government funds. While the National Corpus appears to draw limited support from Ukraine's electorate -- polls show it under the 5 percent threshold to enter parliament -- its public presence has grown, worrying international observers and making it a favorite target for Russian propaganda. Russian state news agencies and politicians suggest the government in Kyiv's perceived tolerance for the far-right movement makes it fascist. The Ukrainian government's failure to aggressively challenge the group has done little to calm its critics. Police, Or Not Police So it came as something of a surprise on January 30 when Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, who has enjoyed a close relationship with the Azov movement in the past, appeared to distance himself from the group, saying in a statement posted to the ministry's website that "in Ukraine, there is only one monopoly on the use of force -- the state: the National Guard, the National Police, and the Armed Forces." He added, "All other paramilitary entities that try to position themselves on the streets of cities are not legal." Ivan Varchenko, an Avakov adviser, told Hromadske Radio that Ukrainian law provides for registration of civic organizations that assist law enforcement agencies. Roman Chernyshov of the National Corps also tried to calm concerns, telling Hromadske Radio that its members do not bear arms. Armed or not, as news of the National Militia spread across Ukrainian media, critics raised serious concerns about the type of order the unit may enforce on the streets of Kyiv. "It's the police responsibility to enforce the law on the street and hold people accountable for crimes they've committed," Freedom House's Schaaf said. "When there are groups that are roaming the streets in units like this, with slogans like this, it definitely raises concerns about what are their intentions, how they will they be implementing their visions, what rules they are trying to enforce." HRW's Cooper said one of her primary concerns was who would be targeted by the group. "Members of this political party espouse intolerance towards ethnic minorities and LGBT people, so it seems completely absurd that these people would be able [and willing] to protect everyone," she said of the Azovs. She added, "The bottom line is that if these units are going to be carrying out any kind of policing duty, they have to be held to the exact same human rights standards as regular police: on use of force, powers of detention, nondiscrimination, etc., and they have to be trained and held accountable just like regular police are." Perhaps in an attempt to alleviate public concerns, Avakov insisted, "I, as a minister, will not allow for parallel structures that try to behave as alternative military formations on the streets." The U.S. Treasury Department released a list of 210 officials and billionaires from Russia's ruling elite, exposing them to scrutiny and potential future sanctions in a move President Vladimir Putin called an "unfriendly act" and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said would "poison" ties for a long time to come. Published early on January 30 -- shortly after midnight in Washington -- the so-called Kremlin Report names 114 senior Russian political figures and 96 "oligarchs" who U.S. authorities say have gained wealth or power through association with Putin, who is set to secure six more years in the Kremlin in a March 18 election. Although the list itself does not impose sanctions, its creation was mandated by Congress in a law aimed to increase pressure on Russia in response to Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, its military intervention in Ukraine, and other actions that have caused U.S. concern. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration earlier notified Congress that it will not impose new sanctions on Russia at this time. However, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on January 30 that "in the near future, you'll see additional sanctions." He added that such sanctions could come "in the next several months, maybe a month." Responding to criticism that the list was haphazardly assembled on the basis of media reports, Mnuchin insisted "an extraordinary amount of work went into this." Putin condemned the report, saying it was "without a doubt an unfriendly act" that would "complicate the already grave situation that Russian-American relations are in and inflict damage, no doubt, on international relations as a whole." But he signaled that Moscow's response would be muted, saying that it would be "utter stupidity to drive our relations down to zero." "I won't hide it: we were waiting for this report. We were ready to take steps -- serious ones that would have brought our relations to nothing," he said. "But we will refrain from these steps for now." "We do not intend to...escalate the situation," Putin said at a meeting with backers of his sure-thing reelection campaign. "We want and intend to patiently build relations to whatever degree the other side -- the American side -- is ready." Medvedev, the former placeholder president who became prime minister after Putin returned to the Kremlin for his current term in 2012, said the significance of the list was "zero." But he said it was "absolutely discriminatory" and would "poison our ties, our relations for quite a long period of time -- which is bad in itself." The report itself does not impose sanctions, and President Donald Trumps administration has notified Congress that it will not impose new sanctions on Russia at this time. The list includes 43 of Putin's aides and advisers including Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, 31 cabinet ministers including Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, senior lawmakers, and top officials in Russia's intelligence agencies. The CEOs of major state-owned companies, including energy giant Rosneft's chief, Igor Sechin, and the head of state-controlled Sberbank, German Gref, are also on the list, along with some of the most famous wealthy Russians. "To determine the list of oligarchs," the Treasury Department said, it "enumerated those individuals who, according to reliable public sources, have an estimated net worth of $1 billion or more." A Treasury Department spokesperson told AFP that the list was derived at least in part from Forbes magazine. 'Aggressive Attitude' The tycoons named include Roman Abramovich, Alisher Usmanov, U.S. NBA basketball team owner Mikhail Prokhorov, aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska, and Kaspersky Lab founder Yevgeny Kaspersky. "De facto, everyone [on the list] is being called an enemy of the United States," Peskov said on January 30. Speaking to reporters, Peskov said the unclassified portion of the report included "a huge number of provisos" indicating that it does not introduce "sanctions or limitations" on the Russians listed. However, he said that making such a broad list public "could potentially damage the image and reputation of our firms, our businessmen, our politicians, and of members of the leadership." While a few prominent figures were not named, the list included both hard-liners and more liberal officials and business leaders. Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich dismissed the list as little more than a "Who's Who" of Russian politics. Pro-Kremlin lawmaker Konstantin Kosachyov, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the upper house of parliament, said U.S. authorities "ended up copying the Kremlin phone book." Putin sought to make light of the report by saying he was "offended" to have been left off the list. He also asserted that its authors were targeting Trump in an internal U.S. political struggle -- but at the same time claimed it was aimed at every Russian citizen. CAATSA Act The Kremlin Report was submitted to the U.S. Congress on January 29 -- just ahead of a deadline set by the Counter America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). The published list is part of the unclassified version of the report. A separate, classified portion lists more names, including those of less-senior political figures and businesspeople with less than $1 billion in assets, Western media outlets cited unidentified U.S. officials as saying. Daniel Fried, the former coordinator of U.S. sanctions policy under President Barack Obama, said on January 30 that the Trump administration "missed an opportunityto extend the use of sanctions in response to Russian aggressive behavior." He added that it is possible that the classified list could serve as a deterrent if it "is a credible and strong list." Trump reluctantly signed the CAATSA law in August after it was passed by an overwhelming majority in both chambers of the U.S. legislature after the countrys intelligence community said that Putin ordered a campaign aimed at influencing the presidential election. Peskov on January 29 accused the United States of using the list as an attempt to meddle in Russias March 18 presidential election, which is almost certain to hand Putin a new six-year term and has been dismissed by opposition politician Aleksei Navalny as an undemocratic "reappointment" process. "We really do believe that this is a direct and obvious attempt to time some steps to coincide with the election in order to exert influence on it," Peskov told journalists. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the 2017 U.S. law was deterring billions of dollars in Russian defense sales -- and that "if the law is working, sanctions on specific entities or individuals will not need to be imposed because the legislation is, in fact, serving as a deterrent." Nauert did not announce new sanctions on January 29 or speak about individuals named by the Kremlin Report, saying the State Department "does not preview" its sanctions actions. Instead, Nauert said the CAATSA "legislation and its implementation are deterring Russian defense sales." "Since the enactment of the...legislation, we estimate that foreign governments have abandoned planned or announced purchases of several billion dollars in Russian defense acquisitions," she said. In what was seen as a test of Trump's willingness to crack down on Russia, Congress had given the administration the January 29 deadline to release key reports under the law. Trump Criticism Trump criticized the law as "seriously flawed" when he signed it. "We are using this legislation as Congress intended to press Russia to address our concerns related to its aggression in Ukraine, interference in other nations' domestic affairs, and abuses of human rights," Nauert said. "Foreign government and private sector entities have been put on notice, both publicly and privately, including by the highest-level State Department and other U.S. government officials where appropriate, that significant transactions with listed Russian entities will result in sanctions," she said. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko praised the United States in a tweet on January 30, expressing "sincere gratitude to Washington" for what he called its "demonstration of leadership in countering Russian aggression." Nauert confirmed that both the State Department and the U.S. Treasury Department have communicated directly with "the relevant Congressional committees" about CAATSA and provided briefings to update members and staff" on January 29 about the administration's progress on implementing the legislation. A spokesman for Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Cardin's statements about possible fresh sanctions under CAATSA before the release of the Kremlin Report were "purposely vague" because the information provided to the committee by the State Department was considered "classified." U.S. intelligence agencies said in January 2017 that they had determined that Putin ordered a concerted hacking-and-propaganda campaign aimed at influencing the 2016 election, with the goals of undermining faith in the U.S. electoral process, denigrating Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton, and improving Trump's chances of winning. U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller and three congressional panels are investigating the alleged meddling and whether there was collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Trump denies there was any collusion and Putin has denied that Russia interfered in the election, despite what U.S. officials say is substantial evidence. With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, Politico, Bloomberg, TASS, and Interfax US, Mexico cross border flights could soon have armed air marshals Mexico City, Mexico According to new documents, Mexico and the United States are considering adding armed federal air marshals on commercial cross-border flights. Armed US air officials could be placed on cross-border commercial flights between Mexico and the United States as a country effort to strengthen security ties with its neighbor. This is reported from a Mexican document seen by Reuters news agency and a Mexican official. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) acknowledged that it is evaluating the US proposal, however, they emphasized that no agreement has yet been reached. The document reveals that at a meeting on January 18 at the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, officials from both countries agreed to study the convenience of negotiating an agreement for the deployment of Federal Air Marshals on commercial flights, according to an official Mexican document obtained by Reuters. The document also showed that Mexico and the United States have agreed to identify specific transnational criminal organizations, map their business models in both countries and design a joint operational strategy to combat them. The Mexican official who is familiar with the plan indicated that the most difficult part of the negotiations would focus on allowing US agents to carry weapons, since the use of them by foreigners in Mexico is a sensitive issue and is strictly regulated. It has not been decided if the air bailiffs would travel only on flights to the United States, on flights to Mexico or both. Thomas Kelly, U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service spokesman declined to comment on the proposed agreement saying only that air marshals are armed Federal Law Enforcement Officers with the mission of in-flight protection of U.S.-flagged aircraft, crew members and passengers. The Mexican official noted that there is no set date for when the agreement might be struck, or come into effect. MUGSHOTS.COM - ** FUGITIVE MANHUNT ** BOLO **: ROYALL AMMONS: REWARD OFFERED FOR CRIME STOPPERS MOST WANTED SUSPECTED CHILD MOLESTER OUT OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA Mugshots.com Writing Staff. Omaha, NE Royall Ammons, 30, is wanted for molesting two little boys, both under the age of 10. Omaha Police have named him as one of their Crime Stoppers Most Wanted and are requesting the publics assistance in finding him. In a case that dates back five years ago, Ammons is suspected of molesting two little boys and then fleeing from the state of Nebraska. Court documents indicate he allegedly threatened to kill the boys if they ever told what was done to them. Both boys told investigators and counselors at Project Harmony what Ammons allegedly did to them. Ammons moved away after the alleged attacks, reportedly to the Houston, Texas area. Ammons is 510 and weighs 170 pounds. He is a black male with dark eyes and dark hair. His head may be shaved or bald. Ammons is believed to have been living in the Houston, Texas area, but may be back in the Omaha metro area, specifically near 62nd and Park Lane recently. Anyone with information on Ammons whereabouts should call Contact Crime Stoppers at 402-444-STOP, or leave a tip at http://omahacrimestoppers.org. Tips may be made anonymously and if it leads to his arrest, the tipster may be eligible for a cash reward. Your name: Your e-mail (optional): Url: Description: Mugshots.com : 164203462 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 - ** FUGITIVE MANHUNT ** BOLO ** is being redistributed by Mugshots.com and is protected by constitutional, publishing, and other legal rights. This Official Record was collected on 1/30/2018. Last updated on 1/30/2018 unconstitutional mugshot laws, exonerations, arrest records, FBI most wanted, editorials, opinion This item is available in full to subscribers. Attention subscribers We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription. If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site. If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here. Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing. Santa Fe, NM -- Santa Fe County Sheriff's deputies say they arrested three people, including a mother, for the death of a teenage boy. Thomas Wayne Ferguson, 42; Tracy Ann Pena, 35; and Jordan Anthony Nunez, 19; all face charges in connection with the death of Pena's son, 13-year-old Jeremiah Valencia. Deputies charged them with child abuse resulting in death, tampering with evidence and conspiracy. Investigators believe both Ferguson and Pena "cruelly punished, physically abused and cruelly confined" Valencia in a Nov. 24, 2017, incident at Pena's home that eventually caused Valencia's death, an arrest warrant affidavit says. They also believe Ferguson and Pena, knowing the teen required medical care, did not contact law enforcement. Valencia's body was then taken to another location allegedly to be buried, the affidavit states. "I am sickened by this horrific tragedy," First Judicial District Attorney Marco Serna said in a statement Monday night. "We are a close-knit community and this touches so many of our families." Deputies began investigating late in the afternoon on Jan. 25 after receiving a tip from an inmate about a possible homicide. According to the affidavit, Pena told the inmate about the death of her child and said her boyfriend was responsible. Pena was jailed at the Santa Fe County Correctional Facility when she reportedly talked to the inmate, as was Ferguson. The next day, investigators learned Pena's family had concerns about the safety of Pena's children. An aunt and a step-sister told deputies the last time they heard from the 13-year-old was in July 2017. Deputies interviewed Pena, Ferguson and Nunez. However, Nunez is identified as "Munoz" in the affidavit. He is Ferguson's biological son. The report states that after initially lying to investigators about what happened, Nunez said Valencia did something to anger Ferguson, and he punched the 13-year-old in the face and stomach several times. Nunez then told deputies that Ferguson then dragged the teen into a residence and locked the door. However, Ferguson told investigators there was some aggressive play that led to Valencia's injuries and Ferguson did not call law enforcement "because he would be accused of being involved in Jeremiah's death," the affidavit states. In her interview with deputies, Pena reportedly said she returned home on Nov. 24 to find her son's lifeless body. The affidavit states she told deputies that there was no discussion about what happened to Valencia, adding she was too scared to ask. She also reportedly told deputies Ferguson drove her to an area off State Road 503, where Ferguson claimed he buried Pena's son, the affidavit states. That allegedly took place on Dec. 6 -- Valencia's birthday. Both Pena and Nunez reportedly told deputies Ferguson has a history of abuse. Deputies also learned Ferguson's previous criminal history includes kidnapping, aggravated assault and battery, child abuse and criminal sexual penetration. Pena's criminal history includes property crimes and drug possession. The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office on Monday provided booking photos of Ferguson and Pena, but did not provide one of Nunez. Serna, Santa Fe County Sheriff Robert Garcia and New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas will hold a joint press conference Tuesday at 11 a.m., where more information is expected to be released. "I want northern New Mexicans to know this case is of the highest priority and I will do everything in my power to seek justice for this innocent child," Serna said. "We are in the very early stages of this tragedy, so tonight I ask all of New Mexico to pray for our community." KOB's Caleb James will have a live report on KOB Eyewitness News 4 at 10. In the chic offices of Stitch Fix, a newly public company flush with cash, state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, introduced a bill Monday that would ensure most California women have access to lactation facilities at work. This bill mimics a recently implemented San Francisco ordinance, which as of Jan. 1 required businesses both public and private to provide lactation facilities to their workers by 2019, or face fines. Lactation rooms in offices mean mothers wont have to choose between staying at home to express milk or doing it in an uncomfortable environment, like a restroom stall. This ensures that new mothers can make their own decisions on their timetable for returning to work, rather than having that decision made for them, said Wiener, flanked by Supervisor Katy Tang, who introduced the San Francisco ordinance; Assemblyman David Chiu; and other advocates for the bill. According to the bill, lactation facilities must be built into new construction larger than 15,000 square feet. For existing buildings, the bar is lower: As long as it is a private room thats not a restroom, with a couch, table and nearby access to water and a refrigerator, it counts. Its not just the right thing to do, its the smart thing to do, Stitch Fix CEO Katrina Lake said. Lake, who has been applauded for her focus on womens rights in the workplace, runs a company that is predominantly female. Stitch Fix offers a personal styling service where customers subscribe to periodic deliveries of selected clothing. Michael Macor/The Chronicle Lake said she used Stitch Fixs lactation rooms herself for several months after giving birth. The company offered a tour of one such room with a gray couch, a medical-grade breast pump, a mirror and a table with a box of tissues. According to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, breastfeeding has many health benefits for both infants and mothers. Among them are protections against common childhood infections, and a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Store-bought formula can also be very costly. Stitch Fix, with its multi-floor offices in the heart of San Franciscos Financial District, has plenty of room for multiple lactation rooms (which it had before the local ordinance was passed). But in a city with an already tight real estate market, creating an extra room even one that just requires a couch and table could be seen as a burden for smaller businesses. Elaine Wherry, co-owner of Dandelion Chocolate in the Mission District, said her company got creative, using a 4-by-4-foot canopy tent, with seating and access to a fridge and water. We dont have the budget or the space of other institutions, she said. If a company believes complying with this law will create a burden on its bottom line, the bill allows it to apply for a hardship exemption. The San Francisco ordinance, which drew support from the citys Chamber of Commerce, has a similar provision. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Chiu admitted he wasnt aware this was a problem women faced until he and his wife had a child of their own. This is a bill about ensuring that breastfeeding continues to be the dominant form in which we are helping to provide nutritional supplements to our children, he said, after joking that he subscribed to Stitch Fixs personal styling service as a gift to his wife while she was pregnant. We also know that the alternative to breastfeeding is expensive Ill tell you that I was shocked to discover how expensive formula is. Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani Deep beneath San Franciscos Civic Center Plaza lies a convention center turned basement dumping ground that was host to numerous Macworld expos, including the first one in 1985. The space, known as Brooks Hall, started with some, uh, underground nicknames to match its subterranean location. It was a recent trip to The Chronicles archives where a photo negative envelope titled Construction of the Mole Hall popped into view. A closer look and deeper research into what also was known as Mole Hall (or Gopher Palace) opened a vault dating to the 1950s when convention business had been growing significantly in San Francisco. One banner year back then drew nearly 200,000 conventiongoers and those visitors spent more than $25 million while they were in town, according to a report by then-acting president of the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, R.J. Barbieri. He told The Chronicle back then if the city wanted to remain a blue chip convention city, it had to address the problem of a lack of facilities. In November 1954, San Francisco voters passed Proposition A, which would provide more than $3 million to construct a new Civic Center Plaza Exhibition Hall, adding about 100,000 square feet of display capacity. By early 1956, plans for the project were taking shape, with the exhibit area completely underground, beneath Civic Center Plaza. Construction began Sept. 17 of that year, and in the next days paper, The Chronicle reported that Mayor George Christopher was trying to squelch the monikers Mole Hall and Gopher Palace being used to describe the structure. The mayor sent out a memorandum to the press, saying that it is felt that these appellations may tend to detract from the future use of this facility. A Sept. 21, 1956, Chronicle editorial suggested that the mayors efforts were in vain. It is probable that this battle was lost before the first pick was slung in the Civic Center, it read. For precedent, we have only to look at the Cow Palace. Whatever happened to the multisyllabic California State Livestock Pavilion and the campaign to ditch the name which is now stuck firmly to this edifice as a cows tail is stuck to a cow? The editorial concluded: The mayor may as well give up. After 19 months of strikes, slides, floods and a shortage of funds, the hall opened on April 12, 1958, and was named for retiring Chief Administrative Officer Thomas A. Brooks. The name Brooks Hall rolled off the tongue nicely, and the names Mole Hall and Gopher Palace would fade into oblivion. In September 1958, less than six months after it opened, Saul Poliak of Clapp and Poliak, the largest producers of industrial conventions in the world announced, Brooks Hall is distressingly inadequate and still leaves San Francisco unprepared for major conventions and expositions. ... We couldnt hold any of our national shows here you simply dont have the facilities. Poliak did have some good news, Your chief competitor out here is Los Angeles, of course, and right now theyre in worse shape than you are. San Francisco would build Moscone Center in 1991, and by 1993 Brooks Hall was no longer used. It has since become a storage facility for the citys old directories, redundant furniture and other historic or extraneous items. Bill Van Niekerken is the library director of The San Francisco Chronicle, where he has worked since 1985. In his weekly column, From the Archive, he explores the depths of The Chronicles vast photography archive in search of interesting historical tales related to the city by the bay. It began with a fistfight in the middle of busy Third Street, deep in the Bayview neighborhood at Palou Avenue on Monday afternoon. The punches between two young men went on for about 20 minutes while a crowd gathered. Then came the gunshots. In a matter of seconds, one of the fighters was hit in the leg as between five and 10 bullets bit the air. A 60-year-old woman who had the bad luck to be driving by on Third Street at that moment took two rounds to her passenger door, and was apparently injured by one of them. The crowd scattered as officers patrolling nearby pulled up, and for the next three hours crime-scene tape cordoned off the area while investigators hunted for bullet casings, witnesses and other clues that might lead to a suspect. But long before then, most of those nearby went back to whatever they were doing before the fight began. On a downscale block dominated by two check-cashing places and a couple of quick-stop markets, there were more important things to tend to. Its nothing new here, Ali Saheed, who minds the counter at the nearby Palou Market, said with a shrug. This block? There are always people fighting here. Theres a shooting every three or five days. Its life here. Police said the two victims were taken to San Francisco General Hospital with non-life threatening wounds. Their names were not released. Witnesses told The Chronicle that the gunshots erupted around 2:30 p.m. and came from within the crowd on Palou Avenue, but no suspect was reported apprehended by nightfall. Investigators were trying to determine the motives for the shooting and the fight, and police Sgt. Tracy McCray said footage from several video cameras in the area might be of help. But frustration was written on her face as she stood near the crime scene not long after the shooting, the bullet-pocked gray sedan of the female victim parked a few feet away and a large crowd of youths across the street chatting amiably in front of a convenience store. Most of the youths were trying not to pay attention to a man on the sidewalk quietly offering packets of heroin for sale. We try so hard to make life better, said McCray, who volunteers with a community group helping disadvantaged youth better their education and job prospects. Then something like this happens. Luckily this time nobody got killed. But look at this, she said, pointing to the victims car. The woman who was in this innocent, just driving down the street, and this? I mean... its just disheartening. Not many at the scene wanted to be named, for fear of reprisal. One longtime resident named Howard said, I dont know what the fight was about, but when the shots came they were like, boom boom boom, that quick, and then it was over. The bullets never have your name on them, but they find you anyway, he said. If youre lucky, youre not dead when they do. One man who runs a business on the block held up a 9mm bullet he plucked off the pavement after a shooting a few months ago. Windows nearby got shattered in another shooting around then, he said. I stay inside when I hear the shots, and I keep to my own business, he said. I wish they could make it safer here, Saheed said. Innocent people get hurt all the time. Its not right. There are a lot of good people here. Were just trying to live our lives and run our businesses. Chronicle Staff Writer Josh Koehn contributed to this report. Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com LEGAZPI, Philippines The Philippine defense chief has recommended that villages in a danger zone around erupting Mount Mayon be turned into a permanent no-mans-land to avoid evacuating thousands of residents each time the countrys most active volcano explodes. President Rodrigo Duterte expressed support for the recommendation of his defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, during a meeting Monday with officials dealing with the two-week eruption of Mayon. But he said the government may have to expropriate land from private owners and added that such a move could spark a social problem again. Mayon has been belching red-hot lava fountains, huge columns of ash and molten rocks into the sky and plunging communities into darkness with falling ash in northeastern Albay province, about 210 miles southeast of Manila. More than 80,000 villagers have fled to dozens of schools turned into emergency shelters, where a lack of toilets and other problems with congestion have emerged. The proposal is complicated given that thousands of impoverished villagers have settled through the years in a government-declared 3.7-mile permanent danger zone around Mayon, where they have survived on farming for generations. As Mayon grew more restive this month, authorities expanded the danger zone to cover more communities and forced thousands more to swarm into shelters. Albay Gov. Al Francis Bichara told the president and other officials that his provincial disaster funds were running low. Albay officials declared the entire province of more than 1.3 million people under a state of calamity two weeks ago to allow faster releases of disaster funds. Duterte ordered the provision of additional funds to deal with the crisis. There is actually a permanent danger zone. Why dont we declare that as a no-mans-land so that no people will go there anymore because each time Mayons eruption ends residents go back until the next explosion comes, Lorenzana said. We will have always this problem of evacuation. A national park in Mayons shadow could be expanded around the base of the 8,070-foot volcano where trees could grow partly as a buffer to stop volcanic floodwater and mudflows from devastating nearby towns and cities, Lorenzana said. Mayon, which is famous for its near-perfect cone, has erupted about 50 times in the past 500 years. Joeal Calupitan is an Associated Press writer. Page Content Maryland employers must soon provide sick and safe leave to their employees, as state legislators recently voted to override Gov. Larry Hogan's veto of the Healthy Working Families Act. Whether the leave must be paid depends on employer size. With some exceptions, businesses in the state with 15 or more employees will have to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave to workers each year, and those with fewer employees must provide the same amount of time as unpaid leave. "With the passing of the act, the state of Maryland has joined eight other states and several cities and counties in adopting laws mandating that employees receive a minimum amount of paid time off for reasons related to sickness and safety," said John Bolesta, an attorney with Ogletree Deakins in Washington, D.C. Unless the Maryland General Assembly acts to delay its implementation, employers must comply with the act by Feb. 11. However, an emergency bill was introduced on Jan. 23 to delay enforcement until 60 days after the act takes effect. Bolesta said there is a decent chance that the law will be delayed, but that he would be surprised to see any significant changes to the law during that time. "While some minor tweaks are certainly possible, I suspect the law will remain largely intact and the delay will merely serve to assist businesses with compliance issues associated with the new law." Employers should pay close attention to the details of the state's requirements because they may be different from those in other jurisdictions. "Complying with new laws, such as this one in Maryland, can become especially tricky for multistate employers," said Courtney Blanchard, an attorney with Nilan Johnson Lewis in Minneapolis. Employers can no longer simply rely on the federal laws; rather, they need to understand city, county and state requirements, too. [SHRM members-only resource: Leave Laws by State and Municipality] The Essentials Employees ages 18 and older who regularly work 12 or more hours a week are eligible for leave under the act. Employees may accrue one hour of paid sick and safe leave for every 30 workedup to 40 hours a yearand they may carry over up to 40 hours of accrued leave from one year to the next. Businesses may opt to provide 40 hours of leave as a lump sum at the start of a year. Employers don't have to let new hires use accrued leave until the 106th calendar day after their start date. Employers also may require eligible employees to provide advance notice up to seven days before using the leaveif the need for leave is foreseeable. Employers are required to notify employees that they're entitled to the sick and safe leave, as well as the rate of accrual. "Additionally, every pay period, employers are now required to provide individual reports in the form of written statements to their employees that detail the amount of earned leave available for use," Bolesta said. Maryland employers must also keep three years' worth of records on the sick and safe leave that each employee uses. The leave may be used to care for the employee's own or a family member's mental or physical illness or injury, parental leave, or issues related to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. Employers may need to update their attendance policies, because employees can't be disciplined for using leave in accordance with the new law, noted Kathleen Talty, an attorney with FordHarrison in Baltimore. Employees may need to explain the reason for their absencesimilar to how they would under the Family and Medical Leave Act, she said. County Laws Some counties in Maryland already had sick-leave laws. For instance, Montgomery County's local sick-leave law will overlap with the state's new law, and employers will need to adhere to the more generous provisions under the local law, Bolesta explained. Under the state's act, however, counties are now pre-empted from enacting their own sick- and safe-leave laws. The ban on local sick-leave laws applies retroactively to any enacted on or after Jan. 1, 2017, which includes Prince George's County's law. Montgomery County's law, however, was effective on Oct. 1, 2016, and will not be pre-empted. Thus, Montgomery County employers must adhere to both county and state requirements. Compliance Tips "All employers need to review carefully their existing leave policies to determine whether they are compliant with the terms and conditions for accrual and uses listed in the new law," Talty said. "Payroll systems will need to be updated so that leave accrual and usage are properly captured and also to ensure that leave balances are correctly reported on employee pay stubs." Bolesta noted that when employers revise their policies to incorporate the new sick-leave requirements, they should be aware that the definition of "family member" under the new law is far broader than the definition of "immediate family member" under the Maryland Flexible Leave Act. This means that employers cannot reject an employee's request to use sick and safe leave to care for, among others, grandparents, siblings, foster children or stepsiblings. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! How businesses can protect their people in the new age of work? Ensuring employee health and safety remains a key priority for organisations this year, especially as we see COVID-19 cases continue to rise in different areas of the world. As an ongoing challenge, COVID-19 has shifted the priorities of many organisations. In fact, improving health and safety for employees is the top strategic goal this year of manufacturing and logistics organisations in the U.S. and U.K., according to research conducted by Forrester on behalf of STANLEY Security. But as we think about reopening and as hybrid workforce models and workspace-on-demand approaches rise in popularity, leaders need to consider implementing the right technologies to help ensure a safe return to the office. This means investing in health, safety, and security solutions that can help leaders protect their people. The intersection of security technology and health and safety Theres no doubt that the scope of security has expanded in the wake of the global pandemic. What was once an area governed by a select few security or IT professionals within a business has now become a crucial company investment involving many key stakeholders. The role of security has expanded to encompass a broader range of health and safety challenges for businesses Additionally, the role of security has expanded to encompass a broader range of health and safety challenges for businesses. Fortunately, security technologies have made significant strides and many solutions, both existing and new, have been thrust forward to address todays biggest business challenges. Investment in security technology Its important to note that businesses are eager to adopt tech that can help them protect their people. Nearly half (46%) of organisations surveyed by Forrester report that theyre considering an increasing investment in technology solutions that ensure employee safety. Technologies like touchless access control, visitor management systems, occupancy monitoring, and installed/wearable proximity sensors are among some of the many security technologies these organisations have implemented or are planning to implement yet this year. Facilitating a safe return to work But what does the future look like? When it comes to the post-pandemic workplace, organisations are taking a hard look at their return-to-work strategy. Flexible or hybrid workforce models require a suite of security solutions to help ensure a safer, healthier environment More than half (53%) of organisations surveyed by Forrester are looking to introduce a flexible work schedule for their employees as they make decisions about returning to work and keeping employees safe post-pandemic. Such flexible or hybrid workforce models require a suite of security solutions to help ensure a safer, healthier environment for all who traverse a facility or work on-site. One of the central safety and security challenges raised by these hybrid models is tracking who is present in the building at any one time and where or how they interact. Leveraging security technology With staggered schedules and what may seem like a steady stream of people passing through, it can be difficult to know whos an employee and whos a visitor. Access control will be key to monitoring and managing the flow of people on-site and preventing unauthorised access. When access control systems are properly integrated with visitor management solutions, businesses can unlock further benefits and efficiencies. For instance, integrated visitor management systems can allow for pre-registration of visitors and employees granting mobile credentials before people arrive on-site and automated health screening surveys can be sent out in advance to help mitigate risk. Once someone reaches the premises, these systems can also be used to detect the persons temperature and scan for a face mask, if needed. We will likely see these types of visitor management and advanced screening solutions continue to rise in popularity, as 47% of organisations surveyed by Forrester report that theyre considering requiring employee health screening post-pandemic. Defining the office of the future A modern, dynamic workforce model will require an agile approach to office management. Its imperative to strike the right balance between making people feel welcome and reassuring Businesses want to create an environment in which people feel comfortable and confident a space where employees can collaborate and be creative. Its imperative to strike the right balance between making people feel welcome and reassuring them that the necessary security measures are in place to ensure not only their safety but also their health. In many cases, this balancing act has created an unintended consequence: Everyone now feels like a visitor to a building. Protocols and processes With employees required to undergo the same screening processes and protocols as a guest, weve seen a transformation in the on-site experience. This further underscores the need for seamless, automated, and tightly integrated security solutions that can improve the employee and visitor experience, while helping to ensure health and safety. Ultimately, the future of the office is not about what a space looks like, but how people feel in it. This means adopting a safety-always culture, underpinned by the right technology, to ensure people that their safety remains a business top priority. Georgetown, SC (29440) Today Mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 82F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Marsha Beach protests outside Planned Parenthood on Rutledge Avenue in Charleston in February 2017. Pro-life conservatives in the General Assembly will consider a bill that establishes "a human being is a person at fertilization." Roscosmos, also known as the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities, is the coordinating hub for space activities in Russia. It performs numerous civilian activities (including Earth monitoring and the astronaut program) and coordinates with the Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation for military launches. Roscosmos used to be known as the Russian Federal Space Agency, which was formed in 1992. The new corporation was formed from merging the agency and United Rocket and Space Corporation, a joint-stock entity meant to bolster the space sector. Russia's involvement in space, however, long predates these events. At the height of the former Soviet Union's space prowess in the 1950s and 1960s, the country racked up several world firsts including the first human in space. Roscosmos came to be in a different era, shortly after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The agency poured its scant resources into the International Space Station and to this day remains a major participant in the effort. In 2016, it opened a new launch complex called Vostochny that is intended to eventually take over most of the duties of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, its current primary launch facility in Kazakhstan. The Soviet-U.S. space race Soviet experience with space threads through much of the past century. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky's pioneering rocketry work extended through the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Soviets then supplemented that experience with German V2 missile engineers acquired after the end of World War II in 1945. The United States had another group of Germans from the same program. Under the auspices of International Geophysical Year in 1957-58, the Soviets launched the world's first satellite (Sputnik) on Oct. 4, 1957. Some in the United States worried about the influence of communism in outer space. As Americans scrambled to catch up, the Soviets accomplished many world firsts. Among them were the first man in space (Yuri Gagarin), first woman (Valentina Tereshkova), first lunar flyby (Luna 1) and first three-person crew (Voskhod 1). The Soviets, however, also had their share of disasters. On Oct. 24, 1960, an R-16 missile detonated at Baikonur and killed an estimated 150 people; the details weren't known by the public, or even the affected families, for many decades. The missions of Soyuz 1 (1967) and Soyuz 11 (1971) both launched from Baikonur and ended with disaster upon landing, which between the two missions killed four astronauts. Another famous example of disaster was the N-1 rocket explosion that detonated on the launch pad on July 3, 1969. While there were no fatalities, it damaged the launch facilities and derailed Soviet plans to send astronauts to the moon. Subsequently, the Soviets focused on space station technology, most notably in the form of the Salyut and the Mir space station programs. Mir hosted the longest human spaceflight to date: Valeri Polyakov, in 1994. The Soviet expertise in long-duration spaceflight impressed NASA, which decided to partner with the Russians after the Soviet Union fell apart in the early 1990s. International Space Station contributions Collaboration with NASA dates back to the 1970s, with the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project of 1975, which saw a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and an American Apollo spacecraft meet in Earth orbit. The astronauts and cosmonauts worked together in space briefly before heading off for their own separate missions. After the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, funds reportedly ran thin for the Russian space program. A year later, Roscosmos was formed to coordinate space activities for Russia. The United States was concerned that the fall of the Soviet Union might cause economic havoc in that area of the world. So, NASA offered paid astronaut flights to the Mir space station, with its astronauts receiving technical and language training in Russia before flights. The Shuttle-Mir program (as it was called) flew several American astronauts to Mir between 1995 and 1998. It also laid the groundwork for the International Space Station collaboration; Russian officials eventually elected to focus their resources on the ISS and de-orbit the aging Mir. The Space Shuttle Endeavour prepares to rendezvous with the FGB. (Image credit: NASA.) Russia was a part of ISS construction from the beginning. In 1998, the Zarya control module was the first element launched. Some (but not all) of Roscosmos's contributions include the Zvezda service module, a docking hatch, the research module Rassvet, and regular cargo flights to the ISS using Progress spacecraft. Across dozens of flights, Progress has experienced only a handful of failures over the space station's lifetime (in 2011, 2015 and 2016). Baikonur and Vostochny As of early 2018, all astronauts leaving for the ISS leave from Baikonur. This situation has persisted since 2011, when NASA retired the aging space shuttle. At the time, the agency expected to restart flights on U.S. soil in 2015, when the Commercial Crew Program's spacecraft were ready. However, funding and development delays now have test flights expected to start no earlier than 2018. NASA currently buys seats on Russian spacecraft for its astronauts, a practice that was projected to climb to $82 million per person by 2018. For Russia, contributing cargo launches and launch hardware not to mention other Russian modules on station allows the country to send numerous cosmonauts into space. Many three-person Soyuz crews that head to the station for long-term stays have multiple Russians on board. In 2011, Russia started construction on another launch site Vostochny which is in Siberia and close to the Chinese border. The long-term aim is to shift most Russian launches to Vostochny, which unlike Baikonur, is on Russian soil. (Baikonur used to be inside the Soviet Union, but Kazakhstan since declared independence and the Russians lease the facility.) While Russia initially planned to have crewed launches start at Vostochny in 2018, there have been few launches at the facility to date. Three satellites were successfully launched in 2016, but after Vostochny's second launch in late 2017, a $45 million satellite was lost. Robotic space missions Roscosmos is a major provider of launch services to other countries. Its Proton rocket line has had a few snags over the years. Three Breeze-M upper stages failed in separate launches across 16 months, prompting a full review in late 2012. Then in 2013, another booster failed 17 seconds after the launch. Satellites were also lost in failure in 2015 and 2015. In addition to launching satellites for other countries, Roscosmos does numerous satellite missions of its own. Some examples include Earth observation, military satellites, telecommunications, and Glosnass navigation satellites. In 2013, a fragment of a Chinese satellite (Fengyun 1C) reportedly collided with a small Russian laser-ranging satellite called BLITS (Ball Lens in The Space). The crash knocked BLITS from its original orbit and broke it into at least two fragments. Russia is now looking ahead to a major Mars mission, ExoMars, which it is doing with the European Space Agency. ExoMars' first leg (the Trace Gas Orbiter) launched successfully in 2016, while a rover was delayed by two years (due to scheduling problems) until an expected launch in 2020. Roscosmos is hoping the mission will break the streak of several failed Mars missions, most recently the Phobos-Grunt failure that occurred in 2012 when the probe could not break free of Earth's orbit. Media reports have said that Russia is interested in developing a series of robotic moon missions, which would be dubbed Luna-Glob. However, budgetary restraints have reportedly pushed back the first of these missions until at least 2025. A puddle of acid water in the abandoned Sao Domingos mine in southern Portugal reflects the starlight from the Milky Way, the constellation Scorpius and the planet Saturn in this photo by astrophotographer Miguel Claro. Miguel Claro is a Lisbon, Portugal-based professional photographer, author and science communicator who creates spectacular images of the night sky. As a European Southern Observatory photo ambassador, a member of the international astrophotography project The World At Night and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, he specializes in astronomical "skyscapes" that connect Earth and the night sky. Join him here as he takes us through his photograph "Mina de Sao Domingos, an Open Hole to a Chemical Universe." In this stunning view of the Sao Domingos mine in southeast Portugal, starlight reflecting off an open pit looks like a portal to deep space. It seems like we could plunge through a puddle of acid water and into the constellation Scorpius. Overhead, Saturn shines brightly against the core of the Milky Way galaxy. Throughout history, the Sao Domingos mine has been a major source of gold, silver, copper and pyrite. Heavy elements present in these minerals were created by the stars billions of years ago, before the Earth or the solar system formed. Stars create elements through nuclear fusion, supernova explosions and even collisions. Gold, for example, comes from colliding neutron stars, or the stellar corpses left behind when supernovas explode. Silver production occurs in less-massive stars than those that produce gold and through an entirely different type of nuclear fusion, called the weak r-process. The sites of nuclear creation for some other elements, such as copper, are not really well-known and are continuing topics of observational and computational research. [Supernova Photos: Great Images of Star Explosions] The areas of heaps, slag and channels of water give the landscape a "lunar" feel. The heaps are composed of different materials with high levels of metals, such as slag and ash, which leach through the rainwater and produce acid mine drainage, usually with an ocher or reddish color. The Milky Way shimmers over the Sao Domingos mine in southern Portugal in this photo by astrophotographer Miguel Claro. (Image credit: Miguel Claro Sao Domingos Mine is located in Baixo Alentejo, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) from Lisbon, in the municipality of Mertola, which recently joined the Dark Sky Alqueva Route for the great quality of the night sky. The Sao Domingos mining area is part of the Iberian Pyrite Belt and is a source of basic metals (like zinc, lead, silver, gold and iron) and other elements, such as sulfur. It has been a sought-after place for the extraction of ores since antiquity, with evidence of gold, silver and copper mining in the pre-Roman and Roman times. The pyritic deposit of Sao Domingos (St. Dominic) was explored in various historical periods dating back to the first millennium B.C. (Eastern period) and the Roman Empire. After the Romans, mining at this site ceased until the 1850s, when various European mining companies began extracting copper, gold and silver. The mine closed in 1966, when the reserves were deemed exhausted. Editor's note: If you captured an amazing astronomy photo and would like to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, send images and comments to spacephotos@space.com. To see more of Claro's amazing astrophotography, visit his website: miguelclaro.com. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. A unique shot of a total lunar eclipse on Aug. 28, 2007, looks like a giant cotton swab hovering over the profile of Mingus Mountain in Arizona's Prescott National Forest. During a total lunar eclipse on Aug. 28, 2007, astrophotographer Donna Chesler captured this unusual time-lapse image of what looks like a giant cotton swab looming over Mingus Mountain in Arizona's Prescott National Forest. Chesler created this optical illusion by capturing a 3.5-hour-long exposure of the moon as it passed through Earth's shadow in what's known as a "blood moon" lunar eclipse. She captured the image early in the morning from a west-facing deck in Clarkdale, Arizona. She began the exposure when the partial eclipse began, at 1:50 a.m. PDT, and closed the shutter at 5:30 a.m. PDT, just after the partial eclipse ended and the sun began to rise. Sunlight from the morning sun exposed the silhouette of Mingus Mountain beneath the setting moon. [Supermoon! Amazing Photos of the Biggest Full Moon of 2018] "I cannot imagine that I will ever take a more perfect and intriguing picture," Chesler told Space.com in an email. "The beauty of this shot to me is that not only is there perfect composition, but also the sense of place, with Mingus Mountain on the horizon [creating] a photo that transcends the ordinary celestial photography." To capture the stunning lunar eclipse image, Chesler used a 35mm Nikon camera with a wide-angle lens and 200-speed slide film. Editor's note: There's another total lunar eclipse coming to the U.S. on Jan. 31! If you capture any amazing photos of this "Super Blue Blood Moon" eclipse that you'd like to share with us and our news partners for a possible story or image gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Like God, the Universe arrives in our language at least according to some physicists, metaphysicians, and comic book authors as part of a set that bears its same name. God is a god, but Zeus is also a god. The Universe is a universe, but so might be every other membrane in the braneworld. And, just like God, the Universe's status as both title and member of its set presents some interesting questions to copy editors. In the case of God, the Associated Press Stylebook instructs journalists to capitalize God "in reference to the deity of all monotheistic religions" and lowercase gods and goddesses of polytheistic religion or "in reference to false gods." (AP's example: "He made money his god.") The American Physical Society (APS), as astrophysicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein noted in a tweet Jan. 18, follows a similar rule for talking about our Universe and universes in its journals. Our Universe gets capitalized, generic universes do not. [Where Is the Rest of the Universe?] See more In an email, APS physics editor Matteo Rini confirmed the rule. Our Universe is just one of many universes. "I have asked around, but I don't think there is any particularly deep philosophical reason behind this," Rini wrote to Live Science. "'Universe' is capitalized as we capitalize 'Earth,' and it's not [capitalized] if it just describes a category." Emma Green, writing for The Atlantic in 2014, explained that magazine's reasoning in the case of God and why she disagrees with it: "In my opinion, this suggests a belief on the part of the writer: Capitalizing 'God' means he or she believes in the formal existence of a thing called god, so that name is capitalized like any other name. My boss disagrees. Neither, he says, does capitalizing the protagonist's name from The Big Lebowski entail belief in the existence of the Dude. So we capitalize God." The case of the Universe is less fraught though not completely without contention. Live Science copy chief Laura Mondragon wrote that the APS style differs from Live Science's house style, which is based on Associated Press style. "Although the AP Stylebook doesn't specify whether the 'universe' is capitalized, it clearly states that the 'moon' and the 'sun' are lowercase," she wrote. "Considering the moon and the sun are Earth's only natural satellite and star, respectively, such logic would apply to the 'universe' as well, along with similar terms such as 'our galaxy' (but: the 'Milky Way') and the 'solar system,' in all instances." Originally published on Live Science. Bill Nye the Science Guy is heading to the U.S. Capitol today (Jan. 30) to watch President Donald Trump give his first annual State of the Union address, the science celebrity announced on Twitter yesterday. "Tomorrow night, I will attend the State of the Union as a guest of Congressman Jim Bridenstine nominee for NASA Administrator who extended me an invitation in my role as CEO of The Planetary Society," Nye tweeted. The Planetary Society, which was co-founded by famed astronomer Carl Sagan in 1980, is a nonprofit organization that advocates for space exploration and funding for planetary science. [Presidential Visions for Space Exploration: From Ike to Trump] In a blog post by The Planetary Society, the organization's Space Policy Director Casey Dreier wrote, "We hope to hear the president make supportive statements regarding space exploration, particularly in the context of recent policy directives supporting human exploration of the moon." Last month, President Trump directed NASA to focus on returning humans to the moon when he announced his first space policy directive. "We also hope to hear a mention of the awesome scientific capability and exploration ability of NASA's science divisions a topic we raise frequently with members of Congress," Dreier said, adding that Nye plans to meet with members of Congress while in Washington, D.C., to promote "an increased NASA budget, increased priority on NASA's scientific divisions particularly in the search for life and for a sustainable, forward-looking effort to get humans beyond low-Earth orbit and on to Mars." [In Photos: President Trump Aims for the Moon with Space Policy Directive 1] Bill Nye visits the James Webb Space Telescope during a tour of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., on Sept. 8, 2011. (Image credit: Bill Hrybyk/GSFC/NASA) While Nye is attending the State of the Union address as Bridenstine's guest, the Science Guy did make a point to respectfully distance himself from the congressman and the administration. "While the congressman and I disagree on a great many issues we share a deep respect for NASA and its achievements and a strong interest in the future of space exploration," Nye tweeted. Over the course of his nomination hearings, Bridenstine has been criticized for his lack of experience in the fields of science and engineering and his rejection of the idea that humans are to blame for climate change. Similarly, President Trump has repeatedly referred to climate change as a "hoax." Last summer, he ordered the United States to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, a worldwide accord aimed to combat climate change. "My attendance tomorrow should not be interpreted as an endorsement of this administration or of Congressman Bridenstine's nomination, or seen as an acceptance of the recent attacks on science and the scientific community," Nye said. See more The State of the Union address is scheduled to begin tonight (Jan. 30) at 9:30 p.m. EST (0230 GMT on Jan. 31). You can watch it on most cable news networks or on the White House YouTube channel. Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. The supermoon lunar eclipse on Jan. 31 is shaping up to be a spectacular spectacle as well as a boon for moon researchers, according to NASA moon scientist Noah Petro. Space.com caught up with Petro, deputy project scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, about his advice for viewing the moon and to learn more about what he hopes to learn from the moon's journey into Earth's shadow, which happens to occur Jan. 31 at the same time as a supermoon and a Blue Moon. Visit Space.com for live eclipse coverage and a webcast provided by Slooh.com beginning at 5:45 a.m. EST (1045 GMT). Webcast commentary begins at 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT). "The eclipse is really the most spectacular of the events, because those are the ones that are the most visually stunning," Petro told Space.com. "The supermoon is wonderful because you get to see this slightly larger, brighter moon in the night sky, but it's really the eclipse that's going to obscure the supermoon the brightness will change to that beautiful rusty red color that people are accustomed to seeing during lunar eclipses." [Super Blue Blood Moon 2018: When, Where and How to See It] A supermoon lunar eclipse photographed during its progression over NASA's Glenn Research Center Sept. 27, 2015. (Image credit: NASA/Rami Daud) The full eclipse will be visible on the U.S. West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska, Western Canada, Eastern Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and the event is slow and drawn out the key is to get the timing of your viewing right, Petro said. Unlike last summer's solar eclipse, the lunar eclipse's totality will stretch for hours. For instance, in the Pacific time zone the moon will be in totality completely covered in Earth's dark shadow between about 4:52 and 6:08 a.m., Petro said. For locations farther east, the moon will set before totality is visible. "It's a slowly unfolding event, but should be a really beautiful show," Petro said. To observe the moon, choose a spot with a clear view of the western night sky, he added: "The real best place for people to go is in their backyard, or get together with friends, or any place you might be able to have a clear view of the western sky." Obviously, being near a large city, you get a beautiful view of the moon setting behind huge buildings," he added, "but in general if you want to see the whole event unfold you want to be away from tall buildings, bright lights, trees, things like that. You want to have a clear view of the western horizon." This map by Sky & Telescope shows the visibility regions across North America for the Super Blue Blood Moon lunar eclipse of Jan. 31, 2018. (Image credit: Sky & Telescope) While amateur skywatchers catch the show, scientists will watch the dramatic impact of the eclipse on the moon's surface its temperature will drop as it passes into shadow. "You're going from direct, hot sunlight into the deep, dark shadow of the Earth, and so that rapid cooling of the lunar surface actually can help us understand what the properties of the surface are," Petro said. "There are surfaces on the moon that are extremely cold the coldest temperatures in the solar system, actually, have been identified in permanently shadowed craters at the moon. But when we look more at the equator or the rest of the moon, seeing how the moon's surface cools and then reheats when it goes back into sunlight can tell us something about the particle size, the properties of the surface, that we can't normally get by just studying the normal day-night cycle of heating on the lunar surface." This map by Sky & Telescope shows the visibility regions around the world for the Super Blue Blood Moon lunar eclipse of Jan. 31, 2018. (Image credit: Sky & Telescope) While astronauts brought back samples of the lunar surface from the Apollo missions, those give a narrow view of the surface, Petro said the samples were taken far away from craters, for instance. "This gives us a chance to explore remotely, either with data from our Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft or from the telescopic observations that we made during the eclipse places that we might want to go in the future, or places that were inaccessible to astronauts." Editor's note: If you capture an amazing photo of video of the Jan. 31 total lunar eclipse and would like to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, send images and comments to: spacephotos@space.com. Tomer Sisley (Were The Millers) and Mehdi Dehbi (London Has Fallen) have been cast in Netflixs drama series Messiah, from writer Michael Petroni (The Book Thief) and producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey.Sisley will play Avrim Dahan, an embittered Shin Bet operative who is violent, aggressive, a non-believer who is fighting for the protection of his country and nothing else. He has done some shameful things in the fight against terrorism.Dehbi, whose casting was first reported by Variety, will play Al Massih, described as an enigma, his origins a mystery. People are unsure if he is a divine messenger or a political rabble-rouser. When he disappears from an Israeli interrogation cell with no explanation his legend begins to grow. SPIDER-MAN - Episode 16 - "The Rise of Doc Ock Pt.2" Part Two of The Rise of Doc Ock opens with the Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, rescuing civilians on a bridge that is collapsing. The duo reconnect snapping support wires but look like they'll fail until "The Octopus" shows up and helps them save the day. Otto Octavius has settled nicely into his new heroic role.After the title card opening we find Norman Osborn in his limousine being chased through the streets of New York by none other than The Lizard! The Spideys show up with Otto and a fun little battle erupts. The Lizard grabs Miles and with ease tosses him up and out, away from the fight. Peter reacts and on accident pulls off the creatures long tail! The Lizard retreats by hilariously sliding on his belly down into a sewer drain.The gang heads back to "The Cave of Analysis" as Otto calls his lab at Horizon High. Peter is surprised to find out Ock has cameras in the arms and that they're basically under constant surveillance. Their detective work leads them to Norman Osborn's lab and after Otto sets off the alarms, Norman arrives and uncharacteristically is chipper and happy to see them. Dots are connected and Curt Connors name comes up. The love-fest is broken up by the arrival of The Lizard.In a series that has changed up so much story, it's fun to see the creative team stick with the old school doctor jacket, black shirt, and purple pants design of The Lizard. The Spiders and Otto battle The Lizard with some nice animated action sequences but it's clear Otto isn't a real team player. Some coolant slows down the creature long enough for Norman to get some restraints on him. Norman asks Otto for help in solving Dr. Connors formula problem. He also offers Otto a job at his new school but Norman is turned down by Otto on both accounts.Norman later approaches the captive Lizard on his own and with a formula transforms Dr. Connors back to human! It seems in this itineration Osborn is in charge of the formula and has been using the Doctor to advance his own agenda all along.Miles and Peter find Otto in great spirits the next day when Dr. Octavius gives everyone an A in class. The boys debate wether or not Otto is hero material. This is put to the test when later on it is revealed Otto was set up! The boys question the science on Otto's Lizard "cure" but he moves ahead and uses it on The Lizard when he attacks once again. This time though Otto's formula doesn't work and instead the The Lizard grows and grows super tall! In an obvious but fun ode to Godzilla, The Lizard does his best giant monster routine.Norman poisons Otto against Spider-Man by telling him that someone messed with the original sample, ie Spider-Man, and thats why The Lizard had an adverse reaction to the formula. Otto gets mad and basically won't help any more in trying to stop The Lizard. Norman loves all of it and even notifies the Press while all this is going on. After lots of webs, snares, and escapes the Spider-Men get a new formula jammed into The Lizard, shrinking him down and transforming him back into meek one-armed Dr. Curt Connors.The News and the school both think Otto was reckless and to blame for the giant lizard attack. Otto leaves Horizon High and instantly goes to work for Norman Osborn at his new academy. Spidey seeks out Norman and they have a heart to heart talk. Osborn says I don't like you, you don't like me, we are not friends. Game on!Part 2 hilariously ends with the Spideys cleaning up their battle by pushing a huge broken off lizard tail into the river. And with the path to darkness stepped upon by a fallen hero. Thanks to Jovan for the heads up. NETFLIX ANNOUNCES THE SECOND SEASON OF SUBURRA, THE SERIESJanuary 30th, 2018 - Following the success of the first season, Suburra, the series - the first original Italian Netflix crime thriller produced by Cattleya in collaboration with Rai Fiction and released last October in over 190 countries - will return for a second even more action-packed season.The series, based on the novel of the same title, is set in Rome and describes a fight over land in a seaside town of Ostia that spirals into a deadly battle between organized crime, corrupt politicians and the Vatican.The protagonists are the same who conquered the audience in the first season: Aureliano (Alessandro Borghi), Spadino (Giacomo Ferrara) and Lele (Eduardo Valdarnini), Sara Monaschi (Claudia Gerini), an ambitious financial consultant collaborating with the Church, the politician Amedeo Cinaglia (Filippo Nigro) and the unscrupulous boss Samurai (Francesco Acquaroli).Which new alliances will they secure and which new strategies will they implement to achieve control of the Roman coast?The second season is written by head writer Barbara Petronio with Ezio Abbate and Fabrizio Bettelli. The directors are Andrea Molaioli (Suburra The Series, The Girl by the Lake, The Jewel) and the new-comer Piero Messina (The Wait). B lackstone is set to wade into the battle for City money makers data feeds after moving for a slice of Thomson Reuters $20 billion financial info unit. Anglo-Canadian group Thomson Reuters said it was in advanced talks with Blackstone over a sale of the division, called Financial & Risk. The US private equity giant, led by billionaire founder Steve Schwarzman, could end up controlling 55% of the division, best known for supplying the flagship Eikon terminal to City traders. The Financial & Risk division notched up $6.1 billion of sales in 2016, more than half of Thomson Reuters annual revenues. The better-known News division, founded in London in 1851, contributed around 3%. A takeover would put Blackstone in competition with other data suppliers like Bloomberg the worlds biggest and investment banks trying to break Bloombergs grip. Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley joined other banks recently to launch their own messaging service, Symphony, in an attempt to undercut this dominance. I magine this. Cambridge University announces a new apprenticeship scheme in the engineering faculty together with Rolls-Royce, or one in biochemistry with AstraZeneca, whose global research HQ is in the city, for teenagers who have Business and Technology Education Council (BTec) qualifications. Can you picture the shock that an institution such as Cambridge might accept BTecs those rather odd vocational qualifications that no one really understands but are being studied in increasing numbers by the poor souls who cant make it to A levels? Most of the countrys pointy-heads and the so-called liberal elite would fall off their chairs, either in shock or disdain, at such a decision. Yet such a move by one of the worlds top academic institutions to recognise vocational training might be just the jolt needed to force the Establishment to sit up and take note. Cambridge is not going to make such a leap any time soon, of course. But it is the sort of symbolic gesture that Robert Halfon, the Conservative MP and chairman of the Education Select Committee, says must be made if we are to shift to cultural attitudes towards vocational training. Halfon claims the inbuilt institutional snobbery and bias among academics, politicians and even the business world is so great that only a rocket-booster would shift cultural attitudes. We need a rocket under government and academia: we need politicians who are lions not tortoises, he says. With automation and AI blasting their way through traditional practices, it is essential we evangelise new training and skills. We must also improve ongoing skills training for adults as our economy is changing so fast. Universities are out of date and are too rigid. Hes right, and its only when the political and educational establishment stops seeing the different branches of education traditional A levels and university for the middle-classes, and vocational training for the rest as two separate routes that radical change will be achieved. Ways to education should be seen like a train with different stops for getting on and off but heading for the same destination. Adapting quickly to a modern workplace is critical for two reasons. First, research published yesterday by the Social Market Foundation (SMF) think-tank shows that the numbers of school-age students studying at least one BTec tripled between 2006 and 2014 to 150,000. This is great news as it shows that at last the appetite for vocational-led education is growing. Second, almost half of white working-class and black British students in England are now reaching university with qualifications such as BTecs. The SMF report evocatively entitled Vocation, Vocation, Vocation also found that nearly half of black British students accepted at university have at least one BTec qualification. The BTec route is working particularly well in North-east England and Yorkshire, where almost half of those white working-class children who go to university have at least one BTec, a trend that will help heal the North-South divide. But heres the rub. The majority of Britains most prestigious universities including Cambridge, Imperial College London and most of the Russell Group do not recognise these qualifications. (Oxford does, but as far as anyone can tell, it has never accepted a BTec student.) Even though BTec qualifications are equivalent to A levels, some universities fail to mention BTec entry requirements on their course pages and entry guides, or place tight limits on whether they will be considered while others actively refuse to consider BTecs. There are, however, exceptions to this snobbery: Nottingham Trent University last September took more than a third of its undergraduates with at least one BTec, and accepted a quarter of its students coming from homes with an average income of 15,000. Now thats how you achieve social mobility. The second reason for improving vocational training is the elephant in the room the UKs skills shortage. More than two thirds of manufacturers and service companies say they cant fill a third of the jobs they have on offer. These vacancies are across the spectrum from skilled engineers in manufacturing to the life sciences sector, and to electricians. Heres the reality: Britain today needs 10 times as many engineers as it did 10 years ago. That works out at an extra 640,000 by 2020. The shortages are so bad that billionaire inventor Sir James Dyson has set up his own place of study the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology on his Wiltshire campus. He is putting 15 million into the institute to double his engineering workforce to 6000 by 2020. Until he gets the powers from government to create his own university, the Dyson degrees will be awarded by Warwick University. You know why the vacuum tycoon decided to go it alone? He did so after complaining to government ministers about the lack of engineering skills and training. They shrugged their shoulders, said there was nothing that could be done and advised him to set up on his own. So he did. R yanair has recognised the British pilots union in a huge climb down for its chief executive Michael OLeary. The budget airline has come to an agreement with the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), which represents about a quarter of its pilots. The move comes after 32 years during which the airline and its boss refused point blank to deal with unions. The airline will also give 600 UK pilots a 20% pay rise, which takes their salary above pilots at competitor airlines, including Norwegian and Jet2. Only in September last year OLeary said that hell will freeze over before Ryanair was unionised. He also enraged pilots by saying that their job was very easy and that computers do most of the flying. However, a staffing crisis last autumn which led to the cancellation of 20,000 Ryanair flights which management blamed on difficulty rostering pilots has forced the airline to recognise unions for collective negotiating across Europe and in the UK, its single biggest market. The fact that we have delivered pay rises of up to 20% and union recognition for our pilots in our largest market, shows how serious Ryanair is about working constructively with unions that are willing to work constructively with us, Eddie Wilson, Ryanairs chief personnel officer said. News of the deal with Balpa came with a more typical Ryanair attack on other European unions, including in Ireland, which it accused of wasting time and failing to put proposed 20% pay increases to their members. Ryanair said it would go over the head of the Irish union, Ialpa, and offer 35% of its Dublin-based pilots a pay rise directly, if the union refused or failed to organise a vote by tomorrow. Ryanair will not allow these unions to delay pay increases to our pilots, the airline said. M uzmatch, a dating app for Muslims, has raised 1.5 million from a clutch of investors to expand overseas and grow the team. The three-year-old company, based in Aldgate, central London, was set up by Shahzad Younas, 33, an ex-investment banker for Morgan Stanley, and Ryan Brodie, 24, a software engineer, to help Muslims date more easily. Investors Hambro Perks co-founded by City veteran Rupert Hambro and Y Combinator have bought a minority stake. Muslims dont really date, we get married, said Younas, chief executive. Mainstream apps dont serve this kind of market. Users can choose not to show photos on their profiles or blur them. It also has a chaperoning option, whereby the in-app chats are sent to a guardian. The business, which is currently profitable, the entrepreneurs claim, has more than 350,000 users in 160 countries, although Britain still accounts for around half. T he most striking thing about the guest list for the now notorious Presidents Club dinner was this: how few of them Id heard of. There was Ian Bothams son Liam. Jimmy Tarbuck. Vernon Kay (hes off the telly, right?). When it came to the business folk, the common reaction even among other business people was: who? I asked a top City mover, a man who has advised on more takeovers than David Walliams has done after-dinner speeches, if I was right. Didnt the guest list read like a Who Isnt Who of the City and business? He concurred. A bunch of north London property spivs, was his assessment. And Jimmy Tarbuck. He hadnt heard of most of them either, and he knows everyone. What Tim Steiner of Ocado was doing there is beyond understanding, not least because his Waitrose-type customers are hardly likely to approve. And why the vice-chancellor of the University of Bolton took up an invite is also unclear; we trust his students are asking. Still, like apparently nearly everyone else called to account, Prof George Holmes left as soon as it was polite to do so, which makes it appear as if this disastrous event wasnt even much of a success as a night out. Everyone left early. No one saw anything interesting. It sounds like an Arsenal match. This is in no way to disparage the brilliant work done by the Financial Times and its reporter Madison Marriage, to whom all power. The events described clearly have something important to say about how a certain sort of man with money behaves: very badly, particularly towards women. But they have little to reveal about behaviour at the top of the business world. The truth about top businessmen is boring. They are driven. They work incredibly hard. They conform to staid ideas about what constitutes a successful life. They watch their cholesterol. They dont drink much. The way in which they most conspire to keep women out of top jobs is by making corporate life brutally unfriendly to a balanced family life. They like work more than normal people. CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn had little choice but to rightly attack the deplorable event but she might have noted how many members of the Presidents Club are also members of the CBI. Im guessing the answer is zero. How many are members of the Institute of Directors? None, so far as we know, says the IoD. In hack circles, the main disappointment was that the Mark Kleinman on the guest list turned out not to be the scoop-getting Sky journalist of the same name. Kleinman tweeted his denials and probably understood the upset at the lost jokes about this being an exclusive he missed. Normal service will resume soon, he assured us. Extremely lewd behaviour does still exist in the City, of course, but it tends not to involve senior people. Besides anything else, they have too much to lose by getting caught. My bonkers correspondent offers this recent tale: two young lads join a mid-ranking City broking house (youve heard of them, just). The Thursday night initiation ceremony is this: a room above a Liverpool Street pub is booked. Everyone gets smashed. The two recruits are tied to chairs. A pair of clippers emerge. Their hair is shaved until they resemble an egg. The brokers take it in turns to snort a line of cocaine off their bald heads. Its appalling behaviour. Just childish. But its not as if this sort of stuff is limited to the City, and the chief executive of Goldman Sachs was definitely not in attendance (didnt get invited, for one thing). The best thing to come out of the present debate about male behaviour at work would be a rethink on why working life follows such rigid patterns. Why success is dependent on 16-hour days, on tedious dinners, on meetings that last four times longer than they need to. R estoration comedies often turn on the contents of a black box, which will reveal the fateful truth and seal the plot. The Conservative tragi-comedy has its own version of this artefact: a sealed list of names allegedly possessed by Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, rumoured to be running close to the 48 required to trigger a vote of no confidence. Brady, uncoincidentally knighted by Theresa May recently, wears the glazed expression of a man thrust from a bit part to centre stage. A man of strong views, Brady fought for more grammar schools when it was inconvenient to David Cameron but he is not a natural assassin. Indeed, I gather he has been keen to dissuade disaffected MPs from flirting with epistolary activity that could spell the end of Theresa Mays premiership. Perhaps the total wont be reached, or not yet. But the signs of pre-emptive panic are obvious: a disaffected Chancellor veering off piste at Davos, an avalanche of Eurosceptic criticism and ambitious backbenchers such as Johnny Mercer noting that the window is closing for a May recovery. Recent impact assessments, leaked today, claiming the UK would be worse off post-Brexit in almost every sector, are pessimistic, possibly too much so. But the study also suggests the harder the Brexit, the more the risk of damage. That set the bar high for those preaching the greatest distance from the single market and customs union notably Michael Gove and Boris Johnson. Moderate Tories divide on whether it is better to get the dispatch of May over or hope that she hangs on through stage two of Brexit negotiations. The longer she says nothing, the worse the corrosion. If the PM cannot choose between Norway and Canada as her basic models for post-EU Britain, why should voters have confidence that she can decide on other matters? As Culture Secretary Matthew Hancock suggested yesterday, there are good reasons to adopt the mantra of Corporal Jones in Dads Army: Dont panic. An abrupt leadership race, before any outline of a trade deal is reached, is more likely to end in a rush and a push to Brexiteers running the show than a flowering of judicious Remainers. EPA Centre-ground Tories also have to think quickly about what they might offer to oppose a Brexiteer victory if May goes. Their position cannot be conflated with being soft-on-everything otherwise they will lose the contest. One contender, Home Secretary Amber Rudd, needs a stronger message on rising knife crime and a more decisive voice on failures of policing. She will also need to ditch the ludicrous target of 100,000 net migration but be more open about the trade-off of immigration controls with an assurance that the talented are welcome in Britain. That will displease some groups but the biggest drawback to Mays brand of Toryism is its lack of firm contours. Next, no one doubts the pugnaciousness of Ruth Davidson but she too must decide how long she can remain a promising prospect, rather than a player. If May can regain control enough to affect an exit from the leadership from summer onwards, rather than a humiliating fall before, it is possible that Davidson could be found a safe seat. It might not work. But the Tories drift may well end in parliamentary rebellions that could topple the government in chaos (the Corbyn strategy on resisting a second referendum and piling pressure on the Lords and Commons, is a shrewd one). The time for centrists to stake out what they want apart from a slower or no Brexit is approaching. One seductive variant is a new force of combined Labour and Tory moderates with a sprinkling of remnant Lib-Dems, reinvigorating the centre ground a la Macron, the better to postpone or somehow eradicate Brexit. For all the charm of the idea, it is tough to pull off in a British system of strong party identities. My guess is it would take a Corbyn government to bring an unconventional mix of tribes together and possibly not even then. May has survived so far purely by failing to tell her party what outcomes for Brexit are important to her For now May is hostage to all she surveys. The sickly drama of the 1922 Committee reminds us of the circularity of the European question in the Tory party and the two other leaders who ended up tangling with no-confidence votes John Major and Iain Duncan Smith. The challenge to Major in 1995 is an example of Eurosceptics needing to be careful what they wish for. It ended with John Redwood, a throwback candidate who was clearly unelectable, overtaking the more impressive moderniser-sceptic Michael Portillo. Major survived the near-death experience, but then he had an election win against Neil Kinnock to sustain him. May shot down her partys majority herself in a dreadful election campaign. Moreover, the electorate tends to take flirtation with no confidence at its word: Major went on to lose in 1997. In the case of Iain Duncan Smith, the party moved from doubt to despair and resolution in the space of a month after the Quiet Man conference speech in 2003. He was out by the end of October. Some things dont change: David Davis, I find from my dog-eared cuttings of reporting on that defenestration, was characteristically claiming that he had enough support to make me think I could win without doing so. Leaders under internal pressure rely on their party being more reassured by their continuing presence than alarmed by the risks of them going. So far May has survived, purely by failing to tell her party and the country what outcomes for Brexit and Britain are more important to her than others. The result, as whispers around the 1922 Committee show, is the expectation of failure the most corrosive element in politics. T he Government is engaged in an act of economic self-harm and now we know that it knows it. Whitehalls internal EU Exit Analysis has leaked and it shows that, with Brexit, Britains economy will be smaller than it would have been by between two per cent (staying in the single market or customs union), five per cent (with a free trade agreement) and eight per cent (with no deal). The Governments defence this morning that it hasnt modelled the bespoke deal it is seeking is lame. If the analysis is worthless, why are Cabinet ministers being asked to read it? Even if the UK gets a miraculous bespoke deal, which almost no one beyond Downing Street believes, it would fall between the harmful consequences of staying in the customs union and free trade. Others dismiss the leak by saying: we have heard this before. Yes, we have. But not from this Government. Todays predictions are similar to the medium-term forecasts from the Treasury before the referendum, marginally worse for a no deal scenario and marginally better with a deal. They match the real economy, with Britain now growing more slowly than the rest of the G7. Governments do harmful things all the time by accident or out of ignorance but to do so willingly, consciously and without telling the public the truth is different. Costing Britain dear Every time we hear the Prime Minister tell us that her plan is to build a strong economy, we know that she is being advised that the plan will cost Britain dear. Every time we hear ministers tell us any loss from Brexit will be fixed by free trade deals, we now know that the analysis shows this is untrue. Every time we hear the concerns about the impact of Brexit on the economy dismissed as Project Fear, we now know that recent and credible concerns flow from analysis prepared by a department headed by a leading Brexiteer. Every time we hear it briefed that Brexiteer Cabinet ministers want money for the NHS, we now know that they have been told that their plans have will cost up to 12 trillion in lost output. Every time we hear Conservatives warn about Jeremy Corbyn, we now know that this powerful argument is undermined by the risks of their own policy. It is not too late for the Tories to change course. Heres a simple first step. We can stay in the European Free Trade Association as a growing number of Tory MPs now advocate. We will minimise the economic damage. We will solve the Irish border problem. We will keep our sovereignty. And the Conservatives can start to take the fight to Corbyn. Lets see the Whitehall memo on the advantages of that. A fine leader forced out Today our extraordinary interview with the leader of Haringey council exposes the culture which passes for normal in the Labour Party. Claire Kober, one of the partys most senior women, is standing down this May faced with sexism, bullying, undemocratic behaviour and outright personal attacks on me. These attacks come from party figures who plan to impose a hard-Left agenda on a council she has led with success. Thuggish and intolerant, their actions have nothing to do with the progressive views they pretend to support. As Kober says, my commitment to democratic socialism ... is stronger than ever but I have never been so concerned about the future of the Labour Party. So where is Jeremy Corbyn? Not defending her, thats for sure. At stake is not just the good government of a part of London but Labours claim to be a decent, fair and diverse force. I magine if I told you that you have to put this article together yourself (instructions and screws included) and that when youd finished reading Id reward you with a slippery hot dog youd tell me to get lost (well, you probably wouldnt because I bet you want the hot dog). Thats the deal millions of us make every day. The founder of Ikea, Ingvar Kamprad, died last weekend aged 91, after making an important contribution to mankind. Jokes about his flat-pack coffin aside, he was a controversial figure. There were allegations of tax avoidance (apparently his defence was that frugality lay at the heart of the Ikea business model). He dabbled with fascism in his youth and later had to apologise. But his legacy is the stuff our homes are made of, the environments we conduct our lives from, the things we see every day. Name me a one-night stand that hasnt been romped out on a Hemnes bed in Clapham or a live/work apartment in Shoreditch that isnt lit by an Alba desk lamp? Theres no other brand that quite understands how to dress a debit-card-sized city living space the way Ikea does. Theres no other brand that punctuates our lives in the same way that the big blue and yellow box on the bypass does: going to uni and decking out your student digs; renting your first flat with a partner and buying grown-up cutlery; kitting out your childs nursery (in fact it is claimed one in five children in the UK are conceived in an Ikea bed). Ikea touches all of our lives. But perhaps the most poignant thing that Kamprad bestowed upon us was the feeling that we could build something, all on our own. I am obsessed with the interiors of peoples homes, I love the way people translate how they want to be perceived by the cotton count of their bedspreads, and the chinks in their china. The social anxiety that the afflicted have with dressing their homes for social media and posh lunches makes me squeal with glee. Furniture entrepreneur: Ingvar Kamprad / REUTERS I used to hate Ikea and its anti-hoarding ways I was raised in a house full of hippy tat and old stuff, books and dust and threadbare armchairs, so to me Ikeas one-size-fits-all, clean modernity felt naff and dictatorial. But now, after growing tired of interior bores, I have a deep affection for the democratisation of good taste that Kamprad peddled. Instead of something passed down from our parents, at his hands our furniture became cultural semaphore. I loved watching the twitchy meltdown of one particularly snobby friend when she came over at Christmas and saw I had framed a portrait she had painted me in a classic white Ribba frame. And then theres the zany nomenclature Im sure its all code, and in 20 years time someone will string the names of Ikea furniture together and discover the meaning of life. In a have a good day world, where we are told service is everything, Ikea has taught us that good value trumps all. Ive never felt ripped off by Ikea, I always feel grateful for that free Allen key, and somehow the memories of traumatic Sunday trips to the superstore in Croydon melt away over time just like childbirth. So when the moment comes to sling a giant blue bag over my shoulder, and follow the yellow path to flat-pack oblivion again, I hop in the car, excited, anxious, propped up by Rescue Remedy and ready for the cacti and tea-light shopping spree of my life. London is surrounded by Ikeas in the north, south, east and west. Google map it the tactical formation of stores is kind of spooky and the brand has hijacked our capacity for good taste. A softly-softly democratic ethos belies the hallmarks of a capitalist giant. Now that is commercial success to be admired. So in tribute I urge you all tonight to dig out your Allen keys and lower the top slat of your Billy bookshelf a notch. And think about this: I once heard a story that, at an unveiling of a statue of himself, Kamprad was asked to cut the ribbon. Instead of snipping it he untied the ribbon, handed it to the mayor and said: Now you can use it again. Change is gonna come, so embrace it Yasmin Le Bon / Dave Benett Crippling fatigue, an anxiety deep in your stomach and a body temperature that is rising so high that your throat is closing up. Welcome to the world of a menopausal female. She is no longer reproductive so society says she is on the shelf, and she is ill-prepared because just as when she gave birth to her first child, no one told her how hard it would be. The average age of the menopause and the UK is 51 but 1 in 100 women has it early (under 40), yet menopause remains the greatest taboo around womens health and its more than a hot flush. The menopause is a bit shit, actually, Yasmin Le Bon, told Red magazine. You ache all over, youre tired and fractious and you develop a layer of padding all over. You cant remember to make that appointment to see the damn endocrinologist. Meg Mathews, the ex-wife of Noel Gallagher, is also on a one-woman mission with her new website, Megs Menopause, to raise awareness of the change. Like periods, menopause will affect half of the worlds population. Im not about to dedicate this column to saying that if the half of London living this pain were male wed know a lot more about it... but I kind of just did. Why do I panic over a brown envelope? It probably says more about my skills as a manager than it does about how tight-fisted I am but is there anything more awkward than being the first one with the leaving gift envelope? We had a team member depart of late and the obligatory brown A4 envelope with our names on it (ready to be ticked off once youd paid up) landed on my desk first. First question: how much to put in? (I usually go for 10 is that enough?) Second question: where to write the message? (Top right corner prominent but not dominant). I read with great alarm the article from shadow chancellor John McDonnell [I am at Davos to put the elite on notice that their time is up, Comment, January 26]. While McDonnell spews all the right words to the press, behind the facade there is a wolf in sheeps clothing. He is trying to stoke social divisions and jealousies and use intimidation through Momentum in order to gain power for himself and Jeremy Corbyn. This is a man who believes that success should be punished and anyone who dares to oppose and speak against the Labour party should be deselected. Politically, McDonnell is so Left-leaning because he has never had to live under a socialist or communist system. He has never had to experience rationing, hunger, lack of clothing, lack of freedom of speech, press and association. He supports Cuba and Venezuela without truly understanding the silent suffering experienced by citizens of those two countries. The British public should be aware of how potentially dangerous to our freedoms and economy this man is if he is elected to power. A Garciga You should be commended for publishing John McDonnells most excellent article about tax evasion on your comment page. As a lifelong Labour supporter (now 93) who shared the excitement of Clement Attlees radical programme in 1945, I hope McDonnell is giving support to Jeremy Corbyn. However, observing socialist efforts over many years, he should take care to avoid the naivete of concentrating on income rather than on wealth of the elite. They will sit out these taxes for a year or two and assert their advantage with a war scare or some other disaster. The one thing that McDonnell and Labour should have on their menu is a fortune tax, whereby everyone with personal wealth exceeding 1 million should be asked to declare it and pay a small tax on it. This would destroy the tax havens of the billionaire class, and help Labour set things right in our suffering country. Matthew Wallis John McDonnells Davos piece makes compelling reading. In 1985, he was appointed principal policy adviser to Camden council; the streets were filthy but the ideological purity of the ruling Labour group was paramount. McDonnells dedication to a Marxist agenda has never wavered. The hard Left has never been closer to power; their policies, with McDonnell at the Treasury, would disembowel the economy. Come an election, Labour voters who favour a moderate brand of socialism should employ an adaptation of the Latin expression: caveat emptor. Geoffrey Tuffs Don't rank schools v colleges in league tables It makes little sense to see colleges judged against schools [January 26] in the Governments league tables. There are just four colleges in London delivering education for 14- to 16-year-olds and the student profile is different from schools. Many of these young people have had a disrupted education, some being permanently excluded from mainstream school and with a high risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training). The new Progress 8 tables are based on a traditional five-year secondary school model covering a broad curriculum. However, further education colleges offer students a combination of a technical specialism with core English and maths skills. Yet when compared with schools, it appears students are not achieving well or making enough progress. This is an unfair reflection on what is actually happening, when many London colleges are equipping students with the skills they need for further training and a fulfilling career. Sam Parrett, principal and chief executive, London South East Colleges The Irish border is Brexit's biggest flaw I would like to ask Brexit supporters to explain how they think the UK will leave the single market and the scope of EU regulation and law, including the free movement of travel, without the need for a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, or Northern Ireland leaving the UK and becoming part of Ireland? Having no border between Northern Ireland and Ireland means a free flow of goods, services, capital and people between Northern Ireland and Ireland, an EU member. If there were no border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK (which is neither practical or acceptable for as long as Northern Ireland remains part of the UK) the result would also be a free flow of goods, services, capital and people between Ireland and the whole of the United Kingdom. It appears to me that the British people were offered something that can never actually be delivered, given the Good Friday agreement. Mark Sinclair Women-only clubs won't bring equality I read with interest your article regarding the apparent growth in popularity of single-sex womens clubs [Weve had scores of new members overnight: the new women-only clubs, January 25]. I disagree with any form of discrimination on grounds of gender and am pleased that the autonomy of so-called gentlemens clubs is being challenged. However, I do not believe that establishing women-only clubs challenges patriarchy or increases social mobility. By their very nature, private members clubs cater to an elite clique with prospective members often required to have a social status deemed by the club to be acceptable, references from existing members and the finances to pay for the cost of joining, membership and ongoing expenses. As such, the majority of people regardless of their gender would be excluded from joining, thus missing the opportunities to gain useful networking opportunities. It would also be interesting to know the policy of the clubs regarding trans+ women. Women who are able to join such organisations should not deceive themselves by thinking that they are assisting the cause of equality. If anything, they are adopting the worst characteristics of men-only clubs, which they claim to oppose. Keeley-Jasmine Cavendish Heathrow no match for high-seed rail Sam Gurneys plea to support Heathrow expansion is incredibly short-sighted, given the environmental effects of expanding aviation further [Letters, January 26].While I concede that it is hard to see a reasonable alternative to long-haul aviation, short-haul is another matter. Raising a huge engine into the sky is an extravagant way of transporting people a few hundred kilometres or less. It is better to encourage people into travelling on high-speed railways across Europe, which, as they are electrified, do not carry engines or fuel. The Corporation has today finally pledged to right the wrongs of the past as it tries to take control of the crisis that has bubbled away since last summer when it revealed two thirds of its highest-paid stars were men. BBC director-general Tony Hall will tomorrow face a grilling by MPs on the Commons Culture select committee. They are unlikely to let him off lightly. But while much of the debate around the gender pay gap has focused on the public service broadcaster, chief executives nationwide should take note. While some big firms including Virgin Money, TSB, Fujitsu and Weetabix have already published comparative pay figures ahead of the Governments deadline for organisations employing more than 250 people, there remains concern that not all will. With just two months to go only 720 out of 9,000 eligible organisations are on the list. There are some success stories. At the manufacturing arm of Unilever UK, which makes household products ranging from Persil to Marmite, women are paid 8.8 per cent more. They now account for 50.7 per cent of all management positions in its UK business, up from 41.8 per cent in 2010. There seems to be an increased understanding of the need to change corporate culture and practice rather than carry on papering over the cracks, chief executive Paul Polman tweeted as it published its results. FDM Group, an IT services company with a pay gap of just six per cent, is another. The truth is I was curious and I wanted to see where we were, chief operating officer Sheila Flavell says. There is work to be done but nonetheless the figures were promising. She is realistic about the problem faced by sectors where women tend to be under-represented such as IT, construction and finance. We can expect to see a gap and that is why we are having to work very hard at all levels to make sure we can get more women into the industry. Historically, the pay gap has been stark in financial services, where the focus has been on maximising profits over gender equality. But there are surprises. Citi, the giant American banking group, announced earlier this month that its pay gap was just one per cent, based on an analysis of its workforce in the UK, US and Germany. Pay equity is a very important principle at Citi, the banks head of human resources Mike Murray wrote in a memo to staff. We have long had a number of efforts in place to help us adhere to that principle. The bank has yet to publish its UK figures, so until then it is unclear if it has done something truly remarkable here. Many of those to have already published revealed embarrassingly poor results. Yet by going early they have been able to tell their side of the story. EasyJet, for example, recorded one of the biggest gaps at 52 per cent. It explained that the vast majority (94 per cent) of its pilots who earn far more than cabin crew and other employees are male. Only four per cent of commercial pilots worldwide are women, making narrowing the gap through recruitment a tougher task. The airline has set itself a target that a fifth of all pilots recruited should be female by 2020, up from six per cent in 2015 and 13 per cent now. Its new chief executive, Johan Lundgren, also announced yesterday he would take a 34,000 pay cut to match the salary of his female predecessor Carolyn McCall. There are plenty of other firms and public sector organisations that need to close the chasm. The Bank of England reported a 21 per cent gap and the Department for Transport a 16.9 per cent imbalance. Virgin Money was one of the first to publish its gap. The figures drevealed a 32.5 per cent pay gap with just 35 per cent of employees at the top of the company women, compared with 73 per cent lower down. But chief executive Jayne-Anne Gadhia, who was asked by the Government to lead a review of women in finance two years ago, doesnt shy away from the statistics. The reasons for the imbalance are well known: lack of flexible working at senior levels; the motherhood penalty; the old boys network and its arcane recruitment practices among them. But Gadhia says it is nonsense to think nothing could be done: by 2020 she wants a 50:50 gender balance in her ranks and believes the pay gap will be significantly reduced if not eradicated fully. She says it was a no-brainer, economically as well as morally. Improved gender equality flows through to enhanced productivity, performance and profit. Creating the right culture for both women and men to flourish will not only improve the bottom line, it is quite clearly the right thing to do. Other firms have also stepped up. TSB, which has a pay gap of 31 per cent primarily because it has fewer women in senior roles, has been an industry leader. The bank has been working on gender equality since 2013 and has met targets for one third of board members and executives to be women. It has some radical policies: gender-neutral shortlists for external recruitment; experienced buddies for those going off on parental leave; and mentoring female rising stars among them. Home Secretary Amber Rudd, now in charge of the equalities brief, has called on organisations to help a greater number of women reach the upper reaches by promoting more, changing the way they recruit and enabling flexible working. Veteran Labour MP Harriet Harman believes the changes ahead are revolutionary but recognises that they will take time to bed in. I dont think its easy. Theres not a magic wand you could wave on this, she told the Guardian recently. But there is no point getting ourselves to this point, looking over the edge of the precipice and thinking, Well, were not going to do anything about it. So, youve got a choice: you either perpetuate it or you change it. The transition will be ragged. Yet the huge numbers of firms still to declare suggest some will miss the deadline. Jane Gotts, co-founder of GenAnalyticsca consultancy looking at equality and diversity in business, says: I dont think they will all do it... But if we are really serious about closing the pay gap we need a monumental shift to get more women into senior roles and keep them there. But one government insider stresses: This is not an option; it is the law. Waiting to report wont change those figures. Only by shining a light on this issue will employers be able to take action to close their gender pay gap. Virgin Moneys Gadhia recognises there is a long way to go but is happy with progress so far. Her advice is simple: Companies need to get on the front foot and address gender inequality as they would any other business challenge. A teenager who filmed himself hanging on to the back of moving DLR trains for a YouTube prank told police that is what we do when he was caught, a court heard. Harris Ahmed, 18, waved at passengers and stunned bystanders as he train surfed for several stops while clinging to the outside of the carriage. Filmed by a 16-year-old accomplice, Ahmed is seen hanging on to the back of the moving train as it leaves the station at Shadwell. In a second effort, Ahmed jumps on to the train and rides on the outside between Poplar and Canning Town. The six-minute video, posted online under the title London Train Surfing Escape, was among a series of similar stunts on the DLR network in February and March last year. This behaviour is extremely reckless and will not be tolerated, said TfLs director of enforcement Steve Burton, in an appeal to catch the culprits. When arrested, Ahmed told police the stunt was for publicity and excitement and added: Thats what we do. He also said he was unaware it was against the law. The younger boy claimed he didnt consider it to be dangerous, Highbury Corner magistrates court heard. Both teenagers admitted endangering safety on March 13 last year, while Ahmed also pleaded guilty to the same charge a week later, on March 20. Magistrate Sharon Ereira told them yesterday: You have got to understand youre not just putting your life at risk, but putting others at risk and when youre putting it on YouTube youre encouraging other young people which is also putting them at risk. Ahmed, from Manor Park, was sentenced to 15 hours at an attendance centre and ordered to pay an 85 court fee. A primary school in London could become the first in England to cut its working week to four-and-a-half days amid a budget crisis. St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Isleworth has been criticised after suggesting the week could end at 12.45pm on Fridays. In a letter sent out on Friday, the school told parents they should "actively investigate child care options for your children on Friday afternoons" from September. But in a Facebook post on Monday it insisted no decision has been made. The school had consulted with parents in October 2017, with the need to save cash coming as a result of government demands to increase in National Insurance and pension contributions without increasing school funding. Options explored included cutting the working week and decreasing the length of lunchtime, cutting the number of teaching assistants or getting parents to pay 400 extra per child each year. In last week's letter St Mary's said it favoured the former scenario and would develop the proposal into the final arrangements as a matter of urgency. Parents have expressed concern on the school's Facebook page. Emma White wrote: "I know that childcare is a massive issue for most people, but surely the main problem is that OUR children will be receiving 10 per cent less education than their peers and I dont believe this will have no impact when they get to secondary school. "The school day already seems crammed and to have less time to do all the tasks that the teachers have to get done is just insane. "For teachers as well as children. Its just so sad that our school seems the worst affected in the country." St Mary's has refused to comment directly. Councillor Tom Bruce, Cabinet Member for Childrens Services and Education at Hounslow Council, said: We are aware of the decision of St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Isleworth, to consult with parents on proposals to close the school early on a Friday afternoon from September 2018. At this stage, no decision has been taken by the governors and following the consultation with parents we understand that the school are now consulting with staff. We work closely with all of our schools and look forward to hearing the outcome of the consultation when it is completed. T he UK will be worse off after Brexit under all possible scenarios, according to a leaked government analysis. Theresa May is under pressure to publish the latest economic impact statement amid reports it shows every region of the country and every sector of the economy will suffer. As the Prime Minister prepared to fly out on a three-day trade mission to China, opposition MPs said the public were entitled to know the true cost of leaving the EU. Mrs May leaves behind her a Conservative Party in turmoil, amid deepening unrest among MPs over the direction of the talks with Brussels. Brexit negotiations: Theresa May with Jean-Claude Juncker / AFP/Getty Images The mood in the party will not have been helped by the leak of the new assessment, drawn up for the Department for Exiting the EU, showing growth would be lower under a range of potential scenarios. Even if the UK is able to negotiate a comprehensive free trade agreement - as Theresa May hopes - it estimated growth would be down 5 per cent over the next 15 years, according to the document seen by BuzzFeed News. That would rise to 8 per cent if Britain left without a deal and was forced to fall back on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. Alternatively, if the UK were to retain access to the single market through membership of the European Economic Area the loss would be just 2 per cent. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG) of Tory MPs, said the findings were "highly speculative". He said similar modelling carried out by the Treasury ahead of the Brexit referendum - predicting large scale job losses if there was a vote to leave - had been "comprehensively wrong". Trump: I would have negotiated Brexit differently However Labour MP Chris Leslie, a member of the Open Britain group which campaigns against a "hard" Brexit, said ministers must now release the findings in full. "No one voted to make themselves or their families worse off," he said. "The Government must now publish their analysis in full, so that MPs and the public can see for themselves the impact that Brexit will have and judge for themselves whether it is the right thing for our country." In response to the leak a Government source said officials from across Whitehall were undertaking "a wide range of ongoing analysis". "An early draft of this next stage of analysis has looked at different off-the-shelf arrangements that currently exist as well as other external estimates," the source said. P rince William and Kate rubbed shoulders with Hollywood stars as they dined with the cream of Swedish society. They Royal couple joined Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel and sat down with Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander and film star Stellan Skarsgard for a black-tie evening hosted by the British Ambassador. Kate wore a coloured silk Erdem gown, decorated in florals. Joined by Swedish politicians, businessmen and a television host, they dined on familiar Scottish smoked salmon and guinea fowl as they enjoyed the company of new-found friends. Prince William and Kate talk to Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven and his wife Ulla Lofven / AFP/Getty Images William and Kate began the evening with a short meeting with the Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Lofven and his wife Ulla, telling them about their visit to the host country thus far. William regaled them with details of his bandy hockey exploits, telling them he was proud to have scored a goal. The Duchess, who laughed and patted him, insisted: "I let him win." Rest: The Duchess of Cambridge tries out a chair as she visit the ArkDes museum in Sweden with Prince William / Getty Images Earlier Prince William and Kate admitted to having Ikea furniture at home during a visit to the country's national museum of architecture and design in Stockholm. Marcus Engman, the company's head of design, said they told him that they had some Ikea furniture for Prince George and Princess Charlotte. "I'm proud that we can suit everybody," he said. "That's what we want Ikea to be - for the many people of the world, both royalty and ordinary people." Royals: The couple admitted they have Ikea furniture for their two children / Getty Images Mr Engman was showing the couple round an exhibition of a competition for young Swedish designers which Ikea has been involved with since it began 20 years ago. He said before meeting them: "It would be nice to know if they have any Ikea furniture. I know that the royals in Sweden have. Why would it not be possible for them? Duchess: Kate grins as she sits in a chair at the museum / REUTERS "There is a great variety. Our beds are really good, and affordable. You get a lot for your money there. "We have worked together with (Queen) Silvia on a project for elderly living where we have developed things together called Silviabo." The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tour of Sweden and Norway 1 /25 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tour of Sweden and Norway The Duchess of Cambridge laughs as she attends a Bandy hockey match with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, where they will learn more about the popularity of the sport during day one of their Royal visit to Sweden and Norway Getty Images The Duchess of Cambridge hits a hockey ball as she and the Duke of Cambridge meet a group of local bandy hockey players at Vasaparken in Stockholm on the first day of their visit to Sweden PA The Duchess of Cambridge hits a hockey ball as she and the Duke of Cambridge meet a group of local bandy hockey players at Vasaparken in Stockholm on the first day of their visit to Sweden PA The Duchess of Cambridge and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge pose for a group photo as thet meet a group of local bandy players on the ice in Stockholm, Sweden AFP/Getty Images The Duchess of Cambridge laughs as she attends a Bandy hockey match with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge Getty Images The Duchess of Cambridge hits a hockey ball as she and the Duke of Cambridge meet a group of local bandy hockey players at Vasaparken in Stockholm on the first day of their visit to Sweden Victoria Jones/PA The Duchess of Cambridge hits a hockey ball as she and the Duke of Cambridge meet a group of local bandy hockey players at Vasaparken in Stockholm on the first day of their visit to Sweden PA The Duchess of Cambridge, visit a bandy ice rink during her official visit with Prince William in Stockholm, Sweden Reuters The Duchess of Cambridge with a hockey stick as she and the Duke of Cambridge meet a group of local bandy hockey players at Vasaparken in Stockholm on the first day of their visit to Sweden PA Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cambridge laugh as they attend a Bandy hockey match where they will learn more about the popularity of the sport during day one of their Royal visit to Sweden and Norway Getty Images Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cambridge laugh as they attend a Bandy hockey match where they will learn more about the popularity of the sport during day one of their Royal visit to Sweden and Norway Getty Images The Duchess of Cambridge hits a hockey ball as she and the Duke of Cambridge meet a group of local bandy hockey players at Vasaparken in Stockholm on the first day of their visit to Sweden PA Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attempts to hit the ball as he attends a Bandy hockey match Getty Images The Duchess of Cambridge hits a hockey ball as she and the Duke of Cambridge meet a group of local bandy hockey players at Vasaparken in Stockholm on the first day of their visit to Sweden Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge meet a group of local bandy hockey players at Vasaparken in Stockholm on the first day of their visit to Sweden PA The Duchess of Cambridge arriving meet a group of local bandy hockey players at Vasaparken in Stockholm on the first day of their visit to Sweden PA The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arriving meet a group of local bandy hockey players at Vasaparken in Stockholm on the first day of their visit to Sweden PA Rest: The Duchess of Cambridge tries out a chair as she visit the ArkDes museum in Sweden with Prince William Getty Images Tour: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden PA Duchess: Kate grins as she sits in a chair at the museum REUTERS Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge with Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel EPA Getty Images Chris Jackso/Getty Images Getty Images PA After their meeting he said they began by offering their condolences on the death of the firm's founder Ingvar Kamprad. Mr Engman told them: There have been sad days at Almhult. He said they were very interested in both home furnishings and how the design process works at Ikea. They also revealed that they have Ikea pieces for the childrens rooms. Tour: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden / PA A royal source was unable to confirm what pieces the family has from Ikea, but said that it was very plausible. During their tour of ArkDes, the duke tried out a rocking stool designed by Hemmo Honkonen, 29, which makes a musical whistle when moves back and forth, part of a project to combine his twin interests of furniture and musical instruments. Dont break it! said the duchess as he went to sit down. Design: The couple visited the ArkDes museum / Getty Images Its a great idea, said the duke. With percussion you could have a whole orchestra in someones house. The duchess also sat in an armchair by Rebecca Patrini, 29, and Joel Fjallstrom, with wool covered arms and a seat of suede from a stag. Very nice, she said. Very comfortable. The duke also sat on a stool by British designer Sophie Hardy, 33, originally from near Ludlow, Shropshire, but now living in Sweden. William and Kate play bandy hockey in Stockholm Kieran Long, the museums British director who previously worked at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, said before the trip the couple had expressed a particular interest in seeing Swedish architecture. He said: Many architects consider Prince Charles to be a rather conservative force in architecture. But we have no idea what their opinions are. T he UK's biggest warship gushed water as the HMS Queen Elizabeth's onboard sprinkler system fired off accidentally. The malfunction saw floods of water spraying out in one of the 3.1bn ship's main hangars, according to the Sun. According to the newspaper's source, the flooding was "minor" and shut off within minutes. Meanwhile Portsmouth's naval base tweeted to say the ship's departure for a two-month trials programme will not take place today. The Ministry of Defence told the Standard however that the sailing had not been delayed as such but was always set to take place in a tidal window dependent on conditions. "We are on track with the sea trials programme but we don't discuss the specifics of that," said a spokesman. It came just a month after it was revealed the 280-metre warship was leaking due to a faulty seal in a propeller shaft. With an estimated half-a-century working life, the Navy's future flagship is the biggest and most expensive ever built by the UK. The aircraft carrier weighs 65,000 tonnes and has a top speed of more than 25 knots. An array of ship-building yards around the country were involved in the build - these include Govan and Scotstoun in Glasgow, Appledore in Devon, Cammell Laird in Liverpool, A&P on the Tyne in Newcastle and Portsmouth. HMS Queen Elizabeth commissioning ceremony - In pictures 1 /21 HMS Queen Elizabeth commissioning ceremony - In pictures The HMS Queen Elizabeth ahead of her commissioning ceremony PA Royal Navy ratings practice in the hanger of HMS Queen Elizabeth ahead of her commissioning ceremony PA A cake made to mark the warship's commissioning ceremony Getty Images Queen Elizabeth attends the Commissioning Ceremony of HMS Queen Elizabeth in Portsmouth Getty Images An aerial view of the new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth at the Naval base in Portsmouth EPA Katherine Jenkins sings alongside the Royal Marine band ahead of the the Commissioning Ceremony of HMS Queen Elizabeth at HM Naval Base Getty Images Police officers are seen in front of HMS Queen Elizabeth during the ceremony Getty Images Members of the ship's company give three cheers to Queen Elizabeth II during the commissioning ceremony of Britain's biggest and most powerful warship HMS Queen Elizabeth into the Royal Navy Fleet at Portsmouth Harbour PA Names of some of the people involved in the construction of HMS Queen Elizabeth are seen in the hanger ahead of her commissioning ceremony PA Princess Anne, Princess Royal attends the Commissioning Ceremony of HMS Queen Elizabeth at HM Naval Base in Portsmouth Getty Images A general view of a cake made by David Duncan ahead of Queen Elizabeth II and Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal's visit to attend the Commissioning Ceremony of HMS Queen Elizabeth at HM Naval Base Getty Images A general view of a cake made by David Duncan ahead of Queen Elizabeth II and Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal's visit to attend the Commissioning Ceremony of HMS Queen Elizabeth at HM Naval Base in Portsmouth Getty Images The Queen and Princess Anne taking the salute at the commissioning of the new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth into the Royal Navy during a ceremony at the Naval base in Portsmouth, Britain, 07 December 2017. In her role as the ship's Lady Sponsor Her Majesty addressed guests before the Ship's Captain, Commodore Jerry Kyd, read the commissioning warrant EPA HMS Queen Elizabet PA HMS Queen Elizabeth PA HMS Queen Elizabeth PA Crew members work in the ship control centre on board HMS Queen Elizabeth PA General view of HMS Queen Elizabeth from an approaching Merlin helicopter PA HMS Queen Elizabeth PA HMS Queen Elizabeth PA Crew members work in the Operations room for weapons systems and air traffic control on board HMS Queen Elizabeth PA T he UK is braced for a freezing February with snow showers and plummeting temperatures set to arrive by the end of the week. On Thursday night the mercury could drop as low as -9C in parts of Britain, the Met Office has warned. It comes as bookies Coral cut their odds on next month being the coldest February on record to 2-1. Meanwhile amateur climatologist David King told the Standard in November that wintry conditions would last well into March across the country. National weather forecast 30th January According to Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst, snow and sleet will affect parts of the country from Wednesday. He said: From Wednesday afternoon there will be a mix of sleet and snow across the higher ground of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Thursday night will be the coldest [of the week] and temperatures will drop to -5 or -6C in northern England and Scotland, and as low as -9C in parts of Scotland. Snow in UK January 21 2018 1 /17 Snow in UK January 21 2018 People use umbrellas to shelter from a snowfall in central London PA Snow falls in central London on Sunday PA Snowfall at Alexandra Palace, London, on Sunday Members of the public waiting at bus stop during a snowfall at Alexandra Palace, London PA People walk during a snowfall at Alexandra Palace, London PA A person drives a vehicle in snowy conditions in Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales National Park PA People shield their faces in snowy conditions in Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales National Park PA Sheep in snow near Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales National Park PA A train in snowy conditions at the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales National Park PA Elizabeth Lewin, 10, (left) and Matthew, 13, in a snow tunnel near Newby Head Farm in the Yorkshire Dales National Park PA Isobella Bellamy, Katie Walls and Lucy Walls sledging near Newby Head Farm in the Yorkshire Dales National Park PA Snow weighs down on very early daffodils in Tring, Hertfordshire, on Sunday Snow in Tring, Hertfordshire JEREMY SELWYN Cross country runners set off through heavy snow around Peebles in the Scottish Borders PA Cross country runners around Peebles in the Scottish Borders PA A man runs during snow fall in Buxton Derbyshire, on Sunday REUTERS A woman walks a dog during snow fall in Buxton, Derbyshire REUTERS It looks like through the beginning of February it will be settled and dry with temperatures rather cold, a risk of frost and some snow showers with the weather mainly determined by high pressure. "In the second half it will be a bit milder, but with a higher risk of sleet and snow. Before the colder temperatures arrive, unsettled weather will see rain and blustery conditions across the UK over the coming days. Mr Dewhurst added: For the start of Tuesday it is going to be a dry, cold start, with patchy frost, rain across the north-west of Scotland with the rest of the country generally quite cloudy. There will be a risk of patchy rain in the southern counties through the day. It will be a mix in terms of temperatures, chilly in the north with highs of 6 or 7C and in the south highs of 10 or 11C. In London it will be a fine day with sunny spells in the morning, cloudy in the afternoon with a risk of patchy rain in the evening and highs of 9C. On Tuesday night the band of rain in Scotland will push southwards through the country, reaching Wales and the Midlands by the end of the night. A man held in Cambodia with four other Brits over alleged "pornographic dancing" has said "all I did was organise a party". The group, which includes two women who are not thought to be British nationals, could face up to a year in prison after they are charged by officials. They could reportedly be held as long as six months before the case reaches court. Cambodian police issued a photo which it said showed those arrested at the party / PA Images released after the raid appeared to show the tourists recreating sex positions at the party. Among the detainees are Daniel Jones, 30, from Essex, Thomas Alexander Jeffries, 22, Paul Francis Harris, 32, Vincent Hook, 35 and Billy Stevens, 21 from Wadhurst in Kent. Mr Jones is reportedly accused of orchestrating the incident. Speaking to The Sun on Monday said he was "not guilty of anything". "All I did was organise a party," he said. "I'm sure it was far tamer than what goes on in Ibiza." Tourists appeared to be recreating sex positions, images released by authorities showes / Cambodian National Police via AP A Cambodian Police website published photographs online, appearing to show clothed and laughing tourists acting out various sex positions. They have been charged with producing pornographic pictures and materials, authorities said. But the group of five Brits have denied it is them in the photos. In a joint statement from prison, they said: We're innocent. We don't know why we've been arrested - we're getting different stories from different people." A Cambodian judge will decide whether to pursue the charges against the 10 foreigners. Lawyer for the group Sourng Sophea said in his three-page submission to the court that the partygoers had not been naked. "When police arrived, they were wearing underwear and bras as they drank," Sourng Sophea told Reuters. "The charge of producing pornography is a little too harsh," he said. "Now, they are in prison and this is too much." He said the accused had not published any pictures of the event and had committed no crime. In Cambodia it is illegal to produce pornographic films and pictures under Cambodias 2007 Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. The Foreign Office confirmed they were in contact with British nationals in Cambodia. A game hunter has died after a stray bullet hit him during the controversial practice of "canned lion hunting" in South Africa. According to local reports, 75-year-old Pero Jelinic from the island of Pag, Croatia, was an experienced hunter and dreamed of killing a lion to add to his trophy collection. But while hunting with friends at Leeubosch Lodge, four hours' drive from Johannesburg, where lions are kept to be hunted in captivity, he was killed in what police said were unclear circumstances. According to the Mail Online, he had killed one lion and was aiming at another when the freak accident happened. Mr Jelinic, a retired hotelier, was airlifted to hospital but medics could not save him and he died after the incident on Saturday. "Pero was a passionate hunter of big and small game, and in search of that he travelled most of the world," Mr Jelinic's friend Slavko Pernar told Croatia's Jutarnji List newspaper. "For the past year he had leased his hotel to dedicated himself to the things he planned to accomplish and enjoyed a deserved retirement. "He, unfortunately, received the ugliest end he died in South Africa doing what he loved. His office, a hunting hall, was full of trophies, deer and bear specimens and everything that could be hunted in Croatia and Europe." In South Africa, it is legal to hunt lions bred in captivity, a practice known as "canned" lion hunting where the animal has little chance to escape. M ount Mayon spewed thick clouds of ash over towns in the Philippines as lava erupted from the country's most active volcano. Awestruck tourists looked on as the erupting volcano hurled ash over nearby towns in the northeastern province of Albay. Mount Mayon has been erupting for more than two weeks. Some 84,000 people who fled the danger zone are staying in schools and other crowded shelters. Tourists take a selfie with Mount Mayon / AFP/Getty Images The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said one large lava eruption lasted more than an hour and a half on Monday. The ash plume reached 1.5 kilometres (0.9 miles) above the crater and caused significant ashfall in the towns of Camalig and Guinobatan. Farmers were pictured inspecting crops and herding buffalo away from potential danger. Tourists snapped selfies in front of the erupting volcano and enjoyed lava-themed desserts at nearby restaurants. Residents of the Philippines look on as Mount Mayon spews ash / AFP/Getty Images Mayon has been belching red-hot lava fountains, huge columns of ash and molten rocks into the sky and plunging communities into darkness with falling ash since January 14. Molten lava flows down the slopes of Mount Mayon / AP It has remained at alert level four on a scale of five, indicating a more violent eruption could be imminent. Scientists have warned that despite the repeated eruptions of lava, Mayon is still swollen with magma below the surface and could erupt explosively. Loading.... No injuries have been reported in the current eruption, but authorities have struggled to keep people out of the danger zone 8 kilometres (5 miles) from the crater. They are worried the eruption may last months, disrupting the lives and livelihoods of people in Mayon's shadow. Restaurants are serving lava-themed desserts / AFP/Getty Images Provincial leaders say disaster funds are running low and have said supplies like face masks will be depleted if the eruption lasts. The government has raised the possibility of creating a permanent "no man's land" around Mayon that would affect tens and thousands of people living in the fertile farmlands nearby. Mount Mayon hurls lava into the sky / AP One possibility is expanding a national park around the base of the volcano, where trees could grow and become a buffer against volcanic flows endangering villages and towns. Mayon has erupted about 50 times in the last 500 years. Tourist look on as Mount Mayon erupts / EPA In 2013, an ash eruption killed five climbers who had ventured near the summit despite warnings. The Philippines has about 22 active volcanoes. Mount Mayon - In pictures 1 /28 Mount Mayon - In pictures A view of Mayon Volcano in Legaspi city EPA Mayon volcano spews red-hot lava in another eruption AP Volcanic ash from Mayon volcano's eruption partly blanketed Guinobatan township, Albay province, around 340 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of Manila, Philippines AP Mayon volcano spews red-hot lava AP Mount Mayon Filipino villagers escape to a safe area as the Mayon Volcano erupts anew in the town of Daraga, Albay province, Philippines EPA Mount Mayon Mayon volcano spews red hot lava in another eruption as seen from Legazpi city, Albay province, roughly 200 miles southeast of Manila, Philippines AP Mount Mayon Quintin Velardo, 58, leads his family as they arrive to take shelter following the eruption of Mayon volcano for the second straight day AP Mayon volcano spews red-hot lava in another eruption Bullit Marquez/AP Mount Mayon A view of the Mayon Volcano as it erupts anew in the town of Daraga, Albay province, Philippines, EPA Mount Mayon Mayon volcano spews red-hot lava in another eruption as seen from Legazpi city, Albay province AP Mount Mayon A soldier helps residents as they prepare to depart to an evacuation centre after the Mayon volcano erupted in Guniobatan, Albay Province, Philippines Reuters Mount Mayon Mayon Volcano spews ash and lava in the town of Daraga, Albay province EPA Mount Mayon A view of the Mayon Volcano as it erupts anew in the town of Daraga, Albay province, Philippines EPA Mount Mayon Soldiers and residents board a military truck, as they prepare to depart to an evacuation centre, after the Mayon volcano erupted in Guniobatan, Albay Provinc Reuters Mount Mayon Filipino villagers escape to a safe area as the Mayon Volcano erupts anew in the town of Daraga, Albay province, Philippines EPA Mount Mayon Lava cascades down the slopes of Mayon volcano as seen from Legazpi cit AP Mount Mayon Filipino villagers with their belongings manoeuvre along the slopes of rumbling Mayon EPA Mount Mayon Mayon Volcano spews ash in Legaspi city EPA Mount Mayon The volcano is watched by villagers EPA Mount Mayon Local residents take refuge in an evacuation center following recent activity of the Mayon Volcano EPA Mount Mayon Residents living within the 9k radius around Mayon volcano continue to be evacuated to safer grounds as the volcano continues to erupt AP Mount Mayon Ash spews anew on the slope of the Mayon Volcano in the town of Daraga, Albay province, Philippines EPA Mount Mayon A view of Mayon Volcano erupts anew in the town of Daraga, Albay province, Philippines EPA Mount Mayon The volcano glowing at night as lava spills down its slopes AFP/Getty Images Mount Mayon Rumbling Mayon spewing ashed into the sky EPA Mount Mayon A Filipino villager living along the slopes of rumbling Mayon Volcano displays a notice to vacate in Legaspi city, Albay province, Philippines EPA Mount Mayon A view of rumbling Mayon Volcano as it spew ash in Legaspi city, Albay province, Philippines EPA Mount Mayon A view of rumbling Mayon Volcano as it spew ash in Legaspi city EPA The explosion of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 was one of the biggest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, killing hundreds. The concept of the annual State of the Union is contained in Article II, Section 3, Clause I of the US constitution. The section provides that the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." The first such address was given by George Washington in 1790 in New York. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first US president to call the address the 'State of the Union'. Members of both houses - Congress and the Senate - attend the speech. Perhaps a good starting point would be a (very) brief history of State of the Union - and an explanation of why it happens every year... The State of the Union - a brief history The concept of the annual State of the Union is contained in Article II, Section 3, Clause I of the US constitution. The section provides that the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." The first such address was given by George Washington in 1790 in New York. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first US president to call the address the 'State of the Union'. F ormer Strictly Come Dancing star James Jordan has blasted the BBC for dropping Brendan Cole from the show, claiming the broadcaster dislikes people with "opinions". Cole, 41, announced his departure on ITVs Lorraine, telling viewers his contract had not been renewed and that he wishes he had been able to make the decision to leave himself. Reacting to the news, Jordan who was sacked from the show in 2014 said: Just seen my mate @BrendanCole has not been asked back on Strictly. Seems like they dont want anyone on the show that has an opinion. Especially when he played a massive part in making the show what it is today. Wishing him all the best in his future endeavours. Will be missed. Cole has been a regular on the BBC ballroom show since the first series in May 2004, which he won with news reader Natasha Kaplinsky. Brendan Cole confirms he's leaving Strictly Come Dancing after 14 years Charlotte Hawkins, his most recent celebrity partner, paid tribute to the New Zealand dancer, calling his departure the end of an era. She wrote: Sad news from my dance partner @BrendanCole this morning that he wont be a part of @bbcstrictly anymore. What an end of an era - hes been such an integral part of the show since it started 15 series ago. It wont be the same without him. Last dance: Charlotte Hawkins dancing the Waltz with Brendan Cole / BBC/Guy Levy Fans slammed the news with some calling for a boycott of the show. Speaking to Lorraine Kelly about his departure Cole said: Its quite, actually, hard to talk about. The BBC havent renewed my contract. We get contracted year upon year. Theyve made an editorial decision to not have me back on the show. Im a little bit in shock. Im quite emotional, a bit raw about it. I have had 15 incredible series on the show, Im very proud of the whole show, theyre a great team. Im disappointed. Its very hard to talk about. Its a recent decision. Z oe Saldana says she fears being typecast as a sci-fi actress after roles in three of the genres biggest franchises. The actress, 39, broke out in 2009 with parts as Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek and Neytiri in James Camerons Avatar. She went on to win the role of Gamora in Marvels Guardians Of The Galaxy films. Asked if being known for similar parts was a worry, she said: Of course. There are so many roles that I would love to perform and if acting continues to make me happy I will continue to explore them. Science fiction is a genre that I have been obsessed with as a child and then it took on a whole new meaning for me as I started to grow in my career as an actor, because it provided the freedom in space that I couldnt have on Earth. Reaching for the stars: Zoe Saldana with Chris Pratt in Guardians Of The Galaxy I wasnt expecting the films to be as massive as they were. I knew that they were special because they had special directors behind them and an interesting cast. But the moment these films became blockbusters and then they became franchises they became completely out of my control. Saldana, who has three children under five with husband Marco Perego-Saldana, an Italian artist, is set to star in two Avatar sequels and will appear as Gamora in this years Avengers: Infinity War. She said: I can only be grateful that I find myself today as a working actor who can support myself and my family because of the choices that Ive made. Sci-fi: Zoe Saldana in Avatar / 20th Century Fox Saldana, who was born in New Jersey, started out on stage and said she would love to star in the West End. She said: Going back on stage would be a dream come true for me. Im going to add [the West End] to my bucket list, because I should never have crossed it out in the first place. Ill just have to wait for my kids to be a little older. The actress was speaking as she was unveiled as the face of the 2018 Campari Red Diaries short movie The Legend Of Red Hand in Milan, the birthplace of the aperitif. The film takes viewers around the world in the pursuit of the perfect Campari cocktail. Saldana said: My family is from Italy so its a great opportunity to get to be in Italy working with an Italian brand that has such a great history. The Italian culture is so close to my Latino heritage in terms of the way we do things we are very festive cultures. L ast year Jade Anouka capped a decade of stage success by playing Hotspur in Henry V, Ariel in The Tempest and Marc Antony in Julius Caesar, in Phyllida Lloyds all-female Shakespeare Trilogy, remounted by the Donmar first at the specially built Kings Cross Theatre and then in New York. Three amazing roles, in three brilliant plays, in a company that I had worked with by then for nearly five years, she muses. It was an amazing achievement. We werent the first to do all-female Shakespeare but because of [the prominence of ] the theatres we played in it created a sea change, kickstarted something people had been trying to do at a grassroots level. I felt the power of my words when I did Marc Antonys Friends, romans, countrymen speech. Having people really listen to you, changing the course of the action, turning a whole kingdom to your side you never get to do that really as a woman. The Trilogy set in a womens prison and produced with the theatre company for female former prisoners Clean Break did not only address the gender imbalance in theatre but featured a cast diverse in age, ethnicity and experience. On my first day on Julius Caesar I had Harriet Walter on one side, Frances Barber on the other, and I was thinking, I cant believe Im here. But we also had people straight out of drama school, people whod been in prison and were doing their first theatre show. It felt unique, a true ensemble. When the Trilogy finally ended Anouka thought, What do you do in theatre after something as big as that?. Her agent suggested they should build on her appearances in Doctor Who, Lucky Man and the cult hit Chewing Gum and increase her TV visibility. And so far, she says, the plan seems to have worked. Next month she stars alongside Adrian Lester and John Simm in the ITV three-parter Trauma, writer Mike Bartletts follow-up to Doctor Foster. It starts with one characters son on the doctors table with a stab wound, and he ends up dying, says Anouka. The story goes on to examine how people deal with loss, and if there is blame, where does it lie? She is a massive Doctor Foster fan, so I knew it would be good writing, and has looked up to Lester since he presented her with a commendation in the 2012 Ian Charleson Awards for her Ophelia at Shakespeares Globe, and Calpurnia, Metellus Cimber and Pindarus in an earlier iteration of Julius Caesar at the Donmar. Interestingly, Simm plays working- class Dan, the father of the murdered boy, driven by grief to extremes, while Lester is the swaggering surgeon Jon whose daughter Alana (Anouka) is an academic high flier studying for her A-levels. There is nothing in the script that is specific about the race of any of the characters, so its a great thing, Anouka says. In the story our family is very affluent, and that is not something you see all the time for black families [on television]. Trauma begins halfway up a cliff face (Anouka learned to rock-climb for the role) where Alana tells Jon shes dating a girl. Alanas character isnt about her sexuality, shes just a young woman and thats how it is for her, says Anouka. Its clever writing by Mike to put that in and say, thats life now, we are all aware we have different preferences, lets just get on with it. Its also lovely to see a father-and-daughter relationship that is really close: theyre kindred spirits, closer than she is to her mum. That said, Bartlett never writes duff parts for women: Alana and her psychologist mother Lisa (Rowena King) become key players in the battle between the two men, especially in the third episode. Anouka was born in Slade Green and brought up from the age of 12 in Dartford. She is the middle child of three, her Jamaican father a mortgage adviser, her Trinidadian mother a maths teacher. Initially an athlete she ran for Kent she realised she wanted to act when she was denied a speaking role at her all-girls Catholic school in year six, and performed throughout her teens. Love and loss: Adrian Lester and Jade Anouka in ITVs new drama Trauma / ITV Although she experienced only little bits and pieces of racism in what was then a relatively monocultural commuter town, she decided to attend sixth-form college in Lewisham, to be around more and different people of different backgrounds. She got a scholarship to the National Youth Theatre and trained at Guildford School of Acting, making her adult stage debut in the Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood for the RSC in 2007, while still a student. That was all-female, and we were a mixed bunch, half Canadian, half from the UK and Ireland, Anouka says. I was like THIS IS SO COOL! It was only later I realised that doesnt happen much. I was spoiled initially. Amid her many classical roles, her part in the Trinidadian drama Moon on a Rainbow Shawl at the National in 2012 was a big thing for her parents. She had to discourage her religious mother from seeing her in Jamie Lloyds louche 2016 revival of Doctor Faustus alongside Kit Harington, while her dad regards the fact she is currently in a Galaxy advert as real success. The #MeToo question looms. Anouka says she has never been sexually harassed at work. But every female actor has been on the end of someone abusing their power. The fact it has come to light is good not just for the acting industry but for everyone, because this happens in all walks of life. In terms of generalised industry inequality and prejudice, she thinks theatre and television are getting better at representing women and non-white performers, film not so much. New TV shows to look forward to in 2018 1 /17 New TV shows to look forward to in 2018 The Little Drummer Girl Florence Pugh as Charlie with Alexander Skarsgard as Becker in the John le Carre thriller BBC / The Little Drummer Girl Distribution Limited. The Cry Jenna Coleman and Ewen Leslie Synchronicity Films Ltd/Lachlan Moore Vanity Fair ITV and Amazon's remake of William. M. Thackeray's classic novel starring Olivia Cooke and Tom Bateman ITV Wanderlust Toni Collette and Steven Mackintosh star in BBC's new raunchy drama BBC/Drama Republic Press Charlotte Riley and Ben Chaplin go head-to-head as rival newspaper editors in new drama from Doctor Foster creator Mike Barlett BBC Death and Nightingales Jamie Dornan, Ann Skelly and Matthew Rhys star in a three-part drama for BBC Two BBC Maniac Emma Stone and Jonah Hill star in the limited Netflix series coming September Michele K. Short / Netflix Disenchantment Matt Groening is back and on Netflix with new adult comedy following Princess Bean and friends Netflix / Matt Groening Age Before Beauty Age Before Beauty on BBC One with Polly Walker, Sue Johnston and Lisa Riley follows a family business with plenty of secrets BBC/Mainstreet Pictures/Todd Antony Hard Sun Luther creator Neil Cross has another dabble at the cop show format in this crime/sci-fi drama inspired by the Bowie song Five Years. BBC/Euston Films A Very English Scandal Hugh Grant stars in this drama from Doctor Who/Sherlock writer Russell T Davies, which adapts John Prestons book about the scandal that surrounded Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe BBC/Blueprint Television Ltd Kiri National Treasure writer Jack Thorne pens a four-part drama about the abduction of a young black girl. The ever-reliable Sarah Lancashire is unconventional social worker Miriam, who finds herself being blamed. Channel 4 Britannia Filmed in Wales and Prague, Jez Butterworths historical drama is set in 43AD, when Roman General Aulus (David Morrissey) is attempting to conquer the Celts. Sky Collateral David Hares four-part drama (his first original TV series) explores the repercussions after a pizza delivery man is shot dead. Carey Mulligan plays Detective Inspector Kip Glaspie, who investigates. BBC/The Forge Save Me In the absence of Doctor Foster, Suranne Jones stars as the mother of a missing girl who believes that her ex- (Lennie James, who wrote the show) is guilty of the abduction, forcing him to work to clear his name. Sky Atlantic Troy: Fall of a City Swords and sandals epic in eight parts made in a collaboration with Netflix, written by David Farr (who also wrote The Night Manager). BBC/Wild Mercury Productions Patrick Melrose Benedict Cumberbatch looks right at home in this adaptation of the Edward St Aubyn novels about an outrageous aristocrat struggling to overcome the damage inflicted by an abusive father. Dave Benett Last year was the first time she paid all her bills as an actress rather than as a waiter, shoe shiner or childrens entertainer. As well as acting, Anouka performs her own work at poetry slams and has a slim volume of verse, Eggs on Toast, to her name. Shes also started taking photographs, starting with fellow actors and poets. In some areas she is circumspect. She wont tell me her exact age, fearful it will bar her in advance from younger roles (she makes a very convincing teenager in Trauma). And she wont say much about the long-term partner she lives with in Camberwell except that he or she is not really in the business but understands it, and they share their life with a Yorkie-Bichon Frise cross rescue dog she walks in Dulwich Woods. Anouka becomes more voluble when talking about south London. Whats not brilliant about it? she asks. I speak to people on my road who have lived there all their lives; you can get your fancy coffees but the shop next door sells patties and the next one on sells falafel. It costs 4.99 a ticket how good is that? Indeed, the day after our interview she launches a Twitter campaign to fund 100 young people in south-east London to see Marvels Black Panther superhero flick at the Plex, inspired by a similar campaign in Texas by Viola Davis. After Trauma, she will be seen on ITV again, as Sheridan Smiths best friend and partner in crime, in a drama coincidentally titled Clean Break, about office cleaners in Canary Wharf who stumble into an insider trading scam. As she says, the campaign to increase her screen profile is working. So what does she want to do next? More TV? More theatre? More film? She grins: More of everything. Countries & Areas Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe The Afghan province of Badakhshan borders Chinas Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It used to be part of an artery between the East and West known as the ancient Silk Road. Today, that road is being revived as an element of Chinas One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative, which has prompted major infrastructure construction in Afghanistan and Central Asia, designed to fuel Beijings interest in the province. Afghanistan is home to significant deposits of raw materials that China could import. Beijing is investing $55 billion in neighboring Pakistan and plans to construct an economic corridor stretching to the Arabian Sea. OBOR will energize the global economy and benefit Afghanistan as well. China is Afghanistans largest trading partner and investor. Stability in Afghanistan is in Chinas interest, but there is little hope the United States can provide it. After all, Washington has not achieved any substantial gains since 2001. There have been surges and drawdowns, changes of tactics and strategy, and many treatises on how to turn the tide of the war, but the Taliban is strong and the Afghan economy is in shambles drug trafficking is the only type of business to thrive there. So far the Trump administration has not presented its long-awaited strategy outlining its Afghanistan policy, despite the fact that there are at least 8,400 American troops in the country. And their number will soon be growing. Relationships between the US and other relevant actors, such as Pakistan, are a mess. Washington recently suspended military aid to that country. The instability in Afghanistan threatens the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor an important element of OBOR. China is acting as a mediator, trying to reconcile the differences between the regional actors. Afghan-Pakistani relations deteriorated in 2017 when they each accused the other of rendering support to the jihadists operating in the border areas. Beijing is working hard to improve those bilateral ties. It set up a three-way meeting between all the foreign ministers in 2017. One result of the talks was the creation of working panels to promote cooperation in various spheres of activity. Another meeting is expected to take place this year in Kabul. The East Turkistan Islamic Movement, an Uighur nationalist and Islamic movement from Chinas Xinjiang region, is active in Afghanistan. The militants gain combat experience fighting side-by-side with the Taliban and other militant groups. Beijing does not want those seasoned warriors to come back and engage in terrorist activities on its home soil. Russia and China have stepped up their military aid to the Central Asian states. They believe that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) can substantially contribute to achieving a peaceful settlement. Both are trying to build a network of regional states. Moscow and Beijing are motivated by their national interests. Mindful of their responsibilities as major powers, they are working together to promote security in Afghanistan and Central Asia. All told, China might feel that its interests in the area are strong enough to justify a military engagement outside its borders. Afghan government officials have reported that China is planning to build a military base in Badakhshan. Discussions over the technicalities are to start soon. The weapons and equipment will be Chinese, but the facility will be manned by Afghan personnel. Vehicles and hardware will be brought in through Tajikistan. No doubt Chinese military instructors and other personnel will also come to conduct training and assist missions. The vice chairman of Chinas Central Military Commission, Xu Qiliang, claims that the construction is expected to be complete in 2018. After some powerful offensives in 2017, the Taliban temporarily captured the Ishkashim and Zebak districts of Badakhshan. The Afghan government failed to provide a military presence that was substantial enough to ensure security. An agreement with the local field commanders had been in place, giving them a share of the lapis lazuli production there, in exchange for a cessation of hostilities. But internal bickering undermined the fragile peace between the local groups, and the Taliban seized the opportunity to intervene. The Islamic States presence in the province is a matter of particular concern. It makes border security an issue of paramount importance for Beijing. The question is: how far is China prepared to go? Until now, it has limited its military activities to special-operations teams patrolling the Wakhan Corridor. A military base in Badakhshan would be an important move demonstrating that Beijing is ready to expand its presence in the country and provide an alternative to the United States. China has a trump card the US lacks its good relations with Russia and Pakistan. Beijing represents the SCO, a large international organization that includes actors such as Turkey, Iran, India, Pakistan, and the countries of Central Asia. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin took the initiative to restart the work of the SCO Afghanistan Contact Group. Those activities had been suspended in 2009. Russia advocates opening up direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban as soon as possible. Beijing also supports the idea. The two nations are in the same boat. Moscow has said it is ready to host a conference on Afghanistan. The SCO can make the peace process a real, multilateral effort. It will weaken US clout in the region, but strengthen the chances for finding a settlement to the conflict. Cooperation and diplomacy might open a new chapter in the history of Afghanistan. The President has committed, as a matter of strategy, that we will not leave Syria. We are not going to declare victory and go. And that is not my opinion; thats the Presidents strategic judgment. Were going to stay for several reasons: stabilization and assistance in the vital north and northeast, protection of our allies the Syrian Democratic Forces, who have fought so valiantly against ISIS in the northeast, try to work to help transform the political structures in that area to a model for the rest of Syria, and capable of being credibly represented in a new Syrian state; but for other reasons as well, including countering Iran and its ability to enhance its presence in Syria, and serving as a weight or force helping us to achieve some of those broader objectives. Thats as spoken by David M. Satterfield, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, US Department of State, 11 January 2018, addressing the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on the topic of US Policy Toward Syria. You can see it in this clip from C-Span. His statement hasnt been reported in US newsmedia; so, its still news; and this means that its news to the American people, and to all others who, though this news wasnt reported to them, trust US media to report any important American news (such as this US Government policy-statement to the US Senate certainly is). Parts of this clip have been reported by the independent journalist Mutlu Civiroglu on twitter, and, from there to reddit, and also at Russia Defense Forum, and at the excellent general news site Signs Of The Times, where I came upon it, and whose reporter Joe Quinn contrasted this statement with a tweet from Donald Trump as a Presidential candidate on 5 Sep 2013: Again, to our very foolish leader, do not attack Syria if you do, many very bad things will happen & from that fight the US gets nothing! The many people who had voted for Trump because of such anti-neoconservative (otherwise-called anti-imperialist) statements from him as that (and which thus also caused neocons to gang up against him in 2016 and publicly to support the overtly neocon Hillary Clinton instead), can reasonably raise the question as to whether a country in which people (such as Trump has done on this matter) routinely lie their way into elective offices, constitutes a democracy, or is instead actually a dictatorship of lies, by liars and, if its the latter, then the inevitable questions are: 1: Whom are those liars actually serving; and, 2: Are the media also serving those same people and therefore hiding such crucial news as this US Government policy-statement certainly is. Furthermore, anyone to whom this official statement that was made to US Senators on January 11th by the US Government comes as news (and as news which still hasnt yet been reported much less debated in Americas existing news media) might reasonably cease subscribing to and paying and otherwise subsidizing those fake news media, and instead start to seek out and subsidize honest ones such as the present site where youre now reading this important news, so as not to be drowned by the propaganda and deceptions from whomever the people are who hide from the public the real news (such as this). Whereas the mainstream media, and even small media that serve the same owners, attack fake news, theyre actually reporting a lot of fake news themselves, and are hiding this fact from their subscribers. That fact presents a challenge to each person in their audience, as to whether to do whatever that individual can, to overcome this regime, and how to do it. Just in case it might possibly be the case that US and allied newsmedia have, ever since January 11th, failed to report this important news only due to their incompetence instead of in order to suppress it, the present news-report, including its links, and most especially the link here to the C-Span clip, is being submitted free of charge to all of them, so as to inform them all, of this important news; so that, going forward from now, all newsmedia that fail to report it are definitely suppressing it, and so that every reader who somehow does encounter it, can know with certainty, that the newsmedia that dont are actively and intentionally suppressing this news-item. All newsmedia are now being informed of, and linked to, that C-Span clip; so, all of them now know of its existence and can write about it. And, of course, everyone knows of its importance; so, there will be no excuse for not reporting on it, at least from the present time forward. It was another bad year for Islamic terrorism in Algeria and the security forces were finding less evidence of Islamic terrorist activity at all. During 2017 only 90 Islamic terrorists were killed in Algeria compared to 125 during 2016. Last year 70 Islamic terrorists were taken alive, 43 percent because they voluntarily turned themselves in. Compare this to the 230 Islamic terrorists were arrested or surrendered in 2016. There was a decline in weapons and other military gear found hidden around the country. These finds had been increasing until 2016, when troops reported that more and more of their finds were of gear that had been hidden away a long time ago. In 2017 there were far fewer of these discoveries and what was uncovered was even more ancient. What was happening was more Algerians no longer feared retaliation by Islamic terrorists and were willing to talk about where they had Islamic terrorists hiding stuff. Not exact locations but areas small enough for troops searching it to find the caches and crumbling bunkers. When Islamic terrorists lose this much infrastructure and armed supporters they are in big trouble. This can be seen in the declining number of terror attacks and growing number of Islamic terrorists clashing with the security forces and losing. In 2017 there was little evidence of ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) activity and not much from AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), which was formed in 2007 from several of the 1990s era Algerian groups. Despite efforts by popular (elsewhere) Islamic terror groups to get established in Algeria the local population and security forces have successfully opposed this. As has been the case since the Algerian Islamic terror groups were defeated, most Algerian Islamic terrorists have been found outside Algeria. Despite all this experience in fighting Islamic terrorism Algeria continues to refuse to send troops to support military operations outside Algeria, particularly in Libya and Mali. One can understand the reluctance to get involved with the civil war in Libya but Mali has a large peacekeeping force composed of African troops. Algeria will not contribute. Algeria does take sides. For example Algeria continues to side with Qatar in its feud with the other Gulf Arab oil states (and their allies, like Egypt and Israel). That means Algeria backs the UN faction in Libya while the UAE and most other Arab states back the HoR/Hiftar group. Actually Algeria was reluctant to back the UN approved government for Libya and that proved to be warranted when the Hiftar group abandoned the UN proposal and demanded that the UN come up with a more practical solution. This is a big deal for Algeria because of the long border they share with Libya. It is also a big deal for the UN, which considers Algeria the most successful North African nation when it comes to dealing with Islamic terrorism. Other nations in the region agree and Algeria regularly trains troops from other nations in counter-terrorism methods that worked in Algeria. Libya is another matter and after Hiftar rejected the UN peace plan Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia responded that they still backed the UN effort. That support is not permanent and Egypt has long supported Hiftar and still does. But the UN support includes the support of many Western donor nations who, for the moment, are not inclined to finance Hiftar. Russia, on the other hand, is, but not as generously as Western nations cam. So the situation in Libya remains violent and flexible. Algeria has done well at guarding its Libyan (and Mali) borders but is keeping its troops at home no matter what. Money In an effort to halt the erosion of foreign cash reserves the government has issued a list of 900 items that are temporarily unavailable for import. The one that will hurt the most (or please the smugglers most) is cell phones, all cell phones. Some appliances and furniture items are also on the list as well as a long list of items (including high-end food items) most Algerians cant afford. Smuggling has long been a big business in Algeria and it just got a little bigger. The United States suspended $17 million a year in financial aid to protest Algeria voting in the UN to criticize the United States recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This loss of aid is not a big deal. The best thing the Americans have done for Algeria lately is already having an impact; the value of shale deposits and the use of fracking to get the oil and gas out of that shale. Despite local opposition the government is going ahead to develop its abundant shale gas reserves (the third largest in the world.) In early 2014 Algeria granted permission for foreign companies to explore for shale gas deposits. Exploration drilling began in late 2014 and that triggered protests from locals. The government responded by insisting that shale gas extraction was safe and that these were only exploratory activities and no one had been given permission to actually begin production. The shale deposits lie inland in a band across central Algeria from the eastern to the western borders. Algeria is was found to have some of the largest shale gas deposits in the world. In short, Algeria has potential shale gas deposits that are the energy equivalent of over five billion barrels of oil which is nearly as large as U.S. deposits and more than five times what Israel has found. The foreign energy firms are drilling to confirm how much recoverable shale gas is actually there. Moreover the Algerian reserves are far from the nearest source of water (the Mediterranean) and billions of dollars would have to be spent on infrastructure (pipelines to get sea water to the wells and other pipelines to get the gas to the coast. There gas can either go to Europe via pipeline to liquefaction plants so the gas could be exported to more distant customers. All this requires that Algeria remain at peace for the next few decades, which may be the most difficult task of all considering the growing social discontent because of the continuing corruption and misrule. The protests against shale drilling are more about distrust of the government and its corrupt ways that worries about the side effects of shale gas production. But the shale deposits of natural gas are needed to maintain needed supplies for local use and exports (via three underwater pipelines) to Europe. January 26, 2018: In the east (Khenchela province) soldiers ambushed a large group of armed men and killed seven of them. Continued searches of the area led to another encounter that left another armed man shot dead. The next day two of the dead were identified as wanted Islamic terrorists. January 24, 2018: Near the Tunisian border (Tebessa province, 650 kilometers east of the capital) soldiers found and destroyed three locally built bombs. These bombs are often used to ambush army patrols on roads or along trails near the Tunisian border. Some of these roadside bombs are rigged to go off automatically when any vehicle passes. January 22, 2018: In the northeast (Souk Ahras Province) police arrested three Islamic terrorists near the Tunisian border. Elsewhere in the country several Islamic terrorist supporters were arrested. These people are often not Islamic terrorists themselves but are willing to provide various types of support (food, shelter, cash or special equipment). January 20, 2018: In the east, just across the border in Tunisia (Kasserine province) Tunisian soldiers ambushed and killed two Islamic terrorists near the border. One of the dead men was a senior AQIM commander who had been sought by Algeria since the 1990s. AQIM has not been very active in Tunisia since 2016 and even less active in Algeria. The area where this incident took place has long been a favorite hiding place for AQIM and ISIL. January 13, 2018: The army confirmed that it had purchased and received (in late 2017) Chinese built truck mounted SR5 MRL (Multiple Rocket Launcher) vehicles. The SR5 can carry and fire pods of twenty 122mm rockets or six 220mm rockets. Meanwhile Algeria is cancelling some Russian arms deals because of a shortage of available cash for such expensive imports. January 6, 2018: In the east, just across the border in Tunisia troops ambushed a group of Jund al Khalafa Islamic terrorists and captured one of them (who was shot in the leg and abandoned as the others fled). Tunisia and Algeria alert each other when there are clashes like this so additional personnel can be sent to the border to prevent the fleeing Islamic terrorists from seeking safety by crossing the border. So far Islamic terrorists find it safer to stay in Tunisia. December 29, 2017: The government finally agreed to recognize the Berber New Year (on January 12th) and halt local efforts to block the use of the Berber language in schools. Since 2016, when there was another outbreak of Berber protests in Tizi Ouzou (120 kilometers east of the capital) over perceived discrimination in allocation of government benefits (like housing) the government has been seeking ways to ease the tensions. Tizi Ouzou in in the largely Berber Kabylie region. The ten million Berbers of Algeria are considered the most abused in the region. While young Berbers may be particularly angry at the decades of government corruption and mismanagement they are emblematic of the growing anger among all young Algerians and a growing number of older Algerians as well. Islamic Terrorism ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) may be greatly diminished but various al Qaeda franchises (in central Africa, Yemen, Syria and South Asia) are still very active and so are various Islamic terror groups that have been around a long time in places like Pakistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, northern Africa, the Persian Gulf and the Caucasus where they concentrate on non-Moslems or Moslems considered heretics. Some of these groups have been terrorizing their neighbors for centuries. What is different now is that most Moslem rulers recognize that this sort of thing does no one any good and is bad for Islam. Even the new ruler of Saudi Arabia accepts this and is seeking a broad solution. The problem is that there is no one recognized (by even a majority of Moslems) authority on what (if anything) defines acts that justify Islamic terrorism. So the Islamic terrorism will still be out there in 2018. Rising affluence, literacy and access to global media and the Internet has made Islamic terrorism more visible and more likely to occur outside Moslem majority areas. Greater Syria And The Levant The Syrian civil war is not over but it is entering its third phase. The first phase was in 2011-2 when the majority of Syrians turned against the Assad government. The Assads seemed doomed. But then the various rebel groups began spending more time fighting each other than the Assads. It got worse when ISIL showed up in 2013 and did not end until ISIL was crushed by the end of 2017. Now the factions are rearranging themselves for continued fighting. Already Turkish troops are fighting Kurds in northwest Syria while American troops settle down in the Kurdish northeast and announce a long-term presence to monitor Islamic terrorist activity and keep Iran from expanding. North Korea North Korea is not a major threat because it might invade South Korea or use its nuclear weapons. The more likely threat, especially to China, is that the North Korean economy will collapse to the point that the government fails as well. At that points, millions of North Koreans find they can flee to China, Russia or South Korea. Most of these refugees will get to China where they will an unwelcome and expensive presence. Worse, the Chinese feel it is in their best interests to go in and clean up, as best they can, the mess left in North Korea. That might lead to disputes, or worse, with South Korea. North Korea has been sliding towards this disaster since the 1990s and its not a question of if but when. Venezuela This country has the largest oil reserves of any nation on the planet. But it also has one of the most corrupt, ineffective, lawless and clueless governments in the world. Venezuela has become a home base for drug cartels, Iranian Islamic terrorists and Chinese investors seeking a long term relationship. Drug gangs already exercise considerable power in Venezuela and that may increase if major creditors (China, Russia, Iran) do not intervene. The neighbors do not want to intervene as that is not the accepted way of handling these things. However, the neighbors are faced with a choice of either intervening to deal with the chaos and violence or do nothing and wait for the chaos and violence to come visit. Iran Iran is at war on multiple fronts including another nationwide popular outburst against the religious dictatorship running the country. There was one in 2009 that called for fair elections and one in 1999 seeking freedom of speech. All three were put down with force. But the latest outburst specifically called for withdrawal from foreign wars and paying more attention to economic problems at home. Protestors were, for the first time, calling for the corrupt religious rulers to be removed, killed if necessary. Some protestors call for a return of the constitutional monarchy the religious leaders replaced in the 1980s (after first promising true democracy). The popular uprising was quickly shut down and the government found that its many wars had also turned sour. Before the nationwide protests the religious rulers saw Iran on the way to some major victories in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. That optimism turned out to be premature. The good times were supposed to begin in the wake of a July 2015 treaty that lifted the many sanctions Iran operated under. The government got a lot more money but did not apply most of it to improving the Iranian economy. Instead a lot of that cash was stolen by corrupt officials or diverted to the many foreign wars. Foreign economists believe that because of this the Iranian economy wont get moving again until the 2020s. Still unresolved are the other problem that bothers Iranians; an Islamic conservative minority with veto power over any attempts at reform from within. Independent reformers are considered enemies of the state by the ruling clerics. Most Iranians just want a better life. There are some more complications. Half the population consists of ethnic minorities (mainly Turks, Kurds and Arabs), and some of these groups (Arabs, Kurds and Baluchis) are getting more restive and violent (for different reasons). Meanwhile, the Islamic conservatives are determined to support terrorism overseas and build ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons at home, rather than concentrating on improving the economy and living standards and addressing the corruption within their ranks. Expensive efforts to aid pro-Iran groups in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon have had some success and are justified as examples of the ancient Iranian empire being reborn. The government sees these foreign adventures as a way to distract an unhappy population. The nukes are still important because Iran has been increasingly vocal about how Iran should be the leader of the Islamic world and the guardian of the major Islamic shrines (Mecca and Medina) in Saudi Arabia. Iranians believe that having nukes would motivate the Arabs to bow down. The Arabs have been kicked around by the Iranians for thousands of years and take this latest threat very seriously. That has led to a major reform effort in Saudi Arabia with a new generation of leaders willing to take on corruption and which alliances really benefit the Saudis. That has resulted in openly working with Israel to deal with Iranian aggression. This has made victories in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen less likely and an increase in anger among most Iranians more likely. Afghanistan The major threat in Afghanistan remains the drug trade and largely Pushtun (the largest tribal minority in Afghanistan) drug gangs that are seeking to turn the country into a narco state dominated by the wealthy and heavily armed drug lords. This is where Afghanistan was headed in early 2001 as the Taliban struggled to gain control over the entire country and were largely financed by taxes from the drug gangs. Then as now, Islamic terrorism is portrayed as the main problem in Afghanistan but what makes the Islamic terrorists so potent is the money they obtain by serving as hired guns by the drug gangs. The second major problem in Afghanistan is Pakistan, which considers Afghanistan a problem to be handled by keeping the Afghans fighting each other. Meanwhile, Pakistan gets rich by controlling most of the drug smuggling and legitimate traffic going into and out of landlocked Afghanistan. The Americans and the rest of the world are pressuring Pakistan to curb its support for Islamic terrorism and drug gangs in Afghanistan. That is unlikely to happen as the drug trade is too lucrative for too many powerful people in both countries. Kurdistan Despite being a formidable military force, or perhaps because of it, the Kurdish minorities in Iraq, Iran Turkey and Syria are again under pressure to back off from efforts to create an independent Kurdish state. The last few decades have given Kurds hope that their time may have finally arrived. Since the early 1990s, the Iraqi Kurds have been autonomous (with British and American help) and they had always been more effective soldiers than the Iraqi Arabs. Somethings, however, do not change. The Kurds still suffer from tribal and clan divisions as well as corruption, but to a much lesser extent than the Arabs. Thus a disproportionate number of Western trainers are being sent to the Kurds in Iraq and Syria. The Kurds are considered reliable enough to work with Western commandos and protect ground control teams (that can call in air strikes). Kurds regularly assist the American and British commandos in carrying out their most dangerous tasks; reconnaissance inside ISIL territory. But the Kurds have not got the manpower for large scale operations. And thats why they were pushed out of Kirkuk province in late 2017 by more numerous Iraqi Arab soldiers and militiamen. Kurds in Turkey, Syria and Iran are also under attack and the Kurds have not got the numbers, or cash, to deal with all their hostile hosts. The Kurds have had more than their share of bad breaks. Like many mid-size ethnic groups the Kurds were never able to establish their own nation and for thousands of years have been subjects of one empire (Iranian, Roman, Turkish and so on) or another. A century ago they were part of the Turkish homeland because the Turks recognized the Kurds as worthy allies (but still part of the empire). Turks even like to call the Kurds mountain Turks, a name the Kurds do not like at all. After World War I the Kurds living near the Turkish city of Mosul found that they were no longer Turkish subjects but now part of the largely Arab nation of Iraq. This was done by the victorious allies (mainly Britain and France) to deny the Turks (now a country, not an empire and reduced to its present borders) oil, which had recently been discovered in the areas around Mosul and Kirkuk. Needless to say, the Arabs, long unwilling subjects of the Turkish Empire, did not welcome the Kurds (who were often the Turkish enforcers when the Arabs got out of line). The Turks recognized and used Kurdish military skills and Arabs feared the Kurds because of that. Meanwhile, the Kurds, in general, were angry that the allied promise of a Kurdish state (once the Turks were defeated) was not kept. That was mainly because the Turks, now pushed back to their homeland, made it clear that there would be a major fight if the allies tried to keep all the promises made at the expense of the Turks. The war weary allies backed off after a brief war and the Kurds were screwed again. That was the 1920s and the basic situation has not changed much. Yet the Syrian and Iraqi Kurds feel they have a chance of holding on to their autonomous enclaves which are adjacent to each other. Noting that the Iraqi Arabs took control of the main border crossing after the Iraqi Kurds had guarded it for several years to prevent ISIL from moving in. ISIL is gone now and the Arabs see the Kurds, who were recently vital allies in defeating ISIL, as a threat. Central Africa This includes the Sahel (the semi-desert area south of the Sahara desert) and the violence in Mali, Niger and Somalia. Just south of the Sahel there are major conflicts in Central Africa proper. These include wars in Congo, Nigeria and several smaller nations inland plus Sudan, South Sudan and Kenya on the east coast. Since World War II this is where most of the violence, deaths and misery have occurred worldwide. Despite that these conflicts and their aftermath have received the least attention in the media. Not much will change in 2018. Indian Borders Nuclear armed India is under attack on many fronts along its enormous land and sea borders. In the northwest, Pakistan claims all of Kashmir province, a dispute that has been going on since the late 1940s. Pakistan is the aggressor here and has lost several wars and a protracted Islamic terrorism campaign has not succeeded either. The largest dispute is along their 4,000 kilometer border with China. This also involves some claims on Kashmir but these are minor compared to what Pakistan seeks. India and China fought a short war in 1962 over their border disputes. The Indians lost and are determined not to lose if there is a rematch. But so far, the Indians have been falling farther behind China in terms of military power and infrastructure (roads and military bases near the border). This all began when China resumed its control over Tibet in the late 1950s. From the end of the Chinese empire in 1912 to 1949, Tibet had been independent. But when the communists took over China during 1949 they began to reassert control over Tibet. This began slowly, but once all of Tibet was under Chinese control in 1959 India found itself with another difficult and demanding neighbor. The main disagreement was about where the border should be. In 1914, the newly independent government of Tibet negotiated a border settlement (the McMahon line) with the British (who then controlled India.) China called this border agreement illegal and wanted 90,000 square kilometers back. India refused, especially since this would mean losing much of the state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India. Putting more roads into places like Arunachal Pradesh (83,000 square kilometers and only a million people) will improve the economy, as well as military capabilities. This will be true of most of the border area. The one positive aspect of all this is that most of the border is mountains, the highest mountains in the world (the Himalayas). So no matter how much you prepare for war, no one is going very far, very fast, when you have to deal with these mountains. Meanwhile, India has found itself threatened by rapidly increasing Chinese naval power. This is mainly about China asserting itself throughout the Indian Ocean. India has always seen the Indian Ocean as more than just a namesake but has been unable to build a large enough navy to dominate this huge (68 million square kilometers) maritime area, which is the third largest ocean on the planet. China considers access to the Indian Ocean crucial for its economy and the survival of the current communist government. So, despite the misgivings of India, China is becoming a major naval power throughout the India Ocean and apparently wants to become the dominant naval power there. To that end, China is building naval bases in Djibouti (northeast Africa) and Pakistan as well as commercial ports (ready to serve Chinese warships) throughout the region, especially in East Africa and Southeast Asia. This growing Chinese naval presence off the Indian coast puts more pressure on India to surrender disputed border territory to China. That sort of thing is very unpopular for most Indians. As the worlds largest democracy, Indian leaders have to pay attention to that while also trying to avoid a nuclear war over the border disputes. India has some unresolved, and minor, border disputes with Burma and Nepal. Over the last half century India has settled disputes with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The disputes with Burma and Nepal can be resolved, but the ones with Pakistan and India involve aggressive foes armed with nuclear weapons. Worse, Pakistan and China are allies. Both these neighbors continue to be aggressive, although China avoids casualties. Pakistan does not and the death toll from Pakistan sponsored Islamic terrorism is on the rise again. Palestinian Meltdown The Palestinian efforts to destroy Israel have backfired in a big way and now the two organizations that control the Palestinians (Fatah in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza) are losing the financial and diplomatic support they have enjoyed for over half a century. The cause of this calamity is the inability of the Palestinians to form a united and effective government. Instead, they have suffered under decades of corrupt and ineffective leaders that led, in 2005, to a split with Islamic radicals (Hamas) taking control of Gaza while Fatah continued to rule the West Bank. Both factions agree on a few things; Israel must be destroyed and violence is justified to get it done. Fatah was more willing to pretend it would negotiate a peace deal with Israel but has proved to be as intransigent as Hamas about actually doing so. Fatah now openly admits it shares the Hamas attitude that peace is not possible with Israel and the only solution is the destruction of Israel. The Palestinian problem was invented by the Arab countries when Israel declared independence in 1948 and Arab nations refused to accept and absorb Moslems who fled (mostly) from the newly created Israel on the promise of the Arab nations soon mobilizing sufficient military strength to destroy Israel, drive the Jews out and allow the refugees to return home. That never happened and it was quickly recognized that there was a serious refugee problem. The UN established a program to take care of these refugees but in a very unusual move, the 750,000 original (later called Palestinian) refugees were allowed to pass on their refugee status to their children. No other refugee group was allowed to do that by the UN and now there are calls from major donor nations (especially the U.S., which has paid for most of that special treatment from the beginning) to rescind that rule. About the same number of Jews were driven out of Moslem countries after 1948 and they were all accepted and absorbed by other nations, mainly Israel and the U.S. Since 1947 the number of Palestinian refugees has grown to five million and Arab states continue to refuse to absorb them. Many Palestinians have managed to find acceptance (and citizenship) in other nations (usually not Moslem majority ones) but few have renounced their rights as hereditary refugees. This situation was all about Arabs believing they had the right to decide who can live in Moslem territories and for them, Israel was a major offense. This is nothing new. Moslems had been driving infidels out of Islamic nations for a long time. This has not worked with Israel and the Moslem world, in general, takes this as a great offense. That was the attitude for many decades but nothing changed. In the 1960s those Arab refugees rebranded themselves as Palestinians and began seeking what their Arab sponsors had promised them, a home of their own. Since 2005 the Arab donors have become increasingly disenchanted with the Palestinians. Even by Middle Eastern standards the corruption, ineffective government, ingratitude and double dealing of the Palestinians had become intolerable. The Palestinians ignored years of warnings from their Arab backers and failed to maintain a united Palestinian government. This wasted a lot of the Arab aid money and the corruption among Palestinian politicians became too obvious, excessive and embarrassing even for Arab backers, who had their own problems with corruption. This was compounded by the Palestinian inability to make peace with the Israelis, who had made lasting deals with Jordan and Egypt. Worse, the Palestinians were saying to their own people, and the Arab world, that they had no intention of making peace and were dedicated to destroying Israel. This was only said in Arabic and it was only a matter of time before these print, radio and TV pronouncements would be translated and become known to the rest of the world. That has happened in the last decade and now the Palestinians have few friends in the West except for anti-Semites and some leftist groups. Worse, there is less foreign aid, which is all that kept the Palestinian scams going. At this point, the Palestinians have run out of affluent donors who are willing to give. The Palestinian leaders who ran this scam for decades have no easy (or safe, for themselves) way to change tactics without admitting responsibility for the mess. It used to be said that the Palestinian situation could not get worse but Palestinian leaders regularly defied that prediction and found a way to make things worse. Jordans King Abdullah II has vowed to stand by the Palestinian cause, calling on the international community to defend the Palestinian nations right to Jerusalem al-Quds amid US and Israeli attempts to change the ancient citys status quo. Abdullah made the remarks in a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman on Monday. Following the meeting, Jordans royal court said that the king had affirmed Jordans continued efforts in all international forums to defend the Palestinian cause. Abdullah had also urged the international community to safeguard the rights of Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims and Christians in the city of Jerusalem [al-Quds], which he said was the key to achieving peace and stability in the region, Jordans official Petra news agency reported. Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said the two sides had agreed on organizing the upcoming Arab ministers meeting and the Arab summit, as well as calling on the General Assembly and the Security Council to recognize the state of Palestine and to prohibit any other nations from moving their embassies to Jerusalem [al-Quds] or recognizing Jerusalem [al-Quds] as the capital of Israel. The occupying regime of Israel lays claim to the whole Jerusalem al-Quds, but the international community views the ancient citys eastern sector as occupied land and Palestinians consider it as the capital of their future state. In December last year, US President Donald Trump sparked global uproar by announcing a dramatic shift in Washingtons policy on Jerusalem al-Quds. He declared that the US was recognizing Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of Israel and planning to relocate the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the city. Jordan , the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem al-Quds, rejected any attempt to change the status of Jerusalem or its holy sites. During Mondays meeting, Abbas briefed King Abdullah on his attempts to resolve the challenges facing the Palestinian cause and Jerusalem al-Quds. The Palestinian leader further appreciated Jordans backing for the Palestinians and its protection of the holy places in Jerusalem al-Quds. In another hostile move against the Palestinians, the Trump administration said earlier this month that it would withhold $65 million $65 million of a $125 million aid installment to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The cut placed the agency in the most severe funding crisis of its history and triggered condemnations. Elsewhere in their talks, Abbas and Abdullah discussed the need to sustain international support for UNRWAs services to Palestinians, given that there are 6 million Palestinian refugees registered with the UN. 365 Threat Monitor scans all emails as they reach your users' mailboxes to detect ransomware, phishing and spam. Receive real-time phone alerts, get real-time security breach updates and instantly delete threats with just one click - for free! Learn More. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has launched Chronicle, a new cybersecurity venture, following two years of development at the Alphabet X research lab. Cofounded by CEO Stephen Gillett and Chief Security Officer Mike Wiacek, Chronicle will operate as an independent unit. Gillett previously worked as executive in residence at Google Ventures and previously worked as chief operating officer at Symantec. Wiacek was the cofounder and manager of Googles Threat Analysis Group. Chronicle will include VirusTotal, a Google-owned cybersecurity and intelligence platform and malware intelligence service. VirusTotal will continue to operate as an independent company, according to Bernardo Quintero, manager of the firm. Faster Analysis The idea behind Chronicle stems from the fact that many companies receive tens of thousands of security alerts per day, more than most teams can handle, Gillett said last week in an online post introducing the new firm. Typically, security teams can filter those alerts to a few thousand, and at best, review several hundred at a time. One of the problems with analyzing threats is the sheer cost of storing relevant data, he noted. As a result, its pretty common for hackers to go undetected for months, Gillett wrote, or for it to take a team months to fully understand whats going on once theyve detected an issue. Chronicle will be able to speed up the detection process by as much as 10 times, using the same infrastructure that is employed in other Alphabet programs, thus allowing those threats to be analyzed in minutes. The firm has enlisted a number of Fortune 500 companies to test a preview release of Chronicles new security intelligence platform, which is currently in alpha mode. The Final Frontier The real goal is to create an immune system for the digital world, allowing companies to predict future attacks rather than react after the damage has been done, wrote Alphabet X CEO Astro Teller, captain of moonshots, in an online post. Chronicle will be the third company to emerge from the development lab, following autonomous driving startup Waymo and life sciences firm Verily, he noted. Information Overload Many enterprises lack the most current threat intelligence to process information in an effective way, said Brian Contos, CISO at Verodin. Intelligence becomes more like a lagging indicator, he told TechNewsWorld. The malicious IPs, domains, URLs, Tor proxies and the like are constantly growing and moving. If an enterprise is outsourcing most of its IT services, then Chronicle may be a good solution, observed Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research. Google has performed an extensive amount of research on security threats and relies on improved security for its own platforms, he told TechNewsWorld, noting that Google researchers most recently unmasked the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities. Google is also a leader in AI research, McGregor said. However, having everything local and a local AI solution may be the most secure solution. The Chronicle launch is intriguing, said GreatHorn CEO Kevin OBrien, though he wondered why Google previously had not woven that type of security into its core products. Google can bring a tremendous amount of data and design experience to bear on cybersecurity, he told TechNewsWorld. However, cybersecurity is a domain for experts and layers of defense, and less frequently aspirational side projects. Dell could be looking to regain its status as a public company according to a recent CNBC report. Its return to public ownership, however, could be a bit unorthodox. According to sources "familiar with the matter," Dell is considering the possibility of selling themselves to VMware -- a company they acquired in 2015 -- in a landmark "reverse-merger." That said, CNBC's sources say this is only one of many options on the table for the tech giant. Dell is reportedly considering pursuing other, more traditional means of becoming a public company once again such as holding a second public offering or purchasing VMware's remaining 20 percent stake. Though other options may be more straightforward, a reverse-merger could be quite beneficial to Dell. As VMware is already a public company, Dell would effectively be taking themselves public as well, eliminating the headaches associated with holding a second public offering. Dell and VMware spokespeople declined to comment on the matter. As CNBC notes, a VMware-Dell merger could potentially be the biggest technology deal ever, second only to Dell's aforementioned $67 billion acquisition of VMware parent company EMC back in 2015. Lenovo has issued a high severity security advisory warning over flaws in a number of its devices. The issues are found in the companys Fingerprint Management Pro software, potentially allowing a hacker with local access to bypass biometric security and log into a computer. Lenovo has listed its ThinkPad, ThinkCentre, and ThinkStation models that may be running the application. The good news is that it was only used on devices running Window 7, 8, and 8.1, so those with Windows 10, which uses Microsofts built-in fingerprint reader support, dont have to worry. According to Lenovo, sensitive dataincluding Windows login credentials and fingerprint datastored by its security program is encrypted using a weak algorithm. The software also contains a hard-coded password, which could allow someone who discovered this password to decrypt the data and access the computer. While the software is only present on Windows 7/8/8.1 devices, there are still plenty of businesses and consumers who use Lenovos laptops with these versions of the OS. Thankfully, the flaws cant be exploited remotely; a hacker would require physical access to a device. Lenovo has released an update for its Fingerprint Management Pro software (version number 8.01.87) that addresses the issues in affected machines. Anyone who owns one of the laptops below and hasnt yet upgraded to Windows 10 should download the fix as soon as possible. ThinkPad L560 ThinkPad P40 Yoga, P50s ThinkPad T440, T440p, T440s, T450, T450s, T460, T540p, T550, T560 ThinkPad W540, W541, W550s ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Type 20A7, 20A8), X1 Carbon (Type 20BS, 20BT) ThinkPad X240, X240s, X250, X260 ThinkPad Yoga 14 (20FY), Yoga 460 ThinkCentre M73, M73z, M78, M79, M83, M93, M93p, M93z ThinkStation E32, P300, P500, P700, P900 Waymo has been working on their own self-driving taxi service for some time now and they've made quite a bit of progress towards making it a reality. Recently, the company converted roughly 600 Chrysler Pacifica minivans into self-driving vehicles in preparation for this service. Now, the company is ordering "thousands" of additional minivans for their fleet. "In order to move quickly and efficiently in autonomy, it is essential to partner with like-minded technology leaders," said Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne. "Our partnership with Waymo continues to grow and strengthen; this represents the latest sign of our commitment to this technology." If you're interested in getting behind the metaphorical wheel of one of Waymo's self-driving taxis, the company will be opening up its ride-hailing service to Phoenix citizens sometime this year. However, the newly-ordered Pacifica minivans will be "used to support Waymo as it expands its service to more cities across the United States," hinting at a much broader service expansion in the near future. Full vehicle autonomy may still seem like a bit of a pipe dream to some but Waymo is quickly making it a reality. The company proved they were capable of achieving driverless, Level 4 autonomy back in November and their self-driving tech will only continue to get more sophisticated over time. Waymo may be one of the leaders as far as autonomous car tech goes but they're still up against some stiff competition. Uber, Apple and even GM are all working on their own versions of this technology. The UK government may have to scale back parts of a law that forces ISPs to keep record of citizens' browsing history for at least a year and other targeted surveillance measures. According to a report from The Guardian, the UK's Court of Appeal has deemed the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act (DRIPA) was "inconsistent with EU law" and did not adequately restrict access to confidential phone and web browsing history by the government without oversight. The original "Snoopers' Charter" was originally laid out in 2012 as a way to give police and intelligence agencies access to citizens' online lifestyles, geolocation data, and phone usage. Then Home Secretary Theresa May said the bill was to be a "vital tool for the police to catch criminals and to protect children." She added that the bill did not allow reading of content, merely the communication record itself. Former Labour MP Tom Watson led the case against DRIPA in 2014 and said in a statement: This legislation was flawed from the start. It was rushed through Parliament just before recess without proper parliamentary scrutiny, said Watson. The government must now bring forward changes to the Investigatory Powers Act to ensure that hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom are innocent victims or witnesses to crime, are protected by a system of independent approval for access to communications data. In a move to possibly preempt the ruling, the UK's Home Office (roughly equivalent to the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security) attempted to curtail powers itself by disallowing senior police officers to self-authorize access to communication data and requiring approval from a new "investigatory powers commissioner". However, Watson disregarded the move as "half-baked". The ruling follows a similar path as the European Court of Justice who ruled in December 2016 that the retention of confidential communication data was illegal unless proper safeguards were put in place, including an independent judicial review. This ruling is also certainly a win for civil liberties advocates who have been fighting passionately against mass surveilence in the years following the disclosures from Edward Snowden. Martha Spurrier, director of human rights group Liberty who also represented Watson for this case, commented saying "No politician is above the law. When willl the government stop bartering with judges and start drawing up a surveillance law that upholds our democratic freedoms?" With the need for cyber-security protection growing exponentially, the continuing fight between privacy and security will continue to rage on although one can only hope that a meaningful balance can be struck eventually. California has certainly faced its share of problems lately. Massive wildfires recently devastated the southwest portion of the state, injuring and killing many. With this in mind, it's perhaps understandable that one California politician is a bit antsy about the possibility of putting this destructive power in the hands of the public. Unfortunately for California residents, that might mean Elon Musk's Boring Company flamethrower could be off-limits. The politician in question, California Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, initially thought Musk's flamethrower was a joke. Upon realizing The Boring Company's upcoming product was quite real, Santiago expressed a feeling of betrayal given the state's otherwise strong relationship with the company. "The state of California and the county and city of Los Angeles have entrusted Mr. Musk to help alleviate a real public policy problem here by executing a tunnel under the city to help alleviate traffic," said Santiago. "This deviation feels like a slap in the face." Santiago hopes to introduce legislation placing a ban on all Boring Company flamethrower sales within the state. It's worth noting Musk's flamethrower is not technically a true flamethrower - in many ways, it's little more than a large butane torch. Further, according to a tweet from Musk, the Boring Company flamethrower has a flame shorter than 10ft, making it perfectly legal. In the same tweet, he also noted he'd be "way more scared" of a steak knife than the Boring Company's flamethrower. Santiago's full statement can be seen in the following tweet from LA Times writer Liam Dillon: NO FLAMETHROWERS IN CALIFORNIA, SAYS ASSEMBLYMAN. LOOKING AT YOU @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/qCK2iCf9eP Liam Dillon (@dillonliam) January 29, 2018 The $1.1 billion deal between Google and HTC has closed today. Googles Senior Vice President of Hardware Rick Osterloh announced the closure as he welcomed the new staff to the family in a company blog post. Im delighted that weve officially closed our deal with HTC, and are welcoming an incredibly talented team to work on even better and more innovative products in the years to come, he said. The acquisition was announced last September. The search giant had penned a deal with HTC to scoop up about half of its research and design division. Some 2,000 HTC engineers will now become Google employees. These future fellow Googlers are amazing folks weve already been working with closely on the Pixel smartphone line, and we're excited to see what we can do together as one team, said Osterloh back in September. The agreement also includes a non-exclusive license for HTC intellectual property. Presumably, the IP is a new phone that is already in the works (Pixel 3 or whatever they decide to call it). While the former HTC staffers will be coming to Google, they will not be coming to America. The employees will be joining the companys Taiwan division which Osterloh says is the key innovation and engineering hub for Google. The expansion will make the Taipei-based unit the companys largest engineering department in the Asia-Pacific region. What does this mean for HTC? It means it is a billion dollars richer and about 2,000 employees lighter. It is a considerable dent in their research department but not crippling by any means. The New York Times reports that going forward, it will be business as usual for HTC. The smartphone maker will continue to produce handsets and is currently working on a premium model. However, the company does have plans to streamline its device selection. With fewer models to work on, HTC will be in no hurry to rehire the lost positions. Lead Image by Rico Shen, Pixel Concept Render by Jonas Daehnert According to Saab's legal defense team, "on 7 September 2021 the sacred document of the Cape Verde people was ripped to shreds as if it were just a common piece of paper, by the pen of... | Read More KDPOF Equips Electric Cars with Optical Connectivity Madrid, Spain, January 29, 2018; KDPOF; A leading supplier for automotive gigabit connectivity over POF (Plastic Optical Fiber); provide their innovative Automotive Gigabit Ethernet POF (GEPOF) for electric and autonomous driving to perfectly solve the electrical challenges and interferences of new powertrain architectures. "We are happy to announce that several car makers and Tier-1 suppliers have adopted our optical technology for electrical powertrains and autonomous vehicles," stated Carlos Pardo, CEO and Co-Founder of KDPOF. "Electromagnetic noise is a major issue in any electrical power train, both in full electrical or hybrid architectures. It affects the operation of the electronic circuits within the car and countermeasures have to be taken at early stages of the design." Consequently, due to the presence of hazardous high voltage (above 25 Vac or 60 Vdc), galvanic isolation is necessary between the domains of a battery management system and also between the primary a nd secondary systems of both ac-dc and dc-dc. Optical connections with POF provide the optimal means to achieve galvanic isolation while realizing data communications between the domains at the same time. KDPOF will present their GEPOF technology at Automotive Ethernet Congress on January 30 and 31, 2018 in Munich, Germany. Optical Connectivity for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles The control of all the subsystems involved in the electrical powertrain requires a communication bus that transports the control, actuation and sensor signals among the different components in all domains. The communication bus has to be immune to the electromagnetic noise and, at the same time, comply with the mechanical, temperature, and weight constraints of the overall vehicle. 1000BASE-RH, the Ethernet specification for a Gigabit capable, POF-based communication protocol, is ideal for the new architectures, as it provides a natural galvanic isolation between communicating modules and a radiation free harness. Moreover, it can operate at 100 Mbps for most current needs while also supporting future needs at 1 Gbps. KDPOF recently announced the sampling of the KD1053, the first automotive grade Gigabit Ethernet POF transceiver. The KD1053 complies with the new IEEE standard amendment Std 802.3bva for Gigabit Ethernet over POF. It fully meets the requirements of carmakers by providing high connectivity with a flexible digital host interface, low latency, low jitter, and low linking time. About KDPOF Fabless semiconductor supplier KDPOF provides innovative gigabit and long-reach communications over Plastic Optical Fiber (POF). Making gigabit communication over POF a reality, KDPOF technology supplies 1A Gbps POF links for automotive, industrial, and home networks. Founded in 2010 in Madrid, Spain, KDPOF offers their technology as either ASSP or IP (Intellectual Property) to be integrated in SoCs (System-on-Chips). The adaptive and efficient system works with a wide range of optoelectronics and low-cost large core optical fibers, thus delivering carmakers low risks, costs and short time-to-market. More information is available at www.kdpof.com. Libelium Improves Accuracy of Smart Parking Sensors up to 99% and Adds Australia, Asia PAC and LATAM Coverage ZARAGOZA, Spain-- Committed to the continuous quality improvement of its wireless sensor platform, Libelium releases a new enhanced Smart Parking Sensor Node, to detect available parking spots, now able to deliver 99% accuracy. This new parking node features two different detection systems, includes dual wireless communication protocols Sigfox / LoRaWAN and is able to be installed using a unique model over or under the road. The Smart Parking device runs on a magnetic detection system than can be supported with a cloud software system that evaluates the received signal strength indication (RSSI). Thus, if a car is parked on a spot, the system detects it by the variation of the magnetic field and by the weaker signal's received power. This dual sensing system can provide up to 99% accuracy under optimal conditions. The new sensor is equipped with IP68 waterproof and robust enclosure. It allows twofold installation deployments as it can be screwed on the surface or installed under the ground. This feature is specially demanded on projects where snowplows operate in winter or to avoid robbery. In both cases, the node can be easily reset by passing the powerful magnet provided over the device. The new sensor system, certified with CE and FCC, is fully compatible with LPWAN radio technologies -LoRaWAN and Sigfox- to enable long range and low power consumption. It can be connected with both radios for the European 868 MHz band and for the 900-930 MHz band (US/Canada). Sigfox Parking versions for LATAM, Australia and Asia Pacific, now available for 915MHz and 923MHz bands. One unique feature of the system is that allows the use of both radio technologies at the same time or switch from one to the other easily from the Cloud. The Smart Parking device comes pre-programmed from the factory so anyone -even those without programming skills- can configure it in a few seconds with the Libelium's Smart Devices App. Once the nodes have been installed, the Remote Setup System allows the user to remain in control and reconfigure all the parameters easily from the Cloud. The Smart Parking nodes have an expected lifetime up to ten years uninterrupted operation, based on the high capacity batteries and low consumption software algorithms. More information: http://www.libelium.com/libelium-improves-accuracy-of-smart-parking-sensors-up-to-99-and-adds-australia-asia-pac-and-latam-coverage/ A photo of the ten people arrested released by the Cambodian National Police. Photo: Cambodia National Police/AP/REX//Cambodia National Police/AP/REX/ A group of 10 foreigners were arrested in Cambodia for singing and dancing pornographically at a party, the Guardian reports. This came after a police raid at a party in Siem Reap, near the temple complex Angkor Wat. Duong Thavry, who heads up the anti-human-trafficking and juvenile-protection department in the city, explained, We cracked down on them because they committed activities that are against our culture. Below are some photos released by the Cambodian police of the dancing in action: Unidentified foreigners dancing pornographically, also released by the Cambodian National Police. Photo: Cambodia National Police/AP/REX//Cambodia National Police/AP/REX/ Honestly, it was really confusing. Everyone was confused, one of the prisoners told the Press Association. They raided, rounded us up there were about 80 to 100 people at this party. Some of them were tourists. There were about 30 of them [police officers]. The group is a mix of expats and tourists who range in age from 19 to 35, and come from the U.K., the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, and Canada. If convicted, they face up to a year in prison. This comes after a few crackdowns against such behavior in the region: Last November, two American men were arrested in Thailand for taking bare-butt selfies in front of a Buddhist temple, and two Americans women were arrested and deported from Cambodia last September for also taking photos with their pants down. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images A bill that would ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy failed in the Senate on Monday by a vote of 51 to 46, the New York Times reports. The House of Representatives passed a similar bill in October, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina sponsored the Senate version named the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. It needed 60 votes to pass, and President Trump said he would have signed it. As expected, most senators voted along party lines except for Republicans Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, who voted against the bill. Democrats Joe Donnelly, Joe Manchin, and Bob Casey voted for it. The vote was interpreted as a way to make vulnerable Democrats facing reelection record a vote on the issue. But the bill is also part of a ongoing campaign from pro-life groups to restrict abortion access. Anti-abortion groups claim fetuses feel pain at 20 weeks although doctors dispute this. Seventeen states currently prohibit abortion at 20 weeks. Nine states require a second physician to confirm the abortion is medically needed. In a statement following the vote, President Trump doubled down on his pro-life stance. He cited the widely disputed science. It is disappointing that despite support from a bipartisan majority of U.S. senators, this bill was blocked from further consideration, Trump said in a statement. The vote by the Senate rejects scientific fact and puts the United States out of the mainstream in the family of nations, in which only 7 out of 198 nations, including China and North Korea, allow elective abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. We must defend those who cannot defend themselves. I urge the Senate to reconsider its decision and pass legislation that will celebrate, cherish, and protect life. Robert Kerley is recovering from an opioid addiction with help from Kaiser Permanentes pain management program in Colorado. (John Daley/Colorado Public Radio) An Opioid Remedy That Works: Treat Pain and Addiction at the Same Time Seven years ago, Robert Kerley, who makes his living as a truck driver, was loading drywall when a gust of wind knocked him off the trailer. Kerley fell 14 feet and hurt his back. For pain, a series of doctors prescribed him a variety of opioids: Vicodin, Percocet, and OxyContin. In less than a year, the 45-year-old from Federal Heights, Colo., said he was hooked. I spent most of my time high, laying on the couch, not doing nothing, falling asleep everywhere, he said. Kerley lost weight. He lost his job. His relationships with his wife and kids suffered. He remembers when he hit rock bottom: One night, hanging out in a friends basement, he drank three beers and the alcohol reacted with an opioid. I was taking so much morphine that I [experienced] respiratory arrest, Kerley said. I stopped breathing. An ambulance arrived, and EMTs administered the overdose reversal drug naloxone. Kerley was later hospitalized. As the father of a 12-year-old boy, he knew he needed to turn things around. Thats when he signed up for Kaiser Permanentes integrated pain service. (Kaiser Health News is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.) A spokesperson for Kaiser Permanente said researchers tracked more than 80 patients over the course of a year and found the groups emergency room visits decreased 25 percent. After seven years of being on narcotics and in a spiral downhill, the only thing that pulled me out of it was going to this class, he said. The only thing that pulled me out of it was doing and working the program. The program he refers to is an eight-week course, available to Kaiser Permanente members in Colorado for $100. Its designed to educate high-risk opioid patients about pain management. A recent class met at Kaisers Rock Creek medical offices in Lafayette, Colorado, a town east of Boulder. Will Gersch, a clinical pharmacy specialist, taught several patients, learning to battle addiction, the science behind prescription drugs. So, basically the overarching message here is the higher the dose of the opioids, the higher the risk, he told the group, as he jotted numbers on a whiteboard. If youre over these two doses, thats a risk factor. Upstairs, Gerschs colleague Amanda Bye, a clinical psychologist, highlighted a key element of the program: Its integrated. For patient care, theres a doctor, a clinical pharmacist, two mental health therapists, a physical therapist and a nurseall on one floor. Patients can meet with this team, either all at once or in groups, but they do not have to deal with a series of referrals and appointments in different facilities. A spokesperson for Kaiser Permanente said researchers tracked more than 80 patients over the course of a year and found the groups emergency room visits decreased 25 percent. Inpatient admissions dropped 40 percent, and patients opioid use went way down. We brought in all these specialists. We all know the up-to-date research of whats most effective in helping to manage pain, Bye said. And thats how the program got started. Bye said the team helps patients use alternatives like exercise, meditation, acupuncture, and mindfulness. Some patients, though, do need to go to the chemical dependency unit for medication-assisted treatment for their opioid addiction. Benjamin Miller is an expert on integrated care with the national foundation, Well Being Trust. Kaiser is on the right track, he said. Weve seen great success with these models that are integrating complementary therapy, physical therapy, behavioral health and medical care. Dr. Kelly Pfeifer , director of high-value care at the California Health Care Foundation The future of health care is integrated and, unfortunately, our history is very fragmented, and were just now catching up to developing a system of care that meets the needs of people, he said. A New Model of Care Similar projects in California showed a reduction in the number of prescriptions and pills per patient, said Dr. Kelly Pfeifer, director of high-value care at the California Health Care Foundation. Her group released case studies of three programs similar to Kaisers Colorado program. Weve seen great success with these models that are integrating complementary therapy, physical therapy, behavioral health and medical care, Pfeifer said. A key strategy is to gradually decrease the amount of opioids a patient takes, rather than cut them off before theyre ready. It works so much better when the patients have access to these complementary therapies, she said. And it works even better when those complementary therapies are part of an integrated team. I got my life back. I can sleep. I can eat. I can enjoy things. Robert Kerley But it can be difficult to implement universally. One challenge is scale: Big systems like Kaiser Permanente have ample resources and enough patients to make the effort work. Another issue is payment. Some insurers wont pay for some alternative treatments, while others have separate payment streams for different kinds of care. Frequently, behavioral health and medical health are paid for by entirely different systems, Pfeifer said. The need for programs like Kaisers is urgent. In 2016, a record 912 people died from an overdose in Colorado, according to data recently released by the state health department. Of those, 300 people died from an opioid overdose. Opioid use often leads to an addiction to heroin, which claimed another 228 lives last year in Colorado. Those two causes together now rival the number of deaths from car accidents in the state. Colorado faces a severe shortage of treatment options. Making matters worse, the states largest substance abuse treatment provider, Arapahoe House, decided to close as of Jan. 2. Kaisers integrated pain service has given some patients a second chance. Robert Kerley, now a veteran of the program, recently shared his story with other patients. I got my life back. I can sleep. I can eat. I can enjoy things, Kerley told them. To cope with pain, Kerley starts his morning with stretching and a version of tai chi that he calls my chi. He practices deep breathing. His advice to others suffering from pain or addiction? Do whatever it takes to walk away from it, like no matter what, Kerley said. Trust me, it gets better. It gets 100 percent better than where youre at right now. Better for Kerley means his relationships with his family have improved. And hes back at work, once again able to make a living as a truck driver. This story is part of a reporting partnership with NPR, Colorado Public Radio, and Kaiser Health News. Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. Big Game Hunter Dies in Freak Accident While Trying to Shoot Lion A big game hunter has been shot dead in a freak accident while on the prowl for a trophy lion in South Africa. Croatian huntsman Pero Jelenic, 75, was hit by a stray bullet as he took aim at a lion on a private property in South Africa on Saturday, Jan. 27, according to the Daily Mail. Local media reported he had already shot one lion dead before the accident happened in the countrys North West province. Jelenic wanted to bag a lion trophy after hunting everything that could be hunted in Europe according to his friend, Slavko Pernar. It is unclear who fired the bullet that killed Jelenic, but police say they do not suspect foul play. Pernar described Jelenic as a passionate hunter of big and small game, and that he had hunted in locations across the globe, said the Metro, citing local newspapers. He was in South Africa because he wanted to complete his extensive trophy collection, the Metro reported. Jelenics friend said the ardent huntsman received the ugliest end but at least he died doing what he loved. Jelenic had been looking forward to his retirement, having recently leased his hotel to dedicate himself to the things he planned to accomplish, according to Pernar. The victim was said to have had a trophy hall full of specimensincluding everything that could be hunted in Croatia and Europe. Police spokesman Sabata Mokgwabone told Daily Mail that Jelenic was still alive when air-lifted to a hospital for treatment of his wounds, but that doctors were unable to save the mans life. Mokgwabone added that a case of culpable homicide has been opened, and police are also investigating charges of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. The investigation continues. Recommended Video: Wranglers Wrestle With Alligator to Remove Eggs From Nest Border Agents Find 76 Illegal Immigrants in a Tractor-Trailer U.S. Border Patrol agents found 76 illegal immigrants in a tractor-trailer in Texas this week. The situation took place at a Border Patrol checkpoint on Highway 83 in Laredo. The driver of the rig was questioned regarding his immigration status. Further inspection in the secondary lane led to the discovery of dozens of illegal immigrants inside the trailer. The 76 people were determined to be from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, according to a news release. Of the 76, 13 were unaccompanied children. The driver has not been named but was arrested and identified as a U.S. citizen. These criminal organizations view these individuals as mere commodities without regard for their safety. The blatant disregard for human life will not be tolerated. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle these organizations and prosecute those responsible, said Laredo Sector Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Gabriel Acosta in a statement. Border Patrol Finds 76 Illegals Inside Tractor-Trailer in Texas https://t.co/fbDgLq1WIt #OANN pic.twitter.com/H0hlDToSnw One America News (@OANN) January 30, 2018 The patrol said its latest initiative is to warn against the dangers of people crossing illegally into the United States. In July, a truck was found containing illegal immigrants in San Antonio, reported UPI. Inside, 10 undocumented immigrants were dead from overheating. The air-conditioning and ventilation systems were not operating. Also inside were 30 others who survived the ordeal. The current case from Laredo is still being investigated. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: First Lady Melania Trump Visits United States Holocaust Memorial Museum An oil delivery man pulls the oil hose back to his truck after delivering oil to a home February 14, 2003 in Hilltown, Pennsylvania. (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images) Delivery Error Leave Homeowner With Basement Full of Heating Oil The Calhoun family of Accokeek, Maryland, has spent the past two weeks in a hotel room after a delivery error caused their home to be condemned. On Jan. 10 a truck from the Price Company made a delivery of $300 worth of heating oil to the Calhoun home. Unfortunately, the Calhouns no longer heat their home with oil. Stacy Calhoun said her husband noticed the strong smell as soon as he got home from work that Wednesday evening. He went to the basement and saw a big flood of oil and when he went to go get the mail, he actually saw a receipt for $300 from Price Oil Company, Calhoun told Fox News. The Price Oil driver had misread the address. He pumped 100 gallons of oil down the unused pipe of the old heating system, which no longer led to an oil tank. The oil spread through the walls of the house, filling it with toxic fumes. Most of it had gone through the walls and is now still in the walls and it was just a nightmare, Calhoun said. Now the house has been condemned, judged no longer safe for occupancy. The Calhouns and their two children were forced to move to a hotel. We have a 2-year-old and an 11-year-old who is a special needs child so its really taken a toll on our family emotionally, the mother explained. No Help, No Responsibility The Calhouns are understandably upset that they have lost their home and been forced to squeeze into a hotel room, but that is hardly the worst of it. What really irks them is that no one at Price Oil seems to care. The company admits the error, and has apologized to the Calhounsbut that is all. Nobodys doing anything. Nobodys stepping up the plate, Calhoun said. A company representative told Fox News that the matter is out of their handsit will all be settled by the insurance company. So far neither Price Oil nor the insurance company have offered any kind of emergency funds, or told the Calhouns what will happen to their home and all their possessions. How could you leave a family like this out in the cold with nothing? Calhoun asked. From NTD.tv Even for people whove never struggled with drug abuse, studies are finding that patients are at risk of addiction anytime they go under the knife. I had the C-section, had the kiddo, said Michelle Leavy of Las Vegas. And then they tell me, Its OK, you can keep taking the pain medications, its fine. Leavy is a mother of three and a paramedic who has dealt with many patients coping with addiction. She welcomed the high-dose intravenous narcotics while in the hospital and, upon her release, gladly followed doctors orders to keep ahead of the pain with Percocet pills. But then she needed stronger doses. Soon, she realized, she was no longer treating pain. Before I went to work, I took them, and to get the kids after school, I had to take them, she said. Then I was taking them just to go to bed. I didnt really realize I had a problem until the problem was something more than I could have taken care of myself. She said she was becoming like the patients with addiction problems that she transported by ambulance, lying to emergency room doctors to con a few extra doses. Soon she lost her job and her fiance, before going to rehab through American Addiction Centers and stitching her life back together. A 180 on Opioids Opioid addiction is a reality that can be disconnected from where it sometimes startin a hospital. Anesthesiologist David Alfery said he was rarely stingy with the pain medicine. If I could awaken them without any pain whatsoever, I was the slickest guy on the block, and it was a matter of enormous pride, he said. Alfery is part of a working group at the Nashville-based consulting firm Health Trust behind hospital efforts to set aside rivalry and swap ideas about a top priority: reducing opioid use. It starts with patient expectations, and I think, over the years, patients have come to expect more and more in terms of, I dont want any pain after surgery, and its an unrealistic expectation, Alfery said. That expectation exists in part because pain treatment was institutionalized. Hospitals are graded on how well they keep someones pain at bay. Doctors can feel the institutional pressure and also on a personal level. I just wanted my patient not to be in pain, thinking I was doing the right thing for them and certainly not an outlier among my colleagues, said Mike Schlosser, chief medical officer for a division of HCA, the nations largest private hospital chain. Schlosser spent a decade as a spinal surgeon putting his patients at HCAs flagship facility in Nashville through some of the most painful procedures in medicine, like correcting back curvature. He said he genuinely wanted to soothe the hurt he caused. But now looking back on it, I was putting them at significant risk of developing an addiction to those medications, he said. Using HCAs vast trove of data, he found that for orthopedic and back surgeries, the greatest risk isnt infection or some other complicationits addiction. So the nations largest private hospital chain is rolling out a new protocol prior to surgery. It includes a conversation Schlosser basically never had when he was practicing medicine. We will treat the pain, but you should expect that youre going to have some pain. And you should also understand that taking a narcotic [dose so high] that you have no pain, really puts you at risk of becoming addicted to that narcotic, Schlosser said, recounting the new recommended script for surgeons speaking to their patients. Besides issuing the uncomfortable warning, sparing use of opioids also takes more work on the hospitals parttrying nerve blocks and finding the most effective blend of non-narcotic medicine. Then after surgery, the nursing staff has to stick to it. If someone can get up and walk and cough without doubling over, maybe they dont need potentially addictive drugs, or at least not in high dosage, he said. There are potential benefits aside from avoiding addiction. Ive had people tell me that the constipation [resulting from opioid use] was way worse than the kidney stone, said Valerie Norton, head of the pharmacy and therapeutics council for Scripps Health System in San Diego, which is participating in the Health Trust working group. There are lots of other complications from opioidsnausea, itching, hallucinations, sleepiness. We really need to treat these drugs with respect and give people informed consent. And let people know these are not benign drugs. Managing the Optics Of course, business-wise, no one wants to be known as the hospital where treatment hurts more. You dont want to portray the fact that youre not going to treat people appropriately, said John Young, national medical director of cardiovascular services for LifePoint Health, another player at the table with Health Trust. The Nashville-based hospital chain is putting special emphasis on how it handles people coming into the emergency room looking for pain medicine. Young said tightening up on opioids becomes a delicate matter but its the right thing to do. We really do have a lot of responsibility and culpability in this burden, and so we have to make sure we do whatever we can to stem this tide and turn the ship in the other direction, he said. While hospitals get their ship in order, some patients are taking personal responsibility. Now that shes in recovery, Michelle Leavy wont touch opioids. That meant she had emergency gallbladder surgery in 2017 without any narcotics. Leavy said she was nervous about telling her doctors about her addiction, but they were happy to find opioid alternatives. I mean, it hurt, she said. But I lived. Blake Farmer is Nashville Public Radios senior health care reporter. This story is part of a partnership that includes Nashville Public Radio, NPR, and Kaiser Health News. FBI Agents See McCabe Resignation as Step Toward Freeing Agency From Politics Agency was dragged into politics under former Director James Comey and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe Andrew McCabe resigned from his position as deputy director of the FBI on Jan. 29, just hours before the Senate approved the release of a memo that allegedly shows the FBI using its powers for political motives that protected Hillary Clinton and sought to undermine President Donald Trump. The shakeup at the top of the FBI is being framed by some politicians and legacy news outlets as an attack on the agency itself, with former Attorney General Eric Holder stating on Twitter that Bogus attacks on the FBI and DOJ [Department of Justice] to distract attention from a legitimate criminal inquiry does long term, unnecessary damage to these foundations of our government. A veteran FBI agent, though, says that for many FBI agents, the claims of Holder and others couldnt be further from the truth. The truth is that agents are very smart people. They realize the attacks from the White House are not directed at the rank and file, but clearly directed at the elite, said Marc Ruskin, author of The Pretender: My Life Undercover for the FBI, who spent 27 years in the agency. Ruskin said that among the community of former and retired FBI agents, they largely believe the agency had been dragged into politics by former FBI Director James Comey, and that this politicization of the agency continued under McCabe. For every agent who defends Comey there are ten who are angry with the bureau being allowed to be manipulated for political purpose, he said. The belief of the rank and file FBI agents and retired agents is that the politicization of the FBI which occurred over the past couple years with Comey, McCabe, and others is essentially being cleansed, Ruskin said. This is clearing house and getting the FBI back to its role as a neutral agency free from political influence, he said. Clearing the FBI of political influence was also raised by Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy. He stated in an email that for those who admired the FBI and understand its important role in protecting national security and public safety, Jan. 29 was a red letter day. McCabe, Gaffney said, epitomized the politicization of the Bureaus senior management that has hampered its performance under former directors Robert Mueller and James Comey and undermined the American peoples confidence in the organization. He noted that the memo allegedly exposes politically motivated domestic surveillance and other malfeasance that took place in the FBI under McCabes watch. According to Ruskin, to properly understand the shakeup and its perceptions within the FBI, its important to understand the divide between FBI management and the agents on the ground. Most bureaucracies use a pyramid system of management, where employees often enter at the bottom, then make an effort to rise through the ranks. Ruskin noted, The FBI is not like that. Most agents enter at the bottom rung, and most want to stay at the bottom rung. Many who enter the FBI, he said, do so out of a desire for adventure or for a sense of justice. When advancing their careers, Ruskin said, They want to get into more complex investigations, and instead of handling routine cases they handle major white collar or organized crime cases. The agents who go into the FBI management, however, are often of a different breed. The agents who go into management are often the ones who arent the best street agents, Ruskin said. Theyre the ones who arent very comfortable on the street or cant develop rapport. Once theyre in management they try to claw and crawl their way to the top. Because of this difference in goals, there are two starkly different cultures in the FBI between agents on the ground and those who go into management. Agents are very dedicated to the truth and to finding the bad guys, Ruskin said. The other culture is of desk jockeys trying to advance their careers and rise to the next level. Theyre trying to not rock the boat, and to not do anything that would inhibit their rise to the top. Guys like McCabe were known for being notorious for destroying anybody who got in the way. Many perceived him to be a martinet who crushed anyone who got in his way, Ruskin said. McCabe, he said, was known as a micromanager who enjoyed power and pushed around those beneath him, but also had a sycophant nature who looked to appease the supervisors above him. Ruskin said, They arent going to be any tears shed by his departure, particularly to the people who he viewed as obstacles in his steady climb upwards. Understanding there are these two culturesthe management culture and the rank and file street cultureyouve got to understand the rank and file are not bothered by the commentary on the politicization, Ruskin said. They dont feel theyre being targeted. They understand that they and management are two different animals, and an attack on management is not an attack on the rank and file. Hero Police Dog Stabbed With 10-inch Blade by Suspected Armed Robber A heroic police dog was nearly killed after first taking a 10-inch blade in the lung and then leaping to block a knife lunge aimed at the torso of his partner. Finn the German Shepherd was an experienced British police dog at the time of the 2016 incident. He had tracked over 200 people, including murderers, rapists, burglars, missing persons, car thieves and assault suspects. It was his phenomenal tracking that really marked him out as a superhero his handler, police constable Dave Wardell.Wardell wrote for MailOnline. He once picked up a scent that was two hours old and managed to follow it to find a woman with dementia who had wandered from her care home. The two had been partners for seven years at the police precinct in Hertfordshire, UK, when a call came in on Oct. 5 of an armed robbery. A taxi driver had been robbed of his takings by a passenger. The driver had done the sensible thingstopped the car, handed the money over, then run for his life, Wardell wrote. The duo spotted a suspect fitting the description and Wardell released the canine when the armed man ignored his order to stop. Finn grabbed hold of the mans leg and in the tussle was stabbed. It was a knifeas thick as a ruler. It was ridiculously huge, like a hunting knifethe blade alone must have been 10in long, Wardell wrote. The suspect then reportedly lunged with the knife towards the officer. Finn intervened and was slashed in the head. Wardells hand was cut, but he managed to subdue the attacker by body slamming him into the ground. I was numb, exhausted and terrified. The vision of the knife, that flash of metal as it slid out of Finns chest. Then another flash as the suspect lunged a second time, aiming for my upper body, and Finn moving to protect me and blocking the weapon with his head, Wardell wrote. Finn was rushed to a vet for a life-saving surgery and, after a recovery that lasted several months, rejoined the force. The man who stabbed Finn and slashed Wardell was sentenced to four months in jail. Wardell felt that the law failed to sufficiently protect dogs in the line of duty, so he has pushed for a change in legislation. A new regulation, known as Finns Law, is expected to be passed soon. Finn retired from active duty in 2017 and Wardell has written a book in tribute to his furry friend called Fabulous Finn: The Brave Police Dog Who Was Stabbed And Came Back From The Brink. The book features an account of Finns memorable crime-fighting exploits. Recommended Video: Brazen Pickpockets Steal 1,000 From London Pensioner House Intelligence Committee Votes to Release Memo The House Intelligence Committee voted Monday evening to release to the public a memo detailing potential abuse of power at the highest levels of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI. The White House now has five days to raise any objections to the release of the document. However, it has already signaled that it will support the release. While the contents of the memo remain classified at the moment, some members of the House have alluded to its contents. Invoking the KGB and describing the events it comments on as shocking, the memo is promised to reveal an elaborate plot at the highest levels of the Obama administration to subvert the 2016 electoral process. The memo will likely reveal the role that the so-called Trump dossier played in the FBI obtaining a FISA surveillance warrant to spy on the Trump campaign. It could also reveal that the DOJ, which filed for the warrant on behalf of the FBI, knowingly misled the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court by withholding the source of the allegations. The Trump dossier was paid for by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, and was produced by opposition research company Fusion GPS. The contents of the dossier had been described by former FBI Director James Comey as both salacious and unverified. Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe was forced to resign on Monday after his boss, FBI Director Christopher Wray, read the memo on Sunday. Besides the FBI, key officials in the Obama administration, including National Security Adviser Susan Rice could have also spied on the Trump team. It likely provided the Obama administration with key political intelligence during the presidential campaign and after the election. The memo will also call into question Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who reportedly signed off on an extension of the FISA warrant after coming to office in April 2017. After Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from any investigation involving Russia, it was Rosenstein who appointed Mueller as the special counsel to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections. The appointment by Rosenstein came after he advised in a letter to Trump to fire FBI Director Comey. I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt, Trump tweeted on June 16, 2017. Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, who are on trial for the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, are escorted as they revisit the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 in Sepang, Malaysia Oct. 24, 2017. (Reuters/Lai Seng Sin/Files) Indonesian Accused in Kim Jong Nam Killing Was Hired for Prank Show, Lawyer Says KUALA LUMPURA woman accused of killing the North Korean leaders estranged half-brother was hired for a prank television show by a suspect wanted by the Malaysian police just over a month earlier, her lawyer told a court on Tuesday. Indonesian Siti Aisyah is accused with another woman, Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam, of killing Kim Jong Nam by smearing his face with VX, a banned chemical poison at Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13 last year. Defence lawyers say the women thought they were playing pranks for a reality show and did not know they were poisoning Kim. They face the death penalty if convicted. On Jan. 5 last year, Siti Aisyah was approached at a nightclub by a Malaysian taxi driver, who asked her if she would participate in a Japanese video prank show, her lawyer, Gooi Soon Seng, told the court during his questioning of the lead police investigator in the case, Wan Azirul Nizam Che Wan Aziz. The following morning the taxi driver, Kamaruddin Masiod, also known as John, introduced Siti Aisyah to Ri Ji U, a North Korean posing as a Japanese man named James, at a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpurs city center, Gooi added. After Siti Aisyah agreed to the offer, she watched pranks being played by an unidentified woman, before joining in. She played pranks on three people near a fountain outside the mall entrance and was paid 400 ringgit ($102.70) by Ri at the end of the day, Gooi said. Wan Azirul, the police witness, was unable to confirm the pranks took place. I agree that Kamaruddin was the person who introduced the first accused (Siti Aisyah) to James, but the date and place, Im not sure, Wan Azirul said. The meeting of Siti Aisyah, Ri and Kamaruddin was captured in a photograph taken at the shopping mall, Gooi said. The photo was released to reporters after Tuesdays hearing. Ri was named by Malaysian police as a suspect shortly after Kim Jong Nams killing and his photo was released to the media. Defence lawyers have argued the killing was politically motivated, with many key suspects linked to the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, suggesting the two women were merely unwitting pawns in the attack. Pyongyang has denied accusations by South Korean and U.S. officials that North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns regime was behind the killing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd R) sits next to Cabinet Secretary Tzachi Braverman (R), Israeli Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (2nd L) and Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev (L) during the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem Jan. 28, 2018. (Reuters/Tsafrir Abayov/Pool) Israel and Poland Clash Over Proposed Holocaust Law JERUSALEM/WARSAWIsraels prime minister and Holocaust survivors on Sunday bridled at a draft Polish law that would make it illegal to suggest Poland bore any responsibility for Nazi atrocities committed on its soil. The Israeli foreign ministry summoned Polands charge daffaires the ambassador was abroad to object to the bill, which is still going through parliament. We will under no circumstances accept any attempt to rewrite history, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in lengthy public remarks to his cabinet. Netanyahu and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki talked by phone late on Sunday, the Israeli leaders office said, and they had agreed to open immediate dialogue between teams from both countries to try to reach understandings on the legislation. Before World War Two, Poland was home to Europes largest Jewish community of some 3.2 million. Nazi Germany attacked and occupied Poland in 1939 and later built death camps including Auschwitz and Treblinka on Polish soil. Most of the Jews that lived in Poland were killed by the Nazi occupiers. The Polish government said in a statement the legislation aimed to stop the Polish people or state being blamed for Nazi crimes. The bill, passed by the lower house of parliament on Friday, would make the use of phrases such as Polish death camps punishable by up to three years in prison. To become law, the bill, which could yet be amended, must be approved by the Senate and Polish President Andrzej Duda. We will accept no limitation on truthful historical research, Netanyahu earlier told his cabinet. Our ambassador in Warsaw, at my instruction, spoke with the prime minister of Poland during last nights ceremony commemorating the Holocaust at Auschwitz, and emphasized these positions of ours, he said, referring to a service to mark the 73rd anniversary of the death camps liberation. Warsaw says the bill will not limit freedom to research or speak about the Holocaust. Jews, Poles, and all victims should be guardians of the memory of all who were murdered by German Nazis. Auschwitz-Birkenau is not a Polish name, and Arbeit Macht Frei is not a Polish phrase, Morawiecki said on Twitter on Saturday. The German phrase, which translates as work sets you free, was set into the wrought iron gates at Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps. The Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) said that Poland had been in the past many times presented as an ally of Hitler, which made it necessary to protect its reputation. Poland lost about 3 million of its non-Jewish citizens, including many of its intellectuals and members of the elites during World War Two. The capital Warsaw was razed to the ground in 1944 after a failed uprising in which 200,000 civilians died. Bill Bans Polish Death Camps Reference Yad Vashem, Israels Holocaust remembrance center, said the phrase Polish death camps would be a historical misrepresentation but that the bill was liable to blur the historical truths regarding the assistance the Germans received from the Polish population. At Israels request, Dudas top policy adviser will meet Israels ambassador on Monday to discuss the legislation. Holocaust survivors interviewed in Israels best-selling daily, Yedioth Ahronoth, gave first-hand accounts of how Poles refused them help or turned them over to German authorities. There were good Polish people but there were also Poles who were very cruel, Esther Lieber, 81, told the newspaper. When they came to round us up and put us in the ghetto, father said to run away quickly. We were very scared and fled into the woods. The Poles threw stones at us and cursed us. Yad Vashem says about 30,000 to 35,000 Jews, around one percent of all of Polish Jewry, were saved with the help of Poles. More than 6,700 Poles, the largest number of rescuers from a single country, have been honored by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations. By Jeffrey Heller and Marcin Goettig Recommended Video: The Origins of Antifa Karate Instructor Gets 200 Years in Prison for Abusing Children in S. California A California martial arts instructor was sentenced to 200 years to life in prison after he was convicted of nine counts of lewd and lascivious acts on children and other sexual abuse charges, ABC7 reported. Albert George Williams, 68, was convicted Jan. 19 of the charges, which includes one count of witness intimidation, according to the Jan. 28, ABC affiliate report. It was reported that a 10-year-old girl told her parents that she was abused by Williams, who was her neighbor and a karate instructor at the timeoperating a karate studio from his garage. The incident happened in 2012. Detectives were then led to other victims of Williams. In July 2014, he was convicted of the crimes and was sentenced to 150 years to life in prison. He filed an appealed and was granted a retrial, leading to a later sentence of 200 years. Deputy District Attorney Julie Baldwin said that Williams intimidated victims from talking to their parents, saying they would be beaten up by gang members or worse, Patch.com reported in 2014. One girl told authorities that she was fearful of [the] defendant because he would tell her and the other children stories about getting the letter S carved into their faces for snitching, the report said. Williams also apparently tried to frighten the father of a child, saying that his son was a gang member who had been released from prison and killed several people. Williams said that if anyone ever hurt him or any of his family members, his son would have his back, according to officials in a brief. Court documents said that the abuse took place between 2011 and 2012. Recommended Video: How Doctors in China Turn into Murderers Dubbed the "Kayak Killer" for her role in the drowning death of her fiance, Angelika Graswald is reportedly attempting to claim the proceeds his life insurance policy. (Orange County Sheriff's Office) Kayak Killer Wants Murdered Fiances $491,000 Insurance Policy The woman dubbed the Kayak Killer for sabotaging her fiances kayak and causing his drowning in the frigid waters of the Hudson River is not giving up on her chance to profit from her intended husbands death. The New York Post has now reported that Angelika Graswald, 37, is fighting the family of the deceased man for the right to claim the money from his life insurance policyclose to half a million dollars. Graswald pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in Vincent Viafores death in April 2015, and was released from the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility just before Christmas after serving just over two and a half years behind bars. And now the infamously monikered Kayak Killer is fighting viafores family for the right to claim $491,531or 45 percentfrom his insurance policy, the Post reported. Relatives of the dead man want a court order to prevent her from getting her hands on the money, which prosecutors argued was her goal all along. Its been a nightmare for the last almost three years, the victims mother, Mary Ann Viafore, said on Wednesday, Jan. 24, the Post reported. She doesnt deserve the money. She caused his death! she said. Viafores mother and sister, Laura Rice, are listed as beneficiaries on the policy. But Graswald, too, features in the documentas the intended recipient of nearly half of the accidental-death payout. The law states that convicted killers are ineligible to profit from the death of their victims. But Graswalds criminally negligent homicide pleaversus the initial charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter that could have put her behind bars for 25 years to lifeallow her to claim the money. Kayak Killer wants to claim fiances $491K insurance policy https://t.co/ghHecAVdcg pic.twitter.com/6sgcbBnAsX New York Post (@nypost) January 25, 2018 The only way the family can block the fat payout is to prove she recklessly caused her fiances death. Thats the thrust of Judge James Pagoness ruling last week, according to the Post. The court is required to conduct a hearing wherein it will be the petitioners burden to establish that Graswald recklessly caused the death of Vincent Viafore by a preponderance of the credible evidence, the Dutchess County judge reportedly wrote in a Jan. 16 decision. Viafores mother believes the evidence obviously points to Graswalds culpability. Of course she was reckless, she told the Post, she removed the cap, and the kayak filled up and he went in the river. And then she did something to the paddle. The investigation showed that Graswald had removed the plug on Viafores kayak knowing that he wasnt wearing a life vest and that the waters in the Hudson River in November were cold and dangerous. She also allegedly moved the mans paddle away from him as he was drowning in the 46-degree Hudson River on April 19, 2015, the Hudson Valley Post reported. Viafores body was found approximately a month after Graswalds arrest. Graswald has maintained that his death was a tragic accident, but took the plea deal on Monday, Jul. 24, 2017. Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler told NEWS12 reporters that the deal was made with the consent of the victims family and ultimately holds Graswald accountable for the crime. The family has reportedly filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Graswald and awaits adjudication. Recommended Video: The Origins of Antifa Man Convicted of Soliciting Girls Outside Middle School Had Mattress, Condoms in Van A man convicted of soliciting girls outside a middle school and other schools in Maryland had a mattress and condoms in his van, police said. Daniel Dickson, 34, was convicted on Wednesday, Jan. 24, of sexual solicitation of a minor. Dickson propositioned a 15-year-old girl and her older sister as they walked near Loiderman Middle School in Silver Spring last June, according to court documents obtained by WTOP. The girl thought fastbefore leaving the area quickly, and recorded video of Dicksons van and license plate. She alerted police and they found and arrested Dickson, and impounded his van. Thank goodness that she was quick on her feet and really very smart to take a video, Ramon Korionoff, spokesman for the Montgomery County States Attorneys Office, told NBC Washington. The documents obtained by WTOP revealed a chilling picture of what was in the van. There was a full-size twin mattress in the back of his Mazda minivan and various other paraphernalia that were sexual in nature: body sprays, oils, and boxes of condoms, the documents stated. Dickson was already known to police after an incident in 2013. A 17-year-old told officers then that she was walking home from Wheaton High School in the same city when Dickson pulled near her and asked her to get in his van. The documents said she walked away but he tailed her for some time. The court documents stated, The driver continued following her as she was walking home, asking her to get in the car with him, saying Come play with me, Wanna see this? and Whats your number? Dickson allegedly told the girls last year that he followed girls around to try to pick them up, and wasnt going to stop until someone told him to, reported Fox. The broadcaster reported that Dickson will be sentenced in March, to up to 10 years in prison. After release, he will have to register as a sex offender. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: High School Students Surprise Sweetest Janitor With New Work Boots for Christmas [/epoch_video] The approximate location where Lee Goggin was buried by a collapsed tunnel he dug in sand dunes at Crescent Beach, south of Jacksonville, Fla., on Jan. 28, 2018. (Screenshot via Google Maps) Man in Critical Condition After Beach Tunnel He Dug Buried Him Alive Lee Goggin, 35, was vacationing with his family at Crescent Beach, south of Jacksonville, Florida, when his decision to dig a tunnel on a beach put him in a hospital, fighting for life. The incident happened on Sunday, Jan. 28, when Goggin, a father of three and personal trainer from the Dallas area, was digging in the sand dunes with his hands. His wife, Courtney, was taking a video at the time when the tunnel suddenly collapsed, Miami Herald reported. The family tried to dig the man out and after about a minute, they decided to call 911. This is where we believe a man became trapped underneath the sand after he dug a tunnel in the dune. You can see the dune is roughed up and there are lots of foot prints. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/R1Tmo5zG0v Christy Turner (@ChristyANJax) January 29, 2018 A father, who's on vacation in FL with family, is now fighting for his life after he was buried alive in the sand dunes in St. Augustine. Family members are calling it a freak accident. I'm working on this story for 5 on @ActionNewsJax. pic.twitter.com/EJNpQIalrQ Christy Turner (@ChristyANJax) January 29, 2018 St. Johns County Fire Rescue was alerted to the situation at about 1:40 p.m., it stated on Facebook. Upon arrival, the crew removed some 2-3 feet of sand before they could pull Goggin out from under the sand and perform procedures to counter a cardiac arrest. Goggin was then transported about 12 miles to the Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine. He was in critical condition. According to a GoFundMe page set up for Goggin on Sunday, he had a heartbeat but was not breathing on his own. At 3:30 p.m. they [will] begin the reboot process which will begin to warm his body, his sister wrote on Facebook on Monday. We continue to ask for prayers for strength for Lees body to fight harder than he ever has and come back. We know with our Awesome God that this is possible and it will happen. We serve a Mighty God that will never leave us. Collapsing holes and tunnels dug into beach sand can be deadly, though such incidents are rare. In July, a Texas woman was found dead in a collapsed hole on a beach in Ocean City, Maryland. Investigators said somebody else dug the hole that contributed to the womans death. A medical examiner ruled her death an accident, WTOP reported. Recommended Video: Toddler With Rare Heart Condition Gets to Go Home After 402 Days in the Hospital A type of slug that might carry the rat lungworm. (Screenshot via Hawaii Department of Health) Man Left Bedridden After Accidentally Eating Slug on Free Hawaiian Trip A Florida man thought his free Hawaiian trip with his wife was going to be perfect. What he didnt expect was to return with an incurable parasitic disease that left him bedridden for months. Ron Fields, who was 62 at the time, had saved up enough credit card reward points so that he could take a relaxing vacation with his wife, Darlene, in Hawaii. The couple, who were physically fit and were devoted to eating organically for the past few years, had only a few more days left on their trip when Ron complained that something was going on with his skin, reported Food Safety News. My husband woke up in the middle of the night and couldnt quite describe what was going on with his skin, Darlene said told the news website from their Florida home. It was worse in L.A., and more when we got home. We arrived home on a Saturday and by Thursday, he laid down in the bedand he couldnt get up for months, she added. The Fields believe the culprit behind his mysterious illness was a disgusting parasitethe rat lungwormwhich they said could have been carried by a slug he accidentally consumed while enjoying a salad. Rat lungworms is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, according to the Hawaiian Department of Health. In humans, it can cause a rare type of meningitis. Not everyone infected will show symptoms, however, those who do might experience severe headaches and stiffness of the neck, tingling or painful feelings in the skin or extremities, low-grade fever, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms can last between two to eight weeks and even longer in some reported cases. The parasite is usually found in rats which are then transmitted through slugs and snails from their feces. In Hawaii, these larval worms can be found in raw or undercooked snails or slugs. Sometimes people can become infected by eating raw produce that contains a small infected snail or slug, or part of one, the health department website said. The Fields said they didnt eat any snails. They believe Ron contacted the infection from a salad, which they were eating every day on their vacation, reported Food Safety News. You know, a Caesar salad or whatever they had in the restaurants, Ron told the news website. Ron, who owns a construction business in Sarasota, visited many doctors and an emergency room who performed multiple tests to find out the cause of his mysterious symptoms. He called it burning skin pain. Then he started to have bladder problems and couldnt urinate, Darlene told the news website. We would go to the emergency room and to our family doctor. We tried acupuncture for the pain, she recalled. During the couple of weeks after we arrived home, I could get him in the car and get him to the emergency room, but when he was home, he just lay in bed, too weak to walk, and any jostle in the car just caused excruciating pain. But no doctors were able to pinpoint the cause of his suffering. Some doctors even suggested that it was due to stress. They diagnosed all these silly things, said Darlene. We thought he was dying, and they said acid reflux, stress. It was just weird. Even after we found out what it was and told doctors, nobody had ever heard of it. However, one day Darlene began to speculate that the disease was caused by the parasitic worm when Darlenes mother was flipping through TV channels and came across the words Big Island and rat lungworm on the Animal Planet network, reported the news website. Darlene then searched the internet which eventually led them to an answer. We diagnosed it ourselves from the internet. I called the Big Island, the hospital, the CDC, I think, trying to get hold of a doctor who had treated it to see what we could do. I finally called an emergency room in Honolulu and got a doctor who said it was untreatable but it would go away eventually, Darlene told the news website. In 2017, the Hawaii Department of Health recorded 18 confirmed cases, according to Anna Koethe of the departments communications office, reported Food Safety News. Now at age 64, Ron still goes to work but has lost weight and agility. I dont know if words can really describe (it), he told the news website. Its been challenging. As far as my balance and ability to be able to work every day without [the] disability is about 90 percent. It took a while to get there. I still suffer from the neuropathy from the nerve damage that happened to me, and its just been a real struggle with that, he added. The Fields said the disease had changed their lives and cost them hundreds and thousands of dollars. Its changed our lives, Darlene said. Weve lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. His business was really starting to thrive and when we came back, he just couldnt work. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: Kayaker Rescues Iguana Swimming Miles From Shore Missouri Man Charged in Triple-Murder of Toddler and Parents A Missouri man is facing first-degree murder charges after a toddler and her parents were killed in rural southeast Missouri. The victims have been identified as Samara Fontaine Kitts, 23, her 24-year-old boyfriend, Harley Michael Million, and their 17-month-old daughter, Willa Fontaine Million, the New York Post reported, citing a police source. Drew Atchison, 24, of Williamsville, was charged on Monday, Jan. 29. with three counts of first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and child kidnapping. The victims: (L-R) Michael Million, Samara Fontaine Kitts, and Willa Fontaine Million. (Missouri Highway Patrol) Atchison reportedly confessed to the killings, but provided no motive, according to the Kansas City Star, citing court documents. The accused stabbed the adults to death at their home in Wayne County, Missouri, on Thursday, Jan. 25, the documents state, before loading the bodies onto a truck. Atchison then allegedly drove off, leaving the child alone overnight, locked in a room with dogs. The following day Atchison reportedly came back to destroy evidence and collect the child. Afterward he discarded the murder weapon in the woods and concealed the victims bodies beneath some blankets and trash. It is reported that Atchison then shot the little girl in the back of the head, before hiding her body with those of her parents. The bodies were found Monday, a day after relatives contacted the police with information that they had not heard from Kitts or Million for several days. According to the New York Post, a relative of the victims said in a statement that Kitts and Million werent married but had been a couple for eight years and were amazing parents to Willa. Wayne County is about 140 miles southwest of St. Louis. Atchison remains in custody. Recommended Video: Timelapse Video Captures Ocean of Clouds Over Vancouver, British Columbia Mother Charged in 2-Year-Old Sons Death The mother of a toddler that was beaten to death by her boyfriend has been arrested and charged, police said. Amber Garrett, a 26-year-old from Indiana is facing felony charges of child neglect, in connection to the Nov. 29, 2017, death of her son Malakai Garrett, ABC21 reported. She was arrested on Monday, Jan. 29, according to Fort Wayne Police. Her boyfriend, 27-year-old Mitchell Vanryn, faces a harsher sentence. He was charged with murder, aggravated battery of a child and domestic battery resulting in the death of a child. The coroner determined that Malakai died from injuries resulting from sustained beatings. An autopsy found that the toddler had suffered from massive internal bleeding. The doctor who conducted the autopsy told CBS affiliate WANE that the injuries were consistent with that of multiple blows and strikes from a closed fist punch, according to a probable cause affidavit. At the time of the toddlers death, police responded to a call from a Palmetta Court home, in the Crestwood Colony neighborhood off North Clinton Street on Fort Waynes north side. Not long after, the toddler was dropped off at a nearby fire station, WANE reported. Malakai was taken to hospital in critical condition where he passed away just a short time later. The mother told police that her boyfriend was the sole childcare provider for her son, during the time she was working from Monday to Friday. Surveillance video from a neighbor showed the boyfriend running out of the home with Malakai, who seemed to be limp, in his arms. He then ran back home soon after, according to an affidavit. Vanryn was charged just days after Malakais death while Amber remained free, until Monday. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: How Doctors in China Turn into Murderers Rapist Gets No Jail Time for Attack on 13-Year-Old at Baptist Church Camp An unusual plea deal has led to a man who pleaded guilty to raping a 13-year-old in Oklahoma receiving no jail time. Benjamin Lawrence Petty, 36, was a cook at the camp in Falls Creek in 2016 when the offense occurred. According to details revealed in court, Petty tied rope around the girls wrists and raped her. He then threatened her with physical harm if she told anyone, reported News OK. Defending the decision to give Petty no jail time in return for pleading guilty, Murray County Assistant District Attorney David Pyle told the outlet that Petty is legally blind. According to All About Vision, legally blind means a level of visual impairment that has been defined by law either to limit allowed activities (such as driving) for safety reasons or to determine eligibility for government-funded disability benefits in the form of educational, service, or monetary assistance. The original charges of first-degree rape, forcible sodomy, and rape by instrumentation, were all felonies. A woman in District Judge Wallace Coppedges office said the judge would not be making a statement. The big thing is Mr. Petty is legally blind and the parents (of the victim) live out of state and this little girl lives out of state and didnt want to make all the travels back and forth, Pyle said. The plea was negotiated with their permission. The agreement will have Petty on probation, required to wear an ankle monitor for 24 months, register as a sex offender, and obtain treatment. Bruce Robertson, an attorney who is helping the victims family, said the family consented to the plea agreement because Pyle told them Petty would not serve any meaningful prison time due to his medical conditions. This is just appalling https://t.co/SbsKwVUGsU Victoria McGuire (@vampvic1) January 30, 2018 Last year, the victims family blamed the church that brought her to the camp from Texas, filing a lawsuit against them, reported KFOR. The victims family said that organization and other associated organizations failed to perform background checks, which may have prevented the crime. Minimal effort on the part of the Defendants- before and/or during the camp- would have revealed that Petty was not an appropriate adult candidate to bring to, or remain at, the camp. In fact, Petty was a convicted criminal and it was readily apparent that he was involved in a lifestyle contrary and repugnant to the values espoused by the BGCO, Country Estates, Terrell and Falls Creek, the lawsuit alleges. The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, one of the organizations, released a statement to KFOR: Although we have no association with Mr. Petty, as he was not an employee or volunteer of Falls Creek, we absolutely abhor his behavior toward the victim in this case. We are continuing to pray for the victim and family, as well as everyone impacted by this. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: The Origins of Antifa Taiwanese activists display banners that read oppose the M503 at the Parliament during a protest in Taipei on March 27, 2015. China is now activating the controversial M503 air route that was first declared in 2015. (Same Yeh/AFP/Getty Images) Taiwan Seeks Support in Opposing Chinas New Air Route United Nations agency sits on the sideline as Chinese regime activates route that threatens Taiwan's national security While Taiwan has been working to rally international opposition to a new commercial aviation route activated by the Chinese regime that threatens the security of the island nation, the UN organization responsible for governing international aviation issues has remained silent. The air route known as M503 was unilaterally declared by China in January 2015 and became controversial due to the fact that it is only 4.2 nautical miles (4.8 miles) from the centerline of the Taiwan Strait, at its nearest point. Possibly due to the Taiwanese publics strong reaction against it, the Chinese regime reluctantly paused the activation of the controversial part of the air route in negotiations with Taiwan in March 2015. On Jan. 4 this year, however, the Chinese regime reneged on its earlier promise and formally activated the M503 air route without further negotiations with Taiwan. The move is being seen in Taiwan as an act of provocation at a time when the Chinese regime is escalating its political and military pressure. The air route cuts straight north to south through the highly militarized Taiwan Strait and is placed extremely close to a number of restricted airspaces on Taiwans side that have been declared off-limits by the Taiwanese air force for decades. Even more controversial are the three West-East corridors (W121, W122, W123) within the M503 air route that could allow Chinese aircraft to routinely fly directly in Taiwans direction. Since its activation in early January, the air route has seen occasional civilian air traffic consisting mostly of commercial jets from Chinas airlines. Diplomatic Campaign In response to the activation of M503, the government of President Tsai Ing-wen has submitted a protest to China and also tried to gather support among Taiwans diplomatic allies and contacts on the international stage. Taiwanese diplomats around the world have scrambled to voice Taiwans disapproval of the air route. Recent unilateral actions by Chinaincluding M503 flight route and increased military exercisesare destabilizing and should be avoided, said Tsai in a Jan. 4 tweet. The firm response this time is a marked departure from Tsais earlier position in 2015 when her party was in opposition. At that time the Tsai-led Democratic Progressive Party took a low-key approach to the issue and did not assertively protest against the declaration of M503. Taiwans international campaign against M503 has seen at least some results. On Jan. 24, Japans Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Norio Maruyama responded to the question of M503 by saying that Japans position is that ensuring the safety of private-sector aircraft is of the utmost importance, suggesting in this way that flying commercial aircraft through the heavily militarized strait should be avoided and thus supporting Taiwans position. Also, during a session of the European Parliaments Subcommittee on Security and Defense (SEDE), Polish member of the EU parliament and the chair of the SEDE Anna Fotyga reportedly criticized Chinas M503 as a threat to Taiwans security. She said that the new air route would jeopardize the safety of EU citizens traveling through the region. Taiwans protest of M503, however, has so far been ignored by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the agency under the United Nations that is responsible for international aviation affairs, such as the issue of air routes. Under ICAOs Air Traffic Services Planning Manual, changes to any air route should be made only after they have been coordinated with all concerned parties. Although China was widely condemned internationally for not consulting with Taiwan, ICAO does not have an enforcement mechanism to stop China. Since Taiwan is not a member of the U.N., it is also not a member of the ICAO, despite the fact that it has repeatedly expressed a desire to participate like other countries in ICAO meetings to protect aviation safety. Taiwans international supporters, such as many members of the U.S. Congress, have repeatedly called for ICAO to allow Taiwans participation. The U.S. State Department has so far remained quiet on the issue. An Attempt to Belittle Taiwan Prominent national security voices in Taiwan, such as former Minister of Defense Michael Tsai, have criticized the activation of M503 as the Chinese regimes latest transgression and have called for the Taiwanese government to take a more assertive posture against it. In an April 2015 interview with The Epoch Times, Michael Tsai blasted Chinas declaration of the M503 air route at the time as an attempt to belittle Taiwan and to undermine its security. On the other side of the Taiwan Strait, the Peoples Liberation Army fields hundreds of military aircraft and has thousands of missiles pointed Taiwans way, and experts say that a civilian air route so close to the centerline will significantly squeeze the time and depth for Taiwan to react in response to hostile actions from the Chinese regime. Michael Tsai also pointed out that Chinas imposition of the M053 air route on Taiwan is reminiscent of its earlier attempt at establishing an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea in 2013. The move attracted an immense international backlash from across the Asia-Pacific region that eventually forced the Chinese regime to back down. Just as in the case of the M503 air route, however, the Chinese regime only agreed to pause the implementation but did not abandon it. The ADIZ could easily be activated again at some later date. Turkey Detains 300 People Over Criticism of Syrian Offensive ANKARATurkey has detained more than 300 people for social media posts criticizing its military offensive in Syria, the government said on Monday, a day after President Tayyip Erdogan accused doctors who opposed the campaign of betrayal. Since launching its 10-day-old air and ground offensive against the Kurdish YPG militia in Syrias northwestern region of Afrin, Turkish authorities have warned they would prosecute those opposing, criticizing or misrepresenting the incursion. The Interior Ministry said on Monday a total of 311 people had been held for spreading terrorist propaganda on social media in the last 10 days. Detainees have included politicians, journalists and activists. Turkey considers the U.S.-backed YPG, which controls Afrin, to be a terrorist group and an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has fought an insurgency in Turkeys largely Kurdish southeast since 1984. The military operation has been widely supported by Turkeys mainly pro-government media and by most political parties, with the exception of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP). But there have been dissenting voices. Over the weekend, Turkish media reported that 170 artists had written an open letter to lawmakers from Erdogans ruling AK Party calling for an immediate end to Turkeys incursion. Last week the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) denounced the cross-border operation, saying No to war, peace immediately. On Sunday, Erdogan accused the union of treason. Believe me, they are not intellectuals at all, they are a gang of slaves. They are the servants of imperialism, he told AK Party members in the northern province of Amasya. This No to war cry by this mob is nothing other than the outburst of the betrayal in their souls This is real filth, this is the honorless stance that should be said no to, Erdogan said. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Twitter on Saturday that the TTB and the Turkish Engineer and Architect Chambers Association (TMMOB), which has backed the medics, cannot use the word Turkish in their names, saying they did not represent Turkish medics, engineers and architects. In a statement on Friday, the TTB said it rejected the accusations directed at it, adding remarks by senior government officials had made it a target of attacks. The Interior Ministry said later it had started an investigation into the associations actions. On Monday, prosecutors launched an investigation into 11 members of the TTBs central administration over the associations war is a public problem remarks, the Hurriyet newspaper reported. Since a failed coup in 2016, Ankara has enforced a crackdown that saw more than 50,000 people jailed and 150,000 sacked or suspended from their jobs, including members of the pro-Kurdish opposition party. The government says the moves were necessary given the security threats Turkey faces. Critics accuse the government of unjustly targeting pro-Kurdish politicians. Some lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) have been jailed on terrorism charges, which they deny. Recommended Video: The Origins of Antifa UK Baby Can Have Life-Support Turned Off, Judge Rules Against Parents Wishes A British judge has ruled that an 11-month-old boy with severe brain damage may have his life-support turned off, against the wishes of his parents. Doctors of Kings College Hospital, London, wanted to discontinue Isaiah Haastrups life-support treatment and provide him only palliative care, arguing that further intensive care treatment was futile, burdensome, and not in [Isaiahs] best interests, reports The Sun. But Isaiahs parents, Takesha Thomas and Lanre Haastrup, both 36, wanted the life-support to continue. On Jan. 29, Justice MacDonald of the High Court said in his ruling: Examining Isaiahs best interests from a broad perspective I am satisfied that it is not in his best interests for life-sustaining medical treatment to be continued. That, with profound sadness, is my judgment. The father told the BBC that he was disappointed in the ruling. We will be speaking to the lawyers to see what they say, Haastrup added. During the hearing, doctors said that Isaiah was in a low level of consciousness after suffering catastrophic brain damage due to being starved of oxygen at birth. The baby also could not breathe or move independently, and did not respond to stimulation, the court heard. However, Thomas told the judge: When I speak to him he will respond, slowly, by opening one eye. She added: I see a child who is injured. He needs love. He needs care. I have it. I can give it. To say it is so poor, it is not worth living, that is not right. It is not their decision to make. Isaiah Haastrup: Mum of baby on life support tells High Court judge he deserves a chance. Who should have the right t decide when life support treatment is stopped? #IanOnLBC pic.twitter.com/YA6rZy98XO LBC (@LBC) January 23, 2018 A spokeswoman for the Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said the decision was in the childs interest and based on overwhelming expert evidence. In mid-2017 British baby Charlie Gard became the center of highly publicised legal battle, after his parents fought to take their son to the U.S. to receive experimental treatment. The doctors argued that such treatment not benefit him and would prolong his suffering. Charlie suffered an extremely rare genetic condition causing progressive brain damage and muscle weakness. British courts ruled in favor of the doctors to turn off his life-support. Charlie died in late July 2017 shortly after his life support was discontinued. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: How Doctors in China Turn into Murderers Vaccine Safety Assessments & Vaccine Science Falsified to Support Vaccination Policy The Vaccine Program: Betrayal of Public Trust & Institutional Corruption - Part 1 of 7 Note from the WMP Team: Following is Part One in a seven-part series of Vera Sharavs in-depth expose of the complex and widespread corruption that exists in the vaccination program. Her investigation has uncovered decades-long fraudulent activity that has permeated the vaccine industry. Sharavs research is a must-read by those in our community because it explains the intricate groundwork that has led us to the debacle we are now living with an epidemic of sick children. The exponential increase in the autism / autism spectrum prevalence rate since 1985 (1 in 2,500) to 2016 (1 in 45) is evidence of an epidemic, not, as the deniers will have it, an optical illusion or a statistical mirage. today a million and more Americans, almost all under thirty, have been formally diagnosed with autismMost with an autism diagnosis will never [lead normal lives] or be responsible for their health and welfare. Both the increase and the burden it imposes are widely recognized by thousands of parents and frontline professionals such as nurses and teachers. Yet some of the most prominent and powerful people in medicine, the media, and government deny it. [DENIAL: How Refusing to Face the Facts about Our Autism Epidemic Hurts Children, Families, and Our Future, Mark Blaxil and Dan Olmsted (2017)] Are childrens rights to a normal life being sacrificed as collateral damage to protect high utilization of vaccines? The focus of this appendix is how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the vaccine industry control vaccine safety assessments, control the science of vaccines and control the scientific and mass channels of information about vaccines. These primary stakeholders gained control by establishing an elaborate web of collaborating institutional partnerships which they fund. The collaborating institutional stakeholders include: The American Academy of Pediatrics, The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI, UK), The World Health Organization, WHO-Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS), The European Medicines Agency (EMA), The European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control (ECDPC), The Brighton Collaboration and the Brighton Collaboration Foundation, The Cochrane Collaboration, The Institute of Medicine, The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS), The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) which is bankrolled by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank and others. Numerous additional industry front groups are popping up on social media to spread vaccine propaganda, such as the European Health Parliament (EHP, situated in Brussels, created in 2017). EHP is bankrolled by Johnson and Johnson and is affiliated with Google, Politico and others. [Appendix 10 is being updated. It will publish shortly.] All of these institutions became de facto stakeholders in promoting vaccination policies while presenting themselves as independent authoritative sources of information about vaccine safety. Through this elaborate network of collaborative partnerships, industry gained global control of vaccine safety assessments which are applied as the single standard, used mostly to rule out a causal relationship between vaccination and serious adverse events following vaccination. These centrally controlled assessments are applied indiscriminately in all cases, disregarding individual human susceptibility factors. One of the intended features of these collaborating partnerships is to camouflage the identity of the funding source for vaccine research and professed independent reviews of vaccine research. Medical journals, as the editor-in-chief of The Lancet, Dr. Richard Horton acknowledged, devolved into information laundering operations for the pharmaceutical industry. Indeed, the BMJ (British Medical Journal) entered into undisclosed partnership agreements with both major vaccine manufacturers. In 2008, BMJ and Merck entered into partnership and in 2016, BMJ and GlaxoSmithKline formed a partnership as well. Additionally, vaccine stakeholders control the vast channels of propaganda including Google, which has formed a partnership with GlaxoSmithKline. The financial interest of these collaborating partnerships conflicts with the tenets of medical ethics and scientific integrity such as transparency and independent assessment of the data. The consequences of these ill-suited partnerships are demonstrated by evidence of corrupt vaccine safety assessments; evidence of harm following vaccination is either concealed or defined as non-related; journal publications are corrupted by fraudulent reports, and honest scientific findings are suppressed. The entire web of vaccine stakeholder- collaborations is geared toward issuing uniform vaccine safety pronouncements that promote vaccination policies crafted to ensure high vaccination rates, translating to ever higher profit margins. Much of the evidence is documented in thousands of internal CDC documents (some were obtained in 2011);[1] additional CDC internal documents were obtained in July 2017.[2] The evidence is also documented in transcripts of closed-door meetings, such as the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) at Simpsonwood (2000); the Institute of Medicine Committee on Immunization Safety Review (2001); and the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI, 1990). These documents were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Evidence was also gathered in the course of a criminal investigation of Dr. Poul Thorsen by the U.S. Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Background: What Did CDC Officials Know About Thimerosal; When Did They Know It, & What Did They Do About It? In 1974, the FDA convened a panel of experts to conduct a comprehensive review of the safety and effectiveness of over-the-counter medicines. One facet of the review was OTC drugs that contained mercury whose function was to kill bacteria to prevent infection. In 1980, the Advisory Review Panel submitted its report to the FDA, having reviewed 18 products containing mercury. It found the products either unsafe or ineffective. The report cited several studies demonstrating human hypersensitivity to thimerosal: mercury compounds as a class are of dubious value for anti-microbial use. Mercury inhibits the growth of bacteria, but does not act swiftly to kill them. The Panel concludes that thimerosal is not safe for OTC topical use because of its potential for cell damage if applied to broken skin, and its allergy potential. It is not effective as a topical antimicrobial because its bacteriostatic action can be reversed.[4] After the determination by the FDA advisory committee, Eli Lilly chose to cease production of Thimerosal-containing products. Despite the evidence, Thimerosal continued to be added to vaccines. In 1990, Professor Hans Wigzell, Rector of the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, and member Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, wrote Difficult to Substitute Mercury as a Preservative in Bacterial Vaccines, in which he recommended that: a study [be conducted] to show if there is a difference in general toxicity when uptake of mercury is from the stomach-intestines or after injectionsThis should be studied in relation to the tremendous large number of subjects vaccinated with preparations containing thimerosal sodium; Our goal is to develop, as soon as possible, vaccines completely free of mercury.[5] In 1991, Dr. Maurice Hilleman, an internationally renowned Merck vaccinologist, wrote a memo to the president of Mercks vaccine division stating: 6-month-old children who received their shots on schedule would get a mercury dose up to 87 times higher than guidelines for the maximum daily consumption of mercury from fish. When viewed in this way, the mercury load appears rather large. The key issue is whether thimerosal, in the amount given with the vaccine, does or does not constitute a safety hazard. However, perception of hazard may be equally important. [6] The FDA delayed issuing its final rule on thimerosal until 1998, stating: safety and effectiveness have not been established for the ingredients (mercury based preservatives) manufacturers have not submitted the necessary data in response to earlier opportunities.[7] The rule, however, applied only to OTC products. In 1991, Dr. Peter Aaby, Director of the Bandim Health Project, a demographic surveillance system (in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa), which is affiliated with the Statens Serum Institute, identified non-specific adverse vaccine effects which go beyond the specific protective effects of the targeted disease. He noted that these non-specific effects can be beneficial or harmful. Dr. Aaby has conducted a series of comparative natural studies of vaccinated and unvaccinated children in high-mortality regions in rural Africa, that consistently confirmed that: Though a vaccine protects children against the target disease it may simultaneously increase susceptibility to unrelated infections.[8] The First Large-Scale Scientifically Sound CDC Epidemiological Study The 1999 CDC study sought to determine the relative risk for infants following exposure to thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines was conducted by Dr. Thomas Verstraeten and three CDC colleagues who examined the evidence documented in CDCs Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) . They analyzed the medical records of 400,000 infants born between 1991 and 1997 that were maintained by four HMOs and assessed the risk of autism for the children at different ages. This was a scientifically solid study; it provided scientific documentation that: exposure to thimerosal during the first month of life increased the relative risk of autism by 7.6 i.e., 760%. The VSD data revealed additional risks as well: 1.8 increased relative risk for a neurodevelopmental disorder; 2.1 relative risk for speech disorder; and 5-fold increased relative risk for a nonorganic sleep disorder. The evidence documents that infants exposed to vaccines laced with thimerosal during the first month of life are at an alarmingly high increased risk of serious harm. In December 1999, Dr. Verstraeten sent an email to his co-authors and CDC colleagues, Dr. Robert Davis and Dr. Frank DeStefano; the subject line was it just wont go away. The email attachments included four tables with relative risk data and the Abstract of their study findings, that he was submitting for a presentation, at the high level (by invitation only) meeting, convened by CDCs Epidemic Intelligence Service, at Simpsonwood Retreat Center in Georgia (2000).[9] The title of their study: Increased Risk Of Developmental Neurologic Impairment After High Exposure To Thimerosal-Containing Vaccine In First Month Of Life. The meeting was chaired by Richard Johnston, M.D., an immunologist and pediatrician (University of Colorado) who stated: The data on its toxicity (shows) it can cause neurologic and renal toxicity, including death. We learned [sic] a number of important things about aluminum, and I think they also are important in our considerations today. Aluminum salts are important in the formulating process of vaccines, both in antigen stabilization and absorption of endotoxin. Aluminum and mercury are often simultaneously administered to infants, both at the same site and at different sites. However [sic] there is absolutely no data, including animal data, about the potential for synergy, additively or antagonism, all of which can occur in binary metal mixtures that relate and allow us to draw any conclusions from the simultaneous exposure to these two salts in vaccines [p. 19-20] Dr. Verstraeten began his presentation by stating: what I will present to you is the study that nobody thought we should do. The study categorized the cumulative effect of thimerosal-containing vaccines administered to infants after one month of life and assessed the subsequent risk of degenerative and developmental neurologic disorders, and renal disorders before the age of six. Dr. Verstraeten stated that ALL of these relative risks were statistically significant. And he noted that: mercury at one month of age is not the same as mercury at three months, at 12 months, prenatal mercury, later mercury. There is a whole range of plausible outcomes from mercury. When asked about the risk of aluminum, he stated: the results were almost identical to ethylmercury because the amount of aluminum goes along almost exactly with the mercury one. Following the presentation, Dr. Roger Bernier (Associate Director for Science NIP) stated: We have asked you to keep this information confidential.Consider this embargoed information.[p. 113] It is clear from the EIS transcript that the response to Dr. Verstraetens research findings differed between pediatricians, who were genuinely concerned about the hazards of both Thimerosal and aluminum, whereas officials of government and non-government organizations (NGOs, that are dependent on government and industry support, such as the World Health Organization), focused on the threat to vaccination policy and the risk of litigation were intent on burying the data and maintaining secrecy about the findings. Pediatricians focused on the risks, public health: Dr. William Weil, represented the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) stated: moving from one month or one day of birth to six months of birth changes enormously the potential for toxicity. There are just a host of neurodevelopmental data that would suggest that weve got a serious problem. the potential for aluminum and central nervous system toxicity was established by dialysis data. To think there isnt some possible problem here is unreal. [p.24] Although the data presents a number of uncertainties, there is adequate consistency, biological plausibility, a lack of relationship with phenomenon not expected to be related, and a potential causal role that is as good as any other hypothesized etiology of explanation of the noted associations. In addition, the possibility that the associations could be causal has major significance for public and professional acceptance of Thimerosal containing vaccines. I think that is a critical issue. Finally, lack of further study would be horrendous grist for the anti-vaccination bill. Thats why we need to go on, and urgently I would add. [pg. 187 & 188] The number of dose related relationships are linear and statistically significant. You can play with this all you want. They are linear. They are statistically significant. [p.207] [Dr. Weil may well have been informed by the following research report: Aluminum Neurotoxicity in Preterm Infants Receiving Intravenous-Feeding Solutions in the NEJM (1997) whose authors concluded: In preterm infants, prolonged intravenous feeding with solutions containing aluminum is associated with impaired neurologic development. More on aluminum vaccine adjuvants below.] Dr. Johnson: This association leads me to favor a recommendation that infants up to two years old not be immunized with Thimerosal-containing vaccines if suitable alternative preparations are available I do not want [my] grandson to get a Thimerosal containing vaccine until we know better what is going on. [p. 198] Dr. Robert Brent [a Scientific Adviser to an industry front-group] focused entirely on protecting corporations from lawsuits: The medical/legal findings in this study, causal or not, are horrendous and therefore, it is important that the suggested epidemiological, pharmacokinetic, and animal studies be performed. If an allegation was made that a childs neurobehavioral findings were caused by Thimerosal containing vaccines, you could readily find junk scientist who would support the claim with a reasonable degree of certainty. But you will not find a scientist with any integrity who would say the reverse with the data that is available. And that is true. So we are in a bad position from the standpoint of defending any lawsuits if they were initiated and I am concerned. [pg. 229, emphasis added] *[Dr. Brent was a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) a food and chemical industry front group which the Center for Science in the Public Interest described as, Voodoo Science, Twisted Consumerism[10]] Dr. John Clements, who represented the WHO at the EIS conference, expressed alarm about the direction of the research, which he viewed as posing a threat to vaccination uptake if the information reaches the public: I am really concerned that we have taken off like a boat going down one arm of the mangrove swamp at high speed, when in fact there was not enough discussion really early on about which way the boat should go at all. And I really [dont] want to risk offending everyone in the room by saying that perhaps this study should not have been done at all, because the outcome of it could have, to some extent, been predicted, and we have all reached this point now where we are left hanging, even though I hear the majority of consultants say to the Board that they are not convinced there is a causality direct link between thimerosal and various neurological outcomes. I know how we handle it from here is extremely problematic. [Emphasis added] even if this committee decides that there is no association and that information gets out, the work that has been done and through the freedom of information that will be taken by others and will be used in ways beyond the control of this group. And I am very concerned about that as I suspect it already too late to do anything regardless of any professional body and what they say. My mandate as I sit here in this group is to make sure at the end of the day that 100,000,000 are immunized with DTP, Hepatitis B and if possible Hib, this year, next year and for many years to come, and that will have to be with Thimerosal containing vaccines unless a miracle occurs and an alternative is found quickly and is tried and found to be safe. [emphasis added] I am very concerned that this has gotten this far, and that having got this far, how you present in a concerted voice the information to the ACIP [Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices] in a way they will be able to handle it and not get exposed to the traps which are out there in public relations. My message would be that any other study, and I like the study that has just been described here very much. I think it makes a lot of sense, but it has to be thought through. What are the potential outcomes and how will you handle it? How will it be presented to a public and a media I wonder how on earth you are going to handle it from here. [p. 247249] Other comments from those present include: We could exclude the lowest exposure children from the database; We could remove children that got the highest exposure levels since they represented an unusually high percentage of the [adverse] outcomes; We can push and pull this data any way we want to get the results we want; We could have predicted the outcomes. CDCs Dr. Bernier reminded everyone: consider this embargoed informationand very highly protected information. The concerns expressed at this Epidemic Intelligence Service meeting, by Dr. Clements and other public officials and industry representatives who asserted their determination to conceal the thimerosal evidence from the public, has been the policy of CDC and an international network. However, concealing the evidence does not eradicate the evidence. A compendium of 80 peer-reviewed, published studies found evidence of a link between thimerosal and neurological disorders, including autism. A recent Review paper (April 2017) documents that the continued use of thimerosal in underdeveloped countries provides evidence of its harmful impact.[11] WMP NOTE: This concludes Part One. Part Two of the Seven-Part series is entitled: Government Pronouncements of Vaccine Safety are Based on Deceptive and Corrupt Practices. SharovsIntroduction outlines her well-researched and documented belief that, Public health officials and the medical profession have abrogated their professional, public, and human responsibility, by failing to honestly examine the iatrogenic harm caused by expansive, indiscriminate, and increasingly aggressive vaccination policies. More about the author: Vera Sharav is a Holocaust survivor and a fierce critic of the medical establishment. This article was originally published at www.ahrp.org. Stat news recently published an article about her and her work. Visit worldmercuryproject.org for more information. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. In this photo illustration the owner of a shop that sells electronic cigarettes demonstrates how to use one in Berlin, Germany on March 1, 2012. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Vaping Could Cause Cancer and Heart Disease, New Study Suggests Vaping could cause cancer and heart disease, according to a new study. Researchers found that nicotine inhaled from e-cigarettes can be converted into chemicals that damage DNA. The team from New York University exposed mice and human bladder and lung cells to e-cigarette smoke and found DNA changes that were similar to those observed with secondhand smoke. The team is warning that their findings call into question the belief that vaping is a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. Cells in the mice mutated and became cancerous at a much higher rate than in a control group of animals that breathed filtered air. The lung and bladder cells that were exposed to nicotine turned into tumor tissue more easily. The mice were exposed to smoke with 10 milligrams of nicotine per millimeter, meaning it was as potent as the smoke that humans inhale. Because of this and other factors, some researchers have dismissed the findings. This study shows nothing at all about the dangers of vaping, Peter Hajek, director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit at Queen Mary University of London told the Guardian. It doesnt show that vaping causes cancer. This is one in a long line of false alarms which may be putting people off the switch from smoking to vaping which would undoubtedly be of great benefit to them, he added. The best current estimate is that vaping poses, at worst, some 5% of risks of smoking. Tobacco smoke contains over 70 chemicals that are known to cause cancer, while e-cigarette vapor contains far fewer toxic chemicals. Despite this, e-cigarette smokers could still have a higher risk than nonsmokers of developing lung and bladder cancers and heart diseases. The studys authors recommend that further long-term studies are needed. People line up for a taxi across the street from the New York Times head office in New York on Feb. 7, 2013. (REUTERS/Carlo Allegri) Why Media Organizations Cant Let Go of the Fake Russia-Collusion Narrative News Analysis For over a year now, airwaves and newspapers have been filled with the unproven narrative that Donald Trump colluded with Russia to win the elections. But despite multiple investigations, collusion remains unproven. In fact, those with insight into the investigations have said that no evidence of collusion has been found. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who was tasked by then President Barack Obama to oversee an investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections, has said on multiple occasions, including under oath before Congress, that he is not aware of any evidence of collusion. Ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has also said on multiple occasions that she had not seen evidence of collusion. There are all kinds of rumors around. There are newspaper stories, but thats not necessarily evidence, Feinstein told CNNs Wolf Blitzer on May 18. Even Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), a fierce critic of President Donald Trump, admitted in an interview last year that she had not seen any evidence that Trump colluded with Russia. So why is it that media organizations have chosen to relentlessly pursue this narrative without seemingly any evidence? One answer might be found in the origins of the so-called Trump dossier. Paid for by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the dossier became the driving force of the allegations that Trump colluded with Russia. The contents of the dossier, which Fusion GPS itself admitted it did not verify, were described by former FBI Director James Comey as both salacious and unverified. Despite all this, the dossier was actively spread, in secret, among politicians and media organizations. The dossier only became public after Buzzfeed published it in January 2017. Buzzfeed at the time said the dossier has been circulating among elected officials, intelligence agents, and journalists for weeks. In reality, at that point it had been circulating for months. We now know from UK court documents, that Christopher Steele, the former British spy hired by Fusion GPS to produce the Trump dossier, gave at least two briefings to media organizations about the contents of the dossier. The media Steele briefed include The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, CNN, and Yahoo! News. Steeles counsel writes in the court documentsas a result of Steele being sued by a Russian businessman mentioned in the reportthat Steele conducted the briefings on instruction of Fusion GPS. But it goes further than that. Court documents filed by the House Intelligence Committee show that Fusion GPS made direct payments to a number of journalists covering Russia-related issues. Fusion GPS denied in a statement to The Epoch Times that those payments were made in exchange for coverage, but those matters are now under investigation by the committee. Both the briefings, and the payment, point to a potential conflict of interest by the media organizations involved. They were reporting on allegations based not on their own investigation, but on the contents of the dossierwhich was a piece of opposition research. Ironically, the report itself relied almost exclusively on Kremlin-linked sources. It was described by law professor Ronald Rychlak, a leading expert on Russian disinformation operations, as having all the hallmarks of a classic Russian disinformation campaign. We now also know, through the reporting of award-winning national security reporter Sara Carter, that the FBI ended up using the Trump dossier for a FISA surveillance application. A memo prepared by the House Intelligence Committee is expected to shed light on whether the application to the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Court was made knowingly with flawed evidence, which is a criminal offense. This could mean that the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections comes into question, as he might have used surveillance data that was based on flawed evidence. So far Muellers investigation has not produced any evidence of collusion. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, was charged by Mueller for lying to the FBI, not for colluding with Russia. And Trumps former campaign manager Paul Manafort was charged with money laundering dating back to a time before he joined the Trump campaign, and that charge is unrelated to alleged Russian collusion. So why are the media so feverishly hanging on to the Russia collusion narrative? Why are they not looking at all the facts available to them, and presenting them to their readers in an objective way? Perhaps it is because they are too deep into the narrative themselves, or perhaps they are blinded by their hate of Trump that they cant acknowledge all the facts? In any case, the way the media covered the Russia collusion narrative, and in effect misled both America and the world, will deliver an unprecedented blow to their credibility. There have already been examples of this. Speaking under oath before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on June 8, former FBI Director James Comey discredited a Feb. 15 front page story in The New York Times, which claimed that members of Trumps 2016 presidential campaign had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election. The Feb. 15 edition of The New York Times. (Samira Bouaou/Epoch Times) At the time, The Epoch Times noted many flaws in the report, which The New York Times used to push a narrative of collusion. At the hearing, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) pressed Comey further on the piece from The New York Times, asking, Would it be fair to characterize that story as almost entirely wrong?, to which Comey replied, Yes. Comey went on to discredit other media reports, which have frequently cited unnamed intelligence and government sources to push their narrative that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the election. All of you know this. Maybe the American people dont, Comey said, addressing the Senate committee. He said when it comes to reporters writing stories about classified information, people talking about it often dont really know whats going on. He said there have been many stories about the Russia investigations that are just dead wrong. The Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 29, 2018. Control of the House of Representatives is the big prize in the November mid-terms. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Why the Memo Is So Significant Information known so far shows threat to the very foundation of our democracy News Analysis A House Intelligence Committee memo that is set to become public has set off intense speculation about its exact contents. Those who have seen it, described it as shocking and as a threat to our republic. Major news organizations, including The New York Times, have worked around the clock to discredit the memo ahead of its release, writing it off as a conspiracy theory. However, these are the same media organizations that have pushed the unproven narrative that Trump colluded with the Russian government for over a year. So what do we know so far? Those who have seen the memo, described it as shocking and as a threat to our republic. We know for a fact that the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee paid Fusion GPS, through law firm Perkins Coie, to produce an opposition research document on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. We also know, through the reporting of award-winning national security reporter Sara Carter, that the FBI used the so-called Trump Dossier, to obtain a FISA surveillance warrant to spy on the Trump team. It is also a fact that top FBI officials, including Peter Strzok, the lead FBI agent on both the Hillary Clinton email server and the Trump campaign case, sent numerous text messages to FBI lawyer Lisa Page showing a clear bias in favor of Clinton and against Trump. Strzok later went on to become part of Robert Muellers special counsel team, but was fired after the biased text messages had been uncovered by the Department of Justice inspector general. We also know for a fact that top Obama officials, including his National Security Adviser Susan Rice, and his ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, made dozens if not hundreds of so-called unmasking requests for the identities of members of Trumps team during and after the elections. (Click on the map to see it in full) This type of spying on Americans had been detailed in a declassified top-secret NSA report published in April 2017. The report shows that so-called minimization and targeting procedures aimed at avoiding Americans being spied on were systematically violated by the NSA and the FBI under the Obama administration. We also know for a fact that there were numerous leaks from the Obama administration to media organizations pushing the false Russia collusion narrative. Former FBI Director James Comey testified under oath before Congress in June last year that most of the reporting based on these anonymous intelligence leaks was incorrect. We also know that former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who had overseen a report investigating the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections, has repeatedly said, including under oath before Congress, that no evidence was found of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. We also know for a fact, based on court documents in the UK, that former British spy Christopher Steele, who had been hired by Fusion GPS to produce the Trump dossier, had given secret briefings to media organizations on at least two occasions. These media included The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, The New Yorker, and Yahoo News. We also know from court documents filed by the House Intelligence Committee that Fusion GPS made direct payments to journalists who covered Russia related matters. These facts alone paint a frightening picture. One of a presidential candidate working hand in hand with a sitting administration and the most powerful law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the world against her political opponent. When the memo is released, we will surely learn more facts about this scandal. The difficult question Americans will face is how we address this grave threat to democracy itself. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) sees this memo as tied to the future of the United States as we know it. In a statement released by his office, he said, There is no higher priority than the release of this information to preserve our democracy. If the memo indeed shows that there was a conspiracy to use state power to aide a favored political candidate and to attempt to destroy her opponents candidacy, then it will have revealed that we have entered a dangerous new era in American history in 2016one that people will have to be held accountable for. A package of Tamiflu is seen in a pharmacy April 27, 2009 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) 6-Year-Old Girl Has Hallucinations and Nearly Harms Herself After Taking Tamiflu A northern Texas family said their 6-year-old daughter suffered hallucinations and almost jumped out of a window after taking a popular flu medication. The family, who wished to remain anonymous, said that their daughter took Tamiflu, an antiviral medicine used to treat the flu. But soon after she had taken the treatment, she started exhibiting strange side-effects, the family told local broadcaster DFW21 News. The second story window was open, which is in her bedroom, and she used her desk to climb up onto it, and she was about to jump out the window when my wife came up and grabbed her, her father told the network. The parents, from Allen, Texas, rushed their daughter to the hospital where a doctor told them that a very rare side effect of Tamiflu is nervous system problems, including psychosis. Dr. Glenn Hardesty told DFW21 News, It can happen. Less than 1 percent is whats listed in the data sheet. Ive been in practice 20 years, and I havent seen that particular complication. There is a warning in the fine print of the medicine but the parents said they wish they had been told before administering it. I dont think the 16 hours of symptom relief from the flu is worth the possible side effects that we went through, the girls father said. Hardesty advised parents to research the side effects of medicines they give their children. Know that side effects are there for a reason. Theyre written down for a reason. I guess they can happen, and we got the short end of the stick, her father said. Hardesty added that the side effects of the Tamiflu the daughter took should only be temporary. Recommended Video: How doctors in China turn into murderers Rocket Lab's Electron rocket lifts off from its launch site in Mahia, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island on May 25, 2017. (Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images) Astronomers Angry Over Launch of Highly Reflective Disco Ball Into Space A New Zealand space company has come under fire after secretly launching a reflective satellite that will create a flashing light visible from anywhere on earth. Astronomers around the world have expressed anger after space exploration startup Rocket Lab sent the Humanity Star into orbit, a three-foot-wide sphere fitted with 65 reflective panels. It is expected to be the brightest object in the night sky for nine months, after which it will re-enter Earths atmosphere, the Guardian reported. Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck told the Guardian the Humanity Star was intended to be a reminder to all on Earth about our fragile place in the universe and would create a shared experience for everyone on the planet. But astrophysicists say that the company should have taken their concerns about light pollution into account before launching a sparking disco ball into space. Wow. Intentionally bright long-term space graffiti. Thanks a lot @RocketLab, California Institute of Technology astronomer Mike Brown wrote on Twitter. Astronomer Benjamin Pope tweeted, Oh god why would you do this to us astronomers. Director of astrobiology at Columbia University Caleb Scharf wrote, another invasion of my personal universe, another flashing item asking for eyeballs. Most of us would not think it cute if I stuck a big flashing strobe-light on a polar bear, or emblazoned my company slogan across the perilous upper reaches of Everest, the scientist wrote in Scientific American. He continued, Jamming a brilliantly glinting sphere into the heavens feels similarly abusive. Its definitely a reminder of our fragile place in the universe, because its infesting the very thing that we urgently need to cherish. However, as you might expect Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck sees the Humanity Star more positively. Our hope is that everyone looking at the Humanity Star will look past it to the vast expanse of the Universe and think a little differently about their lives, actions, and what is important for humanity, he said in a statement. A child psychologist has recommended that children under the age of 12 should be banned from using social media. (Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images) Children Under 12 Should Not Be on Social Media, Says Child Psychologist A leading child psychologist in Australia says parents need to be strict on their childrens social media use in the wake of the tragic death of a teenage girl that has attracted widespread attention to the issue of online bullying. Dr Michael Carr-Gregg told the ABC that children under the age of 12 should be banned from using social media. It is as simple as that yet I go to primary schools right across Australia and the principals are pulling their hair out because the parents arent enforcing this, Carr-Gregg said. You have got up to 60 percent to 70 percent of primary school kids on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat and they simply do not have the neurological maturity to manage their digital footprint, he said. We have to get that message through to parents, we have to educate them, and at the moment we are not doing enough. If you're being bullied, or know someone who is, here are 6 tips we hope will help. ? #bullying #cyberbullying pic.twitter.com/D52gD4mGIs AntiBullyingAlliance (@ABAonline) January 5, 2018 Carr-Greggs told the national broadcaster that his heart goes out to the Everett family, whose daughter Amy affectionately known as Dolly committed suicide after being bullied online. The family held a memorial service in the Northern Territory town of Katherine on Friday. Dolly died on Jan. 3. Media coverage of her death has been both national and international, and the tragedy has touched millions of hearts well beyond those who knew her. Eight years ago, Dolly featured in a Christmas campaign for iconic Australian hat maker, Akubra, who released a statement on the teenagers death that supported the hashtags #stopbullyingnow #doitfordolly #justbekind. Dolly's Father on a Crusade: She has become the young face of a cruel culture and today Amy Dolly Everett's broken father launched a personal crusade to stop cyber-bullies from taking one more life. @alexhart7 #Dolly #7News pic.twitter.com/PkvrWlxcQk 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) January 12, 2018 Dolly has now become the face of an anti-bullying campaign in Australia. Carr-Gregg told the ABC that being persistently victimized on or off-line was one of the risk factors for teenage suicide. The worst occurs just as a child enters their teenage years. We know that the peak of bullying in Australia occurs around transition so moving from primary to secondary school and we know there are some children whose emotional empathy is not well developed, said Carr-Gregg. Their threshold for tolerance of difference is very, very low and a result if you are different in some way, you are going to get picked on, he said. It is not that it gives them joy, it is just something they do because they do not know what else to do. Carr-Gregg said Australias bullying crisis is not going to be easily solved. What we need to be as parents is preventative, he said and added that their needed to be a more unified approach at a school level in dealing with the issue. The Everetts have starting the Dollys Dream foundation which aims to raise awareness of bullying, depression, anxiety and youth suicide. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: High School Students Surprise Sweetest Janitor With New Work Boots for Christmas Earlier research claimed to have found traces of the biblical Noah's Ark on a mountain in Turkey, and now a U.S. researcher said he is convinced the ship's remains are there. (Screenshot via Google Maps / CC0) Does New Evidence Prove Noahs Ark Is Buried on a Turkish Mountain? Conclusive evidence of the existence of Noahs Ark has eluded ark hunters since time immemorial. The Bible says the vessel made landfall on the mountains of Ararat in Turkey after 150 days in the water. A group of explorers affiliated with NAMI, a Hong Kong-based evangelical Christian group, said in 2010 that on Mount Ararat, Turkey, they had found traces of the ancient ship. Their claims, however, met with a stiff challenge from the broader scientific community. But a California-based ark hunter now believes there is evidence that the vessel and its occupants did indeed come aground on Mount Ararat, the Daily Mail reported. Professor Raul Esperante, of the Geoscience Research Institute, was one of 108 scientists from around the world speaking at the three-day International Symposium of Mount Ararat and Noahs Ark in Agri, Turkey, which looked at evidence for the biblical vessels final resting place. My purpose is to visit the sites around the mountain to find clues about catastrophic events in the past, said Esperante, according to Express. The Geoscience Research Institute is sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Many of the organizations assertions have similarly been met with resistance by the scientific community. In Search of the Lost Ark In April 2010, archeologists from NAMI reported that they found an ark that they believed had a 99.9 percent chance of being the ancient biblical artifact known as Noahs Ark, The Epoch Times reported. The team of 15 researchers who were searching in East Turkey claimed to have found the ark on Mount Ararat 13,000 feet above sea level. One of the team members, documentary filmmaker Wing-cheung Yeung said, Its not 100 percent that it is Noahs Ark, but we think it is 99.9 percent that this is it, reported World Net Daily. It seems the inside of the ark was equipped with several compartments that the group said could have been used to house animals, while skeptics said they could have been just as easily used to carry weapons or food. The search team and I personally entered a wooden structure high on the mountain. The structure is partitioned into different spaces. We believe that the wooden structure we entered is the same structure recorded in historical accounts and the same ancient boat indicated by the locals, said NAMI worker Man-fai Yuen. The team claimed they performed carbon dating tests on the wood and said it was 4,800 years old. If true, this would date it at approximately the time the vessel is said to have been afloat. No other testing by independent organizations had been done at that time the NAMI team made its claims. Esperante is convinced of the accuracy of the NAMI teams findings. He urges more rigorous, serious scientific work to support the claims with further empirical proof, wrote the Daily Mail. He also wants to team up with local scientists on the project. We have technical resources and we can work together with local experts, he said. Once the scientific community knows about the existence of Noahs Ark on Mount Ararat, we can make it available to the general public. But Nicholas Purcell of Oxford University calls into question claims that the ark is located on Mount Ararat. If floodwaters covered Eurasia 12,000 feet [3,700 metres] deep in 2,800 B. C., how did the complex societies of Egypt and Mesopotamia, already many centuries old, keep right on regardless? Purcell asked, according to the Daily Mail. The legend of Noahs Ark originates from the sixth chapter of the Book of Genesis. The story goes that Noah was instructed by God to build an ark carrying a male and female of each animal in the region in which Noah lived. By constructing the ark, Noah saved the animals and a small group of people from a great flood summoned to do away with the morally depraved. Noahs Ark, the flood is not a myth but a real incident mentioned in all holy books, said Dr. Oktay Belli from Istanbul University, the Daily Mail reported. And while the flood is considered a historical event, most archeologists and scholars do not believe in a literal interpretation of the Noahs Ark story. British archaeologist Mike Pitt said after the initial NAMI team findings in 2010 that the evangelical explorers have not yet produced evidence that is conclusive. If there had been a flood capable of lifting a huge ship 2.5 miles [4 km] up the side of a mountain 4,800 years ago, I think there would be substantial geological evidence for this flood around the world, Pitt said, wrote in the Daily Mail. According to Pitt, such evidence has simply not been produced. Yet! some, Esperante among them, might be quick to add. 2017 Year in Review Israeli Archaeologists Find 2,700-Year-Old Governor of Jerusalem Seal Impression Israeli archaeologists unveiled on Monday a 2,700-year-old clay seal impression which they said belonged to a biblical governor of Jerusalem. The artifact, inscribed in an ancient Hebrew script as belonging to the governor of the city, was likely attached to a shipment or sent as a souvenir on behalf of the governor, the most prominent local position held in Jerusalem at the time, the Israel Antiquities Authority said, Reuters reported. According to site excavator Dr. Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah, This is the first time that such an impression was found in an authorized excavation. It supports the biblical rendering of the existence of a governor of the city in Jerusalem 2,700 years ago, according to the Times of Israel. Barkat said, It is very overwhelming to receive greetings from First Temple-period Jerusalem. This shows that already 2,700 years ago, Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, was a strong and central city. The impression, the size of a small coin, depicts two standing men, facing each other in a mirror-like manner and wearing striped garments reaching down to their knees. It was unearthed near the plaza of Judaisms Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. It supports the Biblical rendering of the existence of a governor of the city in Jerusalem 2,700 years ago, noted Weksler-Bdolah. Governors of Jerusalem, appointed by the king, are mentioned twice in the Bible, in 2 Kings, which refers to Joshua holding the position, and in 2 Chronicles, which mentions Maaseiah in the post during the reign of Josiah. The Antiquities Authoritys announcement came several weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital, a decision that overturned a decades-old policy on the status of the city. Over the past year, the seal was studied by Hebrew University Prof. Tallay Ornan and Tel Aviv University Prof. Benjamin Sass, who said there is, above a double line are two standing men, facing each other in a mirror-like manner. Their heads are depicted as large dots, lacking any details. The hands facing outward are dropped down, and the hands facing inward are raised. Each of the figures is wearing a striped, knee-length garment. The bottom section says: Belonging to the governor [sar] of the city, according to the Times of Israel. Reuters contributed to this report. STS-1 crew members Commander John Young (L) and Pilot Robert Crippen pose with a model of the Space Shuttle Columbia at Johnson Space Center in Houston May, 7, 1979. Young and Crippen flew the first orbital mission of NASA's space shuttle program aboard the Columbia. (NASA/Handout via Reuters/File Photo) John Young, Most Experienced U.S. Astronaut, Dies at 87 U.S. astronaut John Young, 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 programs, 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, National Aeronautics and Space Administration spokesman Allard Beutel said in an email. The former U.S. 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 U.S. space program. He flew into space twice during NASAs Gemini program 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 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 in a statement. Young, described in a NASA tweet as our most experienced astronaut, retired in 2004 after 42 years with the U.S. 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 moons 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. Its 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. 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. By Will Dunham Recommended Video: Boiling water turns to snow An incompletely defined space object that NASA says is "potentially hazardous" will zoom past Earth on Dec. 16. (NASA / modified by Tom Ozimek / Epoch Times) Massive, 3-Mile-Wide Potentially Hazardous Asteroid will Skim past Earth Tomorrow A space object considered potentially hazardous by NASA, about half the size of the asteroid that allegedly wiped out the dinosaurs, is going to zoom past Earth tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 16. Named Phaethon after the Greek god who nearly destroyed the world, the giant rock careening through space is a potentially hazardous asteroid whose path misses Earths orbit by only 2 million miles, says NASA. But astronomers disagree over what Phaethon actually is. According to NASA, its technically defined as an asteroid, in fact, the first ever to be discovered by satellite. But its also the parent object that produced a unique meteor shower called the Geminids, something asteroids are incapable of producing. Other theories say that its a dead comet or a rock comet. So what it comes down to is that the Geminid parent object is a mystery, says NASAs Marshall Space Flight Centers fact sheet. But one thing astronomers do agree on is that the object will be making a near approach on Dec. 16, passing within 6.4 million miles of Earth. Thats 27 times the distance from the Earth to the moon. Phaethon is expected to come even closer in 2093to within 1.8 million miles. The object measures 5 km wide, about half the size of the asteroid or comet that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, writes Dr. Tony Phillips, production editor of NASA Science. For NASA to classify a space rock as hazardous, it must not only have the potential to make close approaches to Earth, but cause serious damage in the event of impact. A meteor that didnt make landfall but merely exploded in the atmosphere 18.6 miles (30 km) above Russias Chelyabinsk region in 2013, caused over 1,000 injuries and extensive damage to property, reports NTD. The force of the explosion of the Chelyabinsk meteor is said to have been about 400 600 kilotones of TNT, so about 30 times greater than Little Boy, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, according to National Geographic. Hubert Foy of Space Safety Magazine estimates that if a meteor the size of the Chelyabinsk one were to strike a populated city, the devastation would be horrific. The blast waves and sonic boom could have instantly destroy[ed] roughly 9,000 of 13,000 buildings, killed and injured around 5 million of the 8 million people in New York City. That would be a natural disaster of epic proportion, and the Russian meteor event demonstrates that such a disaster is real and it could one day occur in any city on Earth. Russian astronomers are keeping a close eye on Phaethons orbit. Scientists from the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University have published a video which tracks the asteroids travel path. NASA also monitors objects that could come perilously close to Earth through its Near Earth Object Program. New PHAs are being discovered every month and still, there are tens of thousands of uncharted PHAs of significant size, according to the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) project. Best estimates are that there are 10,000 to 20,000 PHAs larger than 328 feet. Whatever Phaethon technically is, NASA says it will pass a safe distance away from Earth. In fact, the agency is quick to point out that none of the PHAs on NASAs threat watch list, called the Sentry Risk Chart, are currently worrisome, according to NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. But that assurance may not be much consolation, says Alex Filippenko, astrophysicist and professor of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, in an interview with Discovery. The kinds of asteroids that can extinguish much of the life on Earth and most of the species, come around every 100 million years or so. And its not a periodic phenomenon, it doesnt happen every 100 million years. It could happen at any time. Just on average, roughly every 100 million years. So its not a question of if it will happen, its a question of when it will happen. But according to CBS News space consultant Bill Harwood, there is almost no situation in any foreseeable future where asteroid 3200 Phaethon will collide with the planet Earth. Any body thats bigger than about 500 feet across and its orbit carries it within about 4.6 million miles of Earth at any point in its orbit is classified as a potentially hazardous object, he explained. Meaning over millennialots and lots of timegravitational interactions with the outer planets, you know, other objects in the solar system might perturb the orbit enough that it could actually impact the Earth. Now in the case of this asteroid, thats not the case, he concluded. They think this asteroidand its orbit is very well knownwill never get closer than about 1.8 million miles of the Earth. Even at 6.4 million miles, 3200 Phaethon should be visible to people with access to small telescopes when it makes its closest approach on Dec. 16, according to Michael Mendillo, a professor of astronomy at Boston University. Benefit of Near Approach Citizens of Earthenjoy your light show! The coming of 3200 Phaethon heralds the arrival of the Geminids meteor shower, which will light up the night skies in mid-December, peaking on the night of Dec. 13 and the morning of Dec. 14 with about 120 objects per hour, according to Space.com. Most meteor showers are caused by cometsbasically, ice-balls with rocks and dust stuck to it. The Gemenid shower is unusual because it comes from an asteroid. The Gemenid shower is also unusual because it is extremely recentin astronomical terms. The first recorded observation of the shower was in 1833 from a riverboat on the Mississippi River, Space.com reports. According to NASAs Bill Cook, it is likely that 3200 Phaethon collided with another chunk of rock a few centuries ago, and over time, Jupiters gravitational field pulled the resulting debris into the path of Earths orbit. Not all scientists are certain that 3200 Phaethon collided with another orbiting object hundreds of years ago. A paper published in 2013 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters says that, based on three years of observations from NASAs STEREO spacecraft, when 3200 Phaethon gets close to the Sun, the heat or solar wind breaks off portions of the rock. Slowly Disintegrating 3200 Phaethon gets closer to the Sun than any other named orbiting body, sometimes coming as close as 17 million mileshalf the distance from the Sun to the planet Mercury. Its surface temperature reaches 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Sky and Telescope. Scientists discovered in 2013 that 3200 Phaethon has a tail like a cometbut comet tails are produced by ice turning to gas. 3200 Phaethons tail seems to be dust pulled off by the Suns heat and gravitational field. If 3200 Phaethon is composed of carbonaceous materialscompounds containing a lot of water and carbonthe compounds might get brittle in the extreme heat and break apart when tugged one way by the Sun and another way by momentum. Phaethon may be a breakup in slow motion, Paul Wiegert, an astronomer at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, said at the Division of Planetary Sciences meeting in Pasadena, California. Chris Jasurek from NTD contributed to this article. And while youre here We have a small favor to ask of you. More people are reading The Epoch Times than ever, but ad revenues are declining across the industry. If you can, please share this article on Facebook. It takes less than a minute. Thank you very much! Mother and Two Others Arrested, Face Charges in Her Sons Death Three people have been arrested over the death of a teenage boy in New Mexico, including the boys mother. Jeremiah Valencia, 13, was found dead late last year. The Santa Fe County Sheriffs office said it has arrested his mother, Tracy Ann Pena, 35, along with Thomas Wayne Ferguson, 42, and Jordan Anthony Nunez, 19. The trio was charged with child abuse resulting in death, conspiracy, and tampering with evidence, reported KOB4. Detectives believe Ferguson and Pena abused the teen on Nov. 24, 2017, and eventually caused the boys death, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Despite the boy needing medical care after the incident, neither adult provided him with any nor did they call law enforcement. When the death occurred, the pair then took him to an undisclosed location to bury him. A tip from an inmate led investigators to the trio, the affidavit said. Pena had told the inmate that Ferguson was responsible for her sons death when she was in jail in November for a few days, reported the Santa Fe New Mexican. When detectives interviewed Pena, Ferguson, and Nunoz, who is Fergusons son, they heard conflicting accounts of what happened. Both Pena and Nunoz blamed Ferguson for them staying silent about what happened, for fear of what he would do to them. Nunoz told investigators that Ferguson punched Valencia in the face and stomach then dragged him to the back of the residence. He played loud music for the rest of the night and it was unclear what else happened then. Nunoz told investigators that Ferguson was an abusive father. Ferguson told police that Valencia was injured while playing with Nunoz and he didnt call authorities because he didnt want to be accused of being involved in the death, reported KOAT7. Fergusons extensive criminal record includes a rape and kidnapping charge which led to a plea deal, and an obstruction conviction. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: 2017 Year in Review 2017 YZ4, an asteroid discovered on Christmas Day, will fly past the Earth Thursday, Dec. 28. (NASA / graphic design Tom Ozimek / Epoch Times) Newly Found Asteroid the Size of a Bus to Buzz Earth Today An asteroid about the size of a bus and first spotted on Christmas Day will buzz by Earth today at a speed of 21,000 mph, according to NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Named 2017 YZ4, the space object will barrel by the Earth at a distance of just 139,433 miles (224,000km) a near miss in terms of astrological measurements. This is the first known asteroid to fly by Earth within one lunar distance, since two such asteroids flew past us 35 minutes apart on November 21, and the 52nd this year, a NASA spokesperson told the Express. For reference, the distance between the Earth and the moon is 238,855 miles (384,400 km). The space rock measures around 22.6 to 49 feet in diameter (seven to 15 meters) and will buzz Earth at around 4.56pm GMT (11.56 ET) on Thursday, Dec. 28. YZ4 will be known by its unaffectionate designation until given a more lively name, like that given to Phaethon 3200, the much reported on mysterious space object that flew by our planet on Dec. 16. Phaethon 3200, named after a mythical Greek god that nearly destroyed the Earth, is technically defined as an asteroid, in fact, the first ever to be discovered by satellite. But its also the parent object that produced a unique meteor shower called the Geminids, something asteroids are, in theory, incapable of producing. Other theories say that its a dead comet or a rock comet. So what it comes down to is that the Geminid parent object is a mystery, says NASAs Marshall Space Flight Centers fact sheet. But, however NASA eventually defines the space object cyclically careening through space in our general direction, Phaethon is expected to come even closer in 2093to within 1.8 million miles. Phaethon measures 5 km wide, about half the size of the asteroid or comet that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, writes Dr. Tony Phillips, production editor of NASA Science. That is why NASA defines Phaethon as a Potentially Hazardous Object. For NASA to classify a space rock as hazardous, it must not only have the potential to make close approaches to Earth, but cause serious damage in the event of impact. The space agency closely monitors objects that could come perilously close to Earth through its Near Earth Object Program. New PHAs are being discovered every month and still there are tens of thousands of uncharted PHAs of significant size, according to the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) project. Best estimates are that there are 10,000 to 20,000 PHAs larger than 328 feet. By astronomical terms, 2017 YZ4 is merely a Near-Earth Object and not a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid, according to this IAU list of PHAs. As of December 24, there are 17,495 known Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) around our planet; 17,389 are asteroids, a NASA spokesperson told the Express. This year, we discovered 1,985 new near Earth asteroids. There were 1888 such objects discovered in 2016 and 1,571 in 2015. YZ4 was first spotted at the Mt. Lemmon Survey observatory, northeast of Tucson, Arizona, according to the International Astronomical Unions Minor Planet Center note on the new asteroid. The approximate speed at which 2017 YZ4 will streak past the Earth and the moon Thursday is 21,000 miles per hour (33,800 kilometers per hour). Watch this analysis of what would happen if even a tiny meteor were to hit Earth at a velocity approaching the speed of light: Grand Prismatic Spring at Yellowstone National Park. The park is dotted with geysers and hot springs fueled by subterranean volcanic activity. (commons.wikimedia.org) No Yellowstone Super-Eruption Likely in Our Lifetime, Geologist States Despite the excitement generated by a somewhat sensationalized research paper released in October, the denizens of North America are not about to be buried beneath an ocean of lava, one geologist claims. Hopefully, that helps everyone sleep a little easier. Everyone in the field of volcanology recognizes that there is a gigantic volcano underneath Yellowstone National Park, one which, when it periodically erupts, spreads enough lava to fill the Grand Canyon and enough ash to bring on a global winter which might last for decades, wiping out most life. In October of this year, The New York Times published an article outlining the latest findings of Arizona State University geologist Hannah Shamloo, which claimed that such a super-eruption could be imminentgeologically speaking. Imminent in geological terms can mean decades, or several centuries. Geologists are used to measuring time in ten-thousand-year chunks. But everyday readers saw the article and inferred that it might be time to stock up on canned goods. To make matters worse, researchers at Bristols Schools of Earth Sciences and Mathematics in the UK estimated how often the largest explosive super-eruptions happen. Their research showed super-eruptions might happen nine times more frequently than most geologists had believed. Professor Jonathan Rougier told The Mirror, The previous estimate, made in 2004, was that super-eruptions occurred on average every 45 to 714 thousand years, comfortably longer than our civilization. But in our paper just published, we re-estimate this range as 5.2 to 48 thousand years, with a best guess value of 17 thousand years. Rumors of an impending volcanic disaster spread across the U.S. border. Canadian Jackquie Ringstad was planning a vacation trip to Yellowstone to marvel at the natural beauty when a friend told her to cancel the trip to avoid the natural disaster. When we decided to come down here we were talking to some people, Ringstad told NBC Montana. One of the fellas was like You cant go to Yellowstone, theres this big volcano underneath it and its going to blow up!' Sorry, But the Apocalypse Will Be Delayed Geologist Jeff Hungerford works at Yellowstone National Park, and if anything were happening, he would have the inside scoop. His take on the matter? The volcano is not going to erupt anytime soon; however, we definitely have stories saying otherwise, Hungerford told NBC. They usually dont spin them in the right direction. What is the right direction? Well, the stories could mention that even the most alarmist experts admit that there would be decades of warning signs before a major eruptionand those warning signs would definitely be noticed. The Yellowstone area is the most monitored volcanic system in the world, said Seismologist Mike Stickney, with the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology. We would likely see years to decades of anomalous activity at Yellowstone before any kind of a significant eruption, Stickney added. No one is downplaying the extent of the damage a super-eruption would cause. The Yellowstone super-volcano has erupted three times in the past 2.1 million years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The least of these eruptions was 2,500 times more powerful than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The strongest was almost triple that. What scientists like Jeff Hungerford want people to realize is that even the paper covered by the New York Times, which recently resurrected the super-volcano panic, stated clearly that there would be decades of increasing seismic activity before any sort of major volcanic event. Hopefully, voices like Hungerfords can be heard above the sensationalist din predicting imminent devastation. Yellowstone National Park saw a record number of visitors in 2016. Are you afraid of a super-volcano eruption? Do you think Yellowstone is due to erupt soon? Post your comments below. If you enjoyed reading this article, please consider sharing it. From NTD.tv This artists impression shows the first interstellar asteroid: "Oumuamua." This unique object was discovered on Oct. 19, 2017 by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii. Subsequent observations from ESOs Very Large Telescope in Chile and other observatories around the world show that it was travelling through space for millions of years before its chance encounter with our star system. (European Southern Observatory/M. Kornmesser) Oumuamua: First Alien Object Is Cloaked in Mysterious Coat, Scientists Say New details about the cigar-shaped interstellar object have emerged after scientists spent weeks studying the mysterious alien rock. Scientists have revealed that Oumuamuawhich was caught on a telescope in Octoberis wrapped in a layer of organic insulation, reported the Independent. Researchers have conducted two major studies to look at what Oumuamua actually looks like and what it could be made of. One group of researchers used spectroscopy and thermal modelling to try and understand the rocks composition while the other group observed the color of Oumuamua and used that to try and discover how it looked. According to the new research, the object is likely made up of an icy body which is shielded by an organic coat that protects it from being hit by the sun. Professor Alan Fitzsimmons, from Queens University Belfast and co-author of the research into the rocks composition, said although they didnt detect ice in the internal body, their research does not rule it out. In the end this was a nice result because weve expected all along that the majority of objects that would visit our solar system would be icy in nature, Fitzsimmons told the Independent. Our study says that this object could well be icy in nature but we didnt detect that ice due to the fact its been baked by energetic radiation between the stars for hundreds of millions of years, or even billions of years, he added. As for the organic coat, Fitzsimmons said it was made of carbon-based compounds developing from original ice-rich and carbon-rich material that came from its home star system, reported AFP. [The shield was] created by reactions between the original surface and bombardment by energetic particles in interstellar space over millions or billions of years, Fitzsimmons told the news station. It is difficult to know what it would resemble, but something between coal dust and graphite (pencil shavings) is possible, he added. Dr. Michele Bannister, also from Queens University Belfast and the author of another study on the color of the strange rock, said they expected that rocks similar to Oumuamua are thrown from elsewhere in the universe into our solar system. However, they are difficult to spot as they are so dark. In some ways we had expected these things for some time, Bannister told the newspaper. Our own solar system has ejected millions of very small rocky bodies, and so we should expect that others do the same. The findings were interesting as they give scientists an opportunity to understand how other stars are formed and how objects might cope with the harsh environment of space, giving us a direct look at something that has undergone this process. Bannister said Oumuamua could have traveled in our universe for millions or billions of years. Its travelled for millions or billions of years it could be older than our solar system, said Bannister. Its come from a very long way away, but it looks very familiar. Oumuamua is Hawaiian for a messenger from afar arriving first. Officially named Interstellar Asteroid 1I/2017 U1, it appears to have originated from the star Vega and is currently leaving the Solar System. It may take approximately 20,000 years to do so. Simon Veazey contributed to this report. From NTD.tv A photo that shows the point of view of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft approaching the Tiangong-1 space station on July 18, 2012. China officially declared it lost control over the space station on March 21, 2016. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) Out of Control Chinese Space Station Soon to Fall to Earth An out-of-control unmanned Chinese space station is expected to plummet to Earth in the next coming months. But where the parts of the Tiangong-1 that survive reentry will eventually crash-land on the Earth remains unconfirmed. It is expected that between 10 to 40 percent of its mass will survive reentry. The 8.5-metric ton space station is already in a descending pattern. The now decommissioned space station was launched in 2011 and was described as a potent political symbol of the governing Chinese Communist Party, reported The Guardian. China officially declared it lost control over the space station on March 21, 2016. Sometime in late March of this year, a Chinese space station named Tiangong-1 is going to fall back down to Earth and some big pieces may survive the reentry. https://t.co/omEZb3PWr7 @lorengrush @verge pic.twitter.com/vJC7K9ABN6 Asia Space (@AsiaSpace) January 1, 2018 Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist from Harvard University, said that he expected the Tiangong-1 to come down early this year. Now that [its] perigee is below 300km and it is in denser atmosphere, the rate of decay is getting higher, McDowell told The Guardian. He said that some parts of the disintegrating structure that hits the Earths surface may weigh up to 220 pounds (100 kilograms). McDowell said that predicting where the debris will land is impossible, even in the days ahead of its hitting the Earth. You really cant steer these things, McDowell said. Even a couple of days before it re-enters we probably wont know better than six or seven hours, plus or minus, when its going to come down. Not knowing when its going to come down translates as not knowing where its going to come down. McDowell said a minor alteration in atmospheric conditions can bump the landing area from one continent to the next. At the reentry point, its structure will move 20 times faster than a bullet, according to the U.S. non-profit Aerospace Corporation. The extreme of heat of the reentry and the increase of aerodynamic loads results in the first major break up of any space hardware falling to Earth at an altitude of between 46-52 miles (74-83 kilometers). At this point, the object breaks into several smaller objects, and each continues to fragment or melt as long as sufficient heating and loads exist, said Aerospace on its website. When surviving objects have slowed sufficiently, the heat rate drops and a cloud of debris remains to fall and impact the ground. But the odds that falling parts of Tiangong-1s structure will kill anyone is less than one in a trillion. Reentry risk estimates are supported by the fact that, over the last 50 years, more than 5,400 metric tons of materials are believed to have survived reentry with no reported casualties (of course, it is possible that casualties have occurred somewhere in the world, but have not been reported), said Aerospace. From NTD.tv Up next: Lost World War I Submarine Found 103 Years Later Fountains of hot gas erupting from a beastly black hole in the heart of a large galaxy known to radio astronomers as Hercules A. (https://public.nrao.edu/mediause) Scientists Hope to Actually See a Black Hole in 2018 For the first time since theoretical physicists predicted their existence, scientists think they might actually get to see a black hole in 2018. Astronomers have detected signs of black holesobserved the giant interstellar gas clouds they attract and the distortion of space they cause. In 2008 scientists hope to actually see the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. What astronomers hope to see is what is called the event horizon, the limit beyond which nothingnot even lightcan escape a black hole. This should show up as a black disc silhouetted against the glowing gas surrounding the mysterious cosmic object. One of the really nice things about this is taking an image of black hole event horizon has been beyond our reach for so long that its been a pleasant surprise to build upon these existing technologies and capture an image so soon, says Monash University astrophysicist Professor Michael Brown, FoxNews reported. It really complements the exciting gravitational wave discoveries of merging black holes and the creation of new black holes. Having fun with making new movies for a talk. This is accretion disk and a black hole in polarized light at different viewing angles pic.twitter.com/0aozerYiA1 Monika Moscibrodzka (@mmosc_m) September 14, 2017 The tool that will make this possible is the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)which is actually not one, but a number of telescopes. The EHT includes radio telescopes in Arizona, Chile, Mexico, Spain, Hawaii ,and the South Pole. By uniting the most advanced millimeter and submillimeter wavelength radio dishes across the globe, the Event Horizon Telescope creates a fundamentally new instrument with the greatest magnifying power ever achieved, said Harvard University researcher Shep Doeleman, who is leading the project. Anchored by ALMA, the EHT will open a new window onto black hole research and bring into focus one of the only places in the Universe where Einsteins theories may break down: at the event horizon. By combining the data from all these telescopes into a single image, the scientists are effectively creating a single radio-telescope as big as the Earth. This technique is called interferometry. Which ought to be just about big enough to spot what they are hoping to see. The black hole at the center of our galaxy, known as Sagittarius A, is estimated to be about 30 times the suns diameter and a staggering 4.3 million times the suns mass. But the center of the Galaxy is about 26,000 light years from Earth. Focusing on the black hole is comparable to using a telescope in New York City to look at a quarter someone is holding in Los Angelesand being able to read the date on the coin. What the @ehtelescope expects to find in 2018 a silhouette in the glow of radiation at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Simulation by 2017 Jansky Fellow Kazunori Akiyama. pic.twitter.com/H0Nz6RRjj9 NRAO (@TheNRAO) December 15, 2017 Millimeter Resultion, Worldwide Data Collection As tiny a speck as Sagittarius A might appear to be from Earth, seeing it should still be possible, because the telescopes in question can focus on wavelengths down to a millimeter. For decades radio interferometry has been done at centimeter wavelengths using telescopes spread across continents, said Professor Brown. However, if you do the same observations at millimeter wavelengths then you can produce images with better resolution, and see (in silhouette) the black hole at the center of our galaxy. A telescope using light could not hope to see through the swirling clouds of dust and gas surrounding the black hole, nor pierce the galactic debris floating through the intervening space. However, radio telescopes see much shorter wavelengths. This video shows a simulation of a #blackhole as it would appear at different frequency/wavelength of light. Around 1 mm wavelength, the accretion disk becomes transparent and we can see the black hole silhouette, which is optimal for EHT observations. Credit: Chi-Kwan Chan pic.twitter.com/Pkztme7s4V Event Horizon 'Scope (@ehtelescope) December 1, 2017 One nice thing about millimeter wavelengths is, compared to visible light, it is not greatly impacted by the interstellar dust between us and the center of the galaxy, Professor Brown explained. Basically the wavelength of the light is so much bigger than the dust particles that it travels past them. The group of scientists Shep Doeleman leads has been working on the project for more than a decade. As the software has improved and the hardware has multipliedas more telescopes have joinedthe group is getting increasingly sharp images of the galaxys heart. We have every expectation that we are just going to get fantastic data, said Dr. Avery Broderick, whose work on the project is supported by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Thank you so much I will consider making an outreach video. Please check out a VR movie made by my student which shows how things look like around a black hole when an observer is very close to it. It is also fun. https://t.co/kinIFz4rBY Monika Moscibrodzka (@mmosc_m) December 18, 2017 Reams of Data and Months of Calculating The team has actually focused on two different black holes, one in the galaxys center and another, farther away, in the center of Galaxy Messier 87 (M87) While M87 is 53.5 million light-years from Earth, the galaxys central black hole is more than 2,000 times bigger than the Milky Ways, so it should be visible. The team started gathering data in April and processing data all year. The data from the South Pole observatory was not collected until November. Each telescope produces so much data it cannot be uploaded and downloaded on the internet. The data storage units have to be physically retrieved and carried to one of the two processing sightsone at the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys Haystack Observatory VLBI correlator, and another in Germany. Soon@M87 workshop: My simulation of the relativistic jet from the supermassive black hole in the core of M87 galaxy. pic.twitter.com/PCJZKRuyUP Monika Moscibrodzka (@mmosc_m) May 20, 2016 Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) is the process of combining signals from different radio-telescopes to provide a single image. It is central to the EHT project. First tested successfully at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the APEX (Atacama Pathfinder Experiment) Telescope on Chiles Atacama Plateau in January 2015, the technique demands remarkable precision. In order to coordinate all the data perfectly, the group had to install an incredibly precise atomic clock at ALMAs Array Operations Site, home to the observatorys supercomputing correlator. This upgrade, which happened in 2014, centers on a custom-built timepiece powered by a hydrogen maser which is ten times as precise as its predecessor, a rubidium-gas-powered modelwhich was incredibly precise to begin with. From NTD.tv Tourists view the Morning Glory hot spring in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, on May 14, 2016. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) Scientists Reveal New Theory of Yellowstones Supervolcano Hotspot New research says that the hotspot underlying the Yellowstone supervolcano has a different origin than previously thought. Geologists at the University of Illinois say Yellowstones heat is actually being funneled east from the geologically active Pacific Coast. They used seismic waves that travel through the earth following earthquakes to produce a view underground similar to an X-ray, reported the Independent Record. The information was then fed through a supercomputer to mimic different geologic scenarios that are known to have occurred over the past 20 million years in an attempt to come up with an explanation for the Yellowstone hotspot, according to the article. A robust result from these models is that the heat source behind the extensive inland volcanism actually originated from the shallow oceanic mantle to the west of the Pacific Northwest coast, said geology professor, Lijun Liu, who led the research, in a statement. This directly challenges the traditional view that most of the heat came from the plume below Yellowstone. The leading competing theory is that the hotspot is fed by a deep mantle plume. However, Earth magazine notes that the plume theory is difficult to confirm because the mantle cannot be studied by fieldwork, and is instead being remotely sensed and modeled. What little we know about the mantles composition and structure has been gleaned from geochemical analyses of deep-sea lavas or the rare chunk of exhumed mantle rock, and from interpretation of seismic waves that have traveled through the deep Earth, wrote Sara Pratt. Michael Poland, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory scientist-in-charge, told the Record that he doesnt necessarily agree with Lins research, but he hopes the new theory will spur more research into the hotspot. Its an interesting debate thats going to be raging, hopefully for decades, added Robert Porritt, a seismologist at the University of Texas at Austin to ScienceNews. Lins research was published in Nature. Recommended Video: Boiling water turns to snow From NTD.tv Scientists Warn a Mysterious Deadly Zombie Deer Disease Could Spread to Humans A mysterious disease thats killing deer across North America could spread to humans, scientists are warning. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is similar to Mad Cows disease, which eventually hopped over to humans to kill hundreds of people. The CWD, a deadly neurological disorder known to some as a zombie disease, can be found in deer, elk, and moose. The affected animals are easy to identify when theyre near their death. Theyre not hard to pick out at the end stage, Dr. Mark Zabel told the New York Times. They have a vacant stare, they have a stumbling gait, their heads are drooping, their ears are down, you can see thick saliva dripping from their mouths. Its like a true zombie disease. NPR reported that the disease was first observed among captive mule deer in Colorado in 1967 and has since spread to wild herds in 24 states and some parts of Canada. Its also been found in South Korea and Norway. Humans were thought to be isolated from the disease but a new study from Canada indicated that the disease could very well affect humans. The potential for CWD to be transmitted to humans cannot be excluded, reported The Health Products Food Branch of Health Canada (pdf). The most prudent approach is to consider that CWD has the potential to infect humans. The agency noted that experiments have shown that the disease, at least under specific experimental conditions, has the potential to cross the human species barrier. The experiment exposed 18 macaques to the disease in a variety of ways and resulted in many of the primates becoming infected. The study is ongoing. Incubation times in the study ranged from 4.5 to 6.9 years, noted The Tyee. The macaques showed symptoms that included anxiety, ataxia, and tremors. One macaque lost a third of its body weight in six months. No one should consume animal products with a known prion disease, said Stefanie Czub, a prion researcher with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, who led the study. Everyone is taking the results extremely seriously, above all the regulators in Canada and the U.S. The Norwegians are extremely concerned too. Other experts agree that theres a risk, such as Keith Poulsen, diagnostic case and outreach coordinator at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Were sure the risk is pretty low, but its not zero, Poulsen told The State Journal. It would be a mistake to ignore it. He noted that CWD is related to illnesses that cause dementia and death in humans. The illnesses are not treatable. The disease has shown an ability to change, and stay in animals for years before symptoms appear, causing Poulsen to advise hunters to test deer meat before consuming. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: Timelapse Video Captures Ocean of Clouds Over Vancouver, British Columbia Now-FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on July 12, 2017. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Source: FBI Director Shocked to His Core by Contents of Worse Than Watergate Memo FBI Director Christopher Wray was shocked to his core by the contents of a four-page report which reportedly details politically motivated abuses of government surveillance by the Obama administration, Fox News Sean Hannity reported, citing an unnamed source. Wray viewed the secret document at the Capitol on Sunday, Jan. 28. On Monday morning, the FBIs second highest ranking official, Andrew McCabe, announced that he was stepping down. Later on the same day, the House Intelligence Committee voted to make the report available to the public. President Donald Trump has to approve the memos release within five days. On Tuesday, a White House aide told Bloomberg that the president will review the document. McCabe was planning to retire in March, so the change in timeline may mean that he was asked to leave, according to Sara Carter, an independent security reporter who often appears on Fox News. This time they asked him to go right away. Youre not coming into the office, Carter told Fox News. Ive heard reports he didnt even come in for the morning meetingthat he didnt show up. Several sources also told Carter that an upcoming DOJ inspector generals report shows that McCabe asked FBI agents to modify reports of their interviews with witnesses, which, if proven, would amount to obstruction of justice and lead to McCabes firing. I heard they are considering firing him within the next few days if this turns out to be true, Carter said. McCabe is currently on terminal leave and is set to retire when he is eligible for full benefits in March. Republican House lawmakers have pushed for the public release of the four-page House Intelligence Committee memo since Jan. 18. House Republicans, 65 in total, sent a letter to the House Intelligence Committee asking for the memo to be released. The secret memo was made available to members of Congress since Jan. 18. Those who have viewed the report have described it as worse than Watergate and sickening and likened it to a palace coup. The report also shows that the Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC funded an unsubstantiated Fusion GPS dossier, and used it to obtain a warrant for surveillance of Trump-associate Carter Page, New York Times reported. The Fusion GPS dossier explained. Click to see full resolution. (Epoch Times) The House memo on surveillance abuses is set to be released amid renewed scrutiny of two top FBI officials who exchanged anti-Trump text messages. Among messages sent between top FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok and senior FBI lawyer Lisa Page was a discussion of an insurance policy in the event Trump is elected and a secret society within the FBI and DOJ. An informant has since told lawmakers that the secret society held at least one secret offsite meeting and consisted of top-level officials in the FBI and DOJ. I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andys officethat theres no way he gets electedbut Im afraid we cant take that risk, Strzok wrote in a message to Page on Aug. 15, 2016. Its like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before youre 40. Some lawmakers believe that the Andy in the text messages is McCabe, Fox News reported. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: President Donald Trump: Year 1 Stop Worrying About Not Getting Enough Exercise and Being Too Stressed You May Live Longer Its January, so many of you have likely set goals to be more physically active or less stressed in 2018. However, a better goal may be to stop worrying about how much exercise youre getting and how stressed you are. A recent study of more than 60,000 American adults examined the link between perceptions of exercise and mortality. The researchers found something curious: People who worried about being less active than others were up to 71 percent more likely to die in the follow-up period 21 years later, regardless of their actual levels of physical activity or overall health. Inversely, believing you are getting enough exercise can lead to better health. In a study conducted by Harvard University, a group of hotel workers was told that their daily work fulfilled recommended exercise guidelines. A second groupthe control groupwas not given this information. After just one month, people in the informed group showed significant health improvements, including a 10-point drop in systolic blood pressure and two-pound weight loss. The waist-to-hip ratios also improved and so did the body mass index. All of these changes were significantly greater than those of the control group. Meta-Stress It is a commonly held belief that stress is bad for you, but the evidence is not clear-cut. For example, a 2016 study of more than 700,000 women in the United Kingdom, found that self-reported levels of stress had no direct effect on mortality. Similar to what has been found with activity levels, how you perceive or think about stress may be as big a problem as stress itself. A number of studies seem to support this idea. In a large study spanning nine years, researchers explored the role of stress and its impact on health and mortality. In this study, the researchers not only explored peoples levels of stress but also their beliefs about stress being dangerous to health. The results showed that neither high amounts of stress nor the perception that stress has a negative effect on health were independently associated with premature death. However, people who both believed that stress affects health and reported a large amount of stress had a 43 percent increased risk of premature death. The authors concluded, The results suggest that the appraisal of both the amount of stress and its impact on health may work together synergistically to increase the risk of premature death. Interestingly, those who reported high levels of stress but who did not believe their stress was harmful, had the lowest mortality rates, even compared with those who had less stress. New Year, New Mindset What links both these areas of research is the idea that your mindset may be very important in influencing both the positive and negative effects of stress and exercise. So how can you change your mindset? A starting point with exercise is to give up worrying how much physical activity you are doing compared to others. This is particularly important if your comparisons are based on unrealistically high standards, such as those often portrayed on social media. Follow public health guidelines on appropriate levels of physical activity. But remember to praise yourself for the exercise you do get, and dont punish yourself for not doing enough. This may increase your motivation and provide a range of physical health benefitsas with the hotel workers. With regard to stress, you need to stop thinking of psychological stress as being directly dangerous, particularly if you are stressed, as it is the perceived effect on health that is linked to increased mortality. When people worry about stress being dangerous, it can lead to a range of behaviors that can be much more dangerous, such as smoking, binge eating, and excessive alcohol consumption. Two approaches may be helpful here: First, dont worry about stress being bad for you. Worry only heightens a sense of threat and strengthens the belief that stress is dangerous. By choosing not to worry, you can greatly reduce the stress you may have about stress. This may also reduce your desire to engage in unhealthy lifestyle choices. Second, accept stress as a normal part of life and a natural survival mechanism for dealing with threats. It has been shown that when people shift to seeing stress as enhancing rather than debilitating, it can result in more positive outcomes. A change in perception and a reduction in worry may be the most beneficial goals to strive for this year. Robin Bailey is a senior lecturer in psychological therapies at the University of Central Lancashire in England. This article was originally published on The Conversation. A paper fragment recovered from the wreck of pirate Blackbeard's ship (North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources)/Illustration of Blackbeard (Library of Congress) Stunning Discovery on Blackbeards Ship Reveals Pirates Reading Habits Experts analyzing the remnants of a pirate shipwreck announced a stunning discovery after linking several paper fragments found aboard the vessel to an 18th-century book. The paper fragments were found aboard the flagship pirate vessel, Queen Annes Revenge. The boat ran aground off the coast of North Carolina in 1718, National Geographic reported. The ship was confirmed in 2011 to belong to notorious pirate Blackbeard. Scientists have lifted parts of the ship to the surface over the years, including several cannons, jewelry, and tools, according to Fox News. The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) says that 16 paper fragments were found in a mass of wet sludge inside one of the cannons. The largest pieces were about the size of a quarter. As the work progressed another discovery was made that there was still legible printed text on some of the fragments, although only a few words were visible, explained NCDNCR, in its statement. The challenge then became not just to conserve the paper fragments, but also to identify where they were from. It took months of research to link one of the fragments to a book: A Voyage to the South Sea, and Round the World, 1708, 1709, 1710, and 1711, by Captain Edward Cooke. The book was a narrative of a voyage, a genre popular at the time. The book chronicles a journey by two ships that sailed from England in 1708. The leader of the expedition, Captain Woodes Rogers, also wrote a book about the voyage. Rogers and Cooke both describe how they rescued a man marooned on an island for four years. The description of the episode later inspired Daniel Defoe to write the famous novel Robinson Crusoe. Although books like these voyage narratives would have been relatively common on ships of the early 18th century, archaeological evidence for them is exceedingly rare, and this find represents a glimpse into the reading habits of a pirate crew, NCDNCR explained in a statement. The historical record has several references to books aboard vessels in Blackbeards fleet, but provides no specific titles; this find is the first archaeological evidence for their presence on QAR [Queen Annes Revenge]. Blackbeard, whose real name was Edward Teach, captured a French slave ship in 1717 and renamed it Queen Annes Revenge. Royal Navy forces killed Blackbeard in November 1718, several months after his ship sank. NCDNCR will hold several events to mark the anniversary of Blackbeards death later this year. Experts are still working to document the other paper fragments. Recommended Video: Lost World War I Submarine Found 103 Years Later Ivan Pentchoukov Ivan has reported for The Epoch Times on a variety of topics since 2011. IvanPentchoukov From NTD.tv Teenager Charged With Drowning Her 2-Year-Old Child in Bathtub A 19-year-old has been charged after her baby was found dead. Officials suspect the Georgia teen drowned the 16-month-old boy in a bathtub. Madison Lee Stewart was arrested and charged with murder in Warner Robins. She was living in a safe house for battered women in the town. Its just a tragic situation, Houston County Sheriff Cullen Talton told The Macon Telegraph. I tell you what, it makes me sick just to think somebody would do something like this. Apparently, Stewart woke up early in the morning when the baby started crying and carried him into the bathroom. She filled the bathtub and held the baby down. She got up, the baby was crying and she went to the restroom; had the baby, and the baby quit crying and then, at some point while she was in the bathroom, she filled the tub with water and held the baby down until it drowned, Houston County sheriffs Capt. Randall Banks told the Telegraph. Stewart then told a worker at the safe house that her baby had drowned. Investigators said that Stewart told them she felt stressed and had some anger issues, reported Fox5. The circumstances of the killing show an abandoned and malignant heart, the arrest warrant said. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: Melania Trumps First Year as First Lady A drawing of the Pulaski steamship. (By Charles Ellms [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons) Two Groups Think They Found the Pulaski Steamship Two shipwreck salvage companies have found what they believe are the remains of the famous Pulaski steamship off the coast of North Carolina. In 1838, the steamship sank to the bottom of the Atlantic after one of its boilers exploded. At the time, the North Carolina Standard called the wreck the most painful catastrophe that has ever occurred upon the American coast. Roughly half of the 200 people on board died, many of them the elite of the southern society at that time, the Charlotte Observer reported. Shipwreck Pulaski ? from Endurance Exploration on Vimeo. The ship was traveling north from Savannah, Georgia, to Baltimore, Maryland, and was carrying such names as New York Congressman William Rochester and six members of the Lamar family, who were among the richest families in the southeast at the time. Roughly 40 miles off the North Carolina coast, Blue Water Ventures International, which recovers historically relevant artifacts from shipwrecks, discovered what they thought might be the legacy of the powerful steamship. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: Lost World War I Submarine Found 103 Years Later Wildlife Protection or Persecution? The goldfish and koi started surrendering to the surface around Halloween. Bass, crappie, catfish and the distinctive sunfish/bluegill hybrids that inhabited the pond for 140 years followed. Soon the 5.2 acre South Pond in Chicagos Lincoln Park sported a slick of shiny, golden and still moving fish, kind of like a macabre womans drink. It has been ten years since the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) deliberately laced the Lincoln Park pond with the South American poison Rotenone to restore the water body into a model Illinois freshwater habitat. It would be impractical to relocate thousands or tens of thousands of fish, explained DNR spokesman Chris McCloud at the time. The irony of killing the fish to save the pond was not lost on Chicago residents who for generations have enjoyed the fish from rented paddleboats on the pond. It takes such a long time for them to grow and theyre just gonna kill them off, lamented Carlos de la Pena to a CBS TV news station. But Neal David, Lincoln Park Zoos vice president of facilities at the time, maintained that a fish kill is the standard technique used when restoring a pond. The next year, the Illinois DNR practiced its poisonomics again, dosing six miles of the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal (CSSC) to hopefully kill invasive Asian carp. The three-day poisoning spree cost $3 million to taxpayers, used 2,200 gallons of Rotenone and produced 90 tons of non-sport fish like goldfish and gizzard shad. Only one carp was retrieved. The three-day poisoning spree cost $3 million to taxpayers, used 2,200 gallons of Rotenone and produced 90 tons of non-sport fish like goldfish and gizzard shad. State DNRs are not the only government agencies annihilating animals for controversial reasons. The USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) Wildlife Services aggressively provides free pest control for livestock operations of private meat producers, farmers and aquaculture operators. It has killed more than 34 million animals in the last decade according to official records. Deaths in 2015 alone included 68,905 coyotes 731 bobcats, 480 bears, 385 wolves and 284 mountain lions. Between 2004 and 2016, 19,200 cormorants were killed in Minnesota alone to protect aquaculture interests. Otters are also killed to protect aquaculture interests though many are also killed by Wildlife Services errors. From 2006 to 2012 Wildlife Services killed an astounding 7,800 animals by mistake in cruel steel body-grip traps reports the Sacramento Bee. In 2009 APHIS records show it poisoned 489,444 red-winged blackbirds in Texas, 461,669 in Louisiana and shot 4,217 blackbirds in California. It also shot 29 great blue herons, 820 cattle egrets and 115 white-faced ibises that yearbeautiful shorebirds beloved by many. Blackbirds, herons, egrets, ibises and almost all of the birds Wildlife Services kills are protected species under the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture or kill or such birds without a waiver according to the Act, one of the first federal environmental laws. It was drafted to stop the plunder and threatened extinction caused by the bird and feather trade especially in the hat industry. The APHIS k illed more than 34 million animals in the last decade according to official records. To kill blackbirds, the government even uses caged red-winged blackbirds as decoys to attract wild ones says Audubon magazine, pre-baiting an area with unpoisoned food to win the birds confidence and ensure the most deaths. Wildlife Services also used traps, snares, poisons, gas, aerial gunning and spring-loaded metal cylinders baited with the scent that fire sodium cyanide powder into the mouth of whatever tugs on them. In 2012, APHIS killed over 10,000 double-crested cormorants and 2,500 mute swans. At least one judge has objected to the governments war on wildlife, particularly its decimation of cormorants. In 2016, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates of Washington, D.C. terminated the culling of double-crested cormorants across the country saying that shooting cormorants for eating fish is like shooting buffalo for eating grass. More recently, in Oregon, Wildlife Services has agreed to stop killing hundreds of beavers as it checks its compliance with the federal Endangered Species Act after Northwest Environmental Advocates threatened a lawsuit. According to legal scholars, public lands and the animals who dwell on them are held in the public trust and belong to all of us. Why are our tax dollars used for such wanton eradification? Martha Rosenberg is the author of the award-cited food expose Born With a Junk Food Deficiency, distributed by Random House. A nationally known muckraker, she has lectured at the university and medical school level and appeared on radio and television. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Epoch Times. Woman Complained of Itchy Eyes, Then Doctors Make Unusual Find in Her Eyelashes A Chinese woman had more than 100 parasites living in her eyes, and she only got treatment after complaining about itchy eyes, according to a report. The woman, known only as Ms. Xu, told doctors in Wuhan, Hubei Province, that she had itchy, red eyes for about two years but got used to them and didnt know the reason why, according to MailOnline. Doctors asked her a few questions, and they revealed that she had used the same pillowcase since 2012. She had been treating the symptoms with over-the-counter eye drop medication. However, the problem only got worse. She was left with a crusty residue on her eyelashes, and her eyelids got stuck together. Woman's 'itchy eyes' problem turns out to be caused by a hundred parasites living in her EYELASHES https://t.co/p8JwLjd9cU Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) December 12, 2017 Doctors were then shocked to find that there were more than 100 eyelash mites were found on her lids, according to MailOnline, noting that one eyelash follicle had more than 10 mites on it. Ms. Xu was diagnosed with blepharitis and conjunctivitis. Doctors said she made a recovery after the treatment. According to Norman Herskovich, an optometrist at Elite Family Eye Care, in Fort Lauderdale, the mites are most active while people sleep. They try to avoid light, so what ends up happening, as awkward as this sounds, when we go to bed at night they come out and they mate, and they will actually reproduce. They have a two- to three-week cycle and will eventually die, but their offspring will continue the process, said Herskovich, CBS News reported. There are around 65 species of mites that live on animals hair follicles, known as Demodex. One can conclude that wherever mankind is found, hair follicle mites will be found and that the transfer mechanism is 100% effective! (One of my students noted it was undoubtedly the first invertebrate metazoan to visit the moon!) according to mite specialist William Nutting in 1976. And while youre here We have a small favor to ask of you. If you can, please share this article on Facebook so you can help The Epoch Times. It takes less than a minute. Thank you very much! A woman was kicked off her United Airlines flight from Colorado to Minnesota on Jan. 16, 2018, on her way to see her dying mother. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Woman Traveling to See Dying Mother Gets Kicked Off United Airlines Flight A woman hoping to see her mother alive one last time was told to get off a United Airlines flight that she thought she had a ticket for. Carrol Amrich wanted to fly from Colorado to Minnesota after learning her mother was in the hospital. Her landlord, Ines Prelas, bought a ticket for her with United. She purchased the ticket through online ticketing agency Traveler Help Desk, according to the The New York Daily News. When Amrich learned that her mothers condition had worsened, Prelas pitched in more money to get her on an earlier flight on Jan. 16. Amrich had no problem boarding the flight. She even stowed her bag and buckled into her seat. But then a United agent told her she had to get off, informing her that her ticket was canceled, according to Daily News. I knew at that time Id never see my mother again, Amrich told the Daily News. Traveler Help Desk confirmed that they canceled the ticket, thinking it was fraud because of the switch to an earlier flight. They claim that they werent informed that Prelas was going to switch the ticket directly through United without telling them. Prelas said United told her there wouldnt be a problem if she changed flights directly through them. Traveler Help Desk told The New York Times that representatives tried multiple times to reach Amrich before canceling the ticket, although Amrich and Prelas dispute that. I said, Take my credit card. Well straighten this out later, but get her on that plane, Prelas told the Times about her conversation with United. Amrich told the Daily News that United showed her no sympathy and refused to let her back on the plane, but United claims the airplane had already left by that time. Seeing no alternative, Amrich decided to drive. I drove 1,000 miles, and she was gone before I got there, Amrich told the Times. I never stopped to rest. I went straight through. And she was gone. A representative from Uniteds headquarters contacted Prelas the next day. The rep wanted Amrichs address to send flowers, according to the Times. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: Cookie-Crazed Squirrel Attacks New York Policeman 53 minutes ago Federal mandate takes vaccine decision off employers' hands Larger U.S. businesses now won't have to decide whether to require their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Doing so is now federal policy. President Joe Biden announced sweeping new orders Thursday that will require employers with more than 100 workers to mandate immunizations or offer weekly testing. Read Article On Demand We have a new story every day on the front page of thephuketnews.com. Also like us on our Facebook page (facebook.com/thephuketnews) and be the first to watch all the new stories. Finally you can watch any segment, any time by going to thephuketnews.com/tv where all the stories are listed for you to enjoy. All our programs can be enjoyed in High Definition when watching on the internet. In-Room VDO FRANKFURTBritish tourists perennially frustrated by forward-thinking Germans bagging prime locations by the pool will now be able to reserve their favoured spot even before boarding the plane albeit at a price. Thomas Cook Group Plc is seeking to end the competition for the best-placed sun loungers by allowing guests to book them online for 25 ($38) per stay. The plan will be pioneered at three hotels next month, with details of locations offering a shady corner or the clearest view of the kids paddling area to be distributed six days prior to departure. The worlds oldest tour operator has already begun mixing nationalities more freely after customer surveys showed Brits and Germans no longer favour segregation though its adding a smattering of universally popular Scandinavians to help lighten the mood. The company has also trialled a service allowing guests to pick a specific room for 30 a week. While the rethink on sunbeds will stop early risers from occupying choice poolside real estate before most guests even get out of bed, no more than 20 per cent of spots will be available for pre-booking, Thomas Cook said Monday. That should still leave scope for the odd strategically placed towel to incur the wrath of latecomers. Canadas polar bear protection is getting good marks from an international conservation group, but the World Wildlife Fund says the country could better protect important habitat and minimize threats to the iconic predators. They largely did a pretty good job of accomplishing what they needed to, said Brandon Laforest, who helped develop the scorecard. They did not do a good job of bringing it up to the next level. And one of the countrys leading polar bear experts said Canada needs to do much better than the rating suggests. Read more: Starving polar bear in viral video likely the product of climate change, researcher says Most polar bear attacks occur once animal is already starving, study finds Polar bears rely on smell and wind direction to hunt, study confirms I think theyre being very kind, said Andrew Derocher of the University of Alberta. The group issued the scorecard for all five nations with bear populations. They were graded on how well theyve fulfilled promises made two years ago as part of a 10-year plan to protect polar bears. Canada home to two-thirds of the worlds roughly 25,000 bears is in the middle of the pack, behind Norway but well ahead of Russia. Canada is praised for communicating the threat of climate change, monitoring populations, managing hunts and trade and incorporating Inuit knowledge. We commend them for their commitment, Laforest said. Canada is leading the way. But there are problems. Canada couldnt deal with an environmental emergency that could affect the bears, such as an oil or fuel spill from ships. Not enough is known about the High Arctic habitat where the bears are likely to follow the steady retreat of sea ice. And Laforest said while Canada does a better job than most countries at surveying populations, it isnt enough in a rapidly changing Arctic. When you have decade-old estimates of populations and youre trying to manage them actively in an actively changing environment, we feel even though Canada allots $1.5 million annually for those surveys, there needs to be a re-evaluation. Derocher agreed much of the population information Canada relies on is woefully dated. Our inventory frequency, while we have moved to improve that, is still grossly inadequate, he said. It might be adequate for harvest management, but in a changing climate it probably is not. Weve got many populations that are coming on 20 years without re-inventory. For one population suspected to be in decline, survey results have yet to be released although the fieldwork was completed four years ago. Its a capacity issue huge areas, lots of demands, Derocher said. Three of Canadas 13 populations are known to be declining. Bears along the west coast of Hudson Bay are down anywhere from 11 to 30 per cent, while those along the Beaufort Sea coast have lost up to half their numbers. There was a new aerial survey just done. My understanding was they found so few bears, they may not be able to get an estimate. Rapid change in the Arctic means that todays critical bear habitat is likely to be less so in the future, said Derocher. He said Canada needs to conduct more research in the High Arctic, the so-called Last Ice Area. The critical habitat that we want to understand and protect long-term would be those areas in the high latitudes of the Canadian archipelago. And yet, theres been virtually no work in this area. Do we see a movement to set up long-term monitoring to understand that ecosystem? I dont see a lot of evidence. OTTAWAThe watchdog for Canadas electronic spy agency is arguing for a bigger role under the Liberals new national security reforms. In a memo to the House of Commons public safety committee, Jean-Pierre Plouffe argued the proposed new position of intelligence commissioner should have a greater role in reviewing and approving the actions of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE). Plouffe, who has served as the independent reviewer of CSEs activities since 2013, said the agencys new power to launch cyber attacks is even broader than the controversial power given to CSIS to disrupt threats to Canada. CSIS threat-reduction activities are limited to those measures that will reduce threats to the security of Canada, while CSEs active cyber operations are broader, as they may relate, not only to security, but also to international affairs or defence, Plouffes memo reads. In essence, CSE could ask the minister to authorize active cyber activities on a matter that would be purely of an international affairs nature, such as (monitoring) communications surrounding an international gathering on the economy or the environment. Despite that broad range of activities, there is no independent oversight of CSEs new offensive capabilities, Plouffe notes; instead, only the ministers of national defence and foreign affairs need to sign off. There is no role envisaged for the (intelligence commissioner) to approve such an authorization, even where third-party rights, including their privacy rights, could be affected, including (the rights) of a Canadian outside of Canada, or where Canadian law could be contravened, Plouffe wrote. Plouffe is scheduled to testify on Bill C-59, the Liberals omnibus national security bill, later this morning. The legislation was billed as a reform to Bill C-51, the previous Conservative governments controversial terrorism law that gave CSIS the power to disrupt threats to national security, rather than simply collecting intelligence. But it includes significant changes to how the federal government and Canadian citizens keeps tabs on their spy agencies. The intelligence commissioner is one of those proposed changes. The position would create a measure of real-time oversight for CSEs cybersecurity and foreign intelligence activities. CALGARYA man who had many roles in his 36 years with a Calgary young peoples performance group has admitted to eight sex-related charges. Philip Heeremas trial on 20 charges was already into its third week when he pleaded guilty on Tuesday. Heerema, 55, resigned in 2014 from The Young Canadians School of Performing Arts in Calgary when police began investigating several complaints. Read more: Calgary trial set for ex-Young Canadians employee facing child sex abuse charges The alleged victims were male students between 15 and 18 years old who were at the school between 1992 and 2013. The trial had heard from several men who said Heerema convinced them to send him explicit photos. One man said he felt trapped after exchanging naked photos with Heerema. I couldnt talk to anyone about what was happening because then Phil would presumably get in trouble and that wouldnt be good for anyone, the man testified. He eventually told a family member what had happened and went to police. The school works with students between 11 and 18 years old in dance, voice and performance. Training culminates in grandstand shows during the Calgary Stampede every July. Heerema started out as a performer with The Young Canadians and took on a number of jobs that included costuming, props, sets and lighting. He was business administrator and production services co-ordinator when he resigned. Read more about: BATTLEFORD, SASK. The Crown says evidence will show that three shots were fired the night a 22-year-old Indigenous man was killed on a Saskatchewan farm. Crown prosecutor Bill Burge told the trial of Gerald Stanley on Tuesday that court will hear from the farmers son, Sheldon, who came out running when he and his father thought someone was trying to steal a vehicle from their yard in August. 2016. Burge told the jurors they will hear that Sheldon Stanley went inside to get his keys because a grey Ford Escape SUV was starting to drive away when it hit another vehicle in the yard. As he was running into the house, he heard two gunshots. When he got out of the house with his car keys, he heard another gunshot. He looked. He saw his father standing by the drivers door of this vehicle with a gun and a clip in his hand, Burge told court. Sheldon Stanley approached the vehicle and saw Colten Boushie in the drivers seat slumped toward the steering wheel. Burge said there were two females in the back seat of the vehicle. Two other males had jumped out of the SUV and ran away. Burge told the jury an autopsy found Boushie died from a gunshot wound that entered behind his left ear and exited through the side of his head. Stanley, who is 56, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. RCMP Cpl. Terry Heroux was called to the Stanley farm the night of the shooting and took several photos. Some of them show the SUV, its front left wheel worn down to the rim, with the doors open and a body under blankets on the ground. Read more: Colten Boushies family upset no Indigenous jury members were chosen for murder trial Family disgusted that Saskatchewan RCMP officers were cleared of misconduct while investigating Indigenous mans death RCMP probe clears officers accused of mistreating family after shooting of Saskatchewan Indigenous man Dark blood stains can be seen on the seat and dashboard. A broken .22-calibre rifle was found next to the vehicle. Heroux said the barrel was bent but there was a bullet in the chamber and five in a clip. Boushie, who was from the Red Pheasant First Nation, was initially a passenger when the SUV drove onto the farm near Biggar, Sask., on Aug. 9, 2016. Supporters and family members of the accused and of the victim packed the courtroom Tuesday. Boushies uncle, Alvin Baptiste, brought an eagle feather with him to the proceedings. I bring it in and this is for justice, he said during a break. This is a symbolic symbol of First Nations people. He said his sister Debbie Baptiste, who is Boushies mother, was at the courthouse but not in the courtroom for the first witness. Shes not sitting in the courtroom to see those graphic pictures. Three weeks have been put aside for the trial. More than 80 complaints have now been received against two former RCMP doctors under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct spanning decades, police in Ontario and Nova Scotia say. Toronto police have logged more than 20 complaints against a retired doctor in the Mounties Ontario division, while Halifax police have received in excess of 60 complaints against a former Nova Scotia doctor. These reports are still being investigated and no final decisions have been made on potential outcomes as yet, Meaghan Gray of the Toronto Police Service said by email Monday. She added that its still too early in the process to say whether charges will be laid. Read more: RCMP recruits were deeply afraid to speak out on alleged sex abuse by doctors, lawyer says Toronto police investigate former RCMP doctor over sexual assault allegations RCMP fined $550,000 for Labour Code violations in fatal 2014 Moncton shooting It is the first time Toronto police have revealed the number of complaints they have received, while Halifax police said Friday they had received about 50 complaints to that point. The Toronto doctor was allegedly particularly focused on womens nipples during medical examinations, while the Halifax doctor, nicknamed Dr. Fingers, has been accused of inappropriate and unnecessary vaginal and rectal examinations. The forces commanding officer in Nova Scotia, Assistant Commissioner Brian Brennan, said last week that a multiple of dozens of women have brought forward allegations of incidents between October 1981 and July 2003 at the RCMP health services office in the Halifax suburb of Bedford. In a note to officers, he said he expects many more women to come forward in the months ahead. I am at a loss for words as I write this message to you. To say Im shocked and disheartened doesnt seem like enough, Brennan wrote in the internal memo. Assistant Commissioner Stephen White, the forces acting chief human resources officer, said in an email to members that the allegations involved a doctor who conducted recruitment medical examinations and periodic health assessments on members. The retired doctor declined to respond publicly on the allegations when reached last week. The claims against the physicians mirror widespread complaints about sexual harassment in the national police force that led the federal court to approve a landmark settlement last spring. Megan McPhee, a principal with a Toronto-based law firm serving as counsel in the class-action lawsuit, said last week that the physicians allegedly abused their power over vulnerable young recruits who were deeply afraid that speaking out would damage their careers in the RCMP. The issues were hearing with respect to the Halifax doctor are arising very early in the employment, when there is a potential power imbalance between a doctor and a woman who is trying to fulfil her dream of becoming an RCMP officer, she said. Women simply dont feel comfortable coming forward because theyre so deeply afraid of the impact that speaking out could have on their careers. The deadline for the uncapped class action settlement is Feb. 8. Read more about: A Richmond Hill cafe owner was called a standup guy in court Monday after entering a guilty plea to drug trafficking charges that saw one of his co-accused walk free. Adriano Scolieri, 31, was sentenced in Milton court to 13 years and eight months in prison for his role in a drug network that was the subject of a three-year investigation by the RCMP and FBI, among other policing agencies. Justice Alan Cooper gave Scolieri four months credit for time already served, noting he has been in custody since his November arrest. Scolieri smiled at his friend, Nicholas Valentine, of Vaughan, after charges were dropped against Valentine. Valentine sat in the body of the court with Scolieris parents and girlfriend. The federal Crown agreed to drop the charges against him because Scolieri said Valentine didnt take part in the crime and was just along for the ride in a fentanyl transaction. I dont know how to say this in a politically correct way, but hes a standup guy, defence lawyer Greg Lafontaine told the judge. Hes not someone who made great gobs of money from these transactions, Lafontaine said. The agreed statement of facts said Scolieris cut of a fentanyl deal was $3,000. Tom Andreopoulos, a deputy chief federal prosecutor with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, said outside court that the three kilos of fentanyl that Scolieri trafficked represented thousands of doses. Over the span of Project OTremens, Scoleri revealed himself to (police) as an active, high-level criminal operative who had the ability to obtain and traffic a variety of criminal commodities, Andreopoulos said. Authorities said they duped mobsters into initiating a police agent into the Bonanno crime family in Canada. Scolieri was one of the men duped by the bogus Bonanno member, court heard. The agent was a trusted associate and then official made member of the New York City-based Bonanno crime family, according to the agreed statement of facts. This membership facilitated the agents criminal transactions with members and associates of other criminal organizations operating in Canada and in the United States. Nine people from southern Ontario were charged in the case, and the other seven remain before the courts. They include Domenico Paolo Violi, 51, and his brother, Giuseppe (Joe) Violi, 48, of Hamilton. They are sons of mob boss Paolo Violi, who was murdered in Montreal in 1978. Police alleged at the time of the arrests in November that the Violi brothers are well-established with an international reach. Scolieri pleaded guilty to seven counts of drug trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime in Vaughan, Hamilton and Burlington from 2015 to 2017 involving fentanyl, methamphetamine, MDA and MDEA. The agent and Scolieri communicated via encrypted messages to set up deal, the agreed statement of facts said. A police microphone captured Scolieri talking with the agent about the dangers of fentanyl. Nobody wants to deal with it, Scolieri said. Yeah, its dangerous, the police agent said, later adding, People die. I had a friends uh, her boyfriend died three months ago He bought a gram of coke, snorted it, there was fentanyl in it. Died. Died, the agent said. My other buddy, he (expletive) had a seizure from.. foaming out of the mouth, Scolieri continued. The agreed statement of facts also said the police agent met with Giuseppe Violi at a grocery store in Hamilton, where they talked about a fentanyl deal. That meeting led to a meeting between the agent and Scolieri regarding a fentanyl deal, the court document states. A police bug picked up Scolieri talking with the agent about the dangers of fentanyl. My buddy just ODd off of it, Scolieri said. A friend of yours? the police said. Yeah, Scolieri said He died? Yeah I went to his viewing yesterday, Scolieri said. The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) is investigating allegations of cruelty at a sled dog kennel outside of Toronto, a spokesperson confirmed Monday. The allegations against Windrift Kennel, located north of Barrie, Ont., surfaced via social media after two visitors posted videos of dogs including one with an apparent open wound on a leg chained to outdoor posts. We want to assure the public that the protection and care of the dogs is our top priority, said OSPCA spokesperson Melissa Kosowan via email. As this is an ongoing investigation, the details we can provide are limited in order to maintain the integrity of the investigation. Windrift Kennel, also known as Windrift Adventures, didnt immediately respond to requests for comment from the Star. The companys website says it has 225 dogs, mainly Alaskan and Siberian huskies, and two locations. The dogs were extremely scared when walking up to them and some of them were sick, starving, and injured. It was shocking, wrote Dylan Blake, one of the pair who posted the videos online, in a Facebook post. Blake and his girlfriend, Natasha Guerriero, said the dogsledding outing was run by Toronto Adventures, a company that organizes day trips to several types of outdoor activities in Southern Ontario. In social-media posts, Blake and Guerriero said staff told them the dogs werent brought to any sort of shelter or warm area overnight. The couple notified the OSPCA, Guerriero said in her Facebook post. Toronto Adventures didnt respond to a request for comment, but posted a statement on its website saying it reviews companies it hires to ensure theyre certified and regularly inspected. Weve been made aware that one of the dogs had a sore on his/her leg via a concerned participant in one of our events, the statement read. Weve contacted Windrift Kennels to make sure the dog is being appropriately taken care of. We will be requesting an additional inspection of Windrift Kennels to assure that their dogs are healthy and being treated appropriately. The company said it would work with the OSPCA and not work with companies that dont meet or exceed industry standards. If you see any mistreatment of any animals at any of our events please let us know right away so we can solve the situation, the Toronto Adventures statement said. It saddens us greatly as dog lovers to think of any animal suffering. Kosowan said the OSPCA will share updates on the dogs conditions as the investigation continues. Canada has one of the most secretive financial systems in the world, according to a new report, less transparent than Russia and China, and offshore tax havens like Cyprus, Bermuda, and Barbados. Financial experts say this is an indication Canada is, effectively, one of the worlds more attractive onshore tax havens. The Tax Justice Network (TJN) an independent international research and advocacy network focusing on tax evasion and tax havens released its Financial Secrecy Index on Tuesday. The index, produced every two years, measures the extent to which a countrys legal system facilitates global financial crimes such as money laundering and tax evasion. Canada is No. 21 on the list, slightly higher than its 2016 ranking at No. 23. The higher the ranking, the more financially secret a country is. Its a bad exam grade on the state of the countrys financial secrecy laws, said Arthur Cockfield, a tax law scholar and policy consultant at Queens University. It means that if youre a crook or a super rich person who wants privacy, then you can use our corporate laws to hide the identity of the ultimate owner of the shares (of your company). The report comes two years after the Panama Papers, and two months after the Paradise Papers two massive document leaks revealing a pervasive network of offshore tax havens that fuels financial corruption and organized crime, and deprives public coffers of $10 to $15 billion each year in Canada alone. An ongoing Star/CBC investigation into corporate ownership secrecy has detailed how Canada has emerged as a popular destination for international companies and individuals seeking to avoid or evade taxes by using this countrys shadowy corporate registration system. Both Cockfield and Marwah Rizqy, a tax professor at the Universite de Sherbrooke, highlight two main reasons why Canadas ranking is this high: 1) Lack of transparency: There is no national public registry naming the real people behind Canadian companies, and no obligation on financial institutions to reveal the beneficial owners of a company. 2) Lack of substance: You can create a corporation in Canada which has no substance, said Rizqy, and functions, essentially, as a shell company. While were seen as a clean image globally, that clean image sometimes overshadows the secrecy that happens in our own corporate sector, said James Cohen, director of policy and programs for Transparency International Canada. Rizqy says the problem has yet to be actively addressed by the Canadian government. Im not sure if the current government understands the issue, frankly, she said. Theyve never introduced any bill to fight strongly tax havens. Part of the problem, Cockfield said, is the benefits of this type of illicit financial activity. The Star/CBC investigation showed how corporate secrecy has led some people from countries such as Russia, Mexico and China countries less financially secret than Canada, according to the index to use Canada to snow wash money that has either been obtained illicitly or not declared to tax authorities. The hypocrisy is that Canada is part of the OECD, forcing countries like the Bahamas, like Panama, to change, Cockfield said. We use our power to make them change their laws, but that just makes Canada (a) more attractive place for these crooks. We wont change our laws. Players like Germany and Canada dont necessarily get the attention from the international community they deserve for being final resting places for dubious money, said James Henry, an investigative economist with Yale and Columbia Universities and the TJN. Henry says that Canada has become more attractive over the years as people turn to it as the destination for their financial capital, because no one wants to hold their money in Cyprus. Western countries like the U.S. and Canada, for example, have rule of law and independent courts, which, said Henry, make it possible for wealthy members of third world countries to hold their money anonymously. According to the Global Financial Secrecy Index, Switzerland, the U.S. and the Cayman Islands are the biggest tax havens in the world. Countries are assessed by a criterion that measures whether corporations are required to reveal their true owners, whether annual accounts are made available online and the extent to which countries comply with international anti-money laundering standards. Another factor is the size of a countrys financial system and the size of its offshore activity. This years index shows that the global haven industry is alive and well, Henry said. Most people have the preconception of corporate secrecy being some far off tropical island, Cohen said. It masks the issue that places like Canada are just as bad and according to this index are worse. Its harder to get a library card here then to open up a business. Read more about: The murders of five men, all allegedly by the same person, have prompted an unprecedented investigation, Toronto police said Monday, adding that the city has never seen anything like this. Serial killers are not very common, said Jooyoung Lee, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Toronto and an expert on serial killers. It is very rare for serial killers to emerge to the public eye. They do exist, but it is rare and some are never caught. The city of Toronto has seen just a handful of serial killers in its history: Peter Woodcock Known as the serial killer who couldnt be cured, Woodcock murdered three young children in Toronto between September 1956 and January 1957. He committed his final murder in 1991 while on a day pass from the psychiatric institution where he had been incarcerated for his previous crimes. He died at age 71 in 2010, after spending 53 years in custody at the Oak Ridge division of the Penetanguishene Mental Health Centre. Terrence Allan Fitzsimmons During a weeklong killing spree in the summer of 1993, Fitzsimmons murdered Toronto dentist Norman Rasky, as well as two other people in Montreal and Ottawa: a cab driver and his own partner-in-crime. The parole violator from the Kingston area surrendered to Ottawa police a week after the murders. He died in prison, just two years into his 25-year-sentence. Mark Garfield Moore Moore was convicted him of shooting four men to death over 75 days in 2010. During his trial, the Crown argued Moore committed the murders to further his rapping career and to prove he was a genuine gangster by living the violence in his lyrics. Three of the four victims were strangers to him. At the time, police described Moore as a serial killer, and said they couldnt remember the last time someone was charged with four homicides in the city. Moore was sentenced to life in prison in 2015. Read more: Leaside couple in shock as planters with human remains found at their home Bruce McArthur charged with three additional counts of first-degree murder, police say Report links accused killer Bruce McArthur to Toronto man missing since 2010 If you have any further information on Bruce McArthur or his alleged victims, or were one of his landscaping clients please contact us at city@thestar.ca. Toronto police confirms two of its officers have been suspended after police sources say the pair consumed edible marijuana while on duty over the weekend shortly after a marijuana dispensary raid in the area. Police spokesperson Mark Pugash said two officers are now being investigated by Toronto police Professional Standards Unit, but wouldnt provide any additional information, including their names and what alleged conduct led to the suspension. Police sources tell the Star, however, that the pair both assigned to the citys central 13 division are alleged to have consumed marijuana edibles while on duty this weekend. Soon after ingesting the drug the officers began to hallucinate and called for assistance, according to sources. At least one of the officers was taken to hospital, police sources told the Star. The incident came hours after a Toronto police raid of a marijuana dispensary in the division, which is in central west Toronto. It was not immediately clear if the officers were directly involved in the raid. According to police sources, one of the officers involved is Const. Vittorio Dominelli, a 13 division neighbourhood officer. Dominelli could not be immediately reached for comment Monday evening. Two police sources alleged that one officer was injured as a result of the call for assistance, though the extent of the injuries is unclear. Monica Hudon, spokesperson for the Special Investigations Unit, told the Star on Monday morning that the police watchdog called in when an officer is involved in a serious injury, death, or allegation of sexual assault was not contacted in connection to the incident. Wendy Gillis can be reached at wgillis@thestar.ca For over seven years, Navaseelan Navaratnam has been carefully guarding a devastating truth from his 80-year-old Sri Lankan mother: no one knows where his brother, Skandaraj, is. She is a heart patient, said Navaratnam. I dont want to hurt her. Skandaraj Navaratnam, 40, was last seen in the early hours of Sept. 10, 2010, leaving Zipperz, a now closed bar near Church and Carlton Sts., with an unknown man. The case of his disappearance would become part of Project Houston an eighteen-month long police task force looking for Skandaraj and two other men who went missing between 2010 and 2012: Majeed Kayhan, 58, and Abdulbasir Faizi, 42. On Monday, Toronto Police announced three additional counts of first-degree murder have been laid against suspected serial killer Bruce McArthur. One of those counts was in relation to Kayhans death. Skandarajs friends and family, have yet to hear any new information. Speaking to the Star from Dubai, Navaratnam, 42, tells a story of three brotherstwo in Sri Lanka (aged 52 and 44) and himselfwho continue to hope and pray that nothing has happened to their brother. Skandaraj was the second oldest of the four brothers. This year marks his 47th birthday. Navaratnam said that Skandaraj moved to Canada from Sri Lanka a few years before he went missing. The family is Tamila minority community in Sri Lanka that faces many ethnic and political tensions. Skandaraj chose to leave, said Navaratnam. He never came back. We were worried, always asking him to come back, he said. We told him how we havent seen you for such a long time. But we knew he was okay. The brothers would talk on the phone when they could. Navaratnam says that Facebook was the most constant form of communication. Once a month, or once every two months, they would chat. Sometime in 2007 or 2008, Skandaraj told his younger brother that he was gay. The family didnt know. He never told me about any of his relationships, said Navaratnam. We told him we accept you for who you arebut he never said anything else, and I didnt push him. Navaratnam cant remember the last conversation he had with Skandaraj. Instead he remembers the message he got from one of his friends he didnt know any of his brothers friends in Canada before that. His friend said no one had seen him for the past one or two weeks, that he went alone, said Navaratnam. I told them I dont have any information. He hadnt contacted us. Skandaraj wasnt the kind of person who goes missing, said his brother. Even if he does he pops up in one or two days. He always informed someone of his whereabouts, said his brother. Someone always knew [where he was], he said. If he didnt contact us for a week or a month, we were sure hed contact us. But that assurance quickly went away when more friends began noticing his disappearance. Hope he is fine, wrote Navaratnam on Facebook on Sept 19, 2010. My bro in Canada is missing and we are looking for himfor 12 days no news of him. Toronto police were the next to contact him, but Navaratnam had no information of his whereabouts. On and off, he sent emails to Toronto Police, but they said there had no leads. On Sept 21, 2010 11 days after his brother was last seen he pleaded on Facebook in a message written entirely in capital letters: Anyone in Toronto Canada who can help find my bro please let me know. He attached a photo Toronto Police were circulating on a missing persons poster at the time: a smiling, dark skinned man with a black hair and a black goatee. One week later, on Sept 29, 2010, he wrote on Facebook again: Spoken to Toronto Police department and they have no updates yet apart from what we know. He wouldnt post again until Sept. 6, 2011: Its been one year now and still no news of him. The message was punctuated by three sad face emoticons. When news of McArthurs arrest reached him in Dubai earlier this month, and Skandarajs name reappeared in the newspapers linking the two as romantic partners, Navaratnam reached out to the detective he had corresponded with seven years ago, who told him the investigation was still ongoing. The police detective and the brother of the missing man are once again in touch, over seven years later. Were trying to do whatever we can to get some information, said Navaratnam. But no one has any information. We still havent come to terms that hes missing. Ontarios sexual-assault crisis centres are in crisis, advocates say. They faced a fresh wave of demand after the Jian Ghomeshi affair. Now, with non-stop media coverage of sexual assault and the rise of the #MeToo movement, its a tsunami. In January 2016, the wait for individual counselling at the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre Multicultural Women Against Rape was reported at five months. Today its 15 months, said counsellor Deb Singh. Read more: Toronto rape crisis centre sees uptick in demand after #MeToo, Weinstein reporting Editorial | End the culture of silence around sexual assault Firms try cashing in on #MeToo with settlement advances Staff and volunteers manning the 24/7 helpline are reporting about twice as many calls per shift since about mid-October, she added. Singh said staff overtime has increased exponentially in the past six months but they dont get paid for it and are left with, more work, same money. Its similar at the Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area, said director Lenore Lukasik-Foss: a 100-per-cent increase in helpline calls and a doubling of the therapy waiting list over the past year to 18 months. The wait was two or three months; now its six. Its not like we can do something differently. We need more counselling staff, Lukasik-Foss said. Im starting to feel overwhelmed. But the flood of interest has not come with a flood of new resources to deal with it. Funding introduced in Ontarios 2015 Its Never Okay initiative averaged about $40,000 per centre annually; many got less. That is not one womans salary here. We have not been able to hire one new counsellor in more than a decade, Singh said. The advent of #MeToo has made survivors both more ready and more desperate to see a counsellor with the rare and critical skill set to handle this kind of trauma, Singh said, adding even those who can afford a private therapist may struggle to find someone suitable. Lukasik-Foss, who is chair of the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres, said many survivors only seek help once things are going really poorly theyre suicidal, extremely depressed or abusing substances. Nevertheless, she was adamant that people in need should continue calling. She said if the situations urgent, centres will squeeze someone in, and theres always helplines, which provide a listening ear, if not actual therapy. A 23-year-old Humber College student Metro has agreed not to name because she is a sexual assault victim, said having to wait for support services was agonizing. In May 2014, she was violently sexually assaulted by a stranger in broad daylight. Over the next month, her mental health spiralled. I cant even put into words how hopeless, worthless and depressed I was feeling, she said. She went for a consultation at a Brampton, Ont. sexual-assault centre and was wait-listed for therapy. She attended one excellent group session, but it was the last for several months. She eventually found a therapist covered by her mothers insurance, who was OK despite not being a sexual-assault specialist. She finally got a call back with a counselling appointment in November, six months after the attack. The centre confirmed this is completely plausible; their wait list has been as long as 10 months. I had to get better by myself. It made me so mad at the lack of support and resources, the student said. Her gruelling loneliness was worsened by friends who didnt know how to talk to her. For a while, she was afraid to leave the house. She said she needed someone who understood what she was going through and the solidarity of #MeToo came too late. I just wish I had this global support three years ago. What are sexual assault centres? Sometimes known by the older term rape-crisis centres, these community agencies are funded by the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, supplemented by donations, the United Way and some local municipalities. They provide public education, free one-on-one counselling, support groups, court accompaniment and 24-hour helplines that survivors can call to get resources and tell their stories to a supportive listener. They serve women over the age of 16. The morning after sexual misconduct allegations against ex-Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown made headlines, Premier Kathleen Wynne reminded her staff about workplace harassment rules. But advocates say such rules fall short in legislatures across Canada, leaving women in politics vulnerable. CTV reported last Wednesday that two women had accused the Barrie politician of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers, which Brown vehemently denied. By Thursday morning he had resigned as leader. Brown reportedly hired one of the women to work in his constituency office. The drama unfolded amid allegations of other Canadian politicians acting inappropriately toward employees spurring criticism of the mechanisms available to political staff dealing with sexual harassment. The gap between well-entrenched harassment policies available to public service employees who work on behalf of governments, and the absence of any such policies to oversee and protect those working within legislatures, is far too wide, and must be quickly closed, said Nancy Peckford of Equal Voice, a national advocacy organization dedicated to electing more women. Only the House of Commons, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia where last week PC Leader Jamie Baillie stepped down following an investigation into harassment accusations have clear legislature-wide policies, according to Equal Voice. Maintaining the status quo would only breed more cynicism in the political process during a time when we need far more diverse and talented women in politics, Peckford said. Shes among a chorus of advocates calling for harassment policies that are well understood and clearly map out what could happen if someone files a complaint. That process should be confidential and overseen by a neutral third party, the group said. Many political staffers are young and just starting out in their careers. Job security is scant, and coupled with an old boys club culture, fear of personal or political blackballing, and a desire to uphold the partys reputation, it can be especially tough for young men and women in the political ream to speak out about harassment or seek recourse. Sometimes, its easier to see those risks weighing against you . . . so you end up tolerating the status quo or you move on and nothing changes, said Jane Hilderman, executive director at Samara Canada, a democracy think tank. Our politics would not run but for the passion and talent of young people . . . and yet weve left them quite vulnerable. More and more as weve learned from others speaking out, (the) reporting procedures we have in place probably arent good enough, she said. Ontarios system seems to favour politics over people, said former NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo, who recently left the legislature to be a minister at a downtown Toronto church and has previously spoken out about challenges shes experienced as a female politician. There has to be a neutral body that members can go to complain that has nothing to do with their political careers, nothing to do with their political party and whose only interest is their protection and their safety. That policy and that procedure is not in place, DiNovo said. The non-partisan Speakers HR office has a harassment policy that covers legislative assembly staff, but the policy isnt public, and the Stars request for a copy was turned down. The office says it handles payroll, staffing, compensation, benefits and staff relations and counselling. But it isnt clear how it deals with harassment complaints, and does not guarantee those wont be referred back to the party brass, DiNovo said. It depends on the office but most provincial political staff are also governed by caucus services a partisan entity. We have to make it so this isnt about your political future its about a safe place to work, DiNovo said. Thats exactly what women need and thats exactly what people who dont have power need in that environment. Employees in cabinet ministers offices fall under the neutral Ontario Public Service policy, while people who work for Liberal MPPs at Queens Park and in their constituency offices are covered by Liberal Caucus Services Bureau. Most Ontario NDP workers have a collective agreement and may seek recourse through their union. In the wake of the Brown allegations the Tories pledged to beef up their own rules. In Ottawa legislation was proposed last fall that would, among other things, bring Hill staffers under tougher workplace sexual harassment rules. Read more about: WASHINGTONNobody in his right mind would want to jeopardize the smashing success that is the North American Free Trade Agreement, former prime minister Brian Mulroney told a U.S. Senate committee on Tuesday. Mulroney made his remarks shortly before Republican senators offered their strongest show of support for NAFTA since Donald Trump became president. Thirty-five members of their 51-member caucus, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, sent the president a letter in which they said that continued economic prosperity requires him to update NAFTA rather than kill it. We write today to reaffirm the benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the senators began. The next step to advance the economy requires that we keep NAFTA in place, but modernize it to better reflect our 21st century economy, they continued. We look forward to working with you and your administration to make that modernization a reality and bring Americans even greater economic success. Mulroney, whose Progressive Conservative government negotiated NAFTA, has been advising Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the renegotiation talks Trump initiated last year. He spoke to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the invitation of chairman Bob Corker, a Republican senator from Tennessee. Corker concluded the hearing by saying he believes the Trump administration increasingly prefers modernization to termination. Trump has repeatedly threatened to terminate NAFTA, which he has called the worst trade agreement in world history. But his rhetoric has become slightly less hostile in recent weeks. Mulroney touted the tens of millions of new jobs created in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico since the agreement came into force in 1994. With the U.S. unemployment rate at a mere 4.1 per cent, it is becoming increasingly difficult to seriously argue that the U.S. has done poorly with its international trade agreements, he said in his prepared remarks. From September: Former prime minister Brian Mulroney, one of the architects of NAFTA, met Friday with Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland on the renegotiations of the trade deal. Mulroney said NAFTA creates millions of jobs in the U.S. (The Canadian Press) Who in his right mind would want to place this in . . . jeopardy? Mulroney interjected later, after Republican Sen. Todd Young (Indiana) noted the number of jobs in his state linked to continental auto trade. If it aint broke, dont fix it . . . . We shouldnt throw it away, because its working. Mulroney did not mention Trump. But after he rattled off statistics about the size of the trade relationship between Canada and the U.S, he warned against an irrational public debate driven by fear and anger. Quoting former Republican president Ronald Reagan, with whom he initiated negotiations on the Canada-U.S. trade agreement that preceded NAFTA, Mulroney said, Protectionism is destructionism. While he conceded that NAFTA must be modernized, he said he fears that some people, whom he did not name, are interested in making perfection the enemy of the good. Weve got a great trade agreement now, he said. Mulroney also said the U.S. would lose for declining to participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement that includes Canada. And he told the senators that both the Canadian and American economies would benefit from more immigrants, whom he said bring dynamism and devotion. Seven senators were present for Mulroneys prepared remarks. He spoke the day after the conclusion of the sixth round of NAFTA talks, this one in Montreal. The round ended with pro-NAFTA observers slightly more optimistic about the future of the deal than they had been after previous rounds. While Trumps trade chief, Robert Lighthizer, again criticized Canadian proposals, he acknowledged some progress and said the U.S. was committed to additional talks. The next round will likely be held in Mexico in late February. Read more: If there is no Wall, there is no Deal! Trump threatens in advance of NAFTA talks Analysis | Say Donald Trump kills NAFTA. Heres what experts say will happen to Canada Analysis | If Trump kills NAFTA, he could lock out thousands of Canadian investors and the American jobs they create Read more about: VATICAN CITYAfter coming under excoriating public criticism, Pope Francis decided Tuesday to send the Vaticans most respected sex crimes expert to Chile to investigate a bishop accused by victims of covering up for the countrys most notorious pedophile priest. The Vatican said Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna would travel to Chile to listen to those who have expressed the desire to provide elements about the case of Bishop Juan Barros. The move marks the first known time the Vatican has launched a full-blown investigation into allegations of sex abuse coverup, and it comes after Francis was harshly criticized by the media, survivors of abuse, his fellow Jesuits and some of his top advisers for his unwavering defence of Barros. The Barros controversy dominated Francis just-ended trip to Chile and Peru and exposed his blind spot about clerical abuse. Even the head of his abuse advisory panel, Cardinal Sean OMalley of Boston, publicly rebuked him for his dismissive treatment of victims and tried to set him straight. Read more: In Chile, Pope acknowledges pain of sex-abuse scandal among victims and priests Cardinal rebukes Pope Francis over comments accusing Chilean sex abuse survivors of slander Pope Francis acknowledges brutal dictatorship, Indigenous cause in Mass on contested land in Chile Barros was a protege of the Rev. Fernando Karadima, a charismatic and politically powerful priest who was sanctioned by the Vatican for sexually abusing minors in 2011. His victims testified to Chilean prosecutors that Barros and other priests in the El Bosque community saw Karadima kissing youngsters and were aware of his perversions, but did nothing. After Karadima was sanctioned by a church court, Chiles bishops were so intent on trying to stem the fallout from the scandal that they persuaded the Vatican to have Barros and two other Karadima-trained bishops resign and take a yearlong sabbatical, according to a 2015 letter obtained by The Associated Press. But Francis stepped in and put a stop to the plan, arguing there wasnt any proof against them. He overruled the Chilean bishops objections and in January 2015 appointed Barros to head the diocese of Osorno. Barros presence there has badly split the dioceses, with both laity and priests rejecting him ever since. Tens of thousands of jubilant Chileans turned out in droves for Pope Francis' first public Mass, a huge gathering in the capital's O'Higgins Park. Demonstrators marching against poverty clashed with riot police as they attempted to reach the celebration. (The Associated Press)0 The issue haunted Francis recent trip, and imploded after he told a Chilean journalist Jan. 18 that the accusations against Barros were slander and he demanded proof against Barros to believe them. After OMalley rebuked him, Francis apologized for having demanded proof, but he stood by his belief that the accusations against Barros were calumny. I am convinced he is innocent, Francis declared during an in-flight news conference while returning home from Peru on Jan. 21. Francis seemed unaware that Karadimas victims had placed Barros at the scene and were the original source of the accusations against him. Barros said Tuesday that he welcomed with faith and joy the popes decision to have Scicluna investigate and prayed that the process would uncover the truth, according to a statement read by the spokesman of the Chilean bishops conference. He has denied seeing any abuse or knowing of it. In the days after the popes comments, Karadima victim Juan Carlos Cruz pointedly told Francis that he couldnt offer the proof the pope demanded. As if I could have taken a selfie or a photo while Karadima abused me and others and Juan Barros stood by watching it all, Cruz tweeted Jan. 19. After Francis insisted he had never received any testimony from victims but would welcome it, Cruz told The Associated Press: If he wanted evidence, why didnt he reach out to us when we were willing to reaffirm the testimony that not only us, but so many witnesses, have been providing for more than 15 years? Scicluna is going to Chile precisely to do that. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Scicluna would travel to Santiago as soon as possible, but he noted that the case requires preparation and thoroughness. Karadimas victims, who are Barros main accusers, declined to comment Tuesday on the advice of their lawyers. A group of lay Catholics from Osorno, who have been protesting Barros appointment for three years, said they would be willing to speak to Scicluna but expressed some doubt about the procedure and his independence. We hope the pope reacted based on the sentiments of the faithful, more than media pressure, but he did it, said a statement from Juan Carlos Claret, spokesperson of the Osorno laity group. Scicluna was the Vaticans long-time sex crimes prosecutor in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and he was instrumental in finally bringing to justice the 20th century Catholic Churchs most notorious pedophile, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legion of Christ. Scicluna was put in charge of gathering testimony from Maciels victims, the Legion seminarians who for years had denounced Maciels sex crimes, only to be discredited publicly by senior Vatican and Legion officials and accused of slander. Scicluna, currently archbishop of Valletta and head of a sex abuse appeals tribunal at the Vatican, is now something of a hero to survivors for having vigorously prosecuted Maciel over the objections of the Vaticans then-secretary of state, as well as thousands of other pedophiles. That former secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, was the Vatican ambassador in Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship and was known to have been a supporter of Karadima. Sodano still wields influence in the Vatican as the dean of the College of Cardinals, and in that capacity recently celebrated the funeral Mass of Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned in disgrace as the archbishop of Boston after documents showed he moved serial pedophiles around rather than report them to police. Andrew Chesnut, the Catholic Studies chair at Virginia Commonwealth University, said Francis decision to send in Scicluna was an attempt to repair the damage inflicted on his Chilean tour. The Vatican had already attempted to negotiate the resignation of Barros, so its likely that the embattled bishop will step down soon, Chesnut predicted. Barros twice offered his resignation, but Francis twice rejected it. The decision to send Scicluna in to investigate allegations of a coverup marks a new phase in the Vaticans decades-long effort to come to terms with clergy abuse, and it could fuel demands for the Vatican to more actively investigate and sanction religious superiors who turn a blind eye to priests who rape, sodomize and molest children. While thousands of abusive priests have been defrocked and sanctioned over the years, only a handful of bishops are known to have been removed because they mishandled reported cases. Francis vowed to hold such bishops accountable, but he scrapped a proposed Vatican tribunal to discipline negligent bishops after Vatican canon lawyers objected. Instead, he said such cases would be investigated by existing Vatican offices, but the process lacks any transparency. STOCKHOLMAn Uzbek man who rammed a stolen truck into a crowd in downtown Stockholm in April, killing five and injuring 14, was charged Tuesday with terrorism, attempts to carry out a terror act and endangering others. Rakhmat Akilov is the only suspect and has already confessed. He was arrested hours after he drove a stolen beer truck into a crowd of shoppers on a busy pedestrian shopping street and crashed it into an upscale department store in Stockholms city centre on April 7. A British man, a Belgian woman and three Swedes were killed. Read more: Sweden identifies truck attack suspect as 39-year-old Uzbekistan native Swedish PM calls deadly truck attack an act of terror, police make one arrest Stockholm suspects status as failed asylum-seeker saddens Sweden Akilov wanted to punish Sweden for taking part in the international coalition against (the Islamic State group), prosecutor Hans Ihrman told a news conference. Johan Eriksson, Akilovs defence lawyer, confirmed that was his clients motive. He said Akilov admits committing terror and exposing people to attempted murder, and has been co-operative during the investigation. Ihrman said he would demand that Akilov gets a life sentence and be extradited from Sweden. No date was immediately set for a trial. My aim is that Akilov should never be allowed to move freely in our society, he said. I hope and believe that a trial will give us more answers to what happened. And why. These answers are important for our open society. According to the charges obtained by The Associated Press, prosecutors say Akilov had offered to the Islamic State group that he would carry out an attack in Stockholm on behalf of the group, and had gathered information about possible targets. It was not clear whether the group had accepted his offer. Investigators found on Akilovs cellphone pictures he had taken of streets in downtown Stockholm which strengthens (the theory) he was on reconnaissance of the crime scene, according to the 35-page document. They also found internet chat logs in which Akilov discussed becoming a martyr and swore allegiance to IS between Jan. 12, 2017, and the attack on April 7, as well as a memory card with material that can be connected to IS, including execution videos. Swedens domestic intelligence agency SAPO said it failed to identify others who were encrypted in the chat logs. Ihrman said it was unclear when and how Akilov had been radicalized. Akilov also caused an explosion inside the truck he had stolen when a suspected bomb made of five gas canisters with dozens of screws, blades and smaller metal objects exploded. The blast caused extensive damage to the vehicle, according to the charges. Christer Nilsson, head investigator at Swedens National Operations Department, said the police theory was that Akilov planned to blow himself up with the home-made explosive device but that failed. Swedish officials had been seeking Uzilov, a construction worker who was 39 at the time, for deportation from the country ahead of the attack because his asylum application had been rejected. Akilov had been ordered to leave Sweden in December 2016. Instead, he allegedly went underground, eluding authorities attempts to track him down. He had been on the authorities radar previously, but police dismissed him as being of marginal interest and said there was nothing to suggest he might plan an attack. The April attack shocked Swedes, who pride themselves on their open-door policies toward migrants and refugees. In 2015, a record 163,000 asylum-seekers arrived in the country the highest per-capita rate in Europe. The government responded by tightening border controls and curtailing some immigrant rights. Officials have acknowledged the difficulty of keeping tabs on asylum-seekers who have been ordered to leave the country after their applications were turned down. RANGOONFor the 650,000 Rohingya Muslims who have sought refuge in Bangladesh since August, returning to Burma is no simple matter. Violence drove them from their homes, and hundreds of their villages were burned or razed. When they crossed into Bangladesh, they were met with sprawling, squalid camps, dotted with thousands of temporary tents and plagued by disease. Five months after the violence began, Burma and Bangladesh were on the brink of repatriating up to 1,500 Rohingya last week, with plans to return all eligible refugees over two years, under an agreement widely criticized by the United Nations and aid groups, which warn that it could thrust the refugees back into danger in the nation also known as Myanmar. Read more: Not safe yet for Rohingya to return to Burma, UN official says Former U.S. governor quits Rohingya panel, calling it a cheerleading operation for Burmese leader Skepticism, worry amid preparation for Rohingya repatriation to Burma The deal, which was brokered without the involvement of the international community, does not address issues that Rohingya refugees and aid groups say are key: safety, citizenship and sustainable housing. Without those guarantees, many refugees are unlikely to repatriate voluntarily, experts say, potentially prolonging what UN officials have referred to as the most urgent refugee emergency in the world. As of today, the necessary safeguards for potential returnees are absent, and there are continued restrictions on access for aid agencies, the media and other independent observers, UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said in a briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on Jan. 23. Bangladeshi authorities delayed the planned start of the returns last week, and it remains unclear when they will begin. Refugees have held several protests in recent weeks inside the camps in Bangladesh in opposition to the repatriation deal. The Burma government said last week that it was prepared to begin the repatriation process. No matter what, from our side, Burma is ready to start the process, said Win Myat Aye, Burmas social welfare minister. According to the terms of the agreement, voluntary refugees who are able to prove past residency in Burma and show that they left after Oct. 9, 2016 documentation most refugees lack will be allowed back into the country and issued national verification cards. Approved refugees will then be moved to state-built camps, where they will remain until their destroyed homes are rebuilt. Those who are not on what the deal calls a list of eligible returnees will be sent back to Bangladesh. From there, details of the deal quickly become hazy, with no mention of continued security, citizenship past the initial verification cards, or the guarantee of freedom of movement outside the camps something Rohingya have lacked in previously established camps in Burma. Refugees on the Bangladesh side of the border are telling us about their fears of returning, said Matthew Smith, chief executive of Fortify Rights, a human rights group. Theres a fear that the Rohingya will be brought back to a situation of mass arbitrary confinement. The deal comes months after Aung San Suu Kyi, the governments de facto leader, announced that Burma would embrace recommendations made by the UNs Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, which includes granting broader access for journalists and aid organizations, providing security for all groups, and the revision of the current restrictive citizenship laws. Yet there has been little tangible progress in implementing the recommendations. The government of Burma is trying to convince the world that its doing the right things without making any fundamental changes on the ground, Smith said. Weve seen this in establishment of various commissions where authorities have tried to convince the international community that theyre taking seriously the allegation of human rights violations and investigating them, when really theyve been a series of whitewashes. The violence began in August, when militant Rohingya attacked Burma police, prompting a military crackdown that included reports of rape, widespread arson and extrajudicial killings, with estimates as high as 6,700 dead. Both UN and U.S. officials have referred to the violence as ethnic cleansing. The government has denied accusations of widespread atrocities committed against the Rohingya. Rohingya refugees shouldnt be returned to camps guarded by the very same Burmese forces who forced them to flee massacres and gang rapes, and torched villages, said Brad Adams, Human Rights Watch Asia director, in a statement. The Rohingya are a Muslim minority from Burmas western Rakhine state who have faced decades of persecution. Many in Burma a predominantly Buddhist nation consider the Rohingya to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and have largely supported nationalist campaigns that call for the removal of the Rohingya from the country. Even the term Rohingya is widely rejected in Burma, where they are commonly referred to as Bengali. The most recent repatriation initiative isnt the first for Rohingya refugees fleeing from Burma to Bangladesh. In the late 1970s, thousands of Rohingya refugees starved to death after Bangladeshi authorities cut food rations in camps in an attempt to force refugees back. In the 1990s, Bangladesh deported thousands of unwilling Rohingya refugees who had fled brutal clearance operations conducted by the Burma military. In 2012, more than 120,000 Rohingya fleeing violence were placed in temporary camps throughout Rakhine state. Unlike the 650,000 Rohingya now languishing in Bangladesh who were forced from their villages, those in internally-displaced-person camps remain in Burma and suffer from restrictions on access to humanitarian aid and freedom of movement. Even going to a hospital outside the camps requires written permission from government officials a fate many fear awaits refugees returning to the country. MOSCOWRussian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday the Trump administration made a hostile step when it published a list of Russian businessmen and politicians as part of a sanctions law against Moscow. The long-awaited U.S. publication appears to be mainly a list of people in Russian government, along with 96 oligarchs from a Forbes magazine ranking of Russian billionaires. The list, ordered by Congress in response to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign, had induced fear among rich Russians that it could lead to U.S. sanctions or being informally blacklisted in the global financial system. Read more: Russians protests against Vladimir Putin not huge, but widespread Putin critic Alexei Navalny arrested during election protests by Russian opposition Putin takes icy plunge to mark Orthodox observance of the Epiphany But the U.S. surprised observers by announcing that it had decided not to punish anybody under the new sanctions, at least for now. Some U.S. lawmakers accused U.S. President Donald Trump of giving Russia a free pass, fuelling further questions about whether the president is unwilling to confront Moscow. Putin on Tuesday referred to the list as a hostile step but said Moscow does not want to make the situation even worse. We were waiting for this list to come out, and Im not going to hide it: we were going to take steps in response, and, mind you, serious steps, that could push our relations to the nadir. But were going to refrain from taking these steps for now, Putin said. The Russian president said he does not expect the publication to have any impact but expressed dismay at the scope of the officials and business people listed. Ordinary Russian citizens, employees and entire industries are behind each of those people and companies, so all 146 million people have essentially been put on this list, Putin said at a campaign event in Moscow. What is the point of this? I dont understand. Russia hawks in Congress had pushed the administration to include certain names, while Russian businessmen hired lobbyists to keep them off. In the end, the list of 114 Russian politicians released just before a Monday evening deadline included the whole of Putins administration, as listed by the Kremlin on its website, plus the Russian cabinet, all top law enforcement officials and chief executives of the main state-controlled companies. President Putin even joked on Tuesday that he felt slighted that his name wasnt there. A companion list of 96 oligarchs is a carbon copy of the Forbes magazines Russian billionaires rankings, only arranged alphabetically. It makes no distinction between those who are tied to the Kremlin and those who are not. Some of the people on the list have long fallen out with the Kremlin or are widely considered to have built their fortunes independently of the Russian government. One does not have to be very smart to make this list, Mikhail Fedotov, the head of the Kremlin Human Rights Council, told the news agency Interfax. He was also on the list. It would suffice to visit the Kremlin website and take a look at the names of the administration heads, presidential advisers, presidential aides, etc. This is not a great piece of work, he said. Officials said more names, including those of less senior politicians and businesspeople worth less than $1 billion U.S., are on a classified version of the list being provided to Congress. Drawing on U.S. intelligence, the Treasury Department also finalized a list of at least partially state-owned companies in Russia, but that list, too, was classified and sent only to Congress. The idea of the seven-page unclassified document, as envisioned by Congress, was to name-and-shame those believed to be benefiting from Putins tenure, as the United States works to isolate his government diplomatically and economically. Every top Russian official except for Putin is on the list of 114 senior political figures. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is on it, along with all ministers from the Russian government, all 42 of Putins aides, and top law enforcement officials. The CEOs of all major state-owned companies, including energy giant Rosneft and Sberbank, are also on the list. The oligarchs list includes tycoons Roman Abramovich and Mikhail Prokhorov, who challenged Putin in the 2012 election. Aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska, a figure in the Russia investigation over his ties to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, is included. Less obvious names on the list include Sergei Galitsky, founder of retail chain Magnit, and Arkady Volozh, founder and CEO of the search engine Yandex, and bankers Oleg Tinkov and Ruben Vardanyan. They have been lauded as self-made men who built their successful businesses without any government support. Some billionaires on the list have fallen out with the Kremlin entirely, like the Ananyev brothers, who fled the country last year and vowed to sue the Russian government after their bank was declared bankrupt. The list shows that the United States views the entire Russian government as enemies, Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov himself on the list told reporters on Tuesday. Although he said Russia should not give in to emotions before studying the list and its implications carefully, Peskov pointed out the name of the law: On countering Americas adversaries through sanctions. De facto everyone has been called an adversary of the United States, he said. In a Facebook post Tuesday, Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee for the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russian parliament, said U.S. intelligence failed to find compromising material on Russian politicians and ended up copying the Kremlin phone book. Kosachev criticized the U.S. government for harming Russia-U. S. relations, saying that the consequences will be toxic and undermine prospects for co-operation for years ahead. He added that the list displays political paranoia of the U.S. establishment. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who came to prominence thanks to his investigations into official corruption, tweeted Tuesday that he was glad that these (people) have been officially recognized on the international level as crooks and thieves. Navalny in his investigations has exposed what he described as close ties between government officials and some of the billionaires on the list. The lists release was likely to at least partially defuse the disappointment from some U.S. lawmakers that Trumps administration opted against targeting anyone with new Russia sanctions that took effect Monday. Under the same law that authorized the Putin list, the government was required to slap sanctions on anyone doing significant business with people linked to Russias defence and intelligence agencies, using a blacklist the U.S. released in October. But the administration decided it didnt need to penalize anyone, even though several countries have had multibillion-dollar arms deals with Russia in the works. State Department officials said the threat of sanctions had been deterrent enough, and that sanctions on specific entities or individuals will not need to be imposed. Companies or foreign governments that had been doing business with blacklisted Russian entities had been given a three-month grace period to extricate themselves from transactions, starting in October when the blacklist was published and ending Monday. But only those engaged in significant transactions are to be punished, and the U.S. has never defined that term or given a dollar figure. That ambiguity has made it impossible for the public to know exactly what is and isnt permissible. New York Rep. Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, lambasted the move to punish no one, saying he was fed up and that Trumps administration had chosen to let Russia off the hook yet again. He dismissed the State Departments claim that the mere threat of sanctions would stop Moscow from further meddling in Americas elections. How do you deter an attack that happened two years ago, and another thats already underway? Engel said. It just doesnt make sense. With files from the Washington Post Read more about: More than any other activity undertaken this week by Canadians, we will generate massive amounts of data from the arrays of electronic tools now enabling our lives. This data is collected by unregulated digital infrastructures that power increasing aspects of our country. Data flows have transformed how businesses do commerce and people connect globally, making data the most valuable asset in todays economy. Data has emerged as the invaluable conduit for central aspects of national public policy priorities, such as: health, transport, defence and security, city infrastructures, and many other areas. Whoever controls the data today controls who and what interacts with that data. Its critical that Canada designs and implements a National Data Strategy to protect our prosperity, security and values. Internet traffic is growing rapidly. The U.S. Trade office reported a 1,200-per-cent growth in the volume of data flows in the past decade, mostly captured and owned by large U.S. companies. Businesses are using cross-border data flows to access new global markets and information, interact globally with their customers and communicate with suppliers along the food chain. They are also using it to collect personal and private information and sell it to highest bidder. Facebook, one of the worlds most valuable companies, was built exclusively on the principle of mass surveillance. Its revenues come from collecting and selling its users personal information to advertisers. Facebook recently registered a patent that allows the company to read facial expressions from user screens so that it can better push content that drives whatever emotions they want their users to experience. The U.S. Department of Commerce recently stated that we may be underestimating the economic significance of data flows. Of particular interest was the enormous value of digital data and services delivered to and from end-users at $0 market price, including free email services, search engine services, map and direction services, and social media services. Sound familiar? Those services are provided by Google, to whom Waterfront Toronto recently gave the keys to the most valuable unused space in Canadas largest city. In return, Google and Alphabet committed to spending up to $50 million on consultation and PR, laying down a barrage of pseudo-tech justifications about creating efficiency for the residents of Toronto. Google says it wants to organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful but they maintain exclusive control over all data collected on its users and show no signs of abandoning this business model. It need not be this way. Governments can and should ensure that citizens control the data they and their institutions create. This is why Canada must move quickly to begin developing a National Data Strategy. Beyond private companies manipulating the psychological well-being of unsuspecting citizens, data is also used by public policy organizations to maintain national prosperity and security. This includes our health care system, police departments and military, research labs, electricity grids, and much more. As a sovereign nation, our policy-makers cannot be blind to the fact Canadians have the right to control and use the data we create for our sustained benefit. A National Data Strategy is a critical precondition for Ottawas upcoming National Cyber Strategy, which is said to address the myriad of cyber threats to our public and private assets, as well ensure that our military maintains sovereign capability in a digital world. The detailed elements will require marshalling of experts in: open technologies, data sciences, procurement, competition, standard-setting, strategic regulations, trade agreements, ethics in algorithms, IP, governance, etc. Without a National Data Strategy, Canada risks becoming not just a cheap tech branch plant economy for engineers and computer scientists, but also a client-state, politically and militarily subordinate to countries that are sophisticated on data flows and the algorithms that harness them. Todays big data owners are already capable of manipulating not just economic and political outcomes but also our mental health, all the while remaining unaccountable for public good. Thats why its so troubling that an unelected board of Waterfront Toronto chose to keep the Quayside contract secret so that the citizens cannot see how the company plans to collect and use the data for extracting rents and manipulating residents behaviours. Canadians need to be formally included in these new systems of digital governance because it affects their entire lives. The big data war is global in scope and smart leaders know the stakes are high. French President Emmanuel Macron recently called for a creation of a data strategy for the European Union to ensure the prosperity, sovereignty and well-being of EU citizens. The digital economy of 2018 is different. Control over data and networks allows incumbent firms to hinder entry and extract rents from customers. Emerging companies might be able to work around existing IP, but not around lack of access to data. A National Data Strategy would ensure that cross-border data and information flows are in the interest of Canadians and that there is an explicit treatment of competition in the data sections of our free-trade agreements, including a competitive access to data flowing through large online platforms that have de facto utility status. A National Data Strategy would ensure that the ownership of data generated by Canadians would always remain with the public and in the public interest of Canada. This way, Canadian citizens and our elected officials can ensure that foreign companies do not hold us hostage, imposing fees for using services that we ourselves have produced. Designing and executing a National Data Strategy in Canada will not be easy. Current Canadian policy-makers colonial supplicant attitude towards business has eclipsed any similar approaches from previous governments, as demonstrated by: recent partnering with Facebook for election integrity; courting Amazon to set up its second headquarters in Canada and putting Google in a position to control the data of our largest city. A National Data Strategy would quickly expose the enormous economic costs and social risks of these measures to Canadians. A National Data Strategy requires independent and sovereign thought and technical know-how. We live in a world where foreign data companies no longer want to sell Canadians only products, services or even platforms. In our largest city, they want to become infrastructure. What Canada needs is for the small handful of very smart civil servants and politicians who launched the National IP Strategy last year to prevail again against their oppressively colonial peers. This effort will require support from concerned citizens and thought leaders who generate valuable data with every click, swipe and move they make. Jim Balsillie is a co-founder of the Institute for New Economic Thinking and former Chairman and co-CEO of RIM. As Ontarios Minister of Housing, my priority is creating the conditions where everyone can have an affordable place to live. When I was appointed, it was with the understanding that I would have to challenge traditional thinking and develop new tools to create better, more affordable communities. Housing prices have grown in recent years in Ontario. Here in Toronto, there is a housing shortage. Its tough out there for too many people to find a decent place to live. This is both a social and an economic problem. Ill be frank: what governments have tried until now is not working. I want to find the right tools to help foster livable, affordable, mixed-income cities. One way to do that is with inclusionary zoning, which I have proposed for Ontario. I opened up consultations in December and we have had an enthusiastic response so far. Some people think our proposal does not go far enough, and I hear their concerns. Inclusionary zoning is a new tool in Canada. We need to get it right. It will help create more affordable housing, but it is not a panacea. It must be used alongside tools like rent control, portable housing benefits and an increased minimum wage. Inclusionary zoning requires developers to set aside a certain number of units in each new development for affordable housing. But the goal for inclusionary zoning is to increase the overall supply of housing, not just to carve up the existing housing pie. This leads to greater affordability for all. The draft version of inclusionary zoning I have proposed will not be the final version. I have heard a lot of good ideas from the public and from housing advocates. Thats why consultation is important to me. That said, I want to dispel some myths about my proposal. The biggest myth of all is that inclusionary zoning would impose big costs on municipalities. The draft regulations offer municipalities the option to implement inclusionary zoning at no cost if they use community planning permits. Any municipality that uses community planning permits (CPP) in conjunction with inclusionary zoning would not have any costs imposed on them to create affordable units. Those costs would be covered entirely by developers. That is because properties would have already been pre-zoned appropriately, community benefits would have been accommodated and a streamlined approval system would have been put in place. Proper density, full-cost accounting and quick approvals will be a significant incentive to developers. Pre-zoning gives more transparency to residents about the type of growth their neighbourhood will experience while relieving councillors of the burden of personally negotiating community benefits with developers. Residents get a say in how their community will grow. My experience as a city councillor for 17 years was that too often in our cities, development is treated like a game of lets make a deal between developers and councillors. Cities, instead, should be pre-zoning rather than making a series of one-off deals. Pre-zoning is better for all communities. Furthermore, with pre-zoning, there would be no requirement for a municipality to waive any fees or offer further incentives because they would be built into the plan which was built by the community. While many jurisdictions allow developers to give cash in lieu of creating affordable housing units, our version explicitly bans this practice and insists that affordable units be created in all cases. Municipalities are empowered to shape how inclusionary units are used to help people with low-incomes get into a home whether they are rented directly, transferred to a non-profit to rent, or sold as affordable homes. With the boom in condominium construction, applying this tool to condos can create thousands of affordable units. Not enough rental units are getting built in the first place, and thats a big problem. We continue to look at other tools to promote the construction of rentals that are affordable. This includes the $125 million we recently announced to waive development charges to create purpose-built rental, and the leveraging of surplus provincial land for affordable housing. Housing advocates have told me our proposal does not require enough affordable housing units to be created within each development. We need to strike a balance between creating affordable housing and not disincentivizing developers to build. We also cannot squeeze out middle income households in the process. But I hear this concern and take it very seriously. I will be looking at it closely. There is no question that having a stable, affordable places to call home opens up possibilities for better education, health and work outcomes. Thats why I want an inclusionary zoning program that gets this balance right so more people can realize that dream. Peter Milczyn is the provincial Minister of Housing. When federal Liberals sit down to plan re-election strategy, they may want to think twice about running on a platform of promises made, promises kept. For those within the justice system, the sentiment would land with a particularly hollow clunk. The Trudeau government is more than halfway through its mandate yet court processes remain as sluggish as ever, judicial discretion is no less hamstrung, and the governments reform agenda is stalled in a swamp of lethargy. For a government that launched its reform mission with such apparent zeal, its failure to deliver is perplexing. Aside from a couple of major initiatives such as the legalization of marijuana, criminal law reforms have amounted to little more than modest housekeeping. When it ought to have been restructuring the sentencing regime and providing provinces with the funding and inspiration to rescue their faltering legal aid plans, the justice department was instead cleansing the Criminal Code of exotic and rarely charged crimes. True, soon there will no longer be a law against challenging someone to a duel, and fraudulently pretending to practice witchcraft will be expunged from the Code. But this hardly amounts to the sweeping vision the country anticipated from a government it entrusted to reverse a host of ill-conceived measures rooted in the Harper governments tough-on-crime agenda. At the head of the list of overt failures is the continuing existence of approximately 60 mandatory minimum sentences, most of which attach to gun, drug and sex offences. Pandering to a mistaken belief that mandatory terms deter crime, the Conservatives were only too happy to bind the hands of sentencing judges who strive to mete out a fit sentence in each, unique case. They remain bound. Mandatory sentences also rob prosecutors of the flexibility to negotiate plea bargains, thereby adding to the problem of clogged courtrooms. Faced with no alternative, defendants tend to exercise their right to a full trial. And additional trials strain court and police resources at the same time as they deplete the reserves of provincial legal aid programs. These troubles could be remedied swiftly with a statutory exemption clause that allows judges to depart from minimum sentences in cases where an injustice would result. Instead, Canada remains second only to the United States in its reliance on mandatory minimums. In the absence of federal action, the courts have struck down several minimum sentences. Disconcertingly, these unconstitutional sentences remain in the Criminal Code alongside other zombie laws struck down in the distant past, such as procuring an abortion and constructive murder. The victim fine surcharge, imposed on all defendants when they are sentenced, is a less visible artifact of the Harper era. The unfairness of this provision could be ended by a simple amendment that once again allows judges to waive the fee in the case of a defendant who is impecunious or simply unable to pay. Also ripe for a rewrite is a law that made the process of applying for a criminal record suspension, formerly known as a pardon, more cumbersome and costly. Since the procedure was changed in 2012, the number of ex-offenders applying for a record suspension has plummeted from approximately 20,000 to 10,000. Among the reasons for this is the fact that application fees have increased fourfold. Most ex-offenders also have to wait much longer before becoming eligible to apply. A youthful offender who commits a crime in his late teens may need to wait for more than a decade before purging his criminal record. Ex-offenders should not have to continue to pay for their mistake for years after their sentences are complete. It severely hobbles their prospects for employment and their ability to embark on a new life. In its defence, the Justice Department is up to its ears in legalizing cannabis and a tumultuous inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women. However, this does not change the reality that the ministers mandate letter promised a thorough review of the criminal justice system, sentencing reform and a careful re-alignment of the objectives of the criminal justice system. After many years of pinched Tory rule, the over-arching vision this government promised has lost focus. Should its gentle pace of justice reform keep up, there will be a lot of questions to answer in the next election campaign. Daniel Brown is a criminal defence lawyer and a Toronto Director with the Criminal Lawyers Association. @danielbrownlawMichael Lacy is a criminal defence lawyer in Toronto and president of the Criminal Lawyers Association. @crimlacy Do Ontarios Progressive Conservatives have a death wish? Whats happened in the party in the five short days since Patrick Brown was forced out as leader suggests the answer must be yes. When Brown disappeared amid allegations of sexual misbehaviour, there was a narrow but clear path to success for the PCs in Junes provincial election: They had to unite as quickly as possible around a new leader. They had to stay on the centrist course that Brown, to his credit, put them on with his pre-election Peoples Guarantee manifesto. And, of course, in the supercharged atmosphere of the #MeToo era they had to draw a bright line between the type of alleged misbehaviour that doomed Brown and the partys future image. At this point, they are visibly failing on all fronts. The partys caucus at Queens Park and its executive are at odds on how to choose a new leader, and the rules for a contest havent been set out. This has opened the door to furious backroom manoeuvring for advantage among rival factions, the worst thing that can happen to a party that needs to unite just weeks before an election campaign. The latest declared candidate for the leadership turns out to be none other than Doug Ford, who from the secure confines of his mothers basement announced on Monday that he will take on the partys elites and enter the race to clean up the mess. The first problem with that is that Ford is his own mess; anyone who remembers the chaos of his brothers reign as Torontos mayor, in which Doug was enabler-in-chief, will agree. The second is that a strong challenge from the right spearheaded by Ford will shatter the fragile consensus in the party around the election platform, making it impossible for voters to believe it truly represents what the PCs would do in office. Brown was canny enough to realize that Ontario elections are won in the centre; the PCs lost the last two elections by lurching to the right and theres no sign that provincial voters are any more open to a repeat of that strategy. Finally, fresh allegations about sexual impropriety and worse at the top of the party put a big new question mark over the PCs commitment to rooting out misogyny in their ranks. On Sunday, just four days after Brown departed, the partys president, former MP Rick Dykstra, resigned amid allegations of sexual assault dating back to 2014. According to Macleans, the young woman involved reported the incident to Ottawa police, but Dykstra was allowed to run again federally in 2015 and after he lost became president of the Ontario PCs with the support of Brown, a friend of his from their Ottawa days. Vic Fedeli, the PCs interim leader, says hes shocked and disgusted to learn of the allegations against Dykstra and insists there is no place for this type of alleged behaviour in our party, in politics, or in society as a whole. Those are worthy sentiments, but with both the former leader and former president of the party gone amid such sordid charges it will be that much more difficult to persuade voters that the Ontario PCs have the kind of respectful internal culture that people rightly expect in 2018. Already the fiction that Conservative MPPs had no inkling about Browns alleged sexual improprieties until last Wednesday night has been punctured. Why should voters believe they knew nothing about the reports concerning Dykstra when (again according to Macleans) federal Tories were aware of them in 2015 but didnt stop him from running? Or did the people running the provincial party just not care? The PCs new leader, whoever that turns out to be, must make it crystal clear that the party has turned the page. He or she must clean house and set new, higher standards for behaviour. Voters expect it and, most importantly, its the right thing to do. In the meantime, the window is closing fast for the PCs. They still have a chance to coalesce around a credible leader and challenge the Liberals for power on June 7. Given the political baggage weighing down the governing party, they certainly cant be counted out. But their test is now. They need to show voters they are up to the challenge of renovating their party and presenting a viable alternative. If they continue as they have in the past few days, they will fail again and will deserve to do so. Read more about: Bruce McArthur charged with three additional counts of first-degree murder, police say, Jan. 29 In the spring and summer of 2016, the Church and Wellesley community was already publicly stating their concerns about a possible serial killer operating in Torontos Gay Village. These concerns were dismissed out of hand by the Toronto Police Service. The public was assured that the disappearances of a number of gay men were unrelated. Subsequently, the public at large is discovering not only that an alleged serial killer was in fact operating under the noses of the Toronto police, but that he had been doing so for decades. Previously unsolved missing-persons cases seem to have turned out to be murders, their bodies found on the Leaside property connected to Bruce McArthur. When sex workers were going missing for decades in Vancouvers Downtown Eastside, the possibility of a serial killer was dismissed until it turned out that it was actually the work of the worst serial killer in Canadian history. Canadian police have a history of institutional bias against marginalized communities, including Black people, the LGBTQ community, Indigenous people and sex workers. The investigation into the disappearance of gay men in the Church and Wellesley area has been an embarrassment and is further proof of the inept leadership of Chief Mark Saunders. If the Toronto Police Services mishandling of the Devonte Miller case was not enough to justify the resignation of Chief Saunders, this debacle most certainly is. Colin Blair Meyer-Macaulay, Pediatric Critical Care Fellow, Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario Read more about: OTTAWAAs MPs return to Parliament Hill this week, all parties are bracing for the possibility that a variation of the crisis that has engulfed the Ontario Tories could strike them. In matters of sexual misconduct no federal political organization can blithely assume it is bulletproof. Since Ontario Tory leader Patrick Browns brutal fall from grace last week, each has discreetly been scouring its closets for clues of potential sexual misconduct trouble to come. Kent Hehr the junior Liberal minister who left Justin Trudeaus cabinet last week after he was accused of making sexually inappropriate comments to women was already in trouble before the Brown story broke. It likely accelerated his demise. Read more: Woman who accused Kent Hehr of making inappropriate sexual remarks says shes receiving threats Crisis of harassment on Parliament Hill, minister warns Employment Minister says workplaces, including Parliament Hill, must act to stop harassment Call it a case of belated due diligence for it was only a matter of time before the #MeToo movement caught up to Canadas political class. In the House of Commons, MPs got down to debating a bill designed to reinforce the safeguards against sexual harassment. It was the first piece of legislative business on the 2018 agenda. At the invitation of the NDP, they unanimously approved the bill in principle and fast-tracked it to a parliamentary committee. But there is only so much the adoption of after-the-fact measures will do to shelter federal parliamentarians and their parties from the #MeToo storm that has hit the Ontario Progressive Conservatives. Based on more than three decades of Parliament Hill watching, the question is not whether there are or have been sexual misconduct skeletons in every party closet but whether one or more will come back to rattle its political family. The timing and the high-profile roles of the protagonists in the eye of the storm in the Queens Park developments make it a political scandal of epic proportion. The decapitation of the Ontario Tory leadership only months before an election that was the partys to lose is an event for the history books. But the substance of the allegations made against Brown and ex-party president Rick Dykstra who also resigned under a similar cloud this weekend pertain to actions that many in high places on Parliament Hill, as in other legislatures, have long dismissed as boys-will-be-boys behaviour. It was not so long ago that Brown and Dykstra were sitting on Stephen Harpers Conservative benches. Some of the alleged events date back to the federal Conservative watch. Now federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is facing pointed questions including from some of his own MPs as to whether the party under his predecessor turned a blind eye to the issue. This years sitting of Parliament was always going to face stiffer-than-usual competition for attention. In the big economic picture, the fate of NAFTA almost certainly matters more than the upcoming federal budget. As MPs were making their way back to Parliament, the latest chapter in that ongoing story was unfolding in Montreal. Even before Browns dramatic exit from the scene, federal politics were going to take a back seat to the Ontario and Quebec election campaigns in June and October respectively, no later than the spring. Because of the magnitude of the earthquake that has befallen the Ontario Tories, that has already happened. The aftershocks of what could be a fractious provincial leadership campaign will be felt on Parliament Hill for there are less than six degrees of separation between the federal and Ontario parties, especially in an election year. This is not the reopening of Parliament Canadas parties had been strategizing for only a week ago. Of course on Monday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was as promised taken to task by the Conservative opposition for the ethical breach he committed when he accepted the hospitality of the Aga Khan and holidayed on the latters private island. And of course the government and the official opposition went through the opening moves of a pitched procedural battle over the legislation that is meant to pave the way to the legalized sale of cannabis next summer. There were questions about the Pacific trade deal Trudeau has agreed to sign and about the governments requirement that organizations seeking summer jobs grants attest they respect abortion rights. The House also marked the anniversary of last years murderous shooting at a Quebec City mosque. But for now at least it is all happening against the backdrop of a collective wait for a possible other shoe or shoes to drop on the sexual misconduct front. Chantal Hebert is a national affairs writer. Her column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Read more about: Folks, we give you Doug Ford. Remember him? Please dont stop reading. We can explain the inexplicable starting with his declaration Monday to seek the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives and become Ontarios next premier. The June 7 election was supposed to be a chance for voters to pass judgment on Kathleen Wynne and her Liberal government. A referendum, remember? Focused on Liberal failures. The Tories assumed theyd win on the strength of Wynnes weaknesses. No matter who was leading their party. Now, the opposition PCs have had the tables turned on them by themselves. The next election looks like a referendum on the opposition Tories as they turn themselves inside out with a bitterly contested leadership race. And a hard-fought battle to chop up a key plank of the party platform: Yes, Axe the (carbon) tax. Until last week, it mattered little who led the party, but all that changed when Patrick Brown was publicly disgraced in an alleged sex scandal. Suddenly leaderless, the PC caucus quickly rallied around their most popular and qualified MPP, urging the party to confirm their choice to lead them into the next election. Vic Fedeli. Remember him? That was Friday lunchtime. By suppertime, in a bizarre power play, PC party president Rick Dykstra and his executive basically told caucus you know, the elected MPPs who face voters every four years to go fornicate themselves. That left Fedeli serving as the unchallenged PC leader for a day, until his own party executive downgraded him to interim chief of a disrespected caucus. With the start of the election barely 100 days away, Dykstra opened the door to Ford and all other pretenders to the throne to party on at the partys expense. By Sunday, Dykstra an ex-MP who got the job after Brown intervened on behalf of his old pal was himself decapitated, felled by the sexual impropriety virus that has become contagious, incubating for years before emerging with virulence. Over four days the party changed leaders, shortchanged its new leader, and then lost its president. The executive wanted a wide open leadership race, and it got one an epic war of egregious egos. Behold a hostile takeover by Ford Nation, a coronation of Caroline Mulroney (daughter of a former PM), a revival of the social conservative faction (MPP Monte McNaughton), or any other unknowns (for example Rod Phillips, a corporate type playing to type). Unless Tories opt for the restoration of sanity and stability under Fedeli, the comeback kid. The question isnt whether Ford is up to the job of leader anyone can apply, provided they survive the vetting process that will surely be put in place after the Brown fiasco. The real question is whether the 200,000 PC members across the province will fall for the anti-elitist, anti-gravy-train sloganeering made famous by the Ford brothers when one of them was mayor. Ford will score big points by attacking the proposed carbon tax that is a centrepiece of the PC platform, brought in over heavy opposition from the rank and file. Axe the tax will be his battle cry, forcing all the other candidates to respond. Will the grassroots fall under the spell of Mulroney, about whom we know everything and nothing except that she has lived and worked so much of her adult life in the U.S. (Hello Michael Ignatieff), and has been studiously avoiding major media outlets? To date, her political persona exists primarily as a Twitter bot periodically tweeting out an Official Statement official in what capacity remains unclear condemning sexual transgressions or demanding an open leadership race. Calls by media colleagues go unanswered no questions, please. There is a thin line between celebrity and notoriety for a Mulroney its hard to know whether her family name will work wonders in a province where Brian ended up unloved as PM. It worked well enough for Justin Trudeau, but his late father was rather more popular in Ontario, and he wisely waited several years to grow into the job of MP before running for leader and then seasoning himself well ahead of an election campaign. There is also Rod Phillips, a former Postmedia and CivicAction chair little known beyond the boardrooms of Toronto and, like Mulroney, his boundless ambition untested in political combat. Or McNaughton, the MPP who may once again give voice to the social conservative crowd that backed Brown when he opposed any update of Ontarios sex-ed curriculum (after all, why educate teenagers about the right of consent to better equip them against the kinds of allegations weve been hearing about?). Perhaps all of these contenders and pretenders will find a way to finesse their embrace of the party platform while Ford dismantles it plank by plank starting with the deeply unpopular PC carbon tax. Doubtless, all are confident they can take on Ford, just like all those Republicans not least Jeb Bush, heir to another great political dynasty boasted theyd put Donald Trump in his place in the primaries. Remember him? Let the horse race begin. Let the PC platform and chariots be rebuilt. Get ready for the next election campaign, 100 days away. Just dont expect a referendum on the Liberals alone. Martin Regg Cohn's political column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. mcohn@thestar.ca, Twitter: @reggcohn Read more about: Canada has ceded ground in the ongoing North American Free Trade Agreement talks. It has not ceded enough to satisfy U.S. President Donald Trump. If the federal Liberal government wants to keep a free-trade relationship with Washington, it will have to accept one that in most cases is markedly worse than the current NAFTA. Thats the message from the latest round of bargaining in Montreal this week. Specifically, Washington is standing firm on demands that more autos and auto parts be manufactured in the U.S., that the pact be subject to a five-year sunset clause, and that NAFTAs Chapter 19, which allows signatories to challenge one anothers trade practices, be scrapped. Ottawa has tried various ploys to circumvent Trumps intransigence. First, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau launched a charm offensive to convince the prickly president that Canada is Americas best friend. Trudeau squired Trumps daughter Ivanka to the theatre and gave the president a photo that showed him with the prime ministers late father, Pierre. Trump was equally charming in return. But he didnt change his mind on NAFTA. Then the Canadians tried to circumvent Trump by lobbying state and federal politicians on the virtues of NAFTA. That didnt work either. Then Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland tried logic, using Americas own trade figures to prove that the U.S. has done well from NAFTA. Trump and his officials responded by using different trade figures including Canadian ones to prove the opposite. Freeland politely pointed out to the U.S. side the seeming absurdity of some of their positions such as demanding specific American content rules in a three-way free-trade deal that includes Canada and Mexico. That didnt work either. Nor did Canadas decision to use the World Trade Organizations dispute resolution system to challenge Americas panoply of trade rules. While justifiable (U.S. trade law is unusually self-serving) that decision just irritated the Americans. On Monday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer slammed Canada for its WTO challenge. He said it only underscored the danger to U.S. national sovereignty posed by dispute resolution systems, such as the ones Canada wants to keep in NAFTA. In this just-completed round of bargaining, Freeland tried a new tack proposing what she called creative compromises. The U.S. had demanded, for instance, that member states have the right to opt out of NAFTAs Chapter 11, which lets foreign companies challenge national laws before nonjudicial trade panels. The Canadian compromise, in effect, accepts the American proposal with the proviso that even if the U.S. opts out. Canada and Mexico would be able to determine their own Chapter 11 relationship. An American opt-out from Chapter 11 would be good for Canada, which far too often is on the losing side of these claims, and bad for U.S. firms which have tended to be the winners. Ironically, Canada is acting in its own interests by effectively agreeing to this particular U.S. demand. But as an added bonus, it may also have made some mischief between Trump and his business supporters. On the auto front, Canadas creative comprise went nowhere. In essence, Canada had suggested that more elements, including marketing, be included as North American content under NAFTA. If this were done, the percentage of U.S. made content would automatically rise thereby (the theory went) satisfying Trump. If Trump were the narcissistic buffoon he is often made out to be, if he were easily satisfied by paper victories, this sleight of hand might have worked. But Lighthizer at least seems to take the president seriously when he demands that trade deals benefit American workers. On Monday, the U.S. trade representative dismissed this auto compromise out of hand. Freeland has said she takes Trump at his word. She should. On NAFTA at least he has been unusually consistent. He has called it the worst trade deal ever. He has said Canada and Mexico get too much from it and the U.S. too little. He has said that if NAFTA is to continue, the U.S. must get more while Canada and Mexico get less. He may be entertaining mercantilist fallacies when he says this. He may be running afoul of accepted economic theory. But that is what he says and that is what he wants. Freeland has also said that no deal is better than a bad deal. If the talks so far are any indication, the Liberals will eventually face that choice. Thomas Walkoms column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Read more about: Youre halfway to heaven but just a mile out of hell. The homicide cop is thinking of Bruce Springsteens lyrics from the song Better Days. Det.-Sgt. Hank Idsinga has reached for The Boss before, when talking about his investigations over 13 years on the elite murder squad. But never has he had a case like this, unprecedented in its breadth and links: Its a serial killer. Alleged serial killer. Hes taken some steps to cover his tracks. We have to uncover these victims and identify these victims. When Idsinga announced on Monday that police had laid three further first-degree murder charges against Bruce McArthur, bringing the total to five, he warned, chillingly, that there were likely more slain men out there, their dismembered remains scattered around the GTA. Gay men. Familiar men from the Gay Village in downtown Toronto. Some out, some in. Men, mostly, of Middle Eastern descent, middle-aged. The pattern, however, does not hold for two of the men now identified, suggesting the killing ground, the target group of victims, may be broader. But what everyone had feared, dreaded, and what police had refused to bluntly call by its name serial murder has now been formally confirmed. It had been gnawing at the alarmed gay community for years, with the unexplained disappearance of men who frequented the area dating back to at least 2010. Its been eating away at Idsinga too, consuming every waking hour for months and at one point, two weeks ago, a 72-hour stretch of intense investigation with no sleep at all. Fourteen, 15-hour days, every day, late into the night. A ton of hours. Just to assure the public how fervently detectives have been chasing the clues and preparing their case. Read more: Toronto has never seen anything like this: Police charge Bruce McArthur in killing of 3 more men Leaside couple in shock as planters with human remains found at their home Scott Mission was like home for alleged serial killer victim Dean Lisowick For Idsinga, who appears so calm on the surface, whos brought to book some of the worst killers in Toronto since 2005, this investigation has touched a nerve. Hard to spit it out, he told the Star yesterday afternoon. Its infuriating for one thing, which might be a little bit of a bizarre reaction. But youre so angry that this has happened, right in this city. He recounts an incident that occurred right after his initial press conference, in which he disclosed the arrest of McArthur. I was walking down Carlton St. after breakfast and a guy stopped me. He recognized me. He said, I just wanted to thank you for doing what you do, and then he started crying. And I thought, You know what? I know exactly how you feel. Youre happy about it (the arrest) but at the same time youve got all this chaos at your feet that you have to deal with and piece together. Youve just got to keep plowing through it. Then he mentioned the Springsteen lyrics. Thats a pretty appropriate way to put it when youre dealing with a case like this. Ground Zero for the search of victims, for now, is concentrated on a Leaside address, where a police tent protects the scene and the forensics team scouring the property for evidence. Theyre thawing the frozen ground before any serious excavation can be conducted. But flower planters have been removed already more than a dozen from this address and (its unclear) possibly others. Skeletal bones from three individuals were discovered in the bottom of the planters. The owner of that Mallory Cres. residence had previously told the Star how McArthur, who stored equipment at the property, had of his own volition planted flowers in the pots. All of our pots around the house were suddenly filled with beautiful flowers. And, gruesomely, something else. The retrieved remains have yet to be identified, and it appears they might not even be from among the five men who account for the murder charges laid: Selim Esen and Andrew Kinsman, whose deaths McArthur was charged with a fortnight ago, and the males named as murdered yesterday by Idsinga Majeed Kayhan, Soroush Mahmudi, Dean Lisowick. McArthur, a 66-year-old self-employed landscaper, appeared at College Park court Monday morning, charged with the three further murders. We believe there are more, Idsinga told reporters. I have no idea how many more there are going to be. A dozen detectives constitute the core of Project Prism. But scores more forensic technicians, the K9 squad, officers trolling the accuseds social media accounts and phone records, cops guarding various crime scenes, a renowned psychiatrist with expertise in serial murderers are involved in the massive investigative undertaking. Ive seen large-scale investigations before with dozens and dozens of officers working on them. Weve never seen anything quite like this, with the number of crime scenes that we have to process and guard and with the judicial authorization required. It has been a ghastly part of Idsingas job to be there, at the Centre for Forensic Sciences, when the bones are removed from the soil in which they were buried and placed on a morgue table. Its sickening. One of the officers who was with me said, I dont think Ive ever seen you look disgusted before. It was kind of a combination of being infuriated and just disgusted at what was unfolding before us. Forensic experts take over the evidence scrutinizing from there. Nothing so declarative as fingerprints, of course. No, no. Youre looking at bones, says Idsinga. Very little flesh. Its skeletal remains. So youre looking for any previous broken bones that we know about, any previous injuries that would still show up on the remains. And just trying to piece them together. Its possible to retrieve DNA from bones, sometimes. Some bones you can. There might be a little bit of flesh on the some of the bones where they might be able to get it from. But now we have to back to all these missing persons. Dozens of missing persons, from the years when a serial killer may have been quietly going about his abominable business in Toronto and elsewhere. The majority of them we do have DNA, for comparison, explains Idsinga, whether its something theyve left behind or whether weve had to go to family members to get samples. Hes referring to relatives who came forward when their loved ones disappeared. Some of them have dental records. Hopefully well be able to identify all these remains and get them back to their families. The waiting game is horrible for them. There have yet been no remains identified and returned to their families. One of the victims identified Monday, 47-year-old Lisowick believed to have been murdered between May of 2016 and July of 2017 had been living at a Toronto shelter. No one had ever reported him missing. Bouncing from shelter to shelter, says Idsinga. The homicide cop, who was for about six months part of the original missing investigation Project Houston takes pains to explain that detectives had no evidence to link the disappearances and no evidence that a crime had been committed. One from among the vanished showed up in 2014, perfectly fine. Another washed up on the shores of Lake Ontario last year. He was a suicide. You never know what the end result is going to be. Just because somebodys missing doesnt mean theyve been murdered. First you have to establish that theres been a criminal offense and then decide what his role is in that offense being investigated. Was he a suspect, was he a witness, was he a victim? We still have those outstanding men from Project Houston. Until we can establish that McArthur had some role in their death, if they are dead, then were not going to lay any charges yet. Other victims, Idsinga noted, may have been visiting the city, perhaps for Pride week, and reported missing in their home towns. Those threads need to be yanked as well. Idsinga said Project Prism has poured through McArthurs client files and interviewed home owners attached to about 30 properties. Most have been cleared of any further interest. We havent excavated anything yet. We have two yards that wed like to excavate. One of them is the Mallory address. Were thawing the ground so thats going to take some time to excavate. We do have another yard in the city of Toronto. We dont know if or when were going to excavate that yard. That might depend on what we find at Mallory. At this stage, forensic technicians havent even finished their down-to-the-nubs search of McArthurs Thorncliffe Park apartment. The grind is slow. It will be meticulous. Idsinga wont discuss the evidence that brought detectives to McArthur. His immediate hope, last night, was making it home at a reasonable hour. Its my wifes birthday. Id like to have dinner with her. Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Legislation, no matter how laudable, cannot change a culture. It can give it a push, and the sexual harassment legislation dealing with federal workplaces and Parliament Hill staff that has been fast-tracked by all three parties will be, with amendments, a step forward. But there are questions. And then there is the culture. Why is Kent Hehr, removed from cabinet after sexual harassment allegations, still in caucus when other Liberal MPs facing similar allegations have been given the boot. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not adequately answered. How, exactly, was then-Conservative MP Rick Dykstra green-lighted to run in 2015 when it was known he was facing sexual assault allegations? Andrew Scheer owes us a better answer, whether or not he was then the leader. And is it really wise to start from the default position that a harassment complainant is telling the truth in all cases as Trudeau would have it? Making it easier for victims to speak up and providing all support possible? Absolutely. But Trudeaus starting point sounds just a tad unsettling. The biggest challenge, however, remains the culture of official Ottawa. This is a place populated by the powerful and the ambitious, but also the wide-eyed and those drawn to power. It is tiny. As the old adage goes, two blocks from Queens Park no one knows who the health minister is. Two blocks from Parliament Hill, you could see the health minister at the next table at your restaurant. It is a transient population. Most of those in the precinct are thousands of kilometres from spouse and family. Its currency is information, but that too often takes the form of gossip, very often of the baseless, malicious variety born of jealousy or a bid for partisan gain. The winter nights are long. An empty condo does not beckon. It takes a special commitment to go home with a committee report and tune in CPAC reruns. A Toronto friend told me Ottawa was nights at different venues with the same people. She was right. And there is booze everywhere. Here, I will defer to Michelle Rempel, the Alberta Conservative whose Monday speech in the House trenchantly laid out the problem of power imbalance and provided perhaps the best description of Ottawa I have heard. It is a highly tribal environment, Rempel said, where information is a commodity and blind partisanship, conformity, loyalty and acquiescence are often traits significantly valued above judgment, compassion or acting with dignity. Mix this with absence from spouses, those anxious to further a career, journalists chasing a scoop, workaholics, put them in a tiny place and pour in alcohol and the issue of what constitutes appropriate sexual behaviour becomes critical. For my first 15 years in Ottawa, it was my home, which meant heading home to walk the dog, or, later, rush to day care and head home to family. But in my final five-plus years there, I essentially lived life as an MP, in Ottawa when the House was sitting, but with a partner in Toronto, meaning most weekends and recess weeks I would join the VIA/Porter/401 tango and head home. If you wanted to decompress after a long work day, there were precious few places to hide in a small city, and I saw cabinet ministers who had too much to drink, MPs sitting at the bar by themselves, men and women together who maybe shouldnt have been together. Nights on barstools led to a lot of drinking of each others bathwater. That brings us to the everybody knew mantra, a favourite of those who have never lived in Ottawa. Yes, I heard rumours about Patrick Brown and Dykstra. Many of us did. I didnt care about Browns sex life. Had I known it included an allegation of sexual assault I would have had a much different reaction. There were all kinds of rumours about cabinet ministers, MPs from all parties, journalists, senior bureaucrats, those alleged to have copped a feel in a cab or had hit on someone too aggressively at the bar. Over the years, the most powerful in the town were the subject of rumours of marital separations, drinking habits and health problems. Heres how the culture will change rumours are being more vigorously pursued, brave women are feeling emboldened, investigative reporters such as Glen McGregor, Rachel Aiello and Stephen Maher are not the only ones digging. The realization among middle-aged politicians that this can now kill your career in minutes will change the culture. There will be more to come. There must be some sleeping fitfully in Ottawa this week. Tim Harper writes on national affairs. tjharper77@gmail.com, Twitter: @nutgraf1 Read more about: But for its cities, Canada would be little more than the sum of its geography. Though many already believe thats the case, the life of the nation cultural, economic, social, intellectual unfolds in its urban centres. Yet Canadas cities remain poor and inherently powerless. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the princeling practitioner of the politics of appearance, rarely treats cities as more than a photo op, a backdrop to the drama of ruling the country. The constitution, which ignores cities, relegates them to provincial control. The provinces, however, as Saskatchewans new premier, Scott Moe, made clear within minutes of being elected last weekend, are focused on fighting the federal government, not tending to the needs of their cities. Through it all, cities, the seat and source of non-political power in Canada, have been pushed to the sidelines where they wait, for the most part patiently, for a nod i.e. handout from the senior levels of government. Toronto Mayor John Tory talks regularly about going to Queens Park, like a boy in short pants, to ask for more. When cash is given, as often as not, it serves the provinces tribalist agenda and comes with enough strings to strangle the city. Last year, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne undid everything she has stood for throughout her career when she glibly refused Torontos request to toll the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway. The city desperately needed the funds and hoped fees would lessen congestion. Torontos plans were no match for Wynnes fear of angering drivers in the 905. But times have changed. Though neither federal nor provincial governments have kept up, we live in a new urban age. More than half the planets population now inhabit cities and if sprawl remains legal in many suburban municipalities, its unsustainability grows ever harder to ignore. Canada is singularly ill-equipped to deal with this emerging reality. Canadian cities, infantilized by a history that has left them beholden to the higher powers of the provinces, have little expertise in self-governance. In 2010, the countrys largest, richest and most sophisticated city disgraced itself internationally by electing Rob Ford mayor. John Tory, though he can finish a sentence, has never moved far from Fords small-town agenda. This makes it hard to argue that this city should have access to more revenue sources than property taxes and user fees. The unabashed parochialism of Toronto city council, its willingness to pander to the lowest and most local of interests, its timidity in the face of change dont inspire confidence in the citys ability to govern itself. Still, this must happen. In many places, it already has. Cities around the world levy income and sales taxes. These are the public sectors most lucrative revenue sources, but forbidden under provincial legislation. Though the former may be fairest, the latter might be more politically acceptable. Sales tax is a really viable option, argues Sheila Block, senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. It would be a tough sell, but we know from the shelter crisis and the state of the TTC that a sales tax is needed. If were going to impose a new tax, we have to have one that has the potential to raise the revenue we need. Block acknowledges a sales tax isnt progressive, but points out that its effects can be mitigated by tax credits, exemptions and the like. She also notes that the money raised can be used for progressive measures. As academics Harry Kitchen and Enid Slack observed in a 2016 Institute of Municipal Finance and Governance study, a municipal sales tax permits cities to tax non-residents who use local services. It would also give cities greater flexibility and breadth in determining their own tax structure and allow them to benefit from growth in the economy. Given that a record 43.7 million visitors came to Toronto in 2017, a civic sales tax looks very appealing. And, says Councillor Joe Cressy, The process of putting a sales tax in place isnt as complicated as people think. But the mayor would have to be onside. But by the time the discussion about a municipal sales tax heats up in, say, 2019 after provincial and civic elections the political landscape could be completely new. Given the chaotic state of the provincial conservative party, its possible John Tory could be premier. In that case, he can put his long pants back on and give Toronto the funding it needs. Christopher Humes column appears weekly. He can be reached at jcwhume4@gmail.com Read more about: Morgan Stanley India Investment Fund, Inc. is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc. The fund is co-managed by Morgan Stanley Investment Management Company. It invests in the public equity markets of India. The fund invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the U.S. dollar adjusted BSE National Index. Morgan Stanley India Investment Fund, Inc. was formed on December 22, 1993 and is domiciled in the United States. Read More Ormat Technologies, Inc. operates as a holding company. The firm engages in the provision of geothermal and recovered energy power business. It operates through the following segments: Electricity, Product and Energy Storage. The Electricity segment focuses in the sale of electricity from the company's power plants pursuant to PPAs. The Product segment involves in the manufacture, including design and development, of turbines and power units for the supply of electrical energy and in the associated construction of power plants utilizing the power units manufactured by the company to supply energy from geothermal fields and other alternative energy sources. The Energy Storage segment consists of battery energy storage systems as a service and management of curtailable customer loads under contracts with U.S. retail energy providers and directly with large commercial and industrial customers. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Reno, NV. Read More A major portion of 450,000 has been announced for the expansion of a Community Intervention Team at Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel, to ease pressure on South Tipperary General Hospital (STGH). Deputy Michael Lowry welcomed the development in Dail Eireann this week, following a promise last year by Health Minister Simon Harris that Our Lady's would re-open this year as a Day Hospital and Community Care Centre. I raised the issue of Our Lady's Hospital Cashel and the urgent need for the Cashel Facility to be brought back into service, said Deputy Lowry. Many people in Tipperary are baffled and bewildered as to why we have a magnificent building in Cashel which is underutilised. It is lying idle and the building should be used to its maximum potential. Cashel has the capacity to hold between 30/35 beds and the Cashel campus is in excellent condition. I asked that the necessary structures and supports be put in place to enable Our Ladys Hospital Cashel to function as a primary care / community care centre with particular emphasis on the medical needs of older people. During Dail Questions, Deputy Lowry said the HSE has spent 20m on Cashel since 2007. We have three floors which are empty, and I'm asking that this unit be re-opened and developed as a Primary Care Centre. It was shameful and mind-boggling that the building is under-utilised. Minister Harris visited and said he was bewildered by the fact that the unit was not being used to its full extent, and he committed to establishing a work group within the HSE on how best to avail of the facilities in interests of the patients and public in Co. Tipperary. Since then, the HSE has carried out a thorough evaluation of the necessary supports and structures that need to be put in place to enable Our Lady's in Cashel to function as a Community Care Centre with particular emphasis on the needs of older people. Deputy Lowry said the HSE must accept that... in Our Lady's in Cashel we have a top of the range facility, which is there to care for people who do not need intensive acute support. Deputy Lowry requested a detailed plan for the future of Our Lady's hospital. Roscrea may end up losing out in terms of political representation if a new boundary review, due out this year, recommends a reduction in the number of Councillors per head. Mr Liam Shanahan raised the issue of Town Councils at this month's RCDC meeting, saying the Town Councils may be re-instated , and if so, Roscrea should apply. Roscrea never had a Town Council, and under new suggestions, were Town Councils to be re-instated a town would have to meet a certain population threshold. Roscrea was denied a Council, even though its larger than Birr and Templemore. If Councils were re-established, Roscrea should start on an equal basis, said Mr Shanahan. Local authorities have seen huge change in the 13 years since he joined the Council, said Cllr Michael Smith. Now the Thurles Templemore Municipal District which encompasses Roscrea has the same area as Co. Louth. There will be a report back this year, on a boundary review. However, its likely that if Town Councils are re-established, only Clonmel will be large to meet the criteria for one in Co. Tipperary. The paper which recommended abolishing the Town Councils, called Putting People First, was far from that, said Cllr Smith. Getting rid of Town Councils sounded great but it was followed up with inadequate resources. People forget about the north of the County, said Mr Lupton. There is something wrong with a system if successful representatives can ignore large areas in the North of the County. Cllr Smith said it was likely that the area could become a 7-seater due to the boundary review. At present, there are 35,000 people in the new area, with one Councillor per 4,500 people. This may be reduced, but nobody knows where that boundary will be. It will be decided up in Dublin. They have not been told if the number of Councillors per the population Full report in this week's Tipperary Star Huawei Mate X Has the Same Crease and Interface Problems as Galaxy Fold The first generation is going to have this problem, but it may not be as bad as some want to portray it. And the February 7 reveal is fast approaching Ford just released a third teaser video for its highly anticipated Ranger Raptor. The scripted text emblazed over the moving shots of a camouflaged test mule bombing over terrain say the Ranger Raptor is Ready for speed, water, sand, hills, mud, jumps, and anything, The last phrase then says its ready for its reveal. Thats right; the time is growing short for Ford to officially unveil the Ranger Raptor in all its glory. The event is taking place on February 7, 2018, at Bangkok Auto Show in Thailand. While Thailand might seem an odd choice rather than the U.S. or Australia, the country actually has quite the love for pickups and off-roading. No worries, though, both Americans and Australians will soon have Ranger Raptors arriving in their showrooms. While Ford hasnt even hinted at the powerplant under the Ranger Raptors hood, a report from Motoring suggests the truck is getting an all-new 2.0-liter high-output four-cylinder turbodiesel. The specific output wasnt announced, but the new (Power Stroke?) turbodiesel would be more powerful than the current 3.2-liter inline-five turbodiesel, which makes 197 horsepower and 347 pound-feet of torque. The report also says Fords new 10-speed automatic transmission will be the sole gearbox. While the 10-speed auto is an obvious component, the small-displacement four-cylinder turbodiesel is a stretch at least for U.S.-bound Ranger Raptors. Fords peppy 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 or even the standard-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 would be a more plausible engine for North America. It seems well have to wait until February 7 to find out. Expect the Ranger Raptor to arrive in U.S. showrooms as a 2019 model sometime in the first half of next year. Prices are expected to compete with the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, which starts at $40,400 and increases with options. Perhaps Ford will also offer a turbodiesel and gasoline engine option, just like the Colorado ZR2, as well. Again, tune in to TopSpeed.com on February 7 for all the details. For the same event, Harley came up with an ingenious idea and teamed up with Aaron and Shaun Guardado from Suicide Machine Company to build two snow bikes with skis and belts from a Street Rod 750. These bikes would act as safety vehicles for the event, and to haul athletes around between events. In its recent adventures, Harley Davidson has been seemingly busy with increasing involvement of snow and ice competition. Recently, the Milwaukee brand entered the Snowquake 2018, a snow dirt event in the Italian Alps, and then started the Snow Hill Climb, its own event at this years Winter X Games where riders drag up the hill on purpose-built Snow Hill Climb Sportsters. Harley partnered with the organizers to introduce a new event, the Snow Hill Climb, at this years Winter X Games. It is going to be a medaled event where riders will climb onto modified Harley-Davidson Sportsters and race up the snowy hill in a drag-race style competition. In every segment, one rider will be eliminated and three riders will stand on the podium eventually. Acting as a sidekick, the snow bikes were commissioned by Harley Davidson specifically for this event. They roped in known hooligans from the Suicide machine Company and dropped off two Street Rods at their workshop located in Long Beach, California. Luckily, these guys know how to run flat tracks and different disciplines with dirt. Now, they have a new challenge in front of them, and they are going the full monty. The Camso DTS-129 snow kits they found were not made for conventional motorcycles like this Harley, but for motocross and dirt bikes whose swingarm and track placements are all different. Replacing the front wheel with skis and the rear with a snow belt is no childs play. It meant getting the front fabricated with adapters and the rear getting some mad brains to deal with the drivetrain tethered to the tracks. They had to fabricate a pair of struts having a quick-release system that connected the track and the bike. A few spacers then took care of the drive chain alignment to the gearbox. Luckily the tracks came with its own braking system which was then hooked onto the brake levers. That means, this Harley just has one set of the braking unit rather than two. The tracks even had their own integral suspension units voiding them from breaking more heads. They added an additional seat on the tracks to haul around riders and fabricated handles for them to grab onto. The powertrain remained untouched with the Revolution X 60 degree V-twin engine having70 hp and 45 lb-ft. However, it gets a high-performance Screamin Eagle parts like the tuner, intake, and exhaust to compensate the snow belts drag. The stock clutches were swapped with custom Radius X auto-clutches from Rekluse making them easier to use in the snow. Last year, the finalists of Harley Davidsons Battle of the Kings competition also saw a 1200 CX Roadster equipped with skis and snow belt. It was made by the folks of Harley-Davidson Banska Bystrica, Slovakia and was called the Harley Davidson Roadster Snow Drag. It had a mad looking electric paint job. Reference Triumph has now launched another video showcasing the top sped Speed Triple RS battling it out under the helm of the same two chaps. We get to see more of the new Speed Triple in its highest specification with the Ohlins and Arrow cans while the pair speeds off into a hooligan lap of an abandoned airfield. Last week, the legendary British manufacturer teased their brand new project, the Speed Triple. The video features seven-time world champion Carl Fogarty and two time Isle of Man TT winner Gary Johnson trying to prove the Ultimate Hooligan. Like old wine in a new bottle, the new Speed Triple is a 24-year-old model. It has already been updated half a dozen times with the latest one being in 2016. But with the competition spearing ahead, Triumph decided to refresh the Speed Triple with a few of its gimmicks. For starters, the engine of the new Speed Triple will run on the same 1050cc capacity but will receive a healthy number of updates to make it lighter and more frugal. Just like how the new Tigers and the Street Triples received around 104 new changes under the hood, the Speed Triple will also follow suit. The new motor might have a higher rev limit and will also make close to 150 hp. Although it is hard to pinpoint precisely, we at least know that Triumph has tried hard to keep things fresh here. Take the new Arrow exhaust for example. They might even come as standard and looks sleek compared to the ugly bulbous ones on the previous one. Or Triumph might just give this on the RS along with the Brembos and Ohlins. While the R will not be this well-equipped. The RS will also enjoy a few carbon fiber on its body and will get new 5-spoke alloys rather than the 10-spoke in the old one. The R will also enjoy the new wheels and get sleeker looking exhausts. New full-color TFT dash and LED lights throughout from the Street Triple will make way on both specs. Electronic rider aids will include traction control and rider modes and quickshifter on the RS. The unveiling will happen on the 5th of February, that is the coming Monday, and Triumph has invited a few folks to test out the new machine at Almeria in Spain on February 19. That will be the location for the press launch we reckon. Five countries awarded for best performance in accelerating agricultural transformation The African Union on Monday, 29 January 2018 launched the Africa Agriculture Transformation Scorecard (AATS) and presented the Inaugural Biennial Review Report on the implementation of the June 2014 Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods. H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopian Prime Minister and AU Leader of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), presented the AATS and Biennial Review Report to the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa. The AATS, the first of its kind in Africa, captures the continents agricultural progress based on a pan-African data collection exercise led by the African Union Commissions Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA), NEPAD Agency and Regional Economic Communities in collaboration with technical and development partners. Countries were assessed on the seven commitments in the Malabo declaration, across 43 indicators. The AATS tracks progress in commitments made by AU Heads of State and Government through CAADP and the Malabo Declaration to increase prosperity and improve livelihoods by transforming agriculture. The indicators chosen to track the performance categories were defined on the basis of the strategic objectives derived from the Malabo Declaration. The report reveals that only 20 of the 47 Member States that reported are on track towards achieving the commitments set out in the Malabo Declaration. Rwanda leads the top 10 best performers with a score of 6.1, followed by Mali (5.6), Morocco (5.5), Ethiopia (5.3), Togo (4.9), Malawi (4.9), Kenya (4.8), Mauritania (4.8), Burundi (4.7), and Uganda (4.5). The report sets the 2017 benchmark at 3.94 out of 10 as the minimum score for a country to be considered on track towards achieving the Malabo commitments by 2025. Regionally, East Africa performed best with a score of 4.2, followed by Southern Africa with a score of 4.02. Meanwhile, AUC Deputy Chairperson, H.E. Kwesi Quartey presented awards to the best performing countries in accelerating agricultural transformation on the continent. Best performance based on the overall score to achieve the Malabo Declaration goals and targets by 2025 was scooped by Rwanda, with Mali as runner up and Morocco, second runner up. Based on the Theme of the 2017 Biennial Report Highlight on Intra-African Trade of agriculture commodities and services: Risks and Opportunities, the award was scooped by Lesotho with a score of 5.2, scoring the best on Malabo Commitment 5 on Intra-African Trade of Agricultural goods and services aggregating performance on (i) the value of goods and services traded with other AU Member States, (ii) the facilities to improve trade with other AU Member States and (iii) the stability of prices of food commodities for 2015. Botswana won the award with a score of 8.7, for recording the best performance in Facilitating Intra-African Trade of Agricultural goods and services aggregating performance on (i) physical infrastructure, (ii) information and communication technologies, (iii) border administration, (iv) bilateral trade related agreement with other AU member states and (v) immigration facilitation. In the Malabo Declaration, AU Member States committed to report, on a biennial basis, the progress in achieving the 7 commitments of the Declaration with the first report presented at the 30th AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government. Preceding this Inaugural Biennial Report on the Implementation of the June 2014 Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared prosperity and improved Livelihoods was the meeting of the 2nd Ordinary Session of the Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment that endorsed it in October 2017, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In 2017, the AUC conducted and facilitated 6 training sessions respectively in West (in French and English), East, Central, Southern and North Africa regions, with 156 national experts trained including CAADP Focal Persons, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists and Statisticians from Ministries of Agriculture and other line ministries. Fifty one (51) AU Member States participated in the training and familiarized themselves with the Malabo Declaration, targets and indicators, and the biennial review reporting format, which has further embedded the culture of mutual accountability in Africa. AUC Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E. Josefa Sacko, congratulated the countries for their efforts in implementing the Malabo Declaration Commitments and said the AATS would help in sharing lessons and best practices as well as aid countries on what priorities need critical attention. Some of the key recommendations from the report are for African countries to increase investment and finance in agriculture; to improve access for men and women engaged in agriculture to financial and advisory services; and to improve data collection systems. Implementation of the Malabo Declaration: The 2017 Progress Report to the AU Assembly The African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government adopted the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) in 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique as the Flagship Programme of the African Union for agriculture and food security. The Maputo Declaration on CAADP sets broad targets of 6 percent annual growth in agricultural GDP, and allocation of at least 10 percent of public expenditures to the agricultural sector. From 2003 to 2013, CAADP implementation demonstrated that Africa had well-crafted, home-grown framework guiding policies, strategies and actions for agricultural development and transformation. This was instrumental in raising the profile of agriculture to the centre of development agenda at national, regional and global levels. It also facilitated mobilisation and alignment of multi-stakeholders partnerships and investments around national agriculture and food security investment plans (NAIPs) that have been developed through the CAADP process. In 2013, after a decade of implementation, demand for more clarity was expressed by AU Member States and stakeholders in terms of further elaboration and refinement of the CAADP targets, and assessment of technical efficacies and political feasibilities for success in agricultural transformation. In addition, there was a need to move from planning to effective implementation for results and impact in changing peoples lives because most of the NAIPs were not fully implemented. This underperformance was due to various reasons such as inadequate funding, no appropriate institutions and policies, low leadership capacity, weak mutual accountability system and culture, among others. This is why, AU Heads of State and Government adopted the Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation in June 2014 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The Malabo Declaration sets the Africa 2025 Vision for Agriculture which is implemented within the Framework of CAADP as a vehicle to implement and achieve the First Ten Year Implementation Plan of Africas Agenda 2063. Among other commitments, the leaders committed to Mutual Accountability to Results and Actions by conducting a biennial Agricultural Review Process that involves tracking, monitoring and reporting on implementation progress in achieving the provisions of the Malabo Declaration. This Commitment translates, this time, a stronger political will for AU Leaders to effectively achieve Agricultural Growth and Transformation on the Continent by 2025 for improved livelihoods and shared prosperity for African citizens. Therefore, the African Union Commission and the NEPAD Agency together with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Member States, in collaboration with partners designed for the first time ever a Biennial Reporting Mechanism, established a pool of technical experts, helped strengthen the culture of mutual accountability, and developed the Inaugural Biennial Report on the Implementation of the Malabo Declaration. The seven (7) Malabo Commitments were translated into seven (7) thematic areas of performance: (i) Re-committing to the Principles and Values of the CAADP Process; (ii) Enhancing investment finance in agriculture; (iii) Ending Hunger in Africa by 2025; (iv) Reducing poverty by half, by 2025, through inclusive agricultural growth and transformation; (v) Boosting intra-African trade in agricultural commodities and services; (vi) Enhancing resilience of ivelihoods and production systems to climate variability and other related risks; and (vii) Strengthening mutual accountability to actions and results. In this Report, twenty-two (23) performance categories and forty three (43) indicators have been defined, for the seven (7) thematic areas of performance aligned to the commitments to evaluate country performance in achieving agricultural growth and transformation goals in Africa. This has been done through a continent wide consultation process. Highlights on intra-African trade for agriculture commodities and services Risks and Opportunities Meeting the Malabo commitments implies that further development of agriculture markets and trade in agricultural inputs and outputs will continue to play a pivotal role, because it is mostly through markets that farm producers will gain greater access to productivity-enhancing inputs and equipment; that farmers and agro-food processors will have more opportunities to earn income from their products; that investors, including farmers, will see opportunities to invest in additional production, processing and marketing capacities. Despite the impressive GDP growth experienced in recent years, Africa has remained a marginal player in world trade. The continent's shares in world exports (2.8% on average) and imports have fallen significantly over 1970-2010. In addition to losing shares in the global markets, Africa trades relatively little with itself. Official intra-African trade was just 11% of the continent's total trade in 2012, compared to 54% in developing Asia; 32% in developed America, and 66% in Europe. Also Intra-African trade performance is of particular concern as, in the face of abundant endowment in unexploited suitable resources (e.g. land and water) for agriculture, the continent depends, at levels of 87% to 90%, on extra-African sources for all its imports of food and agricultural products. As a result, Africa has faced a food and agricultural import bill averaging US$ 69.5 billion over 2010-2012, rising by 15% per year faster than intra-African trade (12%) to reach some US$ 78 billion in 2012. The trade blocks (ECOWAS, COMESA, EAC, SADC and UMA) have developed institutional mechanisms that have facilitated and promoted trade of agricultural commodities in the continent. This has been through various measures such as harmonization of policies and regulations, promotion of free movement of goods and people, among others. As a result, the continent is on track on the trade facilitation Index. The volume of intra-African agricultural trade has increased by 14.9% between 2015 and 2016 compared to the 2017 milestone 20% to be on-track for tripling intra-African trade by 2025. This has been possible because of the contribution of: 42% in Western Africa from the high contribution of 92% in Senegal; and 16% increase in Northern Africa. A decrease of 15% is observed in Southern Africa, and of 3% decrease in East Africa. This suggests that there are still several challenges that need to be addressed to promote agricultural trade. Climatic variability is an example of such challenges due to its effect on agricultural production. For instance, agriculture output in southern Africa decreased by almost 30% in 2015 due to the dry spells caused by the El Nino which partly explain the observed reduction in agricultural trade. Major constraints on national and regional food marketing and trade include: High transport costs resulting from poor infrastructure and inadequate transport policies; Important post-harvest losses due to poor storage infrastructure and processing facilities; Unclear/unpredictable trade policies and regimes; Ineffective implementation of regional trade agreements; Lack of harmonized standards, rules and regulations; Restrictive customs/crossborder procedures; Poor stakeholder information on markets, policies and regulations; and Limited access to efficient and affordable value-chain and trade finance. Tackling these constraints calls for facing up to two broad categories of challenges: (i) prioritizing and filling the deficit in hard and soft market and trade infrastructure, and (ii) tackling the policy and institutional deficiencies to strengthen intra-regional and inter-regional market integration and trade facilitation. Moreover, there is a challenge of linking the agriculture, industrialization and trade policy and investment planning processes. Upgrading intra-African food and agricultural trade out of informality is a major challenge on the way forward. In particular, it is vital to note that the continent and all the regions (Eastern, Southern and West Africa) that reported on the domestic food price volatility indicator are on-track. There were twenty (25) countries out of the forty seven (47) that are on track which implies that the continent and the regions are still very susceptible to price shocks. This situation is likely to exacerbate the challenges of food insecurity in the continent. This is a worrisome situation and it requires the continent to work tirelessly to minimize domestic food price volatility. Petitioners in the case challenging Nairobi Governor Mike Sonkos election have moved to the Court of Appeal, Citizen reports. In the notice of appeal, the two petitioners; Japheth Muroko and Zacchaeus Okoth Oliech, say they are dissatisfied with the ruling of Justice Msagha Mbogholi and intend to appeal the decision in totality. This comes barely three weeks after the High Court dismissed the petition following an application by the petitioners to withdraw. The move by the petitioners came a day after they informed the court of allegedly receiving death threats. Justice Mbogholi, however, declined the request for withdrawal and instead struck it out since the petitioners did not follow due procedure. In their appeal, the two petitioners claim that the judge erred in law and in fact in striking out the petition. The learned judge erred in law and fact in failing to consider and apply the law and principles relating to election petitions and by taking into consideration irrelevant issues and in misguiding himself and misinterpreting facts and the law, reads court documents. In the High Court ruling, Justice Mbogholi ordered the petitioners to pay Ksh5 million; Ksh2.5 million to Sonko and a similar amount to IEBC. A summary of key decisions The 30th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Summit, holding on the theme, Winning the Fight Against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africas Transformation, ended on 29 January 2018, at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the adoption of key decisions by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government. The following is a summary of decisions made by the Assembly. Full decisions will be posted on the AU website due course. The realisation of a Single African Air Transport Market is vital to the achievement of the long-term vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa under the AU Agenda 2063; that it will bring about the enhanced connectivity across the continent leading to sustainable development of the aviation and tourism industry with immense contribution to economic growth, job creation, prosperity and integration of Africa. It is against that backdrop the Assembly adopted the Decision on the Establishment of a Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). Twenty-three (23) Member States have declared their Solemn Commitment to the immediate implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision towards establishment of a Single African Air Transport so far. On the African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), the Assembly decides to hold an Extraordinary Summit on 21 March 2018, preceded by an Extraordianary Session of the Executive Council on 19 March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda, to consider the CFTA Legal instruments and sign the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area and requested the AU Commission to convene an Extraordinary session of the STC on Justice and Legal Affairs to consider the said instruments prior to the Summit. The Assembly also adopted a protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community relating to Free Movement of Persons, Rights of Residence and Right of Establishment and its Draft Implementation Roadmap. On Financing the Union, the Assembly decided that the membership of the Committee of Ministers of Finance should be expanded from ten (10) to fifteen (15) members based on the principles of equitable geographical distribution and rotation. In this regard, the Committee will be called the Committee of Fifteen Ministers of Finance. On the Report of the Leader of the African Union High-Level Committee on Libya, the Assembly expressed once again its deep concern over the persistent political impasse and the security situation in Libya, which perpetuates the suffering of the Libyan people, undermines the legal institutions of the country and poses a challenge to security and stability in neighbouring countries and in the entire region. The Assembly requested the African Union Commission to re-launch the efforts of the Contact Group on Libya, in close cooperation with the United Nations, in order to pool the efforts of the international community on the issue and support the efforts of the African Union High-Level Committee on Libya and expressed once again, its appreciation to H.E. Mr Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo, Leader of the African Union High-Level Committee on Libya, to the African Union Special Representative, H.E. Mr Jakaya Kikwete, as well as to neighbouring countries, for the efforts made towards achieving lasting peace in Libya. On the Report of the Peace and Security Council on its Activities and the State of Peace and Security in Africa, the Assembly welcomed the signing, on 21 December 2017, by the South Sudanese stakeholders of an Agreement of Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Access, and commended IGAD for leading the High Level Revitalization Forum, which presents a unique opportunity for the implementation of the Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS), in line with the Communique of the 720th meeting of the PSC, held at ministerial level, in New York, on 20 September 2017. The Assembly expressed deep concern over the repeated violations of the Agreement by the parties, resulting in further deterioration of the already dire humanitarian situation caused by the ongoing conflict, and demand all warring parties to immediately put an end to all military actions and comply scrupulously with their commitments, as contained in the Agreement of 21 December 2017. On the Implementation of the Assembly Decision on the Institutional Reform of the African Union, the Assembly reiterated the commitment to the reform and renewal of the Union as part of the effort to ensure delivery of Agenda 2063 as an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in international arena. The Assembly decided that the Reform Troika shall be expanded to the Bureau of the Assembly and will collaborate with President Kagame in his capacity as Lead on the AU Institutional Reform process. On the African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN) Initiative, the Assembly reaffirmed commitment to end hunger by 2025 through strengthening development policies as an effective investment in the human capital of our countries; and recommited to end child stunting by reducing stunting to 10% and underweight to 5% by 2025 and in particular, focusing on the first 1000 Days as the only window of opportunity during which permanent and irreversible physical and mental damage would be avoided. Appointments were declared during the Assembly Summit for the following positions: Amal Mahmoud Ammar (Egypt) as Member of the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption for a two (2)-year term. NZINZI Pierre Dominique (Gabon) as President of the Pan African University (PAU) Council for a three (3)-year term. The Vice President of the PAU Council will be elected at the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council scheduled for June/July 2018. The Assembly deliberated on the issue of peace and security on the continent. The Assembly appointed the 10 members of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union for a two-year term as follows: Equatorial Guinea Central Region Gabon Central Region Djibouti Eastern Region Rwanda Eastern Region Morocco Northern Region Angola Southern Region Zimbabwe Southern Region Liberia Western Region Sierra Leone Western Region Togo Western Region The Assembly welcomed the appointment of former Algerian Foreign Minister and former AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Amb. Ramtane Lamamra as the AU High Representative for Silencing the Guns and called upon Member States, the RECs/RMs, the UN and all partners, to extend their cooperation and support his activities in assisting Africa and its people to silence the guns in Africa by the year 2020. The Assembly further stresses the urgent need for the AU to mobilize funding in support of the activities of the High Representative to enable him carry out his mandate, particularly galvanizing efforts of all stakeholders to scale up activities in the implementation of the AU Master Roadmap. With regard to the New Partnership for Africas Development (NEPAD), the Assembly reaffirmed the continued relevance and uniqueness of accelerating the implementation of Agenda 2063 and, the vehicle to enhance multi-sectoral and integrated approach to deliver transformative results as enshrined in the NEPAD Programme and the role that the NEPAD Agency plays and that will be reinforced in the proposed transition of the NEPAD Agency into the African Union Development Agency. On the Implementation of the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA), the Assembly called Member States to implement all the commitments made in the SDGEA, and the AU Commission to accelerate the alignment of its policies, programmes and reporting tools for gender equality with Agenda 2063. On the Report of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the Assembly congratulated H.E. Idriss Itno Deby, President of the Republic of Chad.for his election as the new Chairperson of the APR Forum, and commended H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta for his sterling leadership of the Mechanism, including its Revitalisation, during his tenure as the Chairperson of the APR Forum. The Assembly further reiterated that the APRM remains the premier homegrown, African good governance tool conceived in 2003 and voluntarily acceded to by thirty-six (36) Member States, more than half of whom twenty-one (21) have under gone the review. On Fast Tracking CAADP-Malabo Commitments for Accelerating Agriculture Transformation in Africa through Biennial Review Mechanism and Africa Agricultural Transformation Scorecard (AATS), the Assembly commended the positive response of Member States in conducting self assessments, inclusive validation process and providing information for the preparation of the inaugural report to the Assembly of the African Union on the progress in achieving our common goals on agricultural transformation in Africa; while noting challenges faced by members states in collecting and compiling quality data to report progress on all goals and targets set in the commitments of the Malabo Declaration. The Assembly called all Member States of the African Union, to mobilize adequate technical and financial resources in supporting agricultural data systems, monitoring and evaluation systems and strengthen mutual accountability structures to trigger evidence-based planning for agriculture transformation. On Outcomes of COP23/CMP13 and Africas Engagements at the Global Climate Change Conference at COP24/CMP14, the Assembly urged developed country Parties to scale up of the current levels of climate finance, through agreement among Parties on concrete pathways and accounting methodologies for achieving of the collective goal by developed countries to mobilize USD 100 billion a year by 2020 and beyond, while striking a balance in the allocation of financial resources between adaptation and mitigation as a trust-building effort in the negotiations, and including a significant increase in grant-based support for adaptation and adequate support for capacity building and technology transfer, and stressed the importance of initiating substantive negotiations, immediately and prior to completion of the Paris Work Programme, on the long-term finance goal for the post-2025 period, so as to ensure scaled up, additional and predictable levels of public finance to implement developing countries ambitious nationally determined contributions. The Assembly further urged the Parties and the COP23 and COP24 Presidencies to expedite action on consultations involving specific needs and special circumstances of Africa, as mandated by COP22 to urgently reach consensus for support to the African populace especially the most vulnerable communities (women, youth and children) to benefit from the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The Assembly saluted the diligence of the Members of the Committee of the African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) for the commendable political directive and guidance they provided that has concretised Africas solidarity and pan-Africanism at the negotiations and contributed to the adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change as a result of strong, unity and united voice. On the dates and Venue of the 31st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, the Assembly confirmed that the dates of the Thirty-First Ordinary Session of the Assembly which will be held June/July 2018 in Nouakchott. Closing remarks by the new Chairperson of the African Union, H.E. Mr. Paul Kagame Addis Ababa, 29 January 2018 I would like to thank everyone for a successful summit, and welcome, once again, the new Heads of State and Government, participating for the first time, and wish them success in their work. We had the opportunity before the summit to hold a conclusive and positive reform meeting, and we will continue consulting as the process unfolds. Our time here together is a most precious moment on our annual calendar. We must therefore get the most out of our Summits. We have to start on schedule, and focus on the most important priorities. Lets work together to do even better next time. As we go forward, I would encourage closer collaboration with Africas private sector on the Unions key initiatives. The business community is always eager to get involved, and more importantly, they are critical partners in creating opportunities and building the prosperity our continent needs. Finally, an issue that deserves more of our attention is conservation. I wish to thank former President Benjamin Mkapa for highlighting this matter and, in his own right, continuing to champion it. Africans need to take the lead, in partnership with like-minded global organisations, in the conservation agenda on our continent, because it affects all of us directly. Driving conservation will allow us to get the most out of our continents assets, contribute to better management of our agriculture and tourism sectors, and support efforts to mitigate climate change. As announced yesterday, we are on the cusp of creating a Continental Free Trade Area. We look forward to welcoming all of you to the summit on this issue in Kigali in the third week of March. Once again, I thank the African Union Commission, starting with the Chairperson of the Commission, and the Secretariat, and all Commissioners, for organising this Summit as well as they have done. I also want to thank you all for your contributions and your commitment to the ideals of the African Union. I wish everyone safe travels as you make your way back home. I thank you very much. Newly Elected Chairperson of the African Union, H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda on Monday, 29 January 2018 officially launched the first phase of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) championed by 23 African countries at the Headquarters of the AU, a historic and a vital milestone towards the continental effort to start the implementation of the 1999 Yamoussoukro Decision. Also speaking at the launch, the Chairperson of Africas Premier Institution the African Union Commission, H.E. Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, who has personally taken an active role in the Market since he took the reins of the Commission reported to African leaders, who are in the Ethiopian city of Addis for the 30th African Union Summit, on the progress achieved in the implementation of the Assembly declarations regarding the establishment of a Single African Air Transport Market and recommendations of the Commission. In order to make good on the Solemn Commitment, the concerned Member States have addressed provisions in their bilateral air service agreements (BASAs) to ensure compliance with the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD), the Chairperson stated. In that regard, the Institutional and Regulatory Texts of the Yamoussoukro Decision which are considered essential for the single market to function effectively have been adopted. The Commission has also drafted guidelines for the negotiation of air service agreement with third countries and a human resource development fund (HRDF) has been established and placed under the management of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), the Chairperson further explained. The Chairperson concluded his report by recommending to the Assembly to decide to establish a Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) for African Airlines within the framework of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 and urging countries who have not yet committed to the solemn commitment, to do so. The Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid earlier stated the Single African Air Transport Market will spur more opportunities to promote trade, cross-border investments in the production and service industries, including tourism resulting in the creation of additional jobs. Following the launch at the opening of the 30th African Union Summit, the Chairpersons of the African Union and the African Union Commission headed to the official ribbon-cutting and the unveiling of the commemorative plaque, where Heads of States, partners and guests were invited. H.E. President Paul Kagame nominated H.E. President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo as Champion of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). The Chairperson took the time to acknowledge the support of various partners, staff of the Commission and individuals who helped contribute to the launch of the Market. The audience also had the chance to visit the aviation exhibition billed SAATM: Flying the AU Agenda 2063 for an integrated, peaceful and prosperous Africa. Fighting corruption is the new focus of African leaders at the 30th African Union Summit. The leaders are also expected to deliberate on a number of issues, including institutional reforms of the AU, continental free trade and the state of peace and security on the continent. The AU Assembly was preceded by meetings of the Permanent Representatives Committee on 22 and 23 January 2018, as well as the meeting of the Executive Council on 25 to 26 January 2018. African Union, Member States and aviation industry advocate for joint stance on Single African Air The Commissioner for Economic Affairs Professor Victor Harrison expressed optimism about improvement in air connectivity in Africa with the launch of a Single African Air Transport Market that took place on the margins of the 30th AU Summit at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Commissioner Harrison made the remarks while addressing the High-Level Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) on 27 January 2018, prior to the launch of the SAATM. The SAATM is amongst the first twelve AU Agenda 2063 flagship projects to be formally launched. He acknowledged and appreciated the contribution of the stakeholders who have made the project successful as it is a historic course following a long and winding road since the adoption of the Yamoussoukro Decision in November 1999. He concluded his speech by urging all stakeholder to start mobilizing all levers of implementation so that they can start producing results. Mr. Ambachew Mekonnen, Minister of Transport of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in his opening remarks commended the African Union on the work they have put in to ensure Africas integration with the opening of the African sky to allow easy, quick, cheap movement in the continent. He also expressed Ethiopias commitment to enhance the Single African Air Transport Market. The Ethiopian minister underlined that the launch of the Single Africa Air Transport Market will have a huge impact on tourism potentials of rapidly growing economies and foster intra-regional cooperation in the continent. The High Level Ministerial meeting comprised of a panel discussion featuring Member State representatives and top airline executives officers including the vice president of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Raphael Kuuchi, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) council president, Dr. Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam and top executive of Boeing, Airbus and Embraer. The discussions focused on issues around the benefits of SAATM to the travelers, required regulatory institutional frameworks on safety and key strategic solutions for the sustainable opalization and financing of a successful single Africa air transport market. Background The Declaration on the establishment of a Single African Air Transport Market, as a flagship project of the AU Agenda 2063, was adopted by the African Union (AU) Assembly in January 2015. Immediately thereafter, eleven (11) AU Member States declared their Solemn Commitment to establish a Single African Air Transport Market through full implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision of 1999 that provides for full liberalization of market access between African States, free exercise of traffic rights, elimination of restrictions on ownership and full liberalization of frequencies, fares and capacities. To date, the number of Member States that have adhered to the Solemn Commitment has reached twenty-three (23), namely: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Congo, Cote dIvoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo and Zimbabwe. The Single African Air Transport Market was launched on January 29, 2018. As the first of the 12 AU Agenda 2063 flagship projects to be launched, the implementation of SAATM will pave the way for other flagship projects as the African Passport and enabling the Free Movement of People and the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA). Download: pdf The Single African Air Transport Market Brochure (1.95 MB) Bilateral talks between Kenya and Tanzania to resolve existing non tariff barriers and enhance trade entered their 3rd day today. The Kenyan delegation is led by Dr Kiptoo while Prof Ole Gabriel leads Tanzanias delegation. Featured tweet, @CelestinMonga: 73% of the African Unions budget funded from outside the continent. About 30 its 55 Members default either partially or completely on average, annually. Talking about independence, credibility and dignity? Lot of work ahead for all of us. 30th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly concludes: summary of decisions (AU) On the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Assembly decides to hold an Extraordinary Summit on 21 March 2018, preceded by an Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council on 19 March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda, to consider the CFTA Legal instruments and sign the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area and requested the AU Commission to convene an Extraordinary session of the STC on Justice and Legal Affairs to consider the said instruments prior to the Summit. The Assembly also adopted a protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community relating to Free Movement of Persons, Rights of Residence and Right of Establishment and its Draft Implementation Roadmap. [Egypt will chair the African Unions 2019 Summit] AU launches Africa Agriculture Transformation Scorecard: revolutionary new tool to drive agricultural productivity and development (AU) The AATS, the first of its kind in Africa, captures the continents agricultural progress based on a pan-African data collection exercise led by the AUCs Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, NEPAD Agency and RECs, in collaboration with technical and development partners. Countries were assessed on the seven commitments in the Malabo declaration, across 43 indicators. The report reveals that only 20 of the 47 Member States that reported are on track towards achieving the commitments set out in the Malabo Declaration. Rwanda leads the top 10 best performers with a score of 6.1, followed by Mali (5.6), Morocco (5.5), Ethiopia (5.3), Togo (4.9), Malawi (4.9), Kenya (4.8), Mauritania (4.8), Burundi (4.7), and Uganda (4.5). The report sets the 2017 benchmark at 3.94 out of 10 as the minimum score for a country to be considered on track towards achieving the Malabo commitments by 2025. Regionally, East Africa performed best with a score of 4.2, followed by Southern Africa with a score of 4.02. African Globalizers Report 2017: African firms taking the world stage (Konfidants) This report is the first in a series of studies designed to understand the global journeys and global potential of African firms. How can Africa produce its own global giants? And why are they important to Africas global emergence? This maiden report focuses on 30 companies with $118.6bn in combined revenue. It provides a first-hand big picture view a snapshot of the geographical reach of African firms in global markets. While future reports will delve into other metrices like the foreign assets, employment and sales of African Globalizers, this maiden edition (pdf) is deliberately focused on geographical reach first as a conversation starter, and second as a baseline mapping exercise to enrich the conversation. The report focuses on four main questions: Who are the African Globalizers? Which global regions are they expanding into? What are the prospects of these firms growing into Africas global giants? What should be done to create a more a diverse group of globalizers from all parts of the continent? Namibia has harmful tax system EU (The Namibian) According to the Outcome of Proceedings for the Council of the European Union dated 5 December 2017, Namibia is not a member of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes. Additionally, the outcome of proceedings says Namibia has not signed and ratified the OECD multilateral convention on mutual administrative assistance, as amended, and also did not implement the basic tax erosion and profit shiftings (Beps) minimum standards. The EU said Namibia did not commit to addressing the above issues by 31 December 2019, neither did it commit to amending or abolishing the harmful preferential tax regimes by 31 December 2018. Finance minister Calle Schlettwein yesterday confirmed the reasons for the blacklisting, but defended the notion that the country has a harmful preferential tax system. Ghana-EU hold inception meeting on interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EU) The first meeting of the EPA Committee under the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement between Ghana and the EU was held in Accra, Ghana on 24 January 2018. Extract from communique (pdf): The Parties agreed to set up an appropriate mechanism of monitoring of the implementation of the iEPA. The Parties agreed to start negotiating the procedures relating to a reciprocal Protocol on Rules of Origin of the Ghana-EU iEPA. The EPA Committee provisionally endorsed the transposition of the tariff nomenclature in HS 2017. The parties agreed to start reviewing the liberalization schedule. The Parties agreed to continue to exchange papers with the proposal of each Party on these matters with the view of finding an agreement on those issues during a technical meeting which would take place in July 2018 in Brussels. Group trains 10,000 small trade women from EAC on cross-border laws (Business Daily) More than 10,000 small-scale women traders engaged in cross-border business in the EAC have been trained on laws governing trade among the member countries. The women drawn from Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda Ethiopia and Eritrea have been trained on various areas including taxation laws and common market protocol. Eastern African Sub Regional Support Initiative For Advancement of Women (EASSI) project coordinator, Ms Ruth Warutere, said the women were also being sensitised on using official border posts while crossing the border. She said the organisation also helps the women traders get a certificate of origin, which exempts them from paying taxes of goods worth 2000 dollars. The organisations project officer, Manisurah Aheebwa, urged the East African member states to harmonise laws which dont favour women in cross-border business. Ms Aheebwa said the traders from individual member states were facing complicated laws when doing business in neighbouring country due to absence of common market laws. [Mitumba traders linked to rising HIV spread] @achiengca: Congratulations @KenTrade in partnership with the World Bank group will roll out free internet connectivity along key border posts. This is in an effort to drive the countrys regional and global competitiveness. Malaba, Busia, Namanga, Isibania, Taveta, (JKIA) and Kilindini. Kenya to boost trade with Djibouti (HIVISASA) We want to explore an agreement, to work closely with Djibouti in the livestock sector. Using the window offered by Djibouti, we can improve our access to the Middle East markets, President Kenyatta said. President Guelleh saw collaboration in the livestock area also helping Kenya to accelerate development of its leather industry a key plank in the manufacturing segment of the Big Four agenda. Nigeria: Minister inaugurates tomato monitoring team (The Nation) Hajia Aisha Abubakar, the Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, on Monday inaugurated a tomato monitoring team to oversee the implementation of government policy to boost production of fresh tomato fruits. The team comprises Ministries of Industry, Trade and Investment; Finance; Agriculture; Raw Material Research and Development Council; Customs, CBN, NAFDAC and NARICT. Abubakar added that the private sector comprised MAN, Dangote Tomato Processing Limited, Erisco Food Industries Limited, Savannah Integrated Farms, GB Food, Tomato Jos and Springfield Tomato Processing Companies. According to her, the terms of reference of the team include to monitor the implementation of the policy and importation of tomato products and derivatives. She said the team would link research and development with the industry and will advocate for the growth and development of tomato industry. Ghana: COCOBOD eyes Chinese market (GhanaWeb) The Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) is vigorously exploring prospects in the Chinese market for the countrys premium cocoa products, for which reason meetings have been ongoing between the two sides. Cocobod also plans to make a good showing at the maiden China International Import Exposition to be held in Shanghai, 5-10 November. [GEPA expects $250m from cashew export in 2018] The interests of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia are one, President Sisi says after tripartite summit in Addis Ababa (Ahram) Immediately after the end of the summit, Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in press statements that the leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan agreed on resolving all disagreements on the technical issues on the Ethiopian dam within one month. There are no mediators in the Renaissance Dam negotiations Shoukry added. The meeting between El-Sisi, Al-Bashir and Ethiopian PM Hailemariam Desalegn, which came on the sidelines of the AU summit, aimed at breaking the deadlock in negotiations over disputes on the impact of the GERD on downstream countries. Ethiopia and Sudan have not accepted the results of a report issued in March 2017 by a European consultancy firm on the potential impact of the dam on downstream countries, which concluded that the speed of construction could negatively affect Egypts water share. $89bn lost in underuse of European Union free trade agreements, report shows (UNCTAD) The full potential of European Union FTAs remains untapped to the tune of almost 72bn euros ($89bn), UNCTAD and the National Board of Trade Sweden say in a new report (pdf). This is the amount that European exporters overpaid because they did not take full advantage of the reduced tariffs offered by the FTAs that the EU as a bloc has signed with a variety of both developed and developing countries. This report challenges some enduring myths on preference utilization in free trade agreements, UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi and Anna Stellinger, Director-General of the National Board of Trade Sweden, write in the preface to the report. For example, it is commonly believed that FTAs, in general, are not used to a high degree. However, empirical data presented in the report indicates that companies in the EU mostly take advantage of FTAs with other countries but also that border-related aspects of their implementation might in some cases be more cumbersome than the provisions of the FTAs themselves. The digital transformation and the transformation of international trade (ICTSD) To facilitate the analysis of the role that trade agreements play or might play, this paper suggests a classification of the modes in which trade is conducted as it progressively shifts into the digital or digitally facilitated realm. It also identifies the areas where resistance has been encountered, categorises the nature of the measures that have been introduced, and reviews the approaches taken by the major digital economy players in framing regulations for digital and digitally enabled trade in the regional trade agreements in which they are engaged. Towards a framework of standards on cross-border e-commerce (WCO) The WCO E-Commerce Sub-Groups held face-to-face meetings at the WCO headquarters in Brussels (23-25 January). In his opening remarks, Mr. Luc De Blieck, WCO Deputy Director of Procedures and Facilitation Sub-Directorate noted that dynamic developments in the international supply chain driven by cross-border e-commerce and associated challenges required a new harmonized approach to ensure the speedy delivery of parcels across borders while ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements including safety and security and revenue collection. He then invited delegates to work collaboratively in order to develop international standards on cross-border E-Commerce, as mandated by the WCO Policy Commission at its December 2017 session. India Economic Survey 2018: State-wise exports included for the first time (Business Standard) The Economic Survey 2018 stated that for the first time in Indias history, data on the international exports of states has been dwelt upon in the Survey. Such data indicates a strong correlation between export performance and states standard of living. States that export internationally and trade with other states were found to be richer. Such correlation is stronger between prosperity and international trade, it added. It has pointed out that five states - Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana account for 70% of the countrys exports. Talking about services exports, it stated that although world trade volume of goods and services is projected to accelerate this year, enhanced global uncertainty, protectionism and stricter migration rules would be key factors in shaping Indias services exports. Venture Out and Prosper When it comes to selling adventurous vacations, the best sales weapon is personal experience. Features & Advice Michael Holtz Treehugger and our third-party partners use cookies and process personal data like unique identifiers based on your consent to store and/or access information on a device, display personalized ads and for content measurement, audience insight, and product development. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Treehugger.com, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, click below. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. List of Partners (vendors) I thought I would post here since there seems to be some misinformation about hookworm in some of these posts. I returned home from Negril over the New Year break and I just developed an infection on my foot which is hookworm. I had to see a specialist through the emergency dept. to get treatment. It is true that the drugs needed to treat (in Canada) are indeed hard to get and not all doctors are aware of what this infection actually is. Our hotel did have a higher than normal cat population than previous hotel stays, however, this hotel was on the lower end of where we usually stay. This was not all-inclusive or a big fancy resort. I wear my flip flops all the time except when heading into the ocean. I am well travelled and this is the first time I have contracted anything like this. The beach where we were staying was beautiful and it looked like it was cleaned up at the end of every day. The hotel was fairly clean but there was certainly some questionable practices. We are planning a vacation for the last week in August- Labor Day Weekend. We would appreciate advice for how many days would we need to see Amsterdam? Are there really good day trips outside the city, or would it be advisable to stay in a different area of the Netherlands? We are also open to going to another city in Europe, and adding a few more days to the trip. I realize the question is being asked without having done research yet, but based on the suggestions, I think it will point us in the right direction. Really appreciate the help. I do not have experience being a foreign renter, but one thing that often gets complaints on forums is rentals through a broker. Unlike foreign renters, US residents do not get all insurances included in the cost. If there is a problem with a rental contract when you use a third-party, the company will refer you back to the broker and the broker will say they are just the broker. Book direct through the company (join whatever "club" they have for free) or many use Costco (a membership club) for booking with the best results. Kikuyu elder Njoroge wa Kimani wants soda, beer banned during ruracio(Kikuyu dowry procession). Kimani, 90 who runs Wakanini Cultural Centre in Murengeti in Kiambu laments the rapidly changing ways of conducting the ceremony. According to Kimani, the revered tradition is being ruined by modern ways such as drinking sodas and beer. I dont understand how soda became part of this tradition. When and how? Who sanctioned this? It even irks me a lot when I see dowry procession with women carrying crates of soda. This is not our tradition, laments Kimani. But one Mary Wanjiku, 76, admits women popularised sodas in ruracio but unintentionally. We have small children and women who spend hours in the kitchen and such need to quench thirst and not with water or tea but something different and uncommon. This is how sodas were entrenched in the ceremony, she says. On his part, Kimani says his issues with the soft drinks is that they have become part of the dowry ceremony. In the olden days, those who did not consume alcohol drank porridge. No one is forced to take brew but if they insist on offering sodas they should be kept away, shared out and be consumed away from the venue of dowry rites. What we can allow is brew, uji, water or soup from the slaughtered ceremonial animals, he warns. The elder also castigates an emerging trend whereby beer is taking over muratina(Kikuyu traditional beer). Modern generation should know that beer is to liven the event but the brew meant for the ceremony is our traditional muratina. At no time will commercially brewed alcohol replace muratina, but such is allowed to extend celebrations. I have never accepted to spearhead any ritual without muratina being part of it. That is a prerequisite, even a calabash of it can be enough, he says as quoted by Crazy Monday. Kimani also lashed out at sections of clerics he said have waged war on traditions by misadvising their faithful to dump traditions like dowry or dishonoring some demands of dowry ceremony. These rites have been around for decades and can draw curse if they are disregarded. Why Pastors tell their members not to offer brew for dowry and when such are shadowed by curse they abandon them, he says. Hello all, I'm in the investigative stages of potentially planning a trip to Vietnam late this year or early next year (yes, I like to start incredibly early!). I have done a ton of research already and am wondering whether people think it would be better to have an extra day in Hanoi or 1 day in Hoi An? Very tentative timeline is this (sleeping location denoted in [ ]): Day 1 - Land in Ho Chi Minh City late morning from the USA (essentially giving us a half day to explore, before crashing early for bed) [Ho Chi Minh City] Day 2 - Ho Chi Minh City [Ho Chi Minh City] Day 3 - Fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi early morning (half day in Hanoi) [Hanoi] Day 4 - Full Day in Hanoi; catch train to Sapa in late evening [Night Train] Day 5 - Sapa [Sapa] Day 6 - Sapa; catch train back to Hanoi in late evening [Night Train] Day 7 - Arrive back into Hanoi early morning, catch bus for tour to Ha Long Bay (2 hour window between connections); overnight on boat in Ha Long Bay [Ha Long Bay] Day 8 - Get off boat; arrange private driver to transport us from Ha Long Bay to Ninh Binh [Ninh Binh] Day 9 - Tour Ninh Binh; catch last train back to Hanoi for night [Hanoi] Day 10 - Full day in Hanoi; catch train to Hue in late evening (OR spend night in Hanoi and fly out to Hue early next morning) [Night Train or possibly Hanoi per note] Day 11 - Tour Hue & Emporers Tombs [Hue] Day 12 - Day Trip to DMZ [Hue] Day 13 - Fly from Hue to Ho Chi Minh City in morning; half day in Ho Chi Minh City [Ho Chi Minh City] Day 14 - Fly home to USA I'm wondering whether it makes sense to have that extra full day in Hanoi on Day 10 or whether it would make more sense to catch the night train to Hue that evening once we get back into Hanoi from Ninh Binh. That would shift Day 11 and 12 up a day (to Day 10 and 11), and free up Day 12 to train from Hue to Da Nang in the morning to see the beautiful coastline and explore Hoi An for a half day. We could then spend the night in Hoi An and on Day 13 fly from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City rather than from Hue. Thoughts? PS: Yes, I know this is an incredibly hectic itinerary, but this is the style of travel we are used to. I very much wish we were able to take much longer trips and really have the time to fully experience each place, but we, unfortunately, have limited vacation time and want to make the most of Vietnam while we can because there is sadly no guarantee we will ever make it back!! I appreciate any feedback you have. Thanks in advance! Erin Hello fellow travelers! Im planning my first trip to Japan and looking to spend 12 days between Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima/Miyajima. Looking to get some advice as to which city to start with, if a 14-day rail pass is worth it, and day trip suggestions from Tokyo. Im thinking of traveling in October. As of right now, Im thinking of either starting in Tokyo - Kyoto - Hiroshima or vice versa. If I started with Tokyo then I would most likely visit Horshima as a day trip instead of staying the night to avoid traveling so much with my luggage. Hiroshima/Miyajima - one day/night Kyoto - five days - day trips of interest: Nara, Koya-san Tokyo - six days to work with The areas Im interested in visiting are Hakone, Izu Peninsula, Oku-tama (Mitake-San) and Nikko. Im really interested in possible doing some snorkeling or beginners scuba if a night stay would make sense time wise to Izu Peninsula or even one of the islands, but just being within nature / biding shrines and spring waterfalls would be great as well. Visitinng an onsen in Izu sounds lovely with the views of the beach. Are tattoos still an issue with some bath houses? Within Tokyo in interested in just exploring the city without any real plans (visiting shrines, shibuya crossing, the fish market, Akihabara). The only plan I would make is visiting the Ghibli Museum. Would I be able to this within three days? If so, that would give me three days to visit outside the area but happy to focus four days on Tokyo as well. So with this information, would a 14-day rail pass make sense to my all my travel plans seamless? Looking forward to hearing your advice! Thanks so much:) Mariah I am looking at taking a shinkansen from Shinagawa to Tokyo and then from Tokyo to Takasaki. The shinkansen Kodama 700 will be arriving in Tokyo at track 17 at 7:37 and then Shinkansen Max Toki 305 will be leaving Tokyo at 7:48 from Track 21. This gives me only 11 minutes between the two Shinkansens.. Is Track 17 very close to Track 21? I am not familiar with Tokyo station. Is it on the same platform? Will I make it in time? or will I have to RUN?? In Takasaki, I will be arriving at 8:38 on track 12 and leaving at 8:53 on track 6. How about this connection? Is the timing enough? I have a JR pass so I am assuming I can just show my pass and not have to buy a ticket to get on a JR Agatsuma line. Am I correct? Please advise. My husband and I will be traveling to Japan with our 8 month old son for the first 2 weeks in March. We will stay in Tokyo for 5 nights and then head to Kyoto for 6 nights. Our plan is to do day trips from both cities. We have 3 more nights that we need to plan. We are considering staying our last night in Tokyo (we fly from Narita) . This leaves us with two unplanned nights. Since we will be traveling with a baby ease of travel is important to us. Would like to stick with trains and try to avoid buses, but they aren't a deal breaker. I would love to stay in Koya-san or Hakone or at a Ryokan but feel that those places would be inappropriate to do so with a baby. Plus we need our accommodations to be able to provide a crib for us. I was considering the Fuji Five Lakes or Takayama for one night and then last two nights in Tokyo. Any suggestions on where to go for our last 4 days 3 nights? And any travel tips on traveling with a baby is appreciated (aggh jet lag!) Hello, Community! Please, help make a dream come true: we, family of three (all adults) are finally visiting Japan end of May into June 10th. I want to organize the trip myself (as always) and its not easy. Therefore, here are some questions to which I hope to receive many enlightening answers. 1. Itinerary First 4 nights Tokyo (where to stay? if we plan to rent a car afterwards to go to Hakone) next 2 nights Hakone 1 night Magome/ Tsumago. Is a trip to Tsumago with a hike to Magome worth it? 1 night Takayama. (Is an overnight stay in Takayama advisable or will a couple of hours there on the way from Tsumago to Kanazawa be ok, too? We could then spend one more night in the Kansai or Tokyo region) 2 nights Kanazawa 3 nights Kyoto (or should there be 4, to include Osaka, Nara, Himeji??) last 3 nights Tokyo. Do you think it is too much? Suggestions on changes very welcome, thank you! 2. Transportation Well arrive @ Tokyo Haneda and use public transport for the stay in the city (5 days). For the first 5 days well need a metro card. How do I get this easiest? Is it better to use the SUICA? Then we plan to rent a car (for trip Hakone -Kanazawa / pickup south western Tokyo / end rent in Kanazawa, 5 days per total). This is my main question mark: is it worth the hassle (translating documents, finding car, places with parking On the other hand you get to know the country a lot better by car, and are more flexible); is it difficult to navigate by road signs, is law enforcement very strict, are there radars, is a ETC card useful/necessary, toll to be paid cash or credit card, which credit card, can you do one-way car rental. For the 8 days left (Kanazawa - Shinkansen to Kyoto visit Kyoto and Surroundings - Shinkansen to Tokyo) well need public transport again. So, shall I get a JR pass for these last 7 days and a Tokyo metro day card for the last day? Is a SUICA again useful for the last day? 3. Money Where are credit cards not accepted? Is traveling with cash safe? I might come up with more questions soon, but Id kindly ask you for answers to these questions now. Thank you very much in advance!, Alina Who would turn you away if travelling with a small child. That's absurd. Fake News! While it is legal to take a child in a cab without a car seat, unfortunately the Law of Gravity doesn't exempt a child from the hazards of a collision. Arrange for a car service that provides appropriate child restrain seats. I'd do this to and from the airport. Within the city take the subway or better yet the bus. However a stroller needs to be folded in a bus. I presume there are two of you so you can share the responsibility. You'll have to ask the specific Forums for LA and Texas for advice. - A young woman killed herself and her husband by setting their house on fire - The woman had a quarrel with the husband in the evening before setting the house on fire - Their 3-year-old daughter was left with severe burns and is admitted at the KNH A family in Methi village of Maragua constituency, Murang'a county is left grieving after their son was killed by his wife when she set their house on fire following a domestic quarrel. Daniel Mwangi, 23, and his wife Dorris Mirriam, 19, died from the burns while their daughter, 3, suffered severe burns and is admitted at the Kenyatta National Hospital. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Rais mstaafu Daniel Moi aonekana kwenye "wheelchair" baada ya kupotea kwa muda According to Mwangi's mother, Beth Nyambura, the couple had constant quarrels which she always meditated. On the fateful day, they had a scuffle in the evening which subsided moments later. They went quiet, leaving their mother believing they had settled their differences. But at around 2 a.m, Nyambura was woken up by screams from her son who was asking his wife where she had kept the house keys. Apparently, the young woman had hidden the keys when she set the house on fire. READ ALSO: NASA convoy leaves Mombasa for Nairobi to attend Raila swearing-in Nyambura screamed for help from neighbours as fire engulfed the house. By the time they gained access, the three had suffered severe burns. They were rushed to the Kenyatta National Hospital where the couple died an hour apart. Their daughter is recuperating but doctors say she suffered serious burns. This comes hours after a man in Thika killed his lover before ending his life by hanging. READ ALSO: Govt denies declaring curfew in Nairobi ahead of Raila's swearing-in Peter Ndirangu, 23, is said to have killed his lover Wanjiru, 27, after she decided to end their relationship. Raila won August 8th presidential election-NASA on TUKO TV Source: Tuko News Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko has suspended a senior official following the Sunday night inferno that killed four people and left 14,000 others homeless in the informal settlements of Kijiji in Langata estate, Nairobi. The County Boss has sent on compulsory leave, the Director in Charge of the Fire Department, Brian Chunguli Kisali, for poorly coordinating the operation. In a letter dated January 29, 2018, Kisali was instructed to submit a hand over report to the Acting County Secretary and proceed on compulsory leave with immediate effect. He was accused of negligence in handling the incident where it is reported four fire engines ran out of water a few minutes after arriving at the scene, leaving the raging inferno to spread. Reports reaching this office indicate that you did not carry out your duties and responsibilities as required of you as the officer in charge of Fire and Rescue services. You were aware that a fire broke out at Langata Southland and your team lacked direction and coordination resulting into deaths and loss of property due to mismanagement of the fire disaster, read part of the letter. The Director was given a 14-day period to show cause why he should not be summarily dismissed from service. In the meantime, it has been decided that you be and are hereby interdicted from exercising the duties of your office with immediate effect pending finalization of your case, the letter continued. Sonko referred to Section 44(4) of the Employment Act, which provides for the summary dismissal of any employee who willfully neglects his duty or carelessly and improperly performs his duty. It is contemplated that you be interdicted from the service but before this is done, you are called upon to Show Cause why this action should not be taken against you, Sonko said in the letter signed by the County Secretary Leboo Ole Morintat. The inferno, which began at around 8pm was contained at 1:30am through a joint effort by the Nairobi Fire Brigade, National Disaster Management Unit and local residents. The displaced families have sought refuge at Ngei Primary School, with Deputy President William Ruto promising to spend Sh70 million towards their resettlement. What happened last night is very unfortunate. It was bad luck. But we now must seek a solution to water scarcity and ensure that people are able to rebuild their houses. The NYS will aid the reconstruction of houses, establish access roads, improve drainage and facilitate a return to normalcy. Rapid response and preparedness are a must during emergencies to avoid loss of lives and property. Ruto said while visiting Kijiji residents yesterday. - Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka's security was withdrawn prior to his and NASA flag bearer Raila Odinga's coronation, on January 30 - The government recalled Kalonzo's security detail whilst simultaneously shutting down all live media broadcasts of the swearing in at Uhuru park - NASA officials were concerned over their leader's security and condemned the move made by the government National Super Alliance deputy president Kalonzo Musyoka's security was withdrawn on Tuesday, January 30, prior to his and opposition leader Raila Odinga's swearing in ceremony to be held at Uhuru park today. Kalonzo clearly frustrated at attempts to derail him, hoped that his avid supporters could see what NASA leaders were being put through. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Rais mstaafu Daniel Moi aonekana kwenye "wheelchair" baada ya kutoweka kwa muda "My security detail has been withdrawn. I hope sincerely that our supporters can see what we are going through," Kalonzo told CitizenTV in an interview earlier today. Kalonzo, whose security was provided by the government, was expected to meet the other NASA co-principals before heading to Uhuru Park for the coronation. He left his Karen home and headed to Uhuru Park ready to take oath despite the security setbacks. Photo:Nation He left his Karen home and headed to Uhuru Park ready to take oath despite the security setbacks. Earlier, TUKO.co.ke reported how Kalonzo said the swearing-in fete was delayed following the governments calculated decision to switch off media outlets and condemned the move. Concerns were raised over the opposition leaders security after the new developments came into light. READ ALSO: Raila to be tried,sentenced and hanged then buried in Langata -Moses Kuria My security has been withdrawn, Kalonzo Musyoka says ahead of swearing-in ceremony. Photo:Twitter/KalonzoMusyoka Despite hiccups experienced on NASA's big day, supporters heeded their leader's calls for attendance and flocked Uhuru park, ready for the swearing-in ceremony. NASA supporters thronged Uhuru Park ready for the swearing in of flag-bearer Raila Odinga and his deputy Kalonzo Musyoka on January 30 Source: Tuko.co.ke - Kalonzo Musyoka went missing during Raila Odinga's swearing-in triggering anger among some NASA supporters - Raila said he will explain later what happened such that Kalonzo kept off such an event - Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo was among the first NASA MPs to show anger over Kalonzo's unexplained absence - She said she will no longer support "cowards" and that Raila will team up with Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho in 2022 Uncertainty grasped NASA supporters on Tuesday,January 30,2018 after Kalonzo Musyoka failed to attend the much-awaited Raila Odinga's swearing-in. As reported by TUKO.co.ke earlier,Kalonzo Musyoka ,Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula were part of NASA leaders who skipped the controversial Raila Odinga's swearing-in ceremony held at the Uhuru Park,in Nairobi. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Raila achukua hatua ya kwanza baada ya kuapishwa Kalonzo's absense irked throngs of NASA die-hard supporters,Raila Odinga himself and other NASA leaders. KalonzoMusyoka misses Raila Odinga's swearing-in ceremony.Photo: Edwin Ochieng/TUKO.co.ke READ ALSO: Kalonzo,Wetangula,Mudavadi skip controversial inauguration, Raila explains why Other NASA leaders such as Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo could not help but air their disappointment over Kalonzo Musyoka absence. Addressing thousands of excited NASA supporters at Uhuru Paak,Millie Odiambo said she will no longer support "cowards" and that Raila should team up with Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho in 2022. Her sentiments were echoed by other leaders and supported by countless NASA supporters who cheered upon hearing her statement. According to Millie,Joho is more fit to vie as Raila's Deputy in the 2022 General Election and not Joho. READ ALSO: Beehive loaded with bees found at Uhuru Park as anxiety grows among NASA supporters Kalonzo Musyoka misses Raila Odinga's swearing-in ceremony. Photo: Edwin Ochieng/TUKO.co.ke READ ALSO: Media houses threatened with license withdrawal should they air Raila swearing in Kalonzo,Musalia and Wetangula's absence,however,was defended by Raila Odinga who said he would be sending an official statement to newsrooms to clarify on the absence of the other leaders. "You can see here Kalonzo is not present. But I can tell you for sure Kalonzo is still in NASA. Wetangula and Mudavadi are also absent, but you will get to hear why they could not make it in due time," He spoke shortly after his inauguration. Kalonzo Musyoka misses Raila Odinga's swearing-in ceremony. Photo: Edwin Ochieng/TUKO.co.ke As reported by TUKO.co.ke earlier,Kalonzo Musyoka had revealed that his security detail had been revoked in a bid to frustrate the swearing-in. "My security detail has been withdrawn. I hope sincerely that our supporters can see what we are going through," Kalonzo told Citizen TV in an interview earlier today. Millie Odhiambo swears allegiance to Joho over Kalonzo.Photo:Millie Odhiambo/Facebook Raila won August 8th presidential election-NASA on TUKO TV Source: Tuko Newspaper -National Super Alliance co-principals have issued a joint statement explaining their absence at the controversial swearing-in event - Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula claimed they missed the event due to circumstances beyond their control - The absences of the co-principals at their party' big day has raised eyebrows with Kenyans asking hard questions about their loyalty National Super Alliance (NASA) principals issued have issued a joint statement explaining their absence during the Swearing-in ceremony held at Uhuru park ground. The co-principals claimed that they missed the oath taking event due to circumstances beyond their control that stooped them from meeting Raila. READ ALSO: Raila achukua hatua ya kwanza baada ya kuapishwa Kalonzo, Mudavadi and Wetangula say circumstances beyond their control stopped them from attending swearing-in event. Photo: Senior Leslie/ Facebook READ ALSO: Doubts emerge over Kalonzo's future in NASA,Joho likely to replace him In the statement seen by TUKO. co.ke, Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetanguala claimed to still remain strong and in unity with Raila Odinga. "We agreed to meet again this morning however, due to circumstances beyond our comprehension and control the four of s did not assemble as planned. Nonetheless, the NASA summit remains strong and unite". read the statement in part. They however confirmed their continued dedication in pursuit of reform agenda and remain united for the party's course READ ALSO: Uhuru should now arrest and charge Raila Odinga -Mutahi Ngunyi Kalonzo, Mudavadi and Wetangula say circumstances beyond their control stopped them from attending swearing-in event. Photo:Swamira Sawlani/ Twitter Uncertainty grasped NASA supporters on Tuesday,January 30,2018 after Kalonzo Musyoka failed to attend the much-awaited Raila Odinga's swearing-in. As reported by TUKO.co.ke earlier,Kalonzo Musyoka ,Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula were part of NASA leaders who skipped the controversial Raila Odinga's swearing-in ceremony held at the Uhuru Park,in Nairobi. READ ALSO: Beehive loaded with bees found at Uhuru Park as anxiety grows among NASA supporters Kalonzo's absense irked throngs of NASA die-hard supporters,Raila Odinga himself and other NASA leaders. Other NASA leaders such as Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo could not help but air their disappointment over Kalonzo Musyoka absence. Addressing thousands of excited NASA supporters at Uhuru Park, Millie Odiambo said she will no longer support "cowards" and that Raila should team up with Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho in 2022. ALSO WATCH: Raila Odinga sworn in as the people's president Source: Tuko Kenya After two months of suspense,11 and 12 year-olds across the country were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief upon collecting the results of years of sacrifice and dedication. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Russian general Valery Asapov, who died in hospital following a landmine explosion in Syria, commanded the "First Army Corps (Donetsk) of the Russian Armed Forces" during the intensification of hostilities in Donbas, Reuters has reported, citing militants and Asapov's brother. "Five rebels independently told Reuters that Asapov was a commander in the armed forces in one of them, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. Specifically, two of the rebels said, Asapov commanded the rebels' key armed division, the First Army Corps. Asapov's younger brother Vyacheslav also confirmed that his brother was in Ukraine," reads the report. In particular, three militants said Asapov was not the first general seconded to be their leader, and that "there continues to be a rotation of Russians in charge of the rebel army." Asked whether the defense ministry of the "Donetsk republic" plays any military role, a senior separatist officer said: "No. The defense ministry deals only with politics and humanitarian activities." At the time of his Ukraine mission, Asapov was formally based in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Near the end of his official assignment in Rostov in the summer of 2016, Putin gave him the rank of lieutenant-general. When he showed up in Ukraine, Asapov wore a uniform without insignia, one of the separatists who met him at the time said. Another senior officer said that when Asapov was formally introduced to militants, "we were told our commander had arrived." Many rebel officers knew Asapov was a Russian general without being told, he said. "It was clear anyway... If Russia sends aid, ammunition here, they need to watch it so that this wouldn't be embezzled," he said. The officer saw that Asapov signed documents as Primakov, and only learned his real name when he saw his pictures in reports about his death in Syria. Another of the militants recognized him only after a Reuters reporter showed him a picture of his portrait at his grave. At the same time, the separatists' command denies Asapov was in Ukraine. The fact that Russian Lieutenant-General Valery Asapov was killed in Syria became known at the end of September 2017. According to the Main Intelligence Department of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Asapov previously commanded the "First Army Corps (in the "Donetsk People's Republic") of the Center for Territorial Forces of the Southern Military District of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation." op Russian-backed militants launched one attack on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) area in Donbas over the past day. This is reported by the ATO Headquarters press center. In Donetsk direction, the enemy used grenade launchers, heavy machine guns an small arms to fire at Ukrainian servicemen near Kamyanka (62km south of Donetsk) for about 45 minutes. No casualties among Ukrainian troops were reported as a result of the attack. No ceasefire violations were observed in other areas of the conflict zone. The situation is under control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. ol The exports of goods from Poland to the United States and Ukraine grew most dynamically last year. This is stated in the research of the company Polish company Akcent, the Puls Biznesu business media outlet reports. According to the data of the main statistical office of Poland, for 11 months of 2017, the Polish exports to the US grew by 28%, to Ukraine by 26.5%, Russia by 19.7%. Among other destinations, the Polish exports to Austria (16%), Italy (14.3%) and Romania (14.7%) increased significantly last year. As Radoslav Jarema, the head of the Polish department of the Akcent international company stated, Romania and Ukraine are considered to be the most attractive countries for the Polish exports in the near future. The growth of Polish exports to Ukraine can be facilitated by the free trade area agreement between Ukraine and the EU, which opened new opportunities for exporters, as well as Ukrainians, who work in Poland and can help develop contacts in Ukraine. ol At 11 am on February 1, 2018, Hennadii Zubko, Vice Prime Minister Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine, and Georg Milbradt, Special Envoy of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Ukrainian reform in the areas of governance and decentralisation, will give a joint press conference on the topic of "International Support to the Decentralisation Reform in Ukraine." The press conference will take place at Ukrinform, 8/16 Bohdana Khmelnytskoho Street, Kyiv. Messrs Zubko and Milbradt will present their vision of the achievements and prospects of the decentralisation and regional policy reforms in Ukraine, including the support already provided and still needed from the international community. They will also elaborate on the further legislative steps which are necessary to speed up and consolidate the ongoing processes and make the decentralisation reform even more successful. Vice Prime Minister Hennadii Zubko heads the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Communal Services of Ukraine which is in charge of several reforms, including decentralisation. Georg Milbradt, Doctor of Economics and former Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony, became the Special Envoy of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany in August 2017 at the invitation of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko addressed to all G7 member states. An estimated 66 percent of business-to-business marketers say case studies are the most effective means of attracting their target audiences. When people go to your website, theyre likely to read your About section because theyre interested in your background where you went to school and your work history. Update this frequently people are curious and want to know about you. If they read anything else, it will be your case studies. Reward them by structuring this section so that there is a clearly defined challenge, your solution and the resultshow you have helped your client succeed. Make it easy for your reader to understand what youve accomplished. Make your case studies visually accessible; use subheads and bullets to help break them down so your readers can quickly understand what youve achieved. 3. Play to the masses In case youre not paying attention, theres a whole demographic out there that no longer buys anything without checking reviews and soliciting approval. The Cabinet of Ministers plans to repair more than 9,100 kilometers of Ukrainian roads and build 1,000 kilometers of new highways within five years. This is envisaged in the concept of the state targeted economic program for the development of public roads of state importance for 2018-2022, which was published on the government website. "The implementation of the program will help improve transport and operating state of more than 9,100 kilometers of roads on the main routes, particularly between regional centers, as well as construct and reconstruct more than 1,000 kilometers of roads with respective road infrastructure at the expense of international financial institutions and concessions according to modern standards," reads the document. In addition, it notes that the implementation of the program will contribute to the creation of prerequisites for expanding the network of public roads, which will ensure freedom of movement regardless of place of residence. The government predicts additional revenues from transit road transportation and the development of automobile tourism, stimulation of production and the production of new models of domestic road construction machinery and equipment. "The program will promote employment. The estimated need for labor resources for the implementation of the program is about 55,000 jobs in road sector, construction industry, road and mechanical engineering and in the sphere of servicing roadside infrastructure facilities," reads the concept. The program is to be financed from the state budget, international financial organizations and other sources. The estimated amount of required funds is UAH 322.575 billion, including UAH 175.901 million to be allocated from the state budget. op Ukraine has made tangible progress, there is a strong political commitment to prevent and combat money laundering, but new legal provisions are required to determine the severe punishment for money-laundering offenses and fight against corruption is required to be continued. This is stated in the new report of the Council of Europe's Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL), published on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "MONEYVAL acknowledged that there is strong political commitment in Ukraine to prevent and combat money laundering and terrorism financing (ML/FT), and the measures undertaken have already had a positive effect," the report says. At the same time, the document states that, despite the successes achieved, "new legal provisions are required to render more dissuasive sentences for the crimes, more resources are needed, and high-level cases are to be investigated and prosecuted more actively." "Ukraine faces considerable money laundering risks due to the corruption and illegal economic activities, including fictitious entrepreneurship, tax evasion and fraud. The sheer size of the shadow economy exacerbated by the widespread use of cash makes the country especially vulnerable," the report indicates. Among the prevalent mechanisms to launder money in Ukraine are the so-called conversions centres through which funds are siphoned from the real to the shadow economy, and which are used to convert proceeds into cash and transfer them out of the country. MONEYVAL experts also point out the need for more severe punishment for money laundering and corruption, including at the highest political level. "More prosecutions and convictions are required in cases involving high level corruption, theft and embezzlement of State assets not only by persons connects with the former regime, but also by current state officials and their associates," the document says. Experts point out that money laundering is still essentially seen as a secondary level crime, so the sanctions generally need to be more dissuasive in practice. ol The Economic Development and Trade Ministry of Ukraine has elaborated a package of documents on the establishment of the Export Credit Agency, which is expected to be approved by the Government in February. Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister of Ukraine Ukraine's Trade Representative Natalia Mykolska posted this on her Facebook page. "Yesterday, we held a working meeting chaired by [Economic Development and Trade Minister of Ukraine] Stepan Kubiv with the participation of MPs, representatives of the Finance Ministry, the Justice Ministry, the National Bank of Ukraine, Ukreximbank, the National Committee for Industrial Development and the Group of Strategic Advisers on Reform Support in Ukraine. We discussed the further steps regarding the establishment and financing of the Export Credit Agency, which should comply with the Memorandum on Economic and Financial Policies with the IMF, as well as the draft law on amendments to certain laws of Ukraine on ensuring effective functioning of the Export Credit Agency," Mykolska wrote. As stated, all the documents needed for establishment of the Export Credit Agency are expected to be approved by the Government of Ukraine in February. ol The Latvian Foreign Ministry has handed over an official note to Ukrainian Charge d'Affaires Alisa Podoliak, urging Ukraine to take the necessary measures to exclude Latvia from the list of offshore zones, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics has told the LETA news agency. "Minister [Rinkevics] noted that work had already been carried out to resolve this problem, including with the participation of the Finance Ministry. Latvian and Estonian ambassadors to Ukraine are working together on this issue, because Estonia was also included in this list," reads the report. According to Rinkevics, this situation has arisen due to the incorrect interpretation of the new tax legislation in Latvia, which foresees a zero rate of tax on reinvested profit. This system cannot be considered as tax-free, since dividends are taxed in Latvia. Earlier, the Latvian Foreign Ministry stated that the inclusion of Latvia in the list of offshore zones by Ukraine was a mistake. Representatives of the Latvian Foreign Ministry contacted the Ukrainian government to discuss measures to resolve the problem. It was reported that a similar problem in economic relations between Ukraine and Estonia had already been discussed on January 25 during a telephone conversation between Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas. Groysman said that this list was not a "list of offshore zones." Following the talks, the prime ministers agreed to instruct the finance ministries and the tax authorities of the two countries to establish interaction and hold, if needed, the necessary consultations so as to resolve possible misunderstandings. The Estonian Finance Ministry agreed that the list is not about offshore zones, but about the "countries which Ukraine advises to pay special attention to transfer pricing agreements." The Estonian Finance Ministry said that it was currently working in close contact with the Ukrainian side, so that Estonia in Ukraine could not be included in the list of suspected states for doing business. op Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Hennadiy Zubko is holding a brief meeting in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, regarding priority tasks of the region. The minister wrote about this on his Facebook page. "Ive started my trip to Donetsk region with an operational meeting at Donetsk Regional State Administration in Kramatorsk. The priority tasks for the region in 2018 include the creation of security centers for citizens, the development of educational institutions (kindergartens, schools), the formation of outpatient hospitals and rural medicine," he wrote. In addition, Zubko says that another important task is to establish full functioning of the entry and exit checkpoints at the contact line and to perform the appropriate order by Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman. ish The U.S. envoy says the number of peacekeepers potentially to be deployed was not on the agenda. U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker says he had a rather open and "very detailed" discussion with his Russian counterpart, presidential aide Vladislav Surkov, on the issue of introducing a peacekeeping mission in Donbas. During a press briefing set up via telephone from New York, Volker said that the number of peacekeepers that may be deployed in Donbas had not been discussed during the latest talks, according to an UNIAN correspondent. We didnt talk about that [the number of peacekeepers], he said, adding that the sides are still trying to figure out and agree on the missions mandate, and he is yet to hear back from the Russians on the issue. The envoy specified that the American side had not put forward a concrete plan but noted that the mission must be deployed throughout the entire territory of the conflict area, to ensure that the elections could be held safely. Read alsoVolker hands over to Surkov names of some Ukrainian hostages for swapHe added that the Ukrainian side was also supposed to fulfill its share of obligations under the Minsk agreements. Kurt Volker admitted that there were fundamental differences between Ukraine and Russia on the issue of the Minsk accords implementation. While the Russian side insists that Ukraine already take political steps (including the elections in Donbas), Ukraine deems it impossible amid security threats, and thus a standstill was being observed. According to the U.S. diplomat, the idea of a peacekeeping mission is to create a safe zone where all these steps could be implemented. Read alsoSurkov calls U.S. new proposal for deploying UN peacekeepers to Donbas doableAs reported earlier, Kurt Volker and Vladislav Surkov met in Dubai on Jan 26. This was their fourth meeting, with the previous three held in 2017. On Jan 27, Surkov called the latest U.S. proposals on a peacekeeping missions deployment in Donbas doable, adding that the Russian side would study the offer. The judge later adjourned the hearing and scheduled the next one for February 16. Opposition politician Mikheil Saakashvili was in Ukraine's Supreme Court on January 29 to seek the restitution of his Ukrainian citizenship, which was revoked by President Petro Poroshenko last year. Supporters of Saakashvili chanted "Shame! Shame! Impeachment! Impeachment!" after an appeals panel judge rejected the fiery former Georgian president's motion to invite Poroshenko to the hearing to testify, according to Radio Liberty. The judge later adjourned the hearing and scheduled the next one for February 16. Saakashvili, who is also a former governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, wants the court to rule that Poroshenko's July 2017 decree ordering his citizenship revoked was illegal. He contends that the move violated international conventions and Ukrainian law. President of Georgia from 2004-13, Saakashvili lost his citizenship in 2015 when he accepted Ukrainian citizenship and took the Odesa post at the invitation of Poroshenko an acquaintance since their university days in Soviet-era Ukraine. Saakashvili resigned as governor in November 2016, accusing the government of undermining his efforts to fight corruption and carry out reforms. Read alsoKyiv appeals court places Saakashvili under house arrest for every nightHe has become an outspoken opponent of Poroshenko, who came to power after Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych fled amid massive protests known the Euromaidan in 2014. Ukrainian authorities have accused Saakashvili of abetting an alleged "criminal group" led by Yanukovych. They also claim that anti-Poroshenko protests led by Saakashvili in Ukraine are part of a Russian plot against the government in Kyiv. Saakashvili has denied all the charges, calling them "absurd" and politically motivated. Ukrainian police on December 5 attempted to arrest Saakashvili, but his supporters surrounded the police van where he had been kept and managed to set him free. He was again detained three days later, but a judge on December 11 turned down a request by prosecutors to place him under house arrest. On January 26, a court in Kyiv imposed a curfew on Saakashvili by placing him under house arrest every night from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Saakashvili also faces pressure from the government in Georgia. On January 5, a Tbilisi court found him guilty of abuse of power ruling that he tried to cover up evidence about a 2006 murder case and sentenced him in absentia to three years in prison. He has also dismissed those charges as politically motivated. Ukraine faces considerable money laundering risks due to the corruption and illegal economic activities. The Council of Europe has recommended that Ukraine tighten laws to prevent and combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. "In its new report published today, the Council of Europe's anti-money laundering body (MONEYVAL) acknowledged that there is strong political commitment in Ukraine to prevent and combat money laundering and terrorism financing (ML/FT), and the measures undertaken have already had a positive effect. However, new legal provisions are required to render more dissuasive sentences for the crimes, more resources are needed, and high-level cases are to be investigated and prosecuted more actively," the Council of Europe said in a press release. MONEYVAL states Ukraine faces considerable money laundering risks due to the corruption and illegal economic activities, including fictitious entrepreneurship, tax evasion and fraud. "The sheer size of the shadow economy exacerbated by the widespread use of cash makes the country especially vulnerable. Among the prevalent mechanisms to launder money in Ukraine are the so-called conversions centres through which funds are siphoned from the real to the shadow economy, and which are used to convert proceeds into cash and transfer them out of the country," the report says. At the same time, MONEYVAL says the Ukrainian authorities demonstrate a reasonably good understanding of ML/FT risks. However, understanding could be enhanced in such areas as cross-border risks and risks posed by the non-profit sector and legal persons. Besides, more robust statistics should back up the risk analysis. Read alsoPoroshenko expects lawmakers to pass bill on anti-corruption court next sessionIt is also reported that since the last evaluation in 2009, Ukraine has taken a number of welcome steps, namely the adoption of a dedicated law in 2014 strengthening the procedure of financial monitoring and enhancing efforts to fight corruption through the establishment of the National Anti-corruption Bureau (NABU) of Ukraine and the Specialized National Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office. Other positive initiatives, the report reads, include "very significant efforts" by the National Bank of Ukraine to remove criminals from having controls of banks, and the successful development of complex money laundering cases. "The Financial Intelligence Unit produces good quality operational analysis; mechanisms of data collection and processing have proved effective and resulted in a significant number of cases referred to the law enforcement agencies. However, the Unit finds itself at a critical juncture as its IT system is outdated, and staffing levels are no longer adequate to cope with an ever-increasing workload. If not urgently addressed, this is likely to have a negative effect on the Unit's effective functioning," MONEYVAL said. Money laundering is still essentially seen as a "secondary level" crime, an adjunct to a predicate offence. Whenever a sentence for money laundering is given, it is almost always less than for the predicate offence. The sanctions generally need to be more dissuasive in practice, MONEYVAL experts underline. They recommend introducing a provision into a Criminal Code which would clearly state that a person may be convicted of money laundering, even in the absence of conviction for predicate offence. It is also stressed that before 2014, money laundering prosecutions usually involved the "low hanging fruit", mostly local officials, rather than top-level figures. Since March 2014, the report further reads, active steps are being taken against persons with connections to the former regime; the complex investigations have resulted so far in two court convictions, one of which for money laundering in significant volumes. More prosecutions and convictions are required in cases involving high-level corruption, theft and embezzlement of State assets not only by persons connects with the former regime, but also by current state officials and their associates. Besides, even though the authorities have recently started aggressively restraining funds in high-level corruption cases with a view to confiscation, the confiscation regime does not appear to be applied consistently in all proceeds-generating cases. "As far as terrorism financing is concerned, Ukraine has introduced it as a separate offence and is putting a system in place for countering it. However, there are still technical deficiencies that need to be addressed to bring the framework in line with international standards," reads the report. Ukraine is to report back to MONEYVAL at the first Plenary in 2019 about the implementation of its recommendations under enhanced follow-up procedures. Minister Rinkevics says the situation was caused by the misinterpretation of Latvia's new tax legislation. Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has handed an official note to the charge d'affaires of Ukraine, Alisa Podolyak, urging Ukraine to take necessary measures to remove Latvia from the watchlist of tax havens. Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said that efforts had been made before to settle the issue, including through the participation of the Finance Ministry, the Latvian information agency LETA said. Read alsoUkraine's Finance Ministry may remove Estonia, Latvia from tax havens listIn addition, the ambassadors of Latvia and Estonia to Ukraine are working jointly to resolve the issue, as Estonia was also put on the tax havens list. According to Rinkevics, the situation was caused by the misinterpretation of the new Latvian tax legislation, which provides for a zero tax rate on reinvested profit. This system cannot be regarded as tax-free because dividends in Latvia are taxable. As UNIAN reported earlier, the Ukrainian government signed a decree on December 27, 2017, that added 22 countries to its offshore watchlist, Estonia was among them. With the same decision, another two countries, Lesotho and Guyana, were removed from the list. The watchlist covers 85 countries. Apart from Estonia, places like Latvia, Georgia, Hungary, Iran, Malta, Cuba, and Morocco were added along with Asian states like Singapore, or countries in the Middle East. Ukraines top diplomat emphasizes that Moscow should realize that the Russian idea to send bodyguards to provide protection only for the OSCE SMM observers does not make sense. The "Kremlin Report", a list of persons close to Russian President Vladimir Putin who can be sanctioned, should force Russia to agree to the deployment of an actual peacekeeping mission in Donbas, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Pavlo Klimkin, believes. He is in constant contact with U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker, Klimkin said Tuesday at a joint press conference in Kyiv with the new OSCE Chairman, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy Angelino Alfano, according to an UNIAN correspondent. Read alsoVolker tells of "very detailed" discussion with Surkov on peacekeepers in Donbas"Unfortunately, during the meeting [between Volker and Russias Vladislav Surkov] no result was achieved, but we will consistently press for the implementation of the [Minsk agreements implementation] road map logic, and I hope that the latest developments, including on the American side, will also, let's say, help [Russia] understand that their [Russian] proposals regarding bodyguards for SMM make no sense. Instead, a real peacekeeping mission is needed," Klimkin said. "SMM must be provided with an opportunity to operate freely and no one must interfere, and we need to allow peacekeepers, the real ones, to take control over the situation in the occupied territories," added the minister. As UNIAN reported earlier, the US Treasury released the so-called "Kremlin report", a list of persons close to Vladimir Putin, against whom sanctions can be imposed. The list includes 210 people. Among them are all members of the Russian government, the staff of Putin's administration, other high-ranking political leaders, and oligarchs. The list included, in particular, the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, head of presidential administration Anton Vayno, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. It began almost three decades ago with a container of frozen camel blood in Belgium, took a detour through Morocco and progressed to a stock listing in New York last year. The latest chapter in Ablynxs story: a takeover worth about $4.8 billion. The biotech company which Monday agreed to a bid from Frances Sanofi, snubbing a lower offer from Danish diabetes-drug maker Novo Nordisk stemmed from an accidental discovery. A group of students at the Free University of Brussels in the late 1980s needed animal tissue for a project and found a sample of camel blood in the freezer, said Serge Muyldermans, a researcher who helped found Ablynx. Muyldermans and his colleagues noticed something unusual that sparked their curiosity. The animals immune-system proteins were noticeably simpler and smaller and therefore able to squeeze into tighter spots than the human version. Yet as the group zeroed in on the antibodies of camels and llamas, few of their peers took them seriously, Muyldermans recalled. Instead of going to animals closer to humans, we went to animals further away, said the scientist, who still owns a small number of shares and isnt involved in running Ablynx. In the beginning, people were laughing at us. Earlier reports claimed that a resolution for Ukraine would remain out of reach, despite potential progress in talks between the United States and Russia. That analysis still holds. It is unlikely that Russia will implement the plan until after its March presidential vote, given that doing so would represent a concession to the United States something it wants to avoid during election season. Read alsoVolker tells of "very detailed" discussion with Surkov on peacekeepers in DonbasFollowing Jan. 26 talks in Dubai between Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov and U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker, Surkov said that Russia would carefully study U.S. proposals for a UN peacekeeping force in Ukraine. More specifically, Surkov spoke favorably of a U.S. plan to deploy UN peacekeepers in phases, reads a 2018 Annual Forecast by Stratfor, a U.S.-based private intelligence firm A phased approach, if carried out, would be a significant departure from the United States' and Russia's respective positions up until now. Ever since Russian President Vladimir Putin first signaled his openness to a U.N. peacekeeping mission last September, the Kremlin has been adamant that such a mission must be limited to guarding independent observers on the line of contact between Ukrainian troops and occupation forces. Read also"Kremlin Report" should make Russia agree to peacekeeping mission in Donbas KlimkinThe United States and its allies in Ukraine, on the other hand, have insisted that a U.N. peacekeeping mission should be deployed throughout Donbas, including at the border between the separatist territories and Russia where the Russians regularly provide weapons and troops to sustain the rebels. A phased approach would, ostensibly, provide a compromise between the two plans. As Stratfor reported earlier, a resolution for Ukraine conflict would remain out of reach, despite potential progress in negotiations between the United States and Russia over a UN peacekeeping force. Even as the two major powers cautiously signal a willingness to find common ground over such a force, that analysis still holds. The chance of the relatives getting the damages they are entitled to is therefore very small. A group of MH17 victims' relatives won a lawsuit in a United States court which entitles them to hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, television program Zembla reports based on court documents. A total of 25 surviving relatives, including 10 Dutch, took part in this lawsuit filed against Igor Girkin, a leader among pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. The American court ruled that each surviving relative in the lawsuit is entitled to 20 million dollars in compensation, according to the Netherlands' English-language news portal NL Times. Read alsoInvestigators not yet ready to disclose names of MH17 suspects PGOGirkin was not present at the lawsuit, and he could not be found at his home address in Moscow, according to Zembla. The chance of the relatives getting the damages they are entitled to is therefore very small. "It was never about the amount of money", Floyd Wisner, the American lawyer who represented the family members in this lawsuit, said to Zembla. "The large amount of money was really only to make an impression, bring this to the world stage. That's the important thing. The aim was never really just to collect this kind of money from [Girkin], it's to try to get justice for these families. To shed some light on this terrible tragedy they've gone through. And to get the world to focus on it, to hold the people responsible like Mr. Girkin." The Dutch who formed part of this lawsuit are pleased with the verdict. "We assume that it cannot be collected. You can't pick a bald chicken. This is also more symbolic. Now they're still getting away with it. If there is something we can think of to make the lives of those involved miserable, we will not ignore it", Silene Fredriksz, mother of MH17 victim Bryce Fredriksz, said to the program. "This is one of the ways to keep the issue at the top of the agenda. And that is completely legitimate", Piet Ploeg, chairman of foundation Vliegramp MH17, said to Zembla. "The opinions on this case are rather divided. The question is whether this ruling will have any effect. As Foundation, we take no position on court cases. It is the choice of the relatives which ones they will join. Because it is also very important to keep attention on what happened. And it is important to keep the topic on the map." Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17th, 2014. All 298 people on board the plane were killed, including 196 Dutch. So far investigation revealed that the Boeing 777 was shot down by a BUK missile system, fired from a field in Ukraine that was under the control of pro-Russian separatists at the time. Investigators also managed to track the transport of the BUK missile from Russia to the field and back. According to monitors, the shelling was recorded near the Donetsk Filtration Station, Yasynuvata, Avdiyivka, Svitlodarsk and Horlivka. Monitors of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine have reported about 235 explosions in Donetsk and Luhansk regions over the weekend. Read alsoOSCE observers spot militant wearing armband of Russian members to JCCC"In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations between the evenings of January 26 and 27, including 68 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (107 explosions) and more between the evenings of January 27 and 28, including 151 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours," the OSCE SMM said in an update on January 29 based on information received as of 19:30 Kyiv time on January 28, 2017. According to monitors, the shelling was recorded near the Donetsk Filtration Station, Yasynuvata, Avdiyivka, Svitlodarsk and Horlivka. "In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations between the evenings of January 26 and 27, including 14 explosions, compared with the previous reporting period (24 explosions) and a similar number between the evenings of January 27 and 28, including, however, two explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours. During the early morning of January 27, while in Luhansk city, the SMM heard 12 undetermined explosions 8-14km north-east," the report says. The Russian warplane's action forced the U.S. Navy aircraft to end its mission prematurely, one of the officials said. A Russian Su-27 jet performed an unsafe intercept of a U.S. Navy surveillance plane while it was flying in international airspace over the Black Sea Monday, three defense officials reported. "This interaction was determined to be unsafe due to the SU-27 closing to within five feet and crossing directly through the EP-3's flight path, causing the EP-3 to fly through the SU-27's jet wash," Capt. Pamela Kunze, a spokesperson for U.S. Naval Forces Europe told CNN. The Russian jet's action forced the U.S. Navy aircraft to end its mission prematurely, one of the officials said. Read alsoUK builds radar system to protect skies from Russian aggressionKunze said the intercept lasted for a total of two hours and 40 minutes. Russian, US and NATO forces operate in close proximity to one another in the area, particularly since Russia boosted its military presence in the region following its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. Read alsoRussian spy ship spotted 100 miles off North Carolina coastCNN military analyst John Kirby said the Russian jet's action was "Inexcusable, provocative and potentially fatal." UNICEF/Knowles-Coursin NEW YORK/GENEVA, 30 January 2018 UNICEF appealed today for $3.6 billion to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to 48 million children living through conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies in 51 countries in 2018. Around the world, violent conflict is driving humanitarian needs to critical levels, with children especially vulnerable. Conflicts that have endured for years such as those in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, among other countries continue to deepen in complexity, bringing new waves of violence, displacement and disruption to childrens lives. Children cannot wait for wars to be brought to an end, with crises threatening the immediate survival and long term future of children and young people on a catastrophic scale, said UNICEF Director of Emergency Programmes, Manuel Fontaine. Children are the most vulnerable when conflict or disaster causes the collapse of essential services such as healthcare, water and sanitation. Unless the international community takes urgent action to protect and provide life-saving assistance to these children, they face an increasingly bleak future. Parties to conflicts are showing a blatant disregard for the lives of children. Children are not only coming under direct attack, but are also being denied basic services as schools, hospitals and civilian infrastructure are damaged or destroyed. Approximately 84 per cent ($3.015 billion) of the 2018 funding appeal is for work in countries affected by humanitarian crises borne of violence and conflict. The world is becoming a more dangerous place for many children, with almost one in four children now living in a country affected by conflict or disaster. For too many of these children, daily life is a nightmare. The spread of water-borne diseases is one of the greatest threats to childrens lives in crises. Attacks on water and sanitation infrastructure, siege tactics which deny children access to safe water, as well as forced displacement into areas with no water and sanitation infrastructure all leave children and families at risk of relying on contaminated water and unsafe sanitation. Girls and women face additional threats, as they often fulfil the role of collecting water for their families in dangerous situations. 117 million people living through emergencies lack access to safe water and in many countries affected by conflict, more children die from diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation than from direct violence, said Fontaine. Without access to safe water and sanitation, children fall ill, and are often unable to be treated as hospitals and health centres either do not function or are overcrowded. The threat is even greater as millions of children face life-threatening levels of malnutrition, making them more susceptible to water-borne diseases like cholera, creating a vicious cycle of undernutrition and disease. As the leading humanitarian agency on water, sanitation and hygiene in emergencies, UNICEF provides over half of the emergency water, sanitation and hygiene services in humanitarian crises around the world. When disasters strike, UNICEF works with partners to quickly provide access to safe drinking water, sanitation services and hygiene supplies to prevent the spread of disease. This includes establishing latrines, distributing hygiene kits, trucking thousands of litres of water to displacement camps daily, supporting hospitals and cholera treatment centres, and repairing water and sanitation systems. These measures save lives, have long-term impact and pave the way for other important services like health clinics, vaccination programmes, nutrition support and emergency education. The largest component of UNICEFs appeal this year is for children and families caught up in the Syria conflict, soon to enter its eighth year. UNICEF is seeking almost $1.3 billion to support 6.9 million Syrian children inside Syria and those living as refugees in neighbouring countries. Working with partners and with the support of donors, in 2018 UNICEF aims to: - Provide 35.7 million people with access to safe water; - Reach 8.9 million children with formal or non-formal basic education; - Immunize 10 million children against measles; - Provide psychosocial support to over 3.9 million children; - Treat 4.2 million children with severe acute malnutrition. In the first ten months of 2017, as a result of UNICEFs support: - 29.9 million people were provided with access to safe water; - 13.6 million children were vaccinated against measles; - 5.5 million children accessed some form of education; - 2.5 million children were treated for severe acute malnutrition; - 2.8 million children accessed psycho-social support. ### Notes for editors: Photos and multimedia materials are available for download here: https://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AMZIFIRIT3P The Humanitarian Action for Children 2018 appeal can be found here: http://uni.cf/HAC2018 For more information or for interviews please contact: Christopher Tidey, UNICEF New York, Tel: +1 917 340 3017 , ctidey@unicef.org Joe English, UNICEF New York, Tel: +1 917 893 0692 , jenglish@unicef.org Christophe Boulierac, UNICEF Geneva, Tel: +41 (0)22 909 5716 , Mobile: +41 (0) 799639244 , cboulierac@unicef.org UNICEF/UN018992/George NEW YORK, 31 January 2018 Nearly 3 in 10 young people aged between 15 and 24 years old 59 million living in countries affected by conflict or disaster are illiterate, triple the global rate, UNICEF said today. Niger, Chad, South Sudan and Central African Republic all countries with a long history of instability and high levels of poverty are home to the highest illiteracy rates among young people with 76 per cent, 69 per cent, 68 per cent and 64 per cent of 15 to 24 year olds, respectively, unable to read or write. These numbers are a stark reminder of the tragic impact that crises have on childrens education, their futures, and the stability and growth of their economies and societies, said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore. An uneducated child who grows into an illiterate youth in a country ripped apart by conflict or destroyed by disasters may not have much of a chance. This new analysis calculated using UNESCOs literacy rates in 27 emergency countries featured in UNICEFs 2018 Humanitarian Action for Children appeal is released ahead of this weeks Global Partnership for Education Replenishment Conference in Dakar, Senegal. The analysis also notes that girls and young women are at the biggest disadvantage when it comes to reading and writing, with 33 per cent of them in emergency countries failing to learn even the basics, compared to 24 per cent of boys. Yet, despite its role in leveling the playing field for the most vulnerable children and young people, education remains severely underfunded. Currently, only 3.6 per cent of humanitarian funding goes toward providing education for children living in emergencies, making it one of the least funded sectors in humanitarian appeals. Overall, UNICEF estimates that it will spend approximately $1 billion a year on education programmes over the next four years. Just yesterday, UNICEF launched a humanitarian appeal for $900 million for education in countries affected by conflicts and natural disasters. UNICEF works in countries around the world to get children into school and learning including by providing accelerated education and non-formal learning opportunities, training teachers, rehabilitating schools and distributing school furniture and supplies. In West and Central Africa, home to emergency countries with the highest rates of illiteracy among youth at 39 per cent and where the third replenishment conference will be hosted, UNICEF works with a range of partners to help children learn despite conflict and insecurity. A partnership with the governments of Cameroon and Niger, for example, is helping expand an innovative radio education programme that provides an alternative learning platform for children and youth affected by crises. More than 144 episodes on literacy and numeracy are broadcast across radio in French, Fulfulde, Hausa and Kanouri. The programme will soon be rolled out in Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau. UNICEF urges governments and other partners to take action to tackle the education crisis affecting children and young people in emergencies including by: - Providing young children with access to quality early education programmes to support their development and set them up to continue learning throughout their childhood; - Offering illiterate young people the opportunity to learn to read and write and further their education through specially designed alternative and accelerated education programmes; - Increasing investment in education, particularly for the most disadvantaged children and youth. Education can make or break a childs future, Ms. Fore said. For all children to fully reap the benefits of learning, it is key that they get the best quality education possible, as early as possible. ### Notes to editors Multimedia content can be downloaded here. UNICEF used UIS 2018 data to calculate illiteracy rates among young people aged between 15 and 24 years old in 27 of countries with available data out of 32 emergency countries where UNICEF has an individual humanitarian appeal. For more information, please contact: Georgina Thompson, UNICEF New York, Tel: +1 917 238 1559, gthompson@unicef.org (@FahadShabbir) Pakistan-Portugal Bilateral Consultations was held here on Tuesday and the two sides discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including in the spheres of politics, economy, energy, agriculture, culture, education, consular cooperation, parliamentary exchanges and people-to-people contacts ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) :Pakistan-Portugal Bilateral Consultations was held here on Tuesday and the two sides discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including in the spheres of politics, economy, energy, agriculture, culture, education, consular cooperation, parliamentary exchanges and people-to-people contacts. According to Foreign office statement, Additional Secretary (Europe) Zaheer A. Janjua led the Pakistan side, while the Portuguese delegation was headed by Ambassador Pedro Sanchez Da Costa Pereira, Director General for Foreign Policy, Ministry of the Foreign Affairs. Avenues were explored to boost cooperation in the fields of trade and investment. The Portuguese side was briefed on Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts and sacrifices, which were deeply appreciated. Views were also exchanged on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including peace and security in the respective regions. The two sides expressed satisfaction at their ongoing cooperation at the UN and other multilateral fora, and agreed to continue to support each other's candidatures. The Portuguese delegation also called on Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua. The Foreign Secretary noted with satisfaction the close and friendly relations between the two countries, which had strengthened over the years. Highlighting the achievements of the government, the Foreign Secretary briefed on the improved security situation, economic revival and increased investments in the country. The Portuguese side was apprised on Pakistan's efforts for promoting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, relations with Iran, China and India, and human rights violations in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. To institutionalize the consultations framework, an MoU on Bilateral Consultations between the Foreign Ministries of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Portuguese Republic was signed during the meeting. Pakistan and Portugal enjoy cordial relations and closely cooperate bilaterally, at the multilateral fora as well within the EU framework. Bilateral Consultations provide a useful platform to review progress in various fields and identify opportunities for future cooperation. The two sides agreed to hold the third round of Bilateral Consultations in Lisbon at mutually convenient dates in 2019. The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Communications has said that the National Highways will be built with apolitical spirit whereas Peshawar Northern bypass should be completed forthwith. PESHAWAR,(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018) : The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Communications has said that the National Highways will be built with apolitical spirit whereas Peshawar Northern bypass should be completed forthwith. These recommendations were put forth by the NA Body in its meeting held at NHA headquarters, Peshawar on Tuesday. The Committee was informed that N-55 is going to be built in phases. Three phases will be financed by the soft loan being issued by the Exim Bank Koria. The Committee recommended that the road from Chakdara to Lawari Tunnel may be improved on priority basis. The Committee was appraised that the road from Gilgit to Shandoor to Chitral has been made part of CPEC. However, the said area is not in the control of NHA. Rather it is under provincial control. The Committee also recommended that provincial government and the NHA should immediately take necessary steps to federalize the Gilgit-Chitral Road. It was informed to the Committee that Provincial Government is constructing Swat Expressway with the help of FWO. However, NOC to make interchange on motorway is yet to be given. The Committee constituted a Sub-Committee to look into the matter and make it possible that the NOC is issued without further delay. The Committee declared that all the national projects, especially, the roads would be constructed with apolitical spirit. The meeting was presided over by the Chairman Standing Committee on National Assembly on Communications Muhammad MuzammilQureshi and attended by Members National Assembly (MNAs) Sahibzada Tariq ullah, Mr. Nazir Ahmed Bughio, Sanjay Parwani, Mr. Ramesh Lal, Engr. Hamid-ul-Haq Khalil, Engr. Usman Khan Tarakai, SalimRehman, Mr. Sarzameen and Ms. Naseema Hafeez Panezai. Moreover, Deputy Commissioner, Peshawar and senior officers from National Highways and Provincial Highways, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa attended the meeting. (@FahadShabbir) The government has so far released an amount of Rs 9.609 million against total allocation of Rs 24.023 million under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP 2017-18) to carry out coal exploration and evaluation activities in Nosham and Bahlol areas of Balochistan province ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) :The government has so far released an amount of Rs 9.609 million against total allocation of Rs 24.023 million under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP 2017-18) to carry out coal exploration and evaluation activities in Nosham and Bahlol areas of Balochistan province. The new exploration schemes would be executed with an estimated cost of Rs 42. 3 million, official sources told APP. Answering a question, they said this year an amount of Rs 148 million had been allocated to carry out a survey for underground water in Quetta to facilitate citizens. They said, the Petroleum Division would spend around Rs 554.291 million, under the PSDP, to execute four ongoing and two new projects to step up exploration activities of natural resources for achieving self-reliance in the energy sector. The sources said an amount of Rs 415.807 million had been earmarked to acquire four drilling rigs and their accessories for the Geological Survey of Pakistan. While, Rs 37.977 million would be spent on appraisal of newly discovered coal resources in Badin and its adjoining areas of Southern Sindh. Similarly, Rs 3.492 million have been reserved for exploration of Tertiary Coal in the Central Salt Range of Punjab. The funds amounting to Rs 8.992 million would be utilized for exploration and evaluation of metallic and minerals in Bela and Uthal areas of district Lasbella, Balochistan. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, Engr. Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman Tuesday said that the education is fundamental for the establishment of peace and development ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) :Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, Engr. Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman Tuesday said that the education is fundamental for the establishment of peace and development. The minister stated this while addressing two-days International Conference on the Role of Muslims in the Contemporary Age jointly organized by University of Lahore, International Universities Council and International Union of Muslim Scholars here. The heads of various universities, academicians and senior scholars from the Muslim countries participated in the conference. Baligh Ur Rehman said the government is fully focused on obtaining universal literacy in the country and also meeting the national goal set for higher education. He said that Muslims today are facing many challenges and terrorism is a major challenge among them. Pakistan has played a lead role against terrorism and succeeded in controlling menace of terrorism and ensuring peace. The minister said that it is the time for the Islamic countries to put their resources, both human and finances towards achieving the cherished goal of peace, harmony, development and security in the world. The Muslim countries will also have to link up with the larger world to accomplish the common goals and develop capacity for this purpose. Baligh Ur Rehman said that Muslims will have to focus on education and equip themselves with modern technologies and skills. We will have to inculcate the students for habit of reading, he said, adding that we need to focus on character building of the students so that they could be able to differentiate between right and wrong. The minister said that present government is focusing on the promotion of quality education in the country and raised funding for education sector. He congratulated the University of Lahore, the Internal Universities Council and International Union of Muslim Scholars for organizing the international conference in Islamabad. He hoped that this gathering of scholars, academicians and diplomats will come up with a way forward and suggest actionable strategy on how the Muslims should position themselves in the present networked and fast moving world. - Becky Krystal Q: I picked up a big package of Thai birds-eye chilis for my partner, who loves spicy food. There's no way we can use all of them at once, so how should I store them? Is it okay to freeze them in a zip-close bag? Also, do you have any suggestions for recipes to use them in? A: I freeze Thai bird chilis in a zip-close bag and use what I need straight from the bag. It's a perfect solution! As to your second question, I recommend making hot sauce from some of the peppers so your partner can up the Scoville! - Cathy Barrow Q: What should you never cook in an Instant Pot? A: Well, I'm a fan of experimentation and learning about your gadget as you go along. Generally speaking, though, experts agree that you shouldn't try to pressure-cook something that a.) needs to be crisp or crunchy, or b.) requires lots of finesse, especially along the way. Once it's locked in, it's locked in, and there's no futzing with it unless you unlock it, release the pressure, etc. All of that takes time. - Alex Van Buren Q: I have a bag of green lentils that are about a year past their expiration date. Is it possible to use them? Pakistans ambassador to the United States Aizaz Chaudhry on Tuesday said that certain miscreants who destroyed peace in Karachi are now running campaigns demanding the city's separation using foreign funding WASHINGTON,(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) Pakistans ambassador to the United States Aizaz Chaudhry on Tuesday said that certain miscreants who destroyed peace in Karachi are now running campaigns demanding the city's separation using foreign funding. In a tv interview, the ambassador said that these people do not represent the views of the masses in the US and cannot pressure Pakistan into making any decision. They have faced insulting defeat. They have been exposed. How do they know what is happening in Karachi. business is booming, there is peace in Karachi today, said Chaudhry. According to media reports, ads with Free Karachi and anti-Pakistan messages had appeared on cabs and billboards in the US. Pakistan strongly protested the posters, after which the US assured it that it does not support any such group. Commenting on US reservations about Haqqani network, the ambassador said Pakistan has told Taliban and Haqqanis that they should return to Afghanistan. And there we want all Taliban factions and other stakeholders to take part in a political reconciliation process, he said, adding that Pakistan does not believe there is a military solution to the Afghan conflict. The ambassador further said that Pakistan also has reservations India is using the role being given to it in Afghanistan against Pakistan. Answering a question regarding bills introduced in Senate to stop US aid to Pakistan, Chaudhry dismissed the matter as nothing serious, and said such bills are often presented by individuals but are never see the light of the day. Learned people in the US know that maintaining a relationship with Pakistan is very important, he added. He also said that US has no reasons to have concerns about Pakistans nuclear programme. AJK Minister for Social Welfare and Industries Noreen Arif said people from her constituency in Muzaffarabad district would set a new record through their massive participation in Kashmir Solidarity Day's public gathering on February 5, to accord a rousing reception to their beloved leader Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on this occassion MIRPUR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) :AJK Minister for Social Welfare and Industries Noreen Arif said people from her constituency in Muzaffarabad district would set a new record through their massive participation in Kashmir Solidarity Day's public gathering on February 5, to accord a rousing reception to their beloved leader Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on this occassion. While talking to different public delegations in Kutla on Tuesday, Minister said that this constituency had significant historical background since the establishment of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz AJK chapter. 'People in Kutla are the soldiers of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif who will play their starring role for the success of public gathering on Solidarity day' she maintained. 'Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is the most popular leader among the masses of the state and every single individual wants to have a glimpse of their leader' she said, adding that thousands of people were expected in the public gathering She stated that a workers' meeting was going to be held regarding the arrangements of public gathering in Assembly hostel on 1st February. 'Kutla will prove that they love their leader the most and Nawaz Sharif is still our Leader', she added.. Chief Justice (CJ) of Lahore High Court (LHC) Mr. Justice Mansur Ali Shah has stressed the need of promotion of good mutual working relationship between the bar and bench for providing the early and easy justice to the poor, oppressed and needy people in the society, besides, curbing the menace of injustice. SIALKOT, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018) : Chief Justice (CJ) of Lahore High Court (LHC) Mr. Justice Mansur Ali Shah has stressed the need of promotion of good mutual working relationship between the bar and bench for providing the early and easy justice to the poor, oppressed and needy people in the society, besides, curbing the menace of injustice. He stated this while addressing an important meeting of the district judiciary held here on Tuesday. District and Session Judge (DSJ) Sialkot, Malik Zulqarnain, DSJ Narowal Muhamamd Yousaf Aujla, ADSJs, civil judges and President Sialkot District Bar Association (DBA) Khawaja Irfanul Haq were also present on this occasion. The LHC Chief Justice revealed that both the judiciary and the lawyers community should play their pivotal role in ensuring smooth provision of justice and removing all the hurdles from this way. Justice Mansur Ali Shah also stressed the need of making all out sincere efforts to provide better working atmosphere with a sole aim to dispense the speedy justice to the needy, poor and oppressed people at their doorsteps, saying that the pleasant atmosphere was also vital to bring betterment in mutual working between the bar and the bench as well. . Later, LHC Chief Justice Mansur Ali Shah visited the Yaadgar-e-Shuhada at Sialkot district jail and paid rich tributes to the judges who were martyred during an ambush with the prisoners-cum-captors in Sialkot jail tragedy on July 25, 2003(about fifteen years ago). He also offered Fateha for the eternal peace of the departed souls of the slain judges as well. CJ also stressed the need of early completion of the trial of Sialkot jail tragedy case, which had been lying pending at Supreme Court of Pakistan. The Chief Justice also assured the local judiciary to play his role in getting the slain judges of Sialkot jail tragedy declared as the Martyrs officially. The local judiciary and senior judges had demanded the official status of Martyrs for the judges killed by the captors in Sialkot district jail tragedy about fifteen years ago. They also told the LHC Chief Justice that the trial of the case of Sialkot jail tragedy had been lying pending at Supreme Court of Pakistan for the last several years. They also demanded the early completion of this trial as well. (@ChaudhryMAli88) The private residence of Dr. Ruth Pfau situated in Mary Adelaide Leprosy Centre (MALC) Karachi, has now been turned into a Dr. Ruth Pfau Museum showcasing her personal possessions ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) :The private residence of Dr. Ruth Pfau situated in Mary Adelaide Leprosy Centre (MALC) Karachi, has now been turned into a Dr. Ruth Pfau Museum showcasing her personal possessions. According to a report aired by a private news channel, the step was taken to recognise the efforts made by Dr. Pfau to eliminate leprosy in Pakistan. The German-Pakistani doctor who passed away last year in Karachi at the age of 87 was given a state funeral. Following her death efforts have been made to preserve her belongings. Mohamad Iqbal, who has been collecting Dr. Pfaus personal articles for the museum says the process took well over a month. There were many articles that were present in various departments, so to collect those and bring them together at one place took some time, said Iqbal. Following her death, we thought about converting her private quarters into a museum said CEO MALC, Mervyn Lobo. Whatever items that reminded us of her, including her possessions, are showcased here for every one to see, he said. A guest book has also been placed at the museum for visitors to share their memories and comments. Patients being treated at the MALC also visited Dr. Pfau's home that has now been converted into a museum to honour the woman they had come to know as their saviour. (@rukhshanmir) The leader of PML-N and adviser to PM Ameer Muqam claimed on Monday that Imran unlucky to become prime minister, therefore he should leave dreaming for prime minister slot. NOWSHERA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jan, 2018) : The leader of PML-N and adviser to PM Ameer Muqam claimed on Monday that Imran unlucky to become prime minister, therefore he should leave dreaming for prime minister slot. Addressing public gathering in Nowshera, ruling party leader Imran should feel ashamed while cursing on the Parliament while being received salaries from the same parliament. Imran demanded resignation of CM Punjab Shehbaz Sharif over Kasur tragedy while in his own province a woman was viciously humiliated, however he, Imran, and his CM Pervez Khattak even did not go to her family for expressing solidarity, he alleged. Calling PTI Chairman Imran he said that KP CM Khattak has been sleeping till 2:00 oclock noon, however after awakening he did bother to go people for hearing heir adversities. He alleged that Imran has different manifesto for KP as his manifesto has changed after crossing the Attock bridge, in Punjab. Imran had done Ph.D in U-turns and he never sees except his personal life, he blamed adding that he tried to conquer Lahore along with Qadri and Zardari, however people of Lahore rejected them and their nefarious designs. He claimed the people of KP were looking towards Nawaz Sharif and calling him to resolve their issues. He announced Nawaz Sharif will address the people of KP on February 14. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Parliamentary Secretary Transport Nawaz Chattha on Monday told the Punjab Assembly that Orange Line Metro Train would soon be rolled out in the Punjab capital LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jan, 2018 ) :Parliamentary Secretary Transport Nawaz Chattha on Monday told the Punjab Assembly that Orange Line Metro Train would soon be rolled out in the Punjab capital. "Dollar 563,316,588 have been spent till May 01, 2017," he added. Answering queries by a lawmaker, Arif Abbassi, during Question-Hour, he said, dollar 1.626 billion funds as foreign loan had been earmarked for Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project besides, another Rs 32 billion were allocated for land purchase, utility shiftings and security of Chinese. He said, the government was spending hefty amount on providing the most advanced transport facility to the people. To a question by the same questioner, he said, 68 buses were bought for metro bus Rawalpindi while the Punjab Mass Transit Authority made the payment to a Chinese company. He replied to a question by MPA Muhammad Arshad Malik that Motor Vehicle Examiner Sahiwal district issued as many as 10,589 fitness certificates and route permits during 2015-16 and 11,920 during year 2016-17. Replying to queries regarding her department, Provincial Minister for Environment Begum Zakia Shahnawaz said practical measures were taken to minimize pollution in rural and urban areas of the province. She said, factories causing environmental pollution had been challaned with heavy fines. In response to a question by Nighat Sheikh, Zakia said, 63 factories falling in PP-144 of Lahore had been issued Environment Protection Order (EPO) while other 38 served notices for spreading air hazards. She said, to control environmental pollution various projects were launched in Lahore, adding the Environment department had already bought Air Pointer at a cost of Rs 200 million, adding, it helped detect air pollution. She said, the department was carrying out surveys of the mills and factories using tyres, powder instead of gas. She said, Environment department in collaboration with Transport department Punjab had kicked off "Awareness Campaign." Besides, she said, two workshops had been set up at Green Town Lahore and Kala Shah Kaku where vehicles omitting pollution or making noise were being examined properly. Earlier, the sitting of the 34th session of the current assembly was started 3 hours and 51 minutes behind its schedule time with Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal in the chair. The House left its legislative business unaddressed due to lack of quorum. It did not take up the Punjab Hepatitis Ordinance 2017, the Punjab Tianjin University of Technology Lahore Ordinance 2017, the Punjab Charities Ordinance 2018, the Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Bahawalpur Bill 2018, the Bahawalpur Development Authority (Repeal) Bill 2018, the Code of Civil Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018 and the Limitation (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018. Law Minister Rana Sanaullah responded to two calling attention notices moved by PTI and PPP lawmakers. A PTI lawmaker Riaz Fatyana pointed out the quorum that led to the ringing of bells for five minutes. However, the quorum was found incomplete after the bells and the Chair adjourned the sitting to meet again on Tuesday (tomorrow) at 10 am. A Rangers personnel was martyred and a police officer wounded over resistance during a robbery attempt Monday night in the city's Landhi 89 locale KARACHI:(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) A Rangers personnel was martyred and a police officer wounded over resistance during a robbery attempt Monday night in the city's Landhi 89 locale. According to details, Rangers official Abdur Rauf and policeman Umar Wahid were going on their motorcycle when armed dacoits stopped them and tried to rob them. The law enforcement agencies personnel offered resistance upon which the dacoits opened fire and critically wounded them. The Rangers personnel was being moved to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries on the way. The incident, resulted in two gunmen being arrested and their weapons seized, the Rangers spokesperson said. The spokesperson explained that Rauf was a resident of Landhi and was on a leave before his martyrdom. Among the arrestees are suspects Imran and Shabbir, the spokesperson added. Both dacoits were wanted by police in several robbery cases. Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal took notice of the firing incident and sought an inquiry report from the DIG Police East. Secretary Excise and Taxation & Narcotics, Abdul Haleem Shaikh has said that unless all stakeholders including parents, teachers students and government departments work together to eradicate drugs in the society, we cant achieve our targets. KARACHI,(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018) : Secretary Excise and Taxation & Narcotics, Abdul Haleem Shaikh has said that unless all stakeholders including parents, teachers students and government departments work together to eradicate drugs in the society, we cant achieve our targets. Addressing as chief guest here in a inter schools tableau competition at National Museum Karachi on Tuesday organized by ET & NC Department Sindh, Abdul Haleem Shaikh said that the role of new generation was very important in creating awareness against drugs and he also appreciated the performance and hard work of the teachers and the students who participated in tableau competition. On this occasion while addressing the gathering Director General Excise and Taxation Narcotics Control Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said that the drugs not only destroyed the families but it was also harmful to the society as a whole. It is very essential to create awareness against drugs and we all have to work to get the noble cause, he added. Shoaib Siddiqui told that Excise Department Sindh collects seven different taxes and during last fiscal year it collected Rs. 53 billions in term of various taxes and for current financial year the target is Rs. 62 billions and hopefully we will get our target before the year ends. Civil Aviation Authority school got first position, Little Angel School got second while Customs School got third position in the competition. Aftab Alam and Basur Ahmed Siddiqui performed as judges and Khurrum Jamal was the compere of the program. (@rukhshanmir) Police claimed on Tuesday to have arrested two drug pushers and recovered 3.480 kg hashish from their possession SIALKOT, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) :Police claimed on Tuesday to have arrested two drug pushers and recovered 3.480 kg hashish from their possession. Muradpur police raided at Mulkay Kalana village and arrested Gul Shehzad with 1.740 kg hashish. The same police team arrested Mohsin from Pacca Garha and recovered 1.740 kg hishish from his possession. Cases have been registered against the accused. (@rukhshanmir) Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Tuesday that he aimed to ease east-west tensions within the European Union, as his new right-wing government welcomed Hungary's incendiary Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Vienna Vienna, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) :Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Tuesday that he aimed to ease east-west tensions within the European Union, as his new right-wing government welcomed Hungary's incendiary Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Vienna. "In particular since the start of the migrant crisis (in 2015) tensions have grown in the European Union," Kurz told a joint news conference with Orban in the Austrian capital. "Our great aim in Austria is to be a bridge-builder in this respect between the Visegrad states and the countries in western Europe," the 31-year-old conservative said. A rift has emerged in recent years between Brussels and the Visegrad group of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia -- and in particular with Warsaw and Budapest. A sweeping revamp of state institutions by the nationalist governments in both countries have raised worries about the rule of law, judicial independence and media freedom. Both have been the subject of legal action by the European Commission and they have refused to take part in a scheme to share out migrants around the 28-nation bloc. "The biggest danger today to the hopeful future of central Europe is migration of peoples," Orban told the news conference with Kurz on Tuesday. "When I say that the future needs to be protected I mean that we have a culture, a Christian culture... We have a way of life, and we want to protect this way of life," Orban said. - New ally - Hungary and Poland are likely to have something of a new ally in Kurz, although both Kurz and Orban on Tuesday sought to quash speculation that Austria might even join Visegrad. Kurz has talked tough on immigration and has praised Hungary for building fences on its southern border, an outer frontier of the Schengen zone. The EU scheme, Kurz said Tuesday, "isn't working... We have to stop illegal immigration in order to ensure security in Europe. I am glad that there has been a change in thinking in many European countries in recent years." Orban, 54, was expected to get an even more sympathetic audience later Tuesday in a meeting with Heinz-Christian Strache, head of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe). Since December the FPOe, which opposes immigration, has been Kurz's coalition partner. "Austria understands us, Austria understands central Europeans, Austria understands the Visegrad countries, Austria understands western Europe," said Orban, who is expected to win a third straight term in April elections. The Carolyn Parr Nature Center is one of Napa Valley's little known gems. In a quiet, tree-shrouded nook next to Westwood Hills Park, a grizzly bear and mountain lion face each other eye-to-eye and both creatures await those who pass through the front door. Despite the jagged teeth and pointed claws, visitors can get as close to these animals as they wish. The grizzly and feline are part of the stuffed, mounted menagerie housed in the Carolyn Parr Nature Center, which for more than three decades has exhibited the creatures inside a double-wide building on Browns Valley Road an up-close look at the mammals, birds and even insects native to the Napa Valley. In a city whose wineries, restaurants and hotels seemingly pull its public image further upmarket with each passing year, the Carolyn Parr center gives residents a vivid glimpse of their natural backdrop one that fascinates many of the children and others who stop by, according to a volunteer docent. As soon as they come through the door, they go for the bear either that or the mountain lion, said Joshua Thornton on Sunday afternoon as he opened up the exhibit building tucked in an easy-to-miss, tree-shrouded spot beside the Westwood Hills parking lot. If I could only count the number of times Ive had to tell kids, Dont touch the bear or the hair will fall out! Such engagement with Napas winged and four-footed denizens has gradually drawn in visitors who otherwise would have been oblivious to the collection and the stories it can tell, according to the museums director of the last 13 years. People go up the hill (into the park) and often try to come over here to use our restroom or get water or directions; otherwise they just drive past, said Joyce Nichols, president of the Napa Valley Naturalists, which oversees the educational exhibit. Its just a small building, not very ostentatious. But later, some come back with kids once they see whats going on in there. The museum was the brainchild of Carolyn Parr, a local supporter of wildlife rescue and rehabilitation who co-founded the Napa Valley Naturalists in 1978. After Parrs death two years later, a portion of her estate went to the Naturalists to build a nature center, which moved into a manufactured building on Browns Valley Road in 1984. Though well-stocked with mounted fauna from bobcats to badgers to terns, the Carolyn Parr center is far removed from the stereotype of taxidermy-stuffed hunting lodges. None of the animals have been hunted for display purposes and most are made from the bodies of the fatally injured, except for the mountain lion, which museum directors say was shot by a Lake Berryessa resident after it killed 19 goats in the area. In addition to whole animals and the miniature riparian, desert and other habitats housing many of them, the museum includes a collection of pelts and skulls from black bears, coyotes, foxes and other animals that children are encouraged to touch and handle. A lending library offers books on nature and the environment for those paying annual dues to the Carolyn Parr center. Though regular visiting hours are scheduled on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, the nonprofit museums outreach includes regular class visits from Napa schools that send children on guided weekday tours, as well as summertime visits by youth groups at the nearby Connolly Ranch. The center also hosts monthly presentations educating Napans about local species such as bats, owls and coyotes. Sunday was one of the quieter afternoons among the frozen-in-the-moment forest dwellers. An hour passed before Thornton, the docent, received his first visitors: Jim Hart and Diana Chapman, a Southern California couple who had moved to the neighborhood in August and had found the building after arriving at the park. I always wanted to see one in real life, said Chapman as she peered through a glass case at a mounted badger, before she and Hart turned their attention to the mountain lion and grizzly and then to photo displays a few yards away, including layouts showing the rescue of an orphaned beaver being bottle-fed like a baby. Inanimate though the resident animals are, Nichols described them as some of the most important ones in Napa for educating residents about the value of the valleys remaining open spaces. Seeing them up close, she said, reminds people that animals need to have space, need to be allowed to be in the wild, and its (peoples) responsibility to make sure that we all live together peacefully, harmoniously, happily. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. (@ChaudhryMAli88) South Korea on Tuesday condemned a car bomb attack on a police station in San Lorenzo in northwestern Ecuador, which reportedly wounded dozens people, Yonhap report said SEOUL,(APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) :South Korea on Tuesday condemned a car bomb attack on a police station in San Lorenzo in northwestern Ecuador, which reportedly wounded dozens people, Yonhap report said. A car bomb exploded outside a police station in San Lorenzo, Esmeraldas Province, in the early morning last Saturday. More than 20 people were reported to have sustained injuries. "Our government condemns the bomb attack on a police station in the town of San Lorenzo in Ecuador's Esmeraldas Province on Jan. 27 and extends its consolation to those injured and their families," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. "The government supports the Ecuadorian government and people's efforts to resolve the latest incident and will continue to be part of the international solidarity for peace and co-existence," the ministry said. In response to the Saturday attack, Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno has declared a state of emergency in San Lorenzo and another canton, Eloy Alfaro, to boost security. (@ChaudhryMAli88) South Korea's top nuclear envoy will travel to Russia this week to discuss cooperation in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile ambitions, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, Yonhap reported SEOUL(APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) :South Korea's top nuclear envoy will travel to Russia this week to discuss cooperation in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile ambitions, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, Yonhap reported. Lee Do-hoon, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will leave for Moscow for a three-day trip on Wednesday during which he is to meet his Russian counterpart and Vice Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and other officials, according to the ministry. They are expected to discuss the recently resumed inter-Korean talks on the North's participation in the upcoming Winter Olympics and ways to turn the easing tensions into momentum for negotiations to resolve the North's nuclear and missile problems. Lee's trip to Russia will mark the first since he took the post as South Korea's top nuclear negotiator in September. Lee and Morgulov last met in Seoul in November. Taiwan troops staged live-fire exercises Tuesday to simulate fending off an invasion, as the island's main threat China steps up pressure on President Tsai Ing-wen and a row over airline routes escalated Hualien, Taiwan, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) :Taiwan troops staged live-fire exercises Tuesday to simulate fending off an invasion, as the island's main threat China steps up pressure on President Tsai Ing-wen and a row over airline routes escalated. The military dispatched reconnaissance aircrafts to surveil simulated incoming ships, followed by tanks firing rounds as the mimicked enemy landed at the Port of Hualien in eastern Taiwan. Attack helicopters released flares and F-16 fighter jets also launched assaults, backing up on-the-ground battle against the "enemy" troops -- who wore red helmets to differentiate themselves. While the ministry did not specify the annual drill simulated a Chinese invasion, it said that the drill is to "show determination to safeguard peace in the Taiwan Strait and national security." The Taiwan Strait is the waterway that separates the island from China. It comes after Tsai last month warned against what she called Beijing's "military expansion" -- the increase of Chinese air and naval drills around the island since she came to power in May 2016 -- and amid a new row over flight routes in the strait. Beijing sees the self-ruling island as part of its territory, to be reunified at some point, and by force, if necessary. Cross-strait relations have turned frosty since the inauguration of Tsai, who refuses to acknowledge self-ruling, democratic Taiwan is part of "one China." The drill on Tuesday takes place annually prior to Lunar New Year holiday -- which lands in mid-February this year -- as a way to boost public confidence in Taiwan's defence capabilities. "Our combat readiness has no holidays," Huang Kai-sen, a lieutenant general, told AFP. "In order for our citizens to feel safe during the Chinese New Year, we are standing by and on guard 24 hours a day," he said. Fighting between gangs at a prison in Brazil's northeastern Ceara state left 10 dead early Monday, state law enforcement authorities said Sao Paulo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) :Fighting between gangs at a prison in Brazil's northeastern Ceara state left 10 dead early Monday, state law enforcement authorities said. "A fight began between rival groups of inmates, resulting in fatalities," a spokesman for the justice secretary said. Guards have retaken control of the facility, he said. The bloodshed took place in the Itapaje Public Prison, about 78 miles (125 kilometers) from the state capital Fortaleza. On Saturday, at least 14 people were gunned down at a nightclub in Fortaleza. Local media reported that the massacre, conducted by armed men who arrived in three cars, was related to disputes between rival drug traffickers. Officials did not say whether there was any link between that and Monday's incident. Last year, there were a record 5,114 murders in the state of Ceara, a 50 percent rise from 2016. Brazilian prisons are notoriously overcrowded, with 726,712 inmates as of June 2016 and capacity for only 368,000 -- roughly half, according to the most recent official statistics. The country is already one of the most violent in the world, with nearly 60,000 homicides annually. Much of that violence is the result of battles over drug turf, with conflicts taking place not only in the streets but behind bars where drug kingpins continue to hold sway. In one of the most bloody episodes, 56 were killed in an uprising in a prison in the city of Manaus in Brazil's Amazon a year ago. According to the noticias.r7.com news site, the massacre in the nightclub and Monday's prison attack were related. "It's the same dispute that has been occurring these last days and resulted in Ceara's worst ever massacre," the site quoted the president of the state prison workers' union SINDESP-CE as saying. Local reports said Saturday's killings were part of turf wars between two drug gangs: the smaller GDE (Guardians of the State) and CV, or Red Command, which operates nationwide and is one of Brazil's most active. Adding to Brazil's security woes, the police force is regularly accused of breaking the law in carrying out extrajudicial killings, falsifying evidence and failing to investigate its own officers. Human Rights Watch reported earlier this month that police had killed 4,224 people in 2016 -- the last available figures -- which was about 26 percent more than in 2015. The streets are also deadly for police: 437 were killed in 2016, the report said. Senegalese police fired tear gas as angry protesters went on the rampage in the north of the country on Monday after a fisherman was killed by coastguards in Mauritanian waters Saint Louis, Senegal, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jan, 2018 ) :Senegalese police fired tear gas as angry protesters went on the rampage in the north of the country on Monday after a fisherman was killed by coastguards in Mauritanian waters. Hundreds joined the protest in the northwest coastal city of Saint-Louis, following the death of the young Senegalese fisherman late Saturday. The protesters pillaged shops owned by Mauritanians and overturned cars, setting them ablaze, before police moved in with tear gas to disperse them. At least three police officers were injured as the demonstrators hurled projectiles while chanting slogans calling for local fishermen to be given licences to fish in Mauritanian waters. On Saturday night the Mauritanian coastguard opened fire on a boat with nine Senegalese fishermen aboard which was operating in its territorial waters near the border between the west African neighbours, according to a Mauritanian security source. A 19-year-old from Saint-Louis was shot and died later of his wounds, the source added. "We condemn with the greatest force this intervention by the Mauritanian coastguard," Senegal's fisheries minister Oumar Gueye said on the private RFM radio station Monday. The two countries have no fishing accord, "but that doesn't justify the use of bullets leading to the death of a man," he added. The young fisherman's body will be taken to the capital Dakar for an autopsy, added Gueye, calling for calm. A prior fishing accord between Senegal and Mauritania was not renewed when it expired in 2016, after the Senegalese side refused a Mauritanian demand that fish caught in its waters should be landed in Mauritania. Senegalese fishermen, particularly from Saint-Louis, have been tempted out of their domestic waters because of overfishing. Incidents between the Mauritanian coastguard and Saint-Louis fishing boats have become frequent in recent years. Who are the moderates, what are their policies, who are the extremists, what are their stances, etc., need to be studied in detail. Keep notes of all major events - these are extremely important (saying for the third time!) Till now everything we have seen in history are the curry, poriyal, sambar, rasam, etc. The main item - rice! Here it comes - some of those are - Partition of Bengal (1905), Swadeshi Movement (1905), Surat split (1907), formation of Muslim League ( 1906), Indian council act (1909), Ghadar party formation (1913), Lucknow pact (1916), Home Rule movement (1916), arrival of Gandhi (1915), Champaran Satyagraha (1917), Ahmedabad Mill Strike (1918), Kheda Satyagraha (1918), Government of India Act (1919), Montague-Chelmsford reforms, Rowlatt Act (1919), Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919), Khilafat movement (1919), Non cooperation movement (1920), Swaraj movement, Bardoli Satyagraha, Simon Commission (1927), Nehru Report (1928), 14 points of Jinnah (1929), Civil disobedience movement (1930), Gandhis 11 vows, Dandi March (1930), Gandhi - Irwin pact (1931), 3 round table conferences (1930,1931,1932), Poona pact (1932), Government of India Act (1935), August offer (1940), Cripps mission (1942), Quit India movement (1942), arrival of Bose, formation of Indian National Army, Rajaji formula (1944), Desai-Liaqat Pact (1945), Wavell plan (1945), Gandhi-Jinnah talks of 1944, Royal Indian Navy revolt (1946), Cabinet mission (1946), formation of the constituent assembly, Mountbatten plan (1947), Indian independence act (1947), partition of India - if all these are imprinted in memory then they can be of a great use in UPSC, TNPSC, and all other competitive examinations! Also, all important Governor-Generals and Viceroys, and the major events during their time need to be studied. Freedom fighters of India (especially those who are lesser known) need to be studied carefully. From the topic we have just seen, a minimum of 4/5 to a maximum of 10 questions can be asked. By now you would be having an idea about the importance of this topic. This understanding of what is important is in itself half success! Rest you study and show in the examination! We shall meet soon in the next topic! That change was prompted in part by the fact that, at that time (1982), only 44 percent of state employees were dues-paying members of a union, Becerras brief said, adding, Without a fair share requirement, a minority of employees could end up paying the full cost of negotiating and administering the contract that set the terms and conditions of employment for all employeeseven though the negotiating union was required by law to fairly represent all employees, without any preference for those who agreed to join the union and bear part of the cost of the representation. As that history and whats happened in other states that abolished agency fees imply, unions are worried that overall membership would decline sharply especially among lower-paid workers to whom dues are significant costs. That would not only deprive unions of the fee money from non-members, which is small potatoes, but the much larger stream of revenue from members to support political operations, such as electing allies to office and lobbying for better benefits outside of the collective bargaining process. By extension, it would also deprive Californias Democratic Party of the political funds it has used to acquire and maintain its dominance in the state. Afghanistan is asking the U.S. government to stop deporting Afghan nationals, saying it has no repatriation agreement with the United States. "We did not sign any such agreements with the United States of America," Ahmad Shekib Mostaghni, spokesperson for the Afghanistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the VOA Afghanistan Service. If there were such an agreement, Mostaghni said, it would have been made by the nation's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations, which he said handles all immigration issues. "So, since they are not aware of such an agreement, I can officially confirm that we MoFA did not ink any deal with the U.S in this regard," Mostaghni said. Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations adviser Hafiz Ahmad Miakhel also insisted that his government has not approved a repatriation agreement and said the ministry is asking for a halt to all deportations. "Ongoing war has been forcing people to leave Afghanistan," he said in an interview. "We are a country still at war, and our people need to be helped rather than deporting." The European Union entered into a repatriation agreement with Afghanistan in October 2016 to pave the way for the return of failed Afghan asylum seekers. In addition, Germany, Sweden and Finland have country-to-country agreements. Afghan refugee families wait to be registered at t FILE - Afghan refugee families wait to be registered at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) repatriation center on the outskirts of Peshawar, April 27, 2017. FILE - Afghan refugee families wait to be registered at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) repatriation center on the outskirts of Peshawar, April 27, 2017. When VOA asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement if the United States has such an agreement, spokesman Brendan Raedy provided a written response: "International law obligates each country to accept the return of its nationals ordered removed from the United States. The United States itself routinely cooperates with foreign governments in documenting and accepting its citizens when asked, as do the majority of countries in the world." Afghan deportations Deportations from the U.S. were down overall in 2017, but an analysis of the data by National Public Radio shows that if the Latin American countries which make up some 90 percent of repatriations are not counted, deportations to the rest of the world were up by 24 percent. "Deportations to Brazil and China jumped," NPR reported. "Removals of Somalis nearly doubled. Deportations to Ghana and West Africa are up more than two times." Afghanistan is no exception. ICE statistics show the number of Afghans deported rose sharply last year from 14 in fiscal year 2016 to 48 in FY 2017. "Dozens of Afghan immigrants or asylum seekers have been deported to Kabul since [U.S. President Donald] Trump took the power," Miakhel said. "In April 2017, we received a group of 21 deportees of different ages." Miakhel said there was not much clarity about the reasons for the deportations. "We were told that some of the Afghan deportees were not qualified to seek asylum in the U.S.; some of them may have posed a threat to the U.S. national security or may have committed crimes." The United States has an estimated 14,000 troops in Afghanistan assisting, training and equipping the Afghan National Security Forces to defeat Taliban, Islamic State and other insurgent groups. According to the U.N. High Commission for Refugees, more immigrants and refugees hail from Afghanistan than any other country except Syria. Some 2.7 million Afghan immigrants and refugees are under UNCHR protection worldwide, most of them fleeing violence and insecurity. ISLAMABAD - U.S. President Donald Trumps rejection of peace talks with the Taliban has provoked a strong reaction from the Islamist insurgency, while lead Afghan clerics advocate against continuation of military action to end the war in Afghanistan. We have always maintained, the true authority of war and peace is not with the Kabul regime but with the American invaders, and the recent statement by Trump made this matter brighter than the sun, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday. Trump ruled out talks with the insurgent group and vowed to finish them in the wake of a wave of terrorist attacks in the Afghan capital, Kabul, that killed hundreds of people. Theyre killing people left and right. Innocent people being killed left and right, Trump told a U.N. Security Council delegation at the White House on Monday. So we dont want to talk with the Taliban. There may be a time, but its going to be a long time, noted the U.S. president, suggesting a stronger military campaign against the Taliban was imminent. Trump and his war-mongering supporters should expect an equal reaction and not roses from the Taliban, asserted the insurgent spokesman in a written statement released to media. War will only make the reactionary jihadist waves more violent and increase the human and financial losses of American troops by many folds, Mujahid said. Crossing a 'red line' A spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday stopped short of supporting Trumps idea of rejecting talks with insurgents. Shah Hussain Murtazawi told VOA the Afghan government will now use all available means to stop the Taliban from conducting terrorist attacks. The Taliban have crossed a red line and lost the opportunity for peace...We have to look for peace on the battlefield. They have to be marginalized, Murtazawi pledged. He said a suicide car bombing last Saturday was the red line. The blast killed more than 100 people and wounded 250 others. Afghan policemen inspect the site of a bomb attack FILE - Afghan policemen inspect the site of bombing attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan. 28, 2018. On Saturday, a car bomb ripped through a crowded area outside a government building, killing more than 100 people. An Afghan offical said that with the attack, the Taliban, which claimed responsibility, crossed a "red line." FILE - Afghan policemen inspect the site of bombing attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan. 28, 2018. On Saturday, a car bomb ripped through a crowded area outside a government building, killing more than 100 people. An Afghan offical said that with the attack, the Taliban, which claimed responsibility, crossed a "red line." On Tuesday, an Afghan council of 100 prominent clerics met in Kabul to denounce the militant violence as un-Islamic. The councils spokesman, Mohammad Qasem Halimi, while talking to reporters, declined to directly comment on Trumps refusal to engage in talks with the Taliban, but maintained that Islamic Afghanistan faithfully believes in resolving issues through peace negotiations. I want to stress that those [the Taliban] who are not coming to peace talks are against the [Islamic] religion. I am hopeful that discussing peace on the table talks can solve the problems. But we have not yet come to the conclusion that war is the way forward to find peace, particularly in Afghanistan, Halimi said. Visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan explained to reporters in Kabul Tuesday night that there was no change in Washington policy and the stepped up U.S. military pressure on the Taliban is meant to push insurgents into peace talks. Civilians have borne the brunt of the Afghan conflict in recent years. Observers see the stepped up Taliban attacks as a reaction to recent battlefield setbacks and killings of key Taliban commanders in U.S.-led international airstrikes. The insurgency has refused to engage in peace talks until all foreign forces leave Afghanistan. Pakistan complicit? The United States believes the Haqqani network, a faction within the Taliban, plotted Saturdays attack. Afghan officials have also long accused Pakistan of supporting and sheltering the Taliban and Haqqanis. The Pakistani government denies the charges and has condemned the recent series of heinous attacks in the neighboring country. Pakistani authorities also cite stepped up border scrutiny measures in addition to sustained counterterrorism operations on their side. Earlier in January, about 1,800 Pakistani clerics issued a fatwa, or religious decree, declaring suicide bombings and anti-state acts as un-Islamic. Afghan officials and clerics, however, dismissed the move as insufficient for it being limited to Pakistan only. Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal rejected the criticism as misplaced and declared the religious directive as a "landmark" development for countering religious extremism and terrorism. It [the fatwa] goes on to prohibit the use of Pakistani territory for the propagation of any kind of terrorism...Afghanistan may on its part seek a similar fatwa from its ulema [body of religious scholars]. The application of fatwas is universal and not restricted to geographical limits, Faisal maintained. Islamabad also alleges that anti-state militants are using bases in Afghan border areas to launch attacks against Pakistan, charges Kabul denies. An improvement in strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan is seen as key to effective regional counterterrorism efforts. ADDIS ABABA - The African Union said on Monday it is open to imposing sanctions on leaders violating ceasefires in South Sudan, joining a growing chorus of officials who say those prolonging the conflict must be punished. "We need to act against those who, with impunity, are continuing to massacre their peaceful populations," the head of the African Union commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, told reporters at the AU Summit on Monday. Oil-rich South Sudan has been wracked by civil war since 2013, when troops loyal to President Salva Kiir clashed with troops loyal to then-Vice President Riek Machar. Since then, the conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, slashed oil production and driven about a third of the population of 12 million from their homes. Ceasefires have been repeatedly violated and last week the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and the internationally-backed ceasefire monitoring team both called for sanctions on leaders who instigated violence. Machar is already under house arrest in South Africa, where he flew for treatment after being wounded. Mahamat's statement is important because many African countries have been divided on how best to deal with the violence in South Sudan. Fighting has often split the country along ethnic lines and reports of sexual violence are widespread. The war has sent nearly two million refugees flooding across the region in Africa's worst such crisis since the 1994 Rwanda genocide. Mahamat did not specify whether the AU was referring to travel bans, asset freezes or arms embargoes - all options that have been discussed. "All the agreements that have been signed have been violated," he said. "Here (at the AU), we have provisions on sanctions." Some top officials close to Kiir have already been sanctioned by the United States, including the once-powerful army chief Paul Malong, who was later fired and forced into exile when he quarreled with the president. The United States wants to impose an arms embargo, but may face resistance at the U.N. from China, who has invested heavily in South Sudan's oil fields. Amazon.com on Monday opened a rainforest-like office space in Seattle that it hopes will spark new ideas for employees. While cities across North America are seeking to host Seattle-based Amazon's second headquarters, the world's largest online retailer is still expanding its main campus. Company office towers and high-end eateries have taken the place of warehouses and parking lots in Seattle's South Lake Union district. The Spheres complex, officially open to workers Tuesday, is the pinnacle of a decade of development here. The Spheres' three glass domes house some 40,000 plants of 400 species. Amazon, famous for its demanding work culture, hopes the Spheres' lush environs will let employees reflect and have chance encounters, spawning new products or plans. People tour the new Amazon Spheres, as seen from t People tour the new Amazon Spheres, as seen from the main floor, during a grand opening event at Amazon's Seattle headquarters in Seattle, Washington, Jan. 29, 2018. People tour the new Amazon Spheres, as seen from the main floor, during a grand opening event at Amazon's Seattle headquarters in Seattle, Washington, Jan. 29, 2018. The space is more like a greenhouse than a typical office. Instead of enclosed conference rooms or desks, there are walkways and unconventional meeting spaces with chairs. Jeff Bezos, Amazon's billionaire founder, officially opened the project in a ceremony with Amazon executives, elected officials and members of the media by voice command. "Alexa, open the Spheres," Bezos said, as a circle in the Spheres' ceiling turned blue just like Amazon's speech-controlled devices, whose voice assistant is named Alexa. The second and third floors of the new Amazon Sphe The second and third floors of the new Amazon Spheres are seen during a grand opening event at Amazon's Seattle headquarters in Seattle, Washington, Jan. 29, 2018. The second and third floors of the new Amazon Spheres are seen during a grand opening event at Amazon's Seattle headquarters in Seattle, Washington, Jan. 29, 2018. Amazon has invested $3.7 billion on buildings and infrastructure in Seattle from 2010 to summer 2017, a figure that has public officials competing for its "HQ2" salivating. Amazon has said it expects to invest more than $5 billion in construction of HQ2 and to create as many as 50,000 jobs. "We wanted to create something really special, something iconic for our campus and for the city of Seattle," said John Schoettler, Amazon's vice president of global real estate and facilities. FILE - Amazon's Seattle headquarters in Seattle, W Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos opens the Amazon Spheres by asking Alexa during an opening event at Amazon's Seattle headquarters in Seattle, Washington, Jan. 29, 2018. The Spheres are made up of 2,643 glass panels. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos opens the Amazon Spheres by asking Alexa during an opening event at Amazon's Seattle headquarters in Seattle, Washington, Jan. 29, 2018. The Spheres are made up of 2,643 glass panels. Earlier this month, the online retailer narrowed 238 applications for its second headquarters to 20. The finalists, from Boston and New York to Austin, Texas, largely fit the bill of being big metropolises that can attract highly educated tech talent. Amazon started the frenzied HQ2 contest last summer and plans to pick a winner later this year. At the Spheres' opening, Governor Jay Inslee said the project now ranked along with Seattle's Space Needle as icons of Washington State. The Spheres, designed by architecture firm NBBJ, will become part of Amazon's guided campus tours. Members of the public can also visit an exhibit at the Spheres by appointment starting Tuesday. BUENOS AIRES - Executive branch government employees in Argentina will get no pay raises this year and one out of every four political positions appointed by ministers will be cut, President Mauricio Macri said on Monday, deepening his austerity drive. The clampdown on political positions, including advisers appointed by government ministers, is viewed as an attack on a patronage system that has been in place for decades. The firings, expected to save $77 million a year, are symbolic of Macri's drive to regain market confidence. Austerity has to be part of politics, Macri said in a televised address. He spent the first two years of his administration dismantling the trade and currency controls set up by his predecessor, Cristina Fernandez, who had expanded the role of government in the economy. He was elected in 2015 with a mandate to free the markets and improve Argentinas business climate. Macri, expected to seek re-election next year, denounced the corruption and clientelism of past administrations. Included in the measures announced on Monday, family members of ministers were banned from holding government jobs. Macri scored a series of business-friendly legislative wins late last year after his coalition swept mid-term elections. But passage of his pension reform bill last month triggered violent protests and a decline in the presidents approval ratings. The government wants to foster the idea that politically appointed officials share the burden of the fiscal adjustment. It also wants to convey the message that this administration really is different from its predecessors, said Ignacio Labaqui, analyst for consultancy Medley Global Advisors. Pressured by the countrys powerful labor unions, the government canceled a special session of Congress planned for February to debate Macris proposed labor reform. The bill includes amnesty for companies that register workers who had been paid off the books. It aims to curb litigation by workers and would lighten social security taxes paid by employers. The private sector has long argued for more flexibility in labor regulations. VIENNA, AUSTRIA - The Hungarian and Austrian prime ministers- both hardliners on immigration - came away from a meeting on Tuesday with a pledge for close cooperation in Europe if not a formal alliance Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz led his conservative party to victory in Austria's October parliamentary election, then struck a coalition deal with the anti-immigration Freedom Party, making Austria the only western European country with a far-right party in government. Both of Austria's ruling parties have adopted language similar to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's on immigration and Islam, pledging to cut benefits for refugees and warning darkly that Muslim "parallel societies" are emerging in cities like left-leaning Vienna. Given their similar views, Kurz has said his country could serve as a go-between in the European Union for the West and the Visegrad group of eastern states, which includes Hungary and Poland, two countries that frequently defy Brussels on issues including immigration and fundamental rights. "Particularly since the migration crisis, tensions within the European Union have grown more and more," Kurz told a joint news conference with Orban. "Our big goal is to be a bridge-builder here between the Visegrad states and other, western European states." Kurz made immigration the core of his campaign after Austria took in one of the biggest contingents of asylum seekers in Europe's migration crisis in 2015, relative to its population. Many of those people came via Hungary, until Orban fenced off much of its border with Serbia. The Freedom Party's leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, who is now vice chancellor and who met Orban later on Tuesday, has said Austria should move away from its usual western European allies, including Germany, by joining Visegrad - but Kurz and Orban said that was not on the agenda. "Neither the Visegrad states have the desire to expand the group of Visegrad states nor is there the desire here to join," Kurz said. "What is needed is good cooperation between neighboring states, between Austria and Hungary." Foot in both camps Kurz has sought to reassure allies that his government will be pro-European, even though he and Strache favor a smaller EU that focuses on fewer tasks, especially securing its external borders. He has sided with Visegrad in saying the EU should stop pushing countries to take quotas of relocated asylum seekers. But he supported the bloc's steps against Poland for threatening the rule of law and democratic principles. And he has taken steps that could complicate a rapprochement with Orban. Kurz'sgovernment is continuing Austria's decades-old policy of opposing nuclear energy, and said this month it would sue the European Commission for allowing Hungary to expand its Paks power plant. It has also decided to curb child benefits for workers whose children live in poorer countries, including Hungary. Visegrad member Slovakia has already objected, and Hungary has said people who pay the same taxes in Austria should be entitled to the same benefits. The two sides repeated their disagreements on those points, but Orban said Budapest would treat them as European rather than bilateral issues and not let them harm the two countries' ties. "Austria understands us, and also understands western European countries. The role it set for itself is very favorable for Hungary," Orban said. "I am grateful to the Chancellor for defining a bridge role [for Austria]." YAOUNDE, CAMEROON - Cameroon has jailed 47 seccessionists including Ayuk Tabe Julius, head of a group from Cameroons Angolphone region pushing for a breakaway from French-dominant Cameroon. Cameroon government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma Bakari says Ayuk Tabe Julius and his nine cabinet members were arrested in Nigeria on January 5. They were brought to Yaounde and handed over to the government of Cameroon Monday. He says the collaboration of the governments of Cameroon and Nigeria worked together to arrest the armed separatists. "The government of Cameroon takes this opportunity to commend the excellent cooperation existing between Nigeria and Cameroon particularly with regards to security. The government of Cameroon reaffirms the determination of both countries never to tolerate that their territories be used as base for destabilizing activities directed against one of them." Since Ayuk Tabe and his group were arrested, they have never been seen in public either in Cameroon or in Nigeria. Armed separatists said on social media that they had been detained in a police cell in Abuja and were refused access to their lawyers. FILE - A still image taken from a video shot on Oc A still image taken from a video shot on Oct. 1, 2017, shows protesters waving Ambazonian flags in front of road block in the English-speaking city of Bamenda, Cameroon. A still image taken from a video shot on Oct. 1, 2017, shows protesters waving Ambazonian flags in front of road block in the English-speaking city of Bamenda, Cameroon. In December 2017, Nigerian local newspapers reported that a group of 37 English-speaking Cameroonians had been arrested near Gembu in Taraba state while they were receiving military training to return and fight for the independence of a state they call Ambazonia. After their arrests, simultaneous attacks were reported in two English-speaking regions with the government reporting that at least 18 policemen and soldiers had been killed. Several dozens of the attackers also died and at least six villages were burned. Last week, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced that tens of thousands of Cameroonians had fled across the border to Nigeria as a result of the violence. Fonki Samuel, moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, says the arrests of the suspected separatists may lead to further violence and killing. "What is the option and the way out is the proper, well-staged and organized dialogue. You can not have unity and peace without justice." Cameroon has not said where those arrested persons will be tried. Its 2014 anti-terrorism law says that any one who uses weapons against the government will face a military tribunal. If convicted on such charges, they could face the death sentence. The unrest in Cameroon began in November, when English-speaking teachers and lawyers in the northwest and southwest regions, frustrated with having to work in French, took to the streets calling for reforms and greater autonomy. Message to Republicans: You can be pro-growth. You can be anti-immigration. But, honestly, you can't be both. Now, within the immigration debate, there are a lot of questions with no obvious right answers. What's the right balance of immigrants admitted for their skills and those allowed in because they have relatives here? How much effort should be devoted to tracking down the undocumented, and how much to punishing companies that hire them? What should we do about the millions of immigrants who came here illegally a decade or more ago and have become established members of their communities? And - what is the right number of legal immigrants every year from now on? Big, complicated questions - which is why Congress shouldn't try to solve them all between now and Feb. 8, its self-imposed deadline for resolving the issue of the "dreamers." In the few days that remain, the best it could do would be to, well, resolve the issue of the dreamers - the undocumented immigrants who were brought here as young children through no fault of their own, who obey the law and who go to school or work or serve in the military. BARCELONA, SPAIN - Catalan separatist lawmakers who want to re-elect their fugitive ex-president suffered a setback Tuesday when the house speaker postponed a planned regional parliament meeting, saying it wouldn't take place until there were guarantees Spanish authorities "won't interfere." The decision by Roger Torrent came after Spain's top court ruled Saturday that Carles Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium three months ago and faces arrest if he returns, could only be re-elected if physically present in the parliament in Barcelona. The court also ordered that he must obtain permission to appear at parliament from the judge investigating him over Catalonia's independence bid. The Constitutional Court rejected an appeal by Puigdemont's party Tuesday, in effect denying the speaker's demands to allow Puigdemont's re-election without legal impediments. The delay in the re-election leaves the future government of the prosperous region in something of a limbo. The parliament was initially scheduled to have a first investiture vote by Wednesday, but it's now not known when the speaker may call it. Puigdemont's party, which along with other separatist parties has a slim majority in the chamber, was caught off guard by the suspension. "I am not going to propose a candidate other than Puigdemont," Torrent said. "President Puigdemont has all the right to be elected." "The Spanish government and the Constitutional court aim to violate the rights of millions of Catalans and this we will not accept," he added. Spain's government welcomed Torrent's decision. An official speaking anonymously in line with government rules said that pressure applied by the government and the country's top court "have prevented a mockery of our democracy." Puigdemont is one of more than a dozen Catalan political figures facing possible rebellion and sedition charges following the previous parliament's illegal and unsuccessful declaration of independence in October, which brought Spain's worst political crisis in decades to a head. Spain seized control of the region by firing Puigdemont and his government and dissolving parliament following the independence declaration. It says it will keep control until a new government takes office following elections held December 21. Dozens of extra police were deployed outside the parliament building and helicopters hovered overhead in a bid to detect Puigdemont if he tried to turn up clandestinely. Border controls have also been stepped in recent days. Several hundred pro-independence supporters rallied near a park surrounding the building, many donning Puigdemont masks. As tension built up, a few hundred protesters broke through the police cordons into the park and made their way to parliament's gates. They shouted slogans in support of Puigdemont and Catalonia's independence before peacefully abandoning the area by dusk. Earlier, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy urged the Catalan parliament to drop Puigdemont's candidacy and opt for a "clean candidate" who is willing to obey the law and work for the return of normality in Catalonia, a region of 7.5 million inhabitants and which represents a fifth of Spain's gross domestic product. BANGKOK - Thailand's military-led government is facing growing criticism for again delaying the next general election that is supposed to return the country to civilian rule, at least nominally. The military junta, known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has been in power since May 2014, and has set out a "political roadmap" for elections that were first set to take place in 2016. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha speaks durin FILE - Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha speaks during the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 21, 2016, at U.N. headquarters. FILE - Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha speaks during the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 21, 2016, at U.N. headquarters. The prime minister, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, then set the date in November before the military-appointed National Legislative Assembly pushed the date back to February 2019. Criticism mounted, with foreign diplomats joining a chorus of protests that included Thai NGOs and opposition groups. "The number of times now they have delayed this election; basically it went from one year to two years to three years to four years. It's just too much and people have lost patience," said Chris Baker, a commentator and author on Thai politics. Baker said a weak domestic economy is also undermining support for the government and adding to the climate of discontent. Also eroding the government's support is a scandal involving the deputy prime minister, Prawit Wongsawon, who has touched off a firestorm of public criticism for wearing luxurious watches estimated to be valued at more than $1.2 million. General Prayut, in recent media comments, has avoided making any commitment binding the junta to step down after the election. Government officials blame the delays on legislative obstacles. The Thai military took power in May 2014 following months of anti-government protests against the elected government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The protests were initially triggered by the Yingluck government's attempt to pass an amnesty bill to clear her older brother and former leader, Thaksin Shinawatra, who fled Thailand in 2008 while facing corruption charges. FILE - Ousted former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck FILE - Ousted former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra greets supporters as she leaves the Supreme Court in Bangkok, Thailand, Aug. 1, 2017. FILE - Ousted former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra greets supporters as she leaves the Supreme Court in Bangkok, Thailand, Aug. 1, 2017. Thaksin, a populist who pushed policies favoring Thailand's rural poor and middle classes, triggered deep political polarization in the kingdom. The policies helped Thaksin and his supporters win several elections, while his "Red Shirt" movement also challenged Bangkok's elite establishment. Analysts say that while there is increasing criticism of the military government and of corruption, many in the middle class also fear a return of a pro-Thaksin government and renewed upheaval. But Kraisak Choonhavan, a former senator and member of Thailand's Democrat Party, said there is discontent even among former supporters of the military known as "Yellow Shirts." "A lot of the Yellow [shirts] are unhappy also because they have been penalized quite heavily for their political activities against Thaksin," Kraisak told VOA. Rights groups say the military, facing a loss of popularity, has also stepped up suppression of criticism and anti-government protests. All gatherings of more than five people are currently banned. A crackdown on online commentaries has led to the charging of a respected Thai historian, Charnvut Kasetsiri, and a dean from Thammasat University, Anusorn Unno. Thai police are also investigating organizers of recent demonstrations, including a group that called for early elections. But Titipol Phakdeewanich, dean of political science at Ubon Ratchathani University, said any delay in the election is unlikely to have a major impact on many Thais who have adjusted to life under military rule. "I don't think [a delay] would have a strong impact because of the power and the kinds of legal mechanisms that the NCPO [junta] have. They use [these] to suppress people," Titipol said. He said the military has also sought to win support by applying populist economic policies in rural areas, supporting farmers with price subsidies and give-aways, undermining grass root support for the pro-Thakisn Red Shirt movement. Members of the pro-government "red shirt" group ta FILE - Members of the Red Shirt group take part in a rally in Nakhon Pathom province, on the outskirts of Bangkok, May 11, 2014. FILE - Members of the Red Shirt group take part in a rally in Nakhon Pathom province, on the outskirts of Bangkok, May 11, 2014. The next step in the political process is due to come in March when new political parties will have the opportunity to register members a full month before existing major parties such as the Democrats and pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai parties will be required to register members a move analysts say is meant to favor a bid by General Prayut to remain in power. HAVANA - Tourism to Cuba, one of the few bright spots in its ailing economy, has slid in the wake of Hurricane Irma and the Trump administration's tighter restrictions on travel to the Caribbean island, a Cuban tourism official said on Monday. Although the number of visitors rose nearly 20 percent in 2017, it fell 10 percent on the year in December, and is down 7-8 percent this month, Jose Manuel Bisbe York, the president of Cuban state travel agency conglomerate Viajes Cuba, said. Arrivals from the United States, which had surged in the wake of the U.S.-Cuban detente in 2014, took the worst hit, dropping 30 percent last December, he told Reuters. "Since Hurricane Irma, we've seen arrivals shrink," Bisbe York said on the sidelines of the event organized by U.S. travel agency insightCuba to dispel tourist misperceptions about Cuba. Irma hit in September, just as the tourism sector was taking reservations for its high season from November to March. Images of destruction put many would-be visitors off although Cuba had fixed its tourism installations within two months, said Bisbe York. Arrivals of Canadians, the largest group of tourists to Cuba, were down 4-5 percent. "But we see this as a temporary thing and what we are seeing is that arrivals are recovering from month to month," said Bisbe York, adding that Cuba would go ahead with its plans to launch more than 15 hotels island-wide this year. "The first trimester will be the most difficult, because logically the change in the public perception takes time." Tourists walk past an image of Cuba's late preside Tourists walk past an image of Cuba's late president Fidel Castro in downtown Havana, Cuba, Nov. 11, 2017. Tourists walk past an image of Cuba's late president Fidel Castro in downtown Havana, Cuba, Nov. 11, 2017. Occupancy rates at the hotels in Cuba managed by Spain's Melia Hotels International S.A. were down around 20 percent on the year in December and January, said Francisco Camps, Melia's Cuba deputy general manager. "From February though, we are already reaching figures similar to those we had in previous years," he said. Republican President Donald Trump's more hostile stance towards Cuba than his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama looks set to have a more lasting impact than Irma. The number of U.S. visitors had surged since the Obama administration created greater exemptions to a ban on tourism to the Caribbean's largest island and restored regular commercial flights and cruises. Arrivals reached a record 619,523 last year, up from 91,254 in 2014. But the Trump administration in September issued a warning on travel there due to a spate of alleged health attacks on U.S. diplomats in Havana. In November, tighter travel regulations also went into effect. The double whammy seriously depressed U.S. visits, American tour operators and a cruise line said at Monday's event, although in reality the restrictions remain looser than before the detente and travel easier. Cuba is also still one of the safest destinations worldwide, they said. "While the regulations he changed very little the perception in the U.S. was that you no longer could travel to Cuba legally," said insightCuba's Tom Popper, noting his agency's reservations were down 50 percent this year. "Part of hosting this event was to communicate that it is 100 percent legal to travel to Cuba." Last week British Prime Minister Theresa May basked in praise in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum from U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he thought she was doing a good job and pledged to help advance a trade deal to help offset economic losses Britain will likely suffer from leaving the European Union. But this week, the growing rift in her Cabinet over Brexit, as well as her leadership, has critics within her ruling Conservative party saying she isn't doing a good job and accusing her of governing more like a tortoise than a lion. Traditionally, the Conservatives are unsentimental when it comes to ditching their leaders, and far more so than the main opposition party, Labour, which has often retained leaders long after they should have been dumped. And internecine warfare in Britain's Conservative party can be especially fratricidal: most of the key players tend to have grown up together in college, where they waged youthful ideological battles or competed to run student societies and debating clubs. The bruising rivalries of the past often remain unforgiven. But few of May's senior party foes have the political courage to condemn her openly. That is left to lawmaker allies who don't have government positions or to ideological friends in the country's top newspapers, mostly Conservative. Hence this week's avalanche of headlines in the key Conservative newspapers, The Times, Daily Telegraph, and Daily Mail: "Theresa May Faces Growing Calls to Quit," "It Could End for Mrs. May Tomorrow," "One Well-Aimed Speech Could Topple Mrs. May," and "Theresa May's 'Tortoise' Leadership Openly Criticized." In a column headlined "Will Someone Rid Us of This Appalling PM?" The Times columnist Iain Martin accused May of overseeing "one of the most spineless, depressed and depressing administrations in living memory." He remarked she appears "temperamentally incapable" of getting things done, "with a zero capacity for initiative." Demonstrators, one dressed in a Theresa May puppet Demonstrators, one dressed in a Theresa May puppet head pose near parliament in London, March 13, 2017. Demonstrators, one dressed in a Theresa May puppet head pose near parliament in London, March 13, 2017. Dogged by criticism May has been dogged by criticism and predictions of doom since she became prime minister in July 2016 after her Conservative predecessor, David Cameron, quit in the wake of the Brexit referendum. But even her friends acknowledge her tenure has been hapless. She called an early snap parliamentary election in a bid to expand her party's Commons majority, only to suffer reversal after running what the media described as a desultory and robotic campaign. That left her heading a minority government dependent on the votes of a small Northern Ireland party. Critics say May has struggled to define exactly what she stands for, and what she has to offer. She tried to distinguish herself by offering a social mobility agenda, but that effort collapsed when the entire board of a high-powered Social Mobility Commission resigned in protest at the lack of government action, claiming they were being used as window-dressing. Earlier this month, her attempt to mold a more friendly Cabinet in a reorganization failed calamitously and revealed her weakness when some senior ministers refused to be moved or sacked. One minister told the Spectator magazine's James Forsyth, "She's like the Wizard of Ozthere's nothing there when you pull back the curtain." But behind the curtain is a raging battle within the British establishment over Brexit, one seamed with personal rivalries and ambition. And that, according to a Conservative minister who spoke with VOA, is "sucking the oxygen from the government." He added, "We are unable to agree on what Brexit should mean, unable to address other pressing matters, including the awful state of the national health service, and that issue alone could lose us the next general election, and when it comes to important foreign issues, we are just missing in action." Brexit Party members clash over whether Britain should crash out of the European Union without a deal, secure a Canada-like trade agreement or follow the Norwegian example and exit the political institutions of the bloc, Britain's largest trading partner, but retain membership in the Single Market and the customs union. Britain's "soft-Brexit" finance minister, Philip Hammond, caused a storm last week when he said in Davos that May's government would seek only "modest" changes in Britain's relationship with the European Union in upcoming negotiations, prompting a furious reaction from so-called hard Brexiters, who have also been making speeches, infuriating May's officials and disclosing the scale of party rifts. A leaked government analysis Tuesday that projects Britain will be considerably worse off after Brexit, and especially so if it exits without a deal, is fueling the rancor within party circles with hard Brexiters dubbing their opponents "mutineers" and "traitors" and soft-Brexiters describing their foes as "swivel-eyed" and "jihadists." Conservative insiders say May has survived because senior members on either side of the party's Brexit divide fear the consequences of a leadership challenge. Neither side can guarantee one of their champions would replace May.Others worry that trying to topple May now will lead to an early election, one that Labour is in a strong position to win. "She survives, for now, because anyone who took over from her would face the same challenges and the same disaffection," says Walter Ellis, a commentator with the news site Reaction. An earlier version of this story misidentified Iain Martin as a columnist with The Telegraph. He is in fact a columnist with The Times. VOA regrets the error. ISTANBUL - Nine members of Turkey's medical association have been detained for voicing opposition to the ongoing Turkish-led military incursion into Syria against a Kurdish militia group. The arrests are part of a widening crackdown on dissent over the operation. Ankara's prosecutor's office issued arrest warrants for 11 leading members of the Turkish Medical Association, including its head, Rasit Tukel. Police raided the homes of the doctors early Tuesday morning. The organization's offices across the country have also been targeted. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday labeled the association's members as traitors and "servants of imperialism." The remarks were in response to the association calling for an end to the ongoing military incursion into Syria, and the doctors raising humanitarian concerns for civilians trapped by fighting. Families take shelter in basements in the Kurdish FILE - Families take shelter in basements in the Kurdish town of Jandairis near the Syrian-Turkish border, west of the city of Afrin, Jan. 26, 2018. FILE - Families take shelter in basements in the Kurdish town of Jandairis near the Syrian-Turkish border, west of the city of Afrin, Jan. 26, 2018. Nearly two weeks ago, Turkish-led forces entered the Syrian enclave of Afrin to oust the YPG Kurdish militia, which is a key ally of the United States in the fight against Islamic State. Ankara accuses the YPG of supporting a Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey. Reaction to detentions The doctors' detention has drawn swift political condemnation. Member of parliament Selin Sayek Boke of the opposition CHP, speaking outside the headquarters of the medical association, criticized the government. "This is an attack on freedom of expression and on those who call for peace and it is an attack done by those who want to kill the culture of living together in this country," Boke said. International human rights groups have also criticized the detentions. The London-based Amnesty International's Turkey representative, Andrew Gardner, tweeted the government should be protecting the association, rather than detaining doctors from their beds on false propaganda charges. The Turkish government should be protecting the Turkish Medical Association from threats of violence. Instead it is detaining doctors from their beds this morning on false accusations of terrorist propaganda. #TTBninYanndayz https://t.co/hWYfrNQTEP pic.twitter.com/0PEGyQDljo Andrew Gardner (@andrewegardner) January 30, 2018 ?Growing crackdown The medical association is one of the country's most prominent nongovernmental organizations, with more than 80,000 members. The arrest of its leading members is part of a growing crackdown on dissent over the ongoing Syrian operation. The Turkish Interior Ministry announced Monday that more than 300 people, including four journalists, have been detained under the country's anti-terror laws for social media postings criticizing the operation. Erdogan said last week all dissent would be crushed. Fighting between separatists and government forces in southern Yemen has killed at least 36 people, the Red Cross says, while the president accuses the fighters of a coup. About 185 people have been wounded. President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi is calling for a cease-fire, saying "rebellion and weapons won't achieve peace or build a state." He said the real enemy is the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, and anything else distracts from that fight. Fighting broke out when Hadi ignored separatists' demands to fire Prime Minister Ahmed Obaid bin Dagher, accusing him of corruption. Yemeni soldiers are pictured on their position on Yemeni soldiers are pictured on their position on a mountain on the frontline of fighting with Houthis in Nihem area near Sana'a, Yemen, Jan. 27, 2018. Yemeni soldiers are pictured on their position on a mountain on the frontline of fighting with Houthis in Nihem area near Sana'a, Yemen, Jan. 27, 2018. A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition that backs Hadi is calling for restraint by the separatists and for the government to listen to their "political and social" demands. The separatists are backed by the United Arab Emirates. They want to bring back the independent country of South Yemen. The fighters have seized several government buildings in the port city of Aden, which is serving as the capital of Hadi's internationally-recognized Yemeni government. South Yemen was an independent state before its unification with North Yemen in 1990. All of Yemen has been in turmoil since Houthi rebels seized the capital of Sana'a in 2014, forcing Hadi to flee to exile in Saudi Arabia. Hadi has remained there while his government operates out of Aden. Saudi-led coalition airstrikes looking to oust the Houthis have obliterated entire civilian neighborhoods, including schools and hospitals. Yemen is also battling a deadly cholera outbreak and a possible famine. The U.N. estimates about 80 percent of Yemenis are in desperate need of food, medicine and clean water. QUITO - A group of dissidents from the Colombia's former FARC guerrilla group were likely behind an attack on a police station in Ecuador, in retaliation for offensives against drug trafficking in the Andean nation, Ecuadors defense minister said on Monday. A car bomb exploded on Saturday outside a police station in the town of San Lorenzo, on the border with Colombia, wrecking the station, damaging other houses in the area, and leaving 28 people with minor injuries. They are dissident groups of the FARC, dissident groups of a subversive movement that our brothers in Colombia has and that we are fighting because they have dedicated themselves to drug trafficking, Defense Minister Patricio Zambrano told reporters in Quito. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) fought the Colombian government for more than 52 years, but demobilized after a 2016 peace deal. Though thousands of members handed over their arms, more than 1,000 are estimated to have refused, choosing to continue lucrative drug trafficking and illegal mining. Police seized more than seven tons of chemicals and another ton of drugs in recent days and arrested seven people linked to dissident FARC operating on the border, according to official data. Zambrano said the groups are seeking to frighten the population as the government combats drug trafficking. CAIRO - A coalition of eight Egyptian opposition parties and some 150 pro-democracy public figures on Tuesday called for a boycott of the March presidential election, calling it an absurdity and comparing the governments handling of the vote to that of old and crude dictatorships. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is virtually certain to win a second, four-year term in the March 26-28 vote. A face-saving candidate's last-minute entry spared the government the embarrassment of a one-candidate election but drew a torrent of criticism and mockery on social media. The call for a boycott by the Civilian Democratic Movement came just days after five opposition figures, including a 2012 presidential candidate and two top campaign aides for now-arrested presidential hopeful Sami Annan, called on voters to stay away from ballot boxes and on Egyptians not to recognize the vote's outcome. It is not right for us to surrender to what has become an absurdity bordering on madness, Abdel-Geleel Mustafa, a veteran opposition figure, told a news conference at one of the parties headquarters in Cairo. FILE - A supporter holds a poster showing Presiden A supporter holds a poster showing President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in front of the National Elections Authority in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 29, 2018. A supporter holds a poster showing President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in front of the National Elections Authority in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 29, 2018. Hamdeen Sabahy, who finished a distant second behind el-Sissi in the 2014 election, called on other pro-democracy groups to join the coalition. Come and let us stand together. This is a moment when the people will make their say known and, God willing, the say of the people will prevail, he told the news conference. The ideology of the eight parties is rooted in the 2011 uprising that ended the 29-year autocratic rule of Hosni Mubarak. They also supported the massive June 2013 protests against Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, which paved the way for the militarys ouster of him the following month. They and others have since been sidelined by el-Sissi, who has waged one of the most sweeping crackdowns on dissent in Egypts modern history. The parties have limited support on the ground, in large part due to restrictions on their activities placed by security agencies. Their call for a boycott, however, could dampen turnout. The parties said their young members came up with the slogan stay home for their boycott campaign. Speakers for the parties did not say what they intend to do to make the boycott effective. Egyptian elections typically attract low turnout, particularly when the outcome is a foregone conclusion. El-Sissi has repeatedly urged Egypts estimated 60 million registered voters to cast ballots. After a string of would-be challengers were arrested, forced out or quit the race, the prospect of a virtual referendum not unlike those held by autocratic rulers in the past had clouded the election. Presidential candidate Moussa Mustafa Moussa of th Presidential candidate Moussa Mustafa Moussa of the Ghad, or Tomorrow Party, talks during a press conference at his office in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 29, 2018. Presidential candidate Moussa Mustafa Moussa of the Ghad, or Tomorrow Party, talks during a press conference at his office in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 29, 2018. Moussa Mustafa Moussa, a little known politician and a staunch supporter of el-Sissi, submitted his documents Monday, just minutes before the election commissions deadline. Moussa is the leader of the Ghad, or Tomorrow, party, which does not have a single seat in parliament. The national election authority said Tuesday that both el-Sissi and Moussa had met the requirements and declared them official candidates. Moussa told a news conference Monday that he did not intend to be a prop in the election. But until a few days ago, he was a staunch supporter of el-Sissis re-election. BRUSSELS - Senior European Union officials on Monday urged the eurosceptic but pro-Russian Czech President Milos Zeman to pursue cooperation within the bloc following his re-election. Zeman won a second term in a presidential election in the Czech Republic last weekend after campaigning on a tough stance against immigration and touting his courtship of Russia and China. In a message of congratulations, European Council President Donald Tusk wrote: "I trust that your country will continue to play an active and constructive role within the European Union." The former Polish prime minister, who has tried to calm mounting frictions between the wealthier governments in the west and the formerly-communist EU states in the east, highlighted his own efforts to get the bloc to "better respond to European citizens' concerns" a nod to popular worries over issues such as immigration. The head of the EU's executive European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, echoed Tusk's appeal for cooperation. "In an increasingly polarized and complex world, we need to build bridges within and between countries," he wrote. Later on Monday, Juncker was due to host Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who has support from Zeman as he struggles to form a government following a parliamentary election in October. While Babis is expected to reassure Juncker that Prague remains dedicated to the EU, he will also make clear he would not help other countries in the bloc by agreeing to host any refugees, sources said. The migration dispute, which has split the eastern members of the bloc from their western and southern peers, has caused bad blood in the EU, weakening member states' trust in each other. Nigerian women risk being sidelined in elections next year, said female leaders, calling for greater training and support in a country where about only one in 20 lawmakers are female. Few women are likely to win seats in Nigeria's 2019 general elections due to discrimination, a lack of will from political parties and a shortage of female candidates, politicians and civil society leaders said. "Every party wants to put its best foot forward, and we are not sure that many are going to put women forward," said Olufunke Baruwa, head of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, an advocacy group seeking to boost women's leadership. Women occupy only 27 of 469 parliamentary seats, and the United Nations ranks Africa's most populous nation as one of the worst in the world for female representation in parliament. Speaking this month at an event in the capital Abuja on boosting women's involvement in politics, several politicians said aspiring female leaders should be trained in skills such as fundraising and encouraged to join political parties. "Instead [of focusing on the challenges women face], we should help women learn more about fundraising, negotiation, consensus," said Ebere Ifendu, the national publicity secretary of the Labour Party, one of Nigeria's main opposition parties. Getting girls interested in and inspired by politics is crucial, said Olaoluwa Abagun, founder of the Girl Pride Circle Initiative, which helps girls obtain internships in parliament. "If you walk into a room where you have adolescent girls, you most likely won't find them talking about politics," Abagun said at the event organized by the British government. "Even boys as young as 10 say: 'I want to be president.' ... We need to be conscious about investing in adolescent girls." Nigeria's female lawmakers say more women are needed in government to support policies that affect women across the country, such as gender-based violence and maternal mortality. Yet discrimination is a major obstacle, said Aishatu Jibril Dukku, a member of parliament from the northeast state of Gombe. "Being a woman is a disqualification, especially in the area where I come from," she said. "As a contestant, I had to work twice as hard to convince my people that I can do it." Female lawmaker Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje told Reuters last year that sexism and physical threats were scaring women away from Nigerian politics. 0504 Report of a verbal disturbance between two men on Fulton Lane. Police arrested a 22-year-old St. Helena man on suspicion of domestic violence and DUI. 0735 Medical aid on Voorhees Circle. 1058 Report of a reckless driver passing over double yellows on Silverado Trail near Skellenger Lane. Police notified the CHP. 1711 Police received a noise complaint involving the dirt bike track built within city limits right across from Madrona Avenue. 1933 An officer found graffiti on a Main Street building. 2231 A man came into the police department asking for help finding a friend he was hoping would pay his cab fare of approximately $300. Police confirmed the man had a warrant for his arrest for drug possession, so they arrested him for the warrant and a new charge of petty theft. Monday, Jan. 29 0824 Graffiti was found on a light box near College Avenue. 0854 Five German shepherds were reportedly wandering around near Main/Deer Park. An Australian filmmaker arrested last year in Cambodia on charges of endangering national security remains behind bars after that country's high court rejected his application for bail. James Ricketson was arrested in Phnom Penh last June for mounting a camera on a drone to film a campaign rally by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party. The 68-year-old Ricketson faces 10 years in prison if convicted of the charges. The Supreme Court issued a statement Tuesday saying it rejected Ricketson's application because his case is still under investigation. Alexandra Kennet, a lawyer for Ricketson's family, told reporters the family is "very, very disappointed" by the Supreme Court's decision, which was handed down in Ricketson's absence; a court clerk said the van taking him to court for the hearing was late in arriving. Kennet said Ricketson's family is also worried about his health, as he is detained in a cramped cell with 140 other prisoners. Ricketson's arrest coincides with an apparent crackdown on dissent by autocratic Prime Minister Hun Sen to retain his 32-year grip on power, including the Supreme Court's decision to dissolve the CNRP back in December. The court sided with a lawsuit filed by Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), accusing the CNRP of being involved in a plot to topple the government. The accusations led to the arrest of party leader Kem Sokha on charges of treason. The CNRP represented the biggest threat to Hun Sen's long rule after making unexpectedly strong gains in the 2013 general elections. Support is growing for the opposition, especially among younger Cambodians eager for change. Hun Sen's government has also shut down a number of independent newspapers and English-language radio stations, including those broadcasting the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. NAIROBI - Kenyas Interior Ministry has declared the opposition alliance known as the National Resistance Movement, or NRM, a criminal organization after the groups leader, Raila Odinga, in front of thousands of supporters, symbolically took the oath of president in defiance of last years controversial election and of authorities who said his actions would be considered treason. Odinga was greeted by thousands of frenzied supporters at Nairobis Uhuru ParkTuesday afternoon, despite a seven-hour delay that some endured in the hot sun. As the 73-year-old and his entourage drove through the crowd, his supporters jostled, and some scuffled, to see him inaugurated as the so-called peoples president. After swearing an oath of office on a green bible, Odinga called it a historic day for the people of Kenya. Todays step is one step towards doing away with electoral autocracy, said Odinga. And, establishing full-fledged democracy in our country. Supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga, one Supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga, one wearing a mask, attend a mock "swearing-in" ceremony at Uhuru Park in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 30, 2018. Supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga, one wearing a mask, attend a mock "swearing-in" ceremony at Uhuru Park in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 30, 2018. NRM called a 'criminal group' The Interior Ministry wasted no time issuing a statement after the ceremony declaring the NRM an organized criminal group under Kenyas Prevention of Organized Crimes Act. It was not immediately clear if that would mean the arrest of Odinga or any other opposition leaders in the NRM. Independent local broadcasters say the government orchestrated a media blackout to prevent live television coverage of Odingas swearing-in. Citizen TV was one of three major stations to go off air Tuesday. Citizen TV's owner expressed shock and disappointment to VOA that it could happen with no explanation. Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta delivers a speech Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta delivers a speech during a ceremony at the All Saints Anglican Church in Nairobi, Kenya, Oct. 5, 2017. Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta delivers a speech during a ceremony at the All Saints Anglican Church in Nairobi, Kenya, Oct. 5, 2017. Supreme Court orders new election President Uhuru Kenyatta was declared the winner of an August election, but the countrys Supreme Court took the rare step of annulling the results, citing irregularities within the electoral process. Odinga boycotted an October re-run of the election and the court backed Kenyattas win in that vote. Odingas National Super Alliance, or NASA a coalition of opposition parties contests the results of the re-run vote. Kenyas attorney general in December said Odinga declaring himself president would be considered an act of high treason, an offense punishable by death. President Kenyattas office last week warned Odinga that any actions would be subject to Kenyan law. Although police used some tear gas on supporters in an area near the event, an expected heavy police presence did not materialize and no major clashes occurred. Opposition concerns their leaders could be arrested before the event did not come to pass either. Odinga briefly led the packed crowd in a chant, repeating, A people united can never be defeated, before telling supporters that Tuesdays speech was for the media and the rest would all be known to you in due course. His entourage then slowly drove through the crowd and out of the park. A supporter of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odin A supporter of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga of the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition jumps from a bus after riot police fired tear gas canisters to disperse them after his swearing-in ceremony in Nairobi, Jan. 30, 2018. A supporter of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga of the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition jumps from a bus after riot police fired tear gas canisters to disperse them after his swearing-in ceremony in Nairobi, Jan. 30, 2018. Supporters are optimistic Although there is no legal backing for Odingas inauguration, many supporters like Peter Musyoka are optimistic. After the swearing in, I am expecting our president ... to lead us and give us a way forward. And, I believe that Kenya will completely change, our democracy will change, and Kenyans will fully understand their rights, he added. In an exclusive interview with VOA's Swahili service earlier in January, Odinga raised the possibility of forming a rival government, either inside or outside of Kenya. VOA Swahili contributed to this report?. WASHINGTON / AFRIN, SYRIA - Kurdish officials said Monday that Turkish air raids have seriously damaged an Iron Age temple in the northern Syria town of Afrin. The temple of Ain Dara is located near a village by the same name in the southern countryside of the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, and was built by the Arameans from around 1300 to 700 BC. Globally noted for its similarities to Solomon's Temple, the ancient sanctuary consists of large carved stones and wall reliefs, sculptures depicting lions and sphinxes, and giant footprints carved into the floor. "The center of the temple, all the way to its right gate, has seriously been damaged," Salah Sino, a member of the Afrin antiquities committee, told VOA. "The ballast blocks at the right gate have been smashed into pieces and spread as far as 100 meters around the temple." Sino said at least 50 percent of the neo-Hittite temple has been destroyed by Turkish shelling. He said the site came under attack twice last week. Afrin, Syria A statement from the Syrian government's directorate general of antiquities and museums of the ministry of culture called for international pressure on Turkey "to prevent the targeting of archaeological and cultural sites." A VOA reporter in northern Syria who visited the site Sunday confirmed that the relics were harmed, and said apparent shell craters could be seen inside the temple. VOA could not independently confirm if the damage was done by Turkish actions. Turkey is currently engaged in an air and ground offensive in northwestern Syria's city of Afrin against a Kurdish group known as the People's Protection Units, or YPG. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organization, alleging the group is an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey for decades. But the U.S. denies those connections and sees the YPG as a key ally in the battle against the Islamic State. Washington has urged Turkey to show restraint and focus on fighting IS. Meanwhile, YPG has claimed that Turkish war jets have targeted Midanki Dam also known as the 17th of Nisan Dam located on the Afrin River, threatening the surrounding villages and towns with flooding if the dam collapses. "Turkish warplanes have targeted Midanki Dam with several air raids, putting hundreds of villages in peril," according to the statement issued Sunday. Turkey's response But Turkey maintains that its only targets in Syria are YPG. "The operation concerns terrorists and terror organizations within the Afrin district," said deputy prime minister Bekir Bozdag, as reported by state-run Anadolu Agency on Jan. 29. Bozdag said some quarters were spreading reports that Turkey was attacking civilians and the Kurdish population in the region. "This is all false news. Turkey is a state for our Kurdish brothers, as well," he said. But according to U.K.-based watchdog Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, fierce clashes and intensive Turkish aerial and artillery raids on Afrin have left about 220 people dead, including 55 civilians. Moreover, the head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said the world cannot remain silent while children are killed in Syria. About 23 children have been killed in Afrin, Idlib, Saraqab, Khan Shaykhoun and Damascus in the past few days. "In Afrin, violence is reported to be so intense that families are confined to the basements of their buildings, after reportedly being prevented from leaving the area," the UNICEF official said. BEIRUT - An old enmity between the Lebanese president and parliament speaker is fueling a political dispute that threatens to paralyze government and inflame sectarian tension in the run-up to elections in May. The dispute between President Michel Aoun, a Christian, and the Shi'ite Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reflects personal hostility dating to the 1975-90 civil war. It also touches on the balance of power between their sects in a system that shares out government participation according to religious sect. The tension reached boiling point on Monday as footage of Aoun's son-in-law, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, calling Berri "a thug" was circulated on social media. Berri's camp reacted with fury, saying Bassil had crossed "red lines." Supporters of Berri from the Amal movement he has led for decades protested by setting tires ablaze in Beirut. Gunfire was heard as Berri supporters gathered in a protest near offices of Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) in Jdeideh, a Christian area east of Beirut, drawing soldiers to the area to guard against further trouble, security sources said. The crisis has spiraled since December when Aoun signed a decree promoting dozens of army officers without the signature of Shi'ite Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, a member of Amal and one of his closest aides. Berri has said that Aoun, by moving to promote pro-Aoun officers, has exceeded his powers at the expense of other sects. It has shattered the rare moment of national unity that saved Lebanon from strife during the crisis over Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri's shock resignation in November. The tensions have also shaken Aoun's ties with the Iran-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah, whose links to Berri and Amal run much deeper than its political alliance with the FPM, which was founded by Aoun and is now led by Bassil. Bassil expressed regret for his remarks in an interview with the pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper. But this did little to ease the standoff. A political source close to Berri said the dispute was "open to all possibilities, up to the point of paralyzing the country," but did not see a risk to civil peace. "We will not see a return of anarchy," the source said. Berri and Aoun, both in their 80s, were civil war-time enemies. The conflict ended in 1990 when the Syrian army forced Aoun, then head of one of two rival governments, from the presidential palace and into exile. Berri emerged from the war as one of the most powerful figures in Lebanon. Aoun only returned to Lebanon in 2005 when the era of Syrian military presence was brought to an end by the assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, which triggered pressure on Damascus to withdraw troops from Lebanon. In Breach of the Constitution? Helped by his alliance with Hezbollah, Aoun finally realized his long-held ambition of becoming president in 2016 in a deal that made Hariri prime minister. Berri and Amal MPs were among the few not to support Aoun's candidacy. Aoun and Berri cooperated closely to help resolve the crisis caused by Hariri's unexpected resignation in November. Lebanese officials say Saudi Arabia forced him to step down and held him against his will before French intervention led to his return. Hariri, Lebanon's top Sunni, said he was working on an initiative to end the Aoun-Berri standoff. "The country is not in need of escalation or crisis," he said after talks with Aoun, later in a statement describing the dispute as saddening. Hezbollah rejected what it described as an insult to Berri. "This language takes the country towards dangers it could do without," Hezbollah said in a statement. Hariri hopes to secure international support for Lebanon's security forces at a Rome conference in February, and billions of dollars of investment in its struggling economy at a Paris conference in late March or early April. But the Aoun-Berri standoff could rumble on until the parliamentary elections, and even beyond them, analysts say. Berri says Aoun contravened the peace deal that ended the civil war by approving army promotions without the finance minister's signature. Aoun - an opponent of the peace deal when it was agreed in 1989 - says he did not. The agreement diluted the powers of the Maronite Christian presidency. The parliamentary election, Lebanon's first since 2009, is expected to go ahead regardless. Bassil, 47 and head of the FPM, aims to secure a seat in parliament. "No doubt matters are heading towards more escalation for two reasons: firstly we are approaching parliamentary elections and there is a fight for popularity," said Rajeh Khoury, a columnist with an-Nahar and Alsharq Al-Awsat newspapers. "Secondly, there is a dispute over authority and responsibilities in government ... How the constitution is interpreted has unfortunately become a matter of opinion." The newest generation of the Kennedy political dynasty will be introduced to a national audience Tuesday night as he delivers the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, a 37-year-old Massachusetts congressman and grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, says Democrats should focus on the economic worries of working-class voters who bolted the party in the 2016 elections. To drive home the message, Kennedy will deliver his speech at a vocational high school in Fall River, Massachusetts, a gritty former textile hub 55 miles (89 kilometers) south of Boston. "From health care to economic justice to civil rights, the Democratic agenda stands in powerful contrast to President Trump's broken promises to American families," Kennedy said in a statement, adding that his speech will be "guided by a simple belief that equality and economic dignity should be afforded to every American.'' Kennedy, the red-haired son of former Rep. Joe Kennedy II, D-Mass., was elected to the House in 2012, returning the family to Congress two years after the retirement of Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who is the son of Joe Kennedy III's great-uncle Ted. Besides his famous last name, Joe Kennedy III also is among a wave of younger Democrats in a caucus whose three top leaders are all in their 70s. A former Peace Corps volunteer, Kennedy was an assistant district attorney in two Massachusetts districts before being elected to Congress. He has focused on economic and social justice in Congress and has advocated on behalf of vocational schools and community colleges and championed issues such as transgender rights and marriage equality. To illustrate that message, Kennedy has invited Staff Sgt. Patricia King, a transgender infantry solider, to represent him at the State of the Union. King, an 18-year Army veteran, has twice been deployed to Afghanistan and has been awarded the Bronze Star. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi called Kennedy "a relentless fighter for working Americans" and said he "profoundly understands the challenges facing hard-working men and women across the country." Matt Gorman, a spokesman for the campaign arm of House Republicans, could not conceal his glee as he welcomed the latest Kennedy as the voice of Democrats. "Democrats using the multi-millionaire scion of a political dynasty as the face of their party shows they've learned absolutely nothing," Gorman said in an email, adding that the only way to give the GOP an easier target would be for Kennedy to make the speech "live from the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis," Massachusetts. Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley said Kennedy will focus on education and the importance of preparing future generations for jobs while also pointing out "how Republicans fall short, and certainly the president." Kennedy "will be talking to the forgotten men and women the people the president says he is speaking to but since has shown he has little or no regard for," said Crowley, D-N.Y. The speech is an opportunity for the three-term lawmaker to "step out a bit and make his own mark" in national politics, said Crowley, who recommended Kennedy for the role. "He's young, talented and smart. He's got a great last name, but on his own, he's a wonderful man and that will come through as well," Crowley said. "The sky's the limit for him, frankly." Before this speech, Kennedy's best-known moment was a 2017 speech criticizing House Speaker Paul Ryan for defending the GOP effort to repeal former President Barack Obama's health care law as "an act of mercy." Kennedy called the GOP effort "an act of malice" in a late-night speech that was viewed millions of times on social media. Kennedy's speech will be followed by a Spanish-language response delivered by Elizabeth Guzman, one of the first Latinas elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. The U.S. Treasury Department has released a congressionally mandated list of Russian politicians and business figures who are close to President Vladimir Putin's government, along with their relationship to top leaders and their net worth. The list of more than 200 people does not carry any new sanctions, though a number of the figures are already subject to earlier U.S. sanctions. Last August, U.S. President Donald Trump reluctantly signed a bill that was passed almost unanimously by Congress aimed at penalizing Russia for its interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Trump said at the time the bill "improperly encroaches on executive power, disadvantages American companies and hurts the interests of our European allies." The measure gave the Trump administration 180 days to produce the list, which includes Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and top spy agency officials. Among the business figures are aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska, Sberbank CEO German Gref and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who also appears on the list, called the U.S. move "unprecedented" and said it labeled everyone a de facto adversary of the United States. He said the Russian government would take time to analyze the list. The same August law ordered the Trump administration to impose sanctions on anyone who engages in a "significant transaction" with the defense or intelligence sectors of the Russian government. On Monday, the U.S. State Department announced it had informed Congress it would not impose any such sanctions. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement the administration estimates "foreign governments have abandoned planned or announced purchases of several billion dollars in Russian defense acquisitions." FILE - State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, shown during a briefing in Washington on Aug. 9, 2017. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, shown during a briefing in Washington on Aug. 9, 2017. The statement did not cite any examples of nations that canceled planned transactions in response to the legislation. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer rejected the administration's reasoning, saying he was disappointed it chose not to impose new sanctions or "put forth a plan for how it plans to deter further Russian aggression." "Sanctions are a deterrent only if countries believe the U.S. will impose them. The anemic announcements today, with no statements from senior administration officials, do not give me confidence that is the case," Hoyer said in a statement. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., center, jo House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., center, joined from left by, Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., hold a news conference. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., center, joined from left by, Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., hold a news conference. Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi also criticized the White House decision. "Congress passed sanctions on Russia overwhelmingly to send a message on Russian interference in our democracy. The president doesn't appear to want to send that message," he wrote on Twitter. Kenyas Interior Ministry has declared the opposition alliance known as the National Resistance Movement a criminal organization after the group's leader, Raila Odinga, in front of thousands of his supporters, symbolically took the oath of president in defiance of last years controversial election and of authorities, who said such an act would be considered treason. Its not clear what comes next for Kenya, given the political situation. Opposition leader Raila Odinga was greeted by thousands of frenzied supporters at Nairobis Uhuru Park Tuesday afternoon, despite a seven-hour delay. As the 73-year-old and his entourage drove through the crowd, his supporters jostled, and some scuffled, to see him inaugurated as the so-called peoples president. After swearing an oath of office on a bible, Odinga called it a historic day for the people of Kenya. Todays step is one step towards doing away with electoral autocracy. And, establishing full-fledged democracy in our country, he said. Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry wasted no time issuing a statement after the ceremony declaring Odingas coalition, the National Resistance Movement, an organized criminal group under Kenya's Prevention of Organized Crimes Act. Odinga boycotted the rerun of last years presidential run-off election and has refused to accept the victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta. Kenyas attorney general said that Odinga declaring himself president would be considered an act of high treason, an offense punishable by death. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, center, is sworn- FILE - Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, center, is sworn-in accompanied by his wife Margaret, right, and during his inauguration ceremony at Kasarani stadium in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 28, 2017. FILE - Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, center, is sworn-in accompanied by his wife Margaret, right, and during his inauguration ceremony at Kasarani stadium in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 28, 2017. President Kenyattas office last week warned Odinga that any actions would be subject to Kenyan law. Although authorities used tear gas on supporters in an area near the event, an expected heavy police presence did not materialize. Opposition concerns that their leaders could be arrested before the event did not come to pass either. Odinga briefly led the packed crowd in a chant, saying, A people united can never be defeated, before slowly driving through the crowd and out of the park. Supporters of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Oding Supporters of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga of the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition gather during Odinga's swearing-in ceremony as the president of the People's Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 30, 2018. Supporters of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga of the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition gather during Odinga's swearing-in ceremony as the president of the People's Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan. 30, 2018. Odingas National Super Alliance (NASA) contests the results of Octobers re-run election, which it boycotted after Kenyas Supreme Court took the rare step of annulling the August election due to failures by the electoral commission. FILE - People watch a live broadcast of the announ People watch a live broadcast of the announcement of the re-election results by Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman, Wafula Chebukat, on TV at a local electrical shop in Kisumu, Oct. 30, 2017. People watch a live broadcast of the announcement of the re-election results by Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman, Wafula Chebukat, on TV at a local electrical shop in Kisumu, Oct. 30, 2017. Odinga says he won that August vote and accuses authorities loyal to President Kenyatta of covering it up. Election authorities have dismissed the claim and the Supreme Court has backed Kenyattas October win. Although there is no legal backing for Odingas inauguration, many supporters like Peter Musyoka are optimistic. He says after the swearing in, he is expecting their president to lead them and give them a way forward. He says he believes that Kenya will completely change, their democracy will change, and Kenyans will fully understand their rights. In an exclusive interview with VOAs Swahili service earlier in January, Odinga raised the possibility of forming a rival government, either inside or outside of Kenya. After Odingas swearing-in Tuesday afternoon, he promptly changed his Twitter handle to President of the Republic of Kenya. In an effort to combat extremism online, Pakistan's government has launched an application that will allow its citizens to report websites that publish extremist content and hate speech. Called Surfsafe, it was developed by Pakistan's National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) and works in both Android and iOS devices. NACTA is a government body responsible for designing the country's counterterrorism strategies. "Strict enforcement of cybercrime laws is absolutely necessary to overcome this massive challenge of online extremism. Surfsafe is a step in that direction," Ehsan Ghani, NACTA's director, told VOA. "People, unfortunately, at times get attracted to extremist ideologies without even realizing it. Through this program [application], we will create awareness and block online materials involved in provoking extremism in any capacity," Ghani added. Numerous militant, sectarian and radical groups continue to operate online in Pakistan despite the country's strict cybercrime laws. Officials are optimistic that Surfsafe will help them rein in websites that promote extremist ideologies. The application is part of the implementation of the National Action Plan, a 20-point strategy adopted by Pakistan in 2015 to crack down on terrorism and extremism in the country. The NAP reiterates that militant groups, under any circumstances, must not be allowed to use the internet as a propaganda tool. Daunting task Social media experts in Pakistan say restricting the presence of terrorists on the internet is a daunting task because militant networks have become more tech savvy in recent years. "We do not think such initiatives of cosmetic nature will do any good," Shahzad Ahmad, director of Bytes for All, a Pakistani digital rights advocacy group, told VOA. "Extremist groups have hired cyberarmies in large numbers which are being used to manipulate democratic discourse, stifle political expression and undermine fundamental rights in cyberspace," he added. Selective usage Nighat Dad, the executive director of the Digital Rights Foundation, a Pakistani nongovernmental organization that helps people cope with online abuse, told VOA that online extremism is a global issue. "It becomes more complex in Pakistan because the government has no political will to deal with it," Dad said. "The government needs to have their priorities right. They crack down on activists vocal about the government, military and the state despite those who're using internet for their dark purposes," she added. According to Bytes for All, despite government's initiatives and cybercrime laws, militants continue to easily reach millions of internet users in the country through their high-tech networks. Two men in handcuffs, whom the police said belong FILE - Two men in handcuffs, whom police said belonged to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan group, are shown during a news conference at the Crime Investigation Department after their arrest, in Karachi, January 2013. FILE - Two men in handcuffs, whom police said belonged to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan group, are shown during a news conference at the Crime Investigation Department after their arrest, in Karachi, January 2013. A detailed investigative report published in the English daily Dawn last year noted 41 of the 64 banned terror organizations, such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Sipah-i-Sahaba and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, operate on social media openly. Hundreds of their personal and group pages are accessible to millions of users on Facebook and Twitter. The report further noted that these pages are regularly updated with photos and videos in the Urdu language and urge people to get in touch for information or recruitment purposes. A majority of these pages are reportedly managed by radical religious groups who openly show sympathy and support for different terror networks. Social media companies Pakistan's government last year announced it would ask major social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to block pages promoting "hatred," "violence" and "blasphemy." "In order to enforce Surfsafe fully, the government will continue to contact social media networks to take down pages and accounts involved in inciting hatred and terror," Ghani told VOA. "This is a matter of our national security." Representatives from Google, Microsoft, Facebook a FILE - Representatives from Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter meet with G-7 interior ministers to discuss efforts in combating extremism on the internet during a Group of Seven meeting in Italy, Oct. 20, 2017. FILE - Representatives from Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter meet with G-7 interior ministers to discuss efforts in combating extremism on the internet during a Group of Seven meeting in Italy, Oct. 20, 2017. Major social media companies have shown the will to urgently tackle extremist contents online. Twitter last year announced it had suspended 376,890 accounts globally that were promoting violence and terrorism. According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, about 51 million of the country's 190 million people have internet access. Officials express concern that militant groups continue to reach and lure youth. Last year in April, Pakistani authorities arrested a woman named Naureen Laghari who wanted to target a Christian gathering on Easter Eve in Lahore. The young woman had been recruited by the Islamic State group through social media networks. She had reportedly gone to Syria to get military training. Tackling them physically Some critics charge that unless the government stops the terrorist groups' activities on the ground, silencing them on the internet would not be that effective. "Our leaders should denounce extremism, but what we see is that many are hand in hand with extremists either in the name of religion or for their own political agendas," Shahzad Ahmad of Bytes for All said. "This needs to be stopped if the country is serious [about stopping] cyberextremism." ISLAMABAD - Pakistan disclosed Tuesday it recently extradited 27 suspected Taliban and Haqqani militants to Afghanistan as part of an effort to stop insurgents from using Pakistani soil for cross-border terrorist activities, information Islamabad kept confidential until now. The disclosure comes amid growing accusations the Afghan Taliban and its allied Haqqani network of militants used Pakistani soil for plotting recent bombings in Kabul that killed and wounded hundreds of people. It also comes before U.S. President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech in which he is expected to mention terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan. Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said the group of suspected militants was handed over to Afghan custody in November. "Pakistan continues to push any suspected TTA (the Afghan Taliban) and HN (Haqqani network) elements to prevent them from using our soil for any terrorist activity in Afghanistan," Faisal added. Afghan authorities were not available to respond to the Pakistani disclosure, and Islamabad did not discuss the identities of the individuals it extradited or whether any senior commanders were among them. On Saturday, a Taliban bomber detonated an ambulance packed with explosives in central Kabul, killing more than 100 people and wounding nearly 250 others in one of the deadliest attacks in the war-torn country. An injured man is moved to a stretcher outside a h An injured man is moved to a stretcher outside a hospital following a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan. 27, 2018. An injured man is moved to a stretcher outside a hospital following a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan. 27, 2018. The bombing came a week after a group of heavily armed Taliban suicide bombers stormed the capital city's Intercontinental Hotel. The assailants battled Afghan forces for about 14 hours and killed 22 people, including four Americans. The United States has designated the Haqqani network a terrorist organization, and U.S. officials allege the Pakistani spy agency maintains covert ties with the Haqqanis to use the militants to counter the growing influence of rival India in Afghanistan. Islamabad denies the accusations. Meanwhile, Afghan officials say U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster telephoned his Afghan counterpart, Haneef Atmar, Tuesday evening to condemn the terrorist attacks in Kabul and elsewhere in the country. Without naming Pakistan, Atmar said in comments he posted on his official Twitter account that "terrorists' safe havens outside Afghanistan, where the terrorists get training and sanctuaries pose a serious threat to the whole region and world, should be destroyed and eliminated." Pakistani spokesman Faisal again defended his country's record in the fight against terrorism, saying it has sacrificed 75,000 civilians and 6,000 soldiers while the national economy has suffered losses of around $123 billion. Faisal separately spoke on state-run radio and reiterated Islamabad's call seeking a negotiated settlement to the war. He maintained that military means have failed to achieve peace and called for the resumption of a four-nation dialogue process to promote Afghan peace. The Pakistani spokesman said the Quadrilateral Consultative Group involving Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the United States "is the most appropriate forum to help take the Afghan peace process forward." The QCG was established in 2016 and held several meetings but failed to persuade the Taliban to come to the negotiating table.Differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan over how to deal with insurgents opposing peace talks also prevented the QCG from making headway. Polish President Andrzej Duda says there was no institutional participation by Poland in the Holocaust, but he did recognize criminal actions toward Jews by some individual Poles. "There were wicked people who sold their neighbors for money. But it was not the Polish nation, it was not an organized action," Duda said Monday. He pointed out that some Poles sacrificed their own lives to save Jews from the Nazis, and that the Polish underground and government in exile resisted efforts to wipe out European Jewry. Duda was reacting to the outrage in Israel over a proposed law in Poland imposing fines and jail time on anyone who refers to the Nazi genocide as being a Polish crime, or the Nazi death camps as Polish death camps. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday Israel will not tolerate "distortion of the truth, rewriting history, and denial of the Holocaust." But he did speak to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki by telephone and they agreed to consult with historians and open a dialogue. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Jan. 28, 2018. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Jan. 28, 2018. Israels Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial also warned against trying to change history. "Restrictions on statements by scholars and others regarding the Polish peoples direct or indirect complicity with the crimes committed on their land during the Holocaust are a serious distortion," it said in a statement. Some experts fear the new Polish law could also mean jail for Holocaust survivors when talking about their ordeals. Poland was home to one of the worlds most thriving Jewish populations before Nazi Germany invaded in 1939. It murdered about 3 million Jews in death camps set up in Poland, including such chilling places as Auschwitz and Treblinka. FILE- In this file photo dated January 1945, three FILE- In this file photo dated January 1945, three Auschwitz prisoners, right, talk with Soviet soldiers after the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, in Poland, was liberated by the Russians. FILE- In this file photo dated January 1945, three Auschwitz prisoners, right, talk with Soviet soldiers after the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, in Poland, was liberated by the Russians. Holocaust survivors who returned to Poland after the war found themselves victims of further anti-Semitism. Some historians say many Poles collaborated with the Nazis in persecuting Jews. Poland regards itself as having itself been a victim of Nazi terror and resents being blamed for crimes carried out by Hitler and his gang of murderers. The committee in charge of studying St. Helenas public buildings will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, at Vintage Hall. The St. Helena Asset Planning Engagement (SHAPE) Committee will hear from consultants with the Kosmont Companies, who will discuss asset strategy, including how to fund the potential rehabilitation or reconstruction of city buildings. At its last meeting on Jan. 24, the committee broke into groups and brainstormed ideas on whether to rehabilitate, rebuild or sell the citys various buildings. Committee members emphasize that they havent made any recommendations yet, but early brainstorming is centering around either rebuilding City Hall on the current site or selling the property. The committee is also looking at what to do with the Public Works staff who are based in leaky, run-down portables at the corporation yard on Charter Oak Avenue. Another challenge is how to make better use of city facilities at the Teen Center, the old CDF building next to the Teen Center, the Carnegie Building, and the Head Start building at Crane Park. VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis is sending the Vatican's most respected sex crimes expert to Chile to investigate a bishop accused by victims of covering up for the country's most notorious pedophile priest. The Vatican said Tuesday that Maltese Bishop Charles Scicluna would travel to Chile to listen to those who have expressed the desire to provide elements about the case of Bishop Juan Barros. The Barros controversy dominated Francis' just-ended trip to Chile and exposed Francis' blind spot as far as clerical sex abuse is concerned. Even one of his closest advisers, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, publicly rebuked him for his treatment of victims and tried to set him straight. Barros was a protege of the Rev. Fernando Karadima, a charismatic and politically powerful priest who was sanctioned by the Vatican for sexually abusing minors in 2011. His victims testified to Chilean prosecutors that Barros and other priests in the El Bosque community saw Karadima kissing youngsters and were aware of his perversions, but did nothing. FILE - Osornos Bishop Juan Barros smiles as he lea FILE - Osornos Bishop Juan Barros smiles as he leaves the altar after Mass was celebrated by Pope Francis on Lobito Beach in Iquique, Chile, Jan. 18, 2018. FILE - Osornos Bishop Juan Barros smiles as he leaves the altar after Mass was celebrated by Pope Francis on Lobito Beach in Iquique, Chile, Jan. 18, 2018. ?After Karadima was sanctioned, Chile's bishops were so intent on trying to stem the fallout from the scandal that they persuaded the Vatican to have Barros and two other Karadima-trained bishops resign and take a yearlong sabbatical, according to a 2015 letter obtained by The Associated Press. But Francis stepped in and put a stop to the plan, arguing that there wasn't any proof against them. He overruled the local bishops' objections and in January 2015 appointed Barros to head the diocese of Osorno. Barros' presence there has badly split the dioceses ever since, with both laity and priests rejecting him and protesting his appointment. The issue haunted Francis after he told a Chilean journalist during his visit that the accusations against Barros were slander and that he would only speak out if he had proof against Barros. Francis later apologized for having demanded proof of victims, but stood by his belief that the accusations against Barros were calumny. Francis seemed unaware that Karadima's victims had placed Barros at the scene, and were the source of the accusations. Scicluna was the Vatican's long-time sex crimes prosecutor in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and was instrumental in finally bringing to justice Latin America's most notorious pedophile, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legion of Christ. Scicluna was tasked with gathering testimony from Maciel's victims, who for years had been discredited by senior Vatican and Legion officials and accused of slander for having accused Maciel. Scicluna, currently archbishop of Valletta, is now something of a hero to survivors of sex abuse for having finally understood the dynamic of the clerical abuse scandal and vigorously prosecuted priests who raped and molested children. The Pentagon says it did not intend to restrict the release of crucial information about U.S. and coalition efforts in Afghanistan, blaming a "human error in labeling" for the withholding data. The response came after the top U.S. watchdog on U.S. efforts in Afghanistan issued its quarterly report to Congress on Tuesday, harshly criticizing military officials for censoring information on the number of districts under control of the government or insurgent groups like the Taliban. "This development is troubling for a number of reasons, not least of which is that this is the first time [the inspector general's office] has been specifically instructed not to release information marked 'unclassified' to the American taxpayer," said John Sopko of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, also known as SIGAR. NEW: #ResoluteSupport instructed #SIGAR not to release data on district control & population control in latest Quarterly Report it's the 1st time #SIGARs been told not to release unclassified info https://t.co/EaBwpUJpUe SIGAR (@SIGARHQ) January 30, 2018 But officials with Operation Resolute Support, the NATO-led training, advisory and support mission, said Tuesday that the failure to share the data was a mistake. "It was NOT the intent of Resolute Support to withhold or classify information which was available in prior reports," Resolute Support spokesman Captain Tom Gresback said in a statement. "A human error in labeling occurred," he said, pointing to confusion about terms that the U.S. and NATO use differently. "The data is not classified and there was no intent to withhold it unnecessarily." According to Resolute Support, as of October 2017, the government retained control or exerted influence over about 56 percent of Afghanistan's 407 districts. Another 30 percent remain contested and about 14 percent are under the control or influence of insurgents, like the Taliban. Despite the statement from Resolute Support blaming human error, officials with SIGAR said Tuesday that they had yet to receive any of the additional data. FILE - John F. Sopko, Special Inspector General fo John F. Sopko, special inspector general for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa. John F. Sopko, special inspector general for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa. "If true, that's great. I'm glad they finally came to their senses," Sopko said of the U.S. military's about-face on withholding the information. "It's unfortunate that they only did so after the press started to ask questions," he added. "We hope now they will release all the other important information they have unreasonably withheld from the American people." SIGAR's previous quarterly report, issued in October, found the Afghan government exercised control or influence of over 56.8 percent of the country's 407 districts, while 30 percent of the districts were contested, and 13.3 percent were under the control or influence of insurgent groups. In a statement that accompanied the October 2017 report, SIGAR said the Afghan government's control had "deteriorated to its lowest level since SIGAR began analyzing district-control data." In a tweet Tuesday, SIGAR called the district control numbers "one of the last publicly available indicators for Congress many of whose staff don't have access to classified info & for American people to know how US effort in #Afghanistan going." # of districts under #Afghan govt control/influence one of the last publicly available indicators for Congress - many of whose staff dont have access to classified info - & for American people to know how US effort in #Afghanistan going https://t.co/c2JFElVhlB SIGAR (@SIGARHQ) January 30, 2018 Even without having the latest data on the extent of government or insurgent control across Afghanistan, the new SIGAR report painted a bleak picture of U.S. efforts to secure the country, more than 16 years after the U.S. invaded the South Asian nation following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The report found the recent increase in U.S. military attacks on the Taliban and other insurgent groups had failed to bolster the Afghan government's control over its population. In October alone, the U.S. dropped 653 munitions on enemy combatants, a record since 2012 and three times the figure from October 2016, the report said. The report also noted U.S. casualties were increasing, with 11 service personnel killed in the first 11 months of last year, twice the number killed in action in the same periods in 2015 and 2016. Afghan policemen inspect the site of a bomb attack FILE - Afghan policemen inspect the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan.28, 2018. FILE - Afghan policemen inspect the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Jan.28, 2018. Nor does the increased U.S. military support seem to be generating much optimism among Afghan citizens for any sort of resolution, the report said. The report noted the Asia Foundation, which promotes the improvement of lives across the continent, found in its annual survey that only slightly more than half of Afghan respondents believed that reconciliation with Taliban insurgents in the country was possible and that about 16 percent of Afghans had "a lot" of or at least some sympathy for the Taliban. Additionally, there are concerns about the effectiveness of $8.7 billion in U.S. aid for counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan. SIGAR said Afghan opium production was up 87 percent in the last year and land under opium cultivation rose by 63 percent, both all-time highs. Other concerns include what SIGAR described as unrealistic expectations for the development of Afghanistan's untapped mineral resources, saying efforts have been "stymied by insecurity, corruption, weak governance and a lack of infrastructure." The report also cited NAI, an organization supporting open media in Afghanistan, as saying there were 167 incidents of violence against journalists in Afghanistan last year, with the insurgents involved in 40 percent of the attacks on journalists and the government 37 percent.? Romania's parliament overwhelmingly endorsed a new Social Democrat-led government Monday, giving Prime Minister Viorica Dancila a mandate that will be scrutinized closely by the country's foreign partners and investors. Dancila was named prime minister earlier this month to replace Mihai Tudose, who quit after a falling out with the powerful leader of the Social Democrats, Liviu Dragnea. Tudose himself became prime minister when Dragnea forced out his predecessor, Sorin Grindeanu, last summer. Dancila had to be approved in a vote of confidence, which she won easily Monday 282 legislators backed her, including some junior opposition groups. The new cabinet retains around a third of the former government's ministers. "This government, as a whole, does not bode well for the rule of law in Romania and its relations with the West, particularly with the European Union," said independent political commentator Cristian Patrasconiu. Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila attends a Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila attends a vote of confidence at the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, Jan. 29, 2018. Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila attends a vote of confidence at the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, Jan. 29, 2018. Dancila has set up a new ministry to handle European Union funds and nominated as its head Social Democrat lawmaker Rovana Plumb, whom anti-corruption prosecutors wanted to investigate. Her appointment has fueled renewed concerns about Romania's commitment to seriously tackling graft. Parliament rejected the prosecutors' attempt to investigate Plumb, who denied any wrongdoing. But then-Prime Minister Tudose sacked her and two other ministers, saying graft allegations were damaging Romania's relations with the EU. On Monday, Prime Minister Dancila said her cabinet reflected the 2016 general elections. "Together with my colleagues, I do represent the political will of the ruling coalition," she said. "Today, you do not vote for persons but back Romanian citizens' desire revealed by democracy. We will govern with pride and respect for Romanians, having the government program in front of us," Dancila told parliament. The revised governing program includes plans to further increase pensions and the minimum wage, and cut value-added tax by one percentage point to 18 percent from 2019. It also aims to set up a sovereign wealth fund and boost the absorption of EU funds. But leftist legislators aim to change the criminal code that would decriminalize several graft offenses, their second attempt in a year to fight off a crackdown on corruption. Last week, Brussels urged parliament to reconsider earlier judicial reforms, which critics say weaken judicial independence. MOSCOW - Russian officials from President Vladimir Putin on down have denounced the United States' publication of the so-called "Putin list" - a U.S. Treasury-issued registry of 210 Russians identified as close to the Russian leader - under a new sanctions law tied to allegations of Kremlin interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. Speaking in Moscow, Putin said that by including nearly all key members of his government and Russian industry on the list, the U.S. had, in effect, carried out "a hostile step" against "all 146 million Russians." Yet Putin indicated that Russia would not respond - for now. "We're not prepared to crawl into the wolf's trap and make the situation worse," he said. "We want and will patiently build relations as much as the American side is willing." White House reluctance The list, part of the wider "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act," or CAATSA, ordered by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump last August, requires the White House to provide a detailed report on the dealings of key Kremlin insiders. The Trump administration, which has bristled at suggestions it benefited from Russian interference in the elections, held off on complying with the law until the last minute. The White House's lukewarm support for the measure was encapsulated by the list's unveiling: While the Treasury Department noted that the majority of Russians included were not subject to sanctions, the registry's very existence was seen by congressional leaders as a veiled threat of possible future U.S. reprisals. Russian leaders unmoved In Moscow, Russia's elite maintained that the scare tactic wasn't working. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the Russian Duma, the lower house of parliament, said the list was the latest in a failed U.S. sanctions policy aimed at weakening an increasingly powerful Russia. "The sanctions haven't led to a change in our country's political course, or weakened our sovereignty, or led to an internal split," Volodin said in a statement posted to the Duma's official website. "New sanctions against Russia will lead to even greater consolidation of society," he added. Others merely lauded their inclusion as a point of pride.Vladimir Medinsky, minister of culture, argued he'd been inspired by his "nomination." Georgi Poltavchenko, governor of St. Petersburg, called it a sign of his hard work. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said "it would be strange" if the mayor of the capital hadn't earned his place on the list. Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Federation Council's Foreign Affairs Committee, mocked what he saw as amateur detective work by U.S. intelligence agencies. Writing on Facebook, Kosachev said he had the "firm impression that U.S. secret services, desperate to find the provable kompromat they promised on Russian politicians, just copied the Kremlin phonebook." The U.S. Treasury's list of Russian oligarchs appeared to duplicate a Forbes Russia ranking of the country's 96 wealthiest men. Its registry of government figures, journalists noted, was a near replica of the Kremlin's English language "key officials" webpage. Even some Kremlin critics admitted that the sanctions were unlikely to unnerve Russia's powerful - at least not yet. "It's a threat, not a punch," Dmitry Gudkov wrote on his Facebook page."For now, that list only means a morning heart attack for the most sensitive of souls." Election interference cuts both ways In advance of the list's publication, the Kremlin had indicated Russia viewed the registry - and any additional sanctions - as an attempt by the U.S. to influence Russia's presidential elections in March, when Putin is all but guaranteed re-election to a fourth term. Putin was asked about the issue during a campaign meeting with supporters, one of whom asked what he would have to do to join the list, to audience laughter. Putin responded by suggesting the goal of Russians should be to develop their economy to the point where "there's no point to formulating any lists, to hold us back." Public debate Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader who has been barred from competing in the presidential elections, was among those cheering the "Putin list" as a positive development. He noted that his Anti-Corruption Foundation team had carried out its own investigations and produced reports that highlighted Kremlin corruption by several of the listed figures. "Well, what I can say?" Navalny tweeted. "We're glad that they've been officially recognized as thieves and swindlers on the international level." Meanwhile, online debate seemed to be split over the blanket nature of the Treasury list and whether it had gone too far or not far enough. Why, some asked, hadn't the Kremlin central bankers been included? Where were Russia's senior court judges and the head of the election commission? Others questioned why Russia's human rights ombudsman was on the list,or a businessman who, although wealthy, had no clear ties to the Kremlin. And if Russia's top diplomat,Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, was on the list, who was left to negotiate with Washington if and when relations are repaired? Konstantin von Eggert, a foreign affairs analyst and host of the independent TV-Rain channel, noted that the list had suddenly rendered the roles of competing interest groups inside and outside the Kremlin irrelevant. The U.S. had included nearly all of Russia's entire political and economic elite in a web of Russia sanctions that touch on varied issues such as election interference, human rights abuses and the Kremlin's actions in Ukraine. "Everyone," argued von Eggert, "is now in the same boat." WHITE HOUSE/STATE DEPARTMENT - The Trump administration on Tuesday defended its decision not to impose immediate sanctions on Russians named in a congressionally mandated report detailing the wealth and political activities of Kremlin insiders and billionaires. The U.S. Treasury Department published the report Monday in keeping with a law passed overwhelmingly by Congress last August, after it became clear that Russia had meddled in the 2016 presidential election. The report details the finances and political connections of 114 Russian politicians and 96 "oligarchs" who have prospered under Putin. But the report makes no mention of imposing new sanctions against the Russian government or individuals on the list, raising questions about whether Trump is too soft on the Kremlin. Confronted by Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey during an appearance before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said sanctions were in the works. "I assume you haven't read the classified version [of the report]," Mnuchin told Menendez. "The intention was not to have sanctions by the delivery of the report last night. There will be sanctions coming out of this report." In a statement accompanying the release of the report, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said there were no immediate plans to impose sanctions on Russia or any of the individuals named in the document. FILE - State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert FILE - U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert speaks during a briefing in Washington, Aug. 9, 2017. FILE - U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert speaks during a briefing in Washington, Aug. 9, 2017. Law Impinging on Russian Companies' Bottom Line Nauert said the law was already hurting Russian companies. "Today, we have informed Congress that this legislation and its implementation are deterring Russian defense sales," Nauert wrote. "Since the enactment of the ... legislation, we estimate that foreign governments have abandoned planned or announced purchases of several billion dollars in Russian defense acquisitions." Without providing details, a senior State Department official said Tuesday that the U.S. has been able to turn off potential deals that equal several billion dollars. That is real success, it's real money, and it's real revenue that is not going to the Kremlin, and is not going to Russia, he said. The State Department clarified on Tuesday that January 29 was not a deadline to impose sanctions against those named on the blacklist. It was the day on or after which we could start imposing sanctions if we make the determination here at the State Department of activity that falls under the provision, said the State Department official on Tuesday. He was referring to Section 231 of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) which is the Congressional mandate for the sanctions. "A Hostile Step" Russian President Vladimir Putin called the report a "hostile step," but said the Kremlin had chosen not to take immediate retaliatory action. "We were waiting for this list to come out, and I'm not going to hide it: We were going to take steps in response, and, mind you, serious steps, that could push our relations to the nadir," Putin told a political rally in Moscow Tuesday. "But we're going to refrain from taking these steps for now." Several Russians made light of the list, saying it looked as if it had been copied and pasted from the Forbes list of Russian billionaires and a list of officials named on a Kremlin website, since all of them were included. FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesma FILE - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is seen at the Kremlin in Moscow, March 27, 2017. Peskov likened a report detailing the wealth and political activities of Kremlin insiders and billionaires to a U.S. enemies list. FILE - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is seen at the Kremlin in Moscow, March 27, 2017. Peskov likened a report detailing the wealth and political activities of Kremlin insiders and billionaires to a U.S. enemies list. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented that the report in effect constituted a list of "enemies of the United States." Trump, whose ties to Russia are the subject of a special prosecutor's probe, criticized the report last August when he signed the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. He called the legislation "seriously flawed," arguing that it "improperly encroaches on executive power, disadvantages American companies and hurts the interests of our European allies." Reaction to the administration's decision to withhold sanctions split predictably along party lines. Democrats and many foreign policy analysts questioned Trump's apparent reluctance to take action against Russia, given the evidence of Kremlin interference in the election that brought him to power. "There is a hollowness to our policy toward Russia," said Richard Haass, president of the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations, in an MSNBC interview Tuesday. "Russia is anything but a status quo country. It is a spoiler and in many parts of the world it has set out to oppose American interests." House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland called on the administration to promptly "put forth a plan for how it plans to deter further Russian aggression." House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., center, jo FILE - House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., speaks at a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2018. FILE - House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., speaks at a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2018. "Sanctions are a deterrent only if countries believe the U.S. will impose them," Hoyer said in a statement. "The anemic announcements, with no statements from senior administration officials, do not give me confidence that this is the case." The lead author of the CAATSA law, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, on Tuesday expressed satisfaction with the diplomatic steps the administration was taking to ensure compliance. "Yesterday merely marked the effective date on which sanctions will be imposed when and if significant transactions with the outlined blacklisted actors occur. This is in accordance with the law as written," the Tennessee Republican said in a written statement. "On the whole, it is clear the administration is working in good faith." Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny hailed publication of the list, tweeting that he was "glad to see these [people] have been officially recognized at the international level as crooks and thieves." U.S. Democratic senators have blocked a bill that would have banned abortions after 20 weeks, ensuring that the procedure stays legal through the later terms of a womans pregnancy. Republican leaders in the Senate knew the bill had little chance to pass, but wanted to pressure Democrats to take a stance on abortion, particularly vulnerable Democrats facing re-election and from states that voted for President Donald Trump. The bill fell short by a 51 to 46 vote. It needed 60 votes to end a filibuster and proceed to a vote. The vote largely fell along party lines, with only two Republicans voting against it Susan Collins from Maine and Lisa Murkowski from Alaska. Three Democrats voted for the measure. All three Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania are from states that voted for Trump in the 2016 election. More than half of the Senates Democrats and independents are up for re-election this year, and 10 of them are in states Trump won. This afternoon, every one of us will go on record on the issue, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor Monday ahead of the vote. The legislation passed the House in October largely along party lines. The bill calls for a ban on abortions after five months, and would also threaten doctors who perform abortions after that time to five years in jail. The bill exempts women who need an abortion to save their lives, as well as rape and incest survivors. Participants arrive at the annual March for Life a Participants arrive at the annual March for Life anti-abortion rally in Washington, Jan. 19, 2018. Participants arrive at the annual March for Life anti-abortion rally in Washington, Jan. 19, 2018. Democrats criticized the Republican leadership on Monday for prioritizing an abortion ban less than a week after a government shutdown and before issues on spending and immigration are resolved. While the country is waiting for us to come together and solve problems, Republicans are wasting precious time with a politically motivated, partisan bill engineered to drive us apart and hurt women, said Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, ahead of the vote. U.S. President Donald Trump is following a long presidential tradition for his State of the Union address Tuesday, inviting guests to showcase policies most important to him. Fifteen guests will sit alongside first lady Melania Trump in the gallery of the House of Representatives chamber as Trump delivers his first State of the Union address a year into his presidency. Their guests include Corey Adams, an Ohio welder who the White House says plans to take money saved from the president's tax-cut package and set it aside to help finance his two daughters' education. His employers will be there as well, Steve Staub and Sandy Keplinger, sibling founders of a manufacturing company who say they were able to grow their business and hand their employees a larger holiday bonus because of the tax overhaul. Two couples, Elizabeth Alvarado and Robert Mickens, along with Evelyn Rodriguez and Freddy Cuevas, both parents of girls killed by MS-13 gang members, are guests as well, highlighting Trump's push to keep illegal immigrants bent on committing horrific crimes out of the country. Another guest is C.J. Martinez , a supervisory special agent for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement's homeland security investigations unit, whose work led to the arrests of more than 100 MS-13 gang members. The Trumps also invited Ryan Holets, a New Mexico police officer who adopted a baby from parents addicted to opioids, a major drug problem in the U.S. The military Guests linked to the U.S. military include Matthew Bradford, a Marine Corps veteran who stepped on an IED in Iraq in 2007, costing him both of his legs and his eyesight. He was the first blind, double-amputee to re-enlist in the Marines. Another guest is Army staff sergeant Justin Peck, who aided a team member wounded in November by an IED and saved his life. Preston Sharp, creator of the Flag and Flower challenge, will be there. His group honors deceased veterans at military cemeteries by placing an American flag and a red carnation on their grave sites. FILE - Volunteers with the Cajun Navy walk in the FILE - Volunteers with the Cajun Navy walk in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Chokoloskee Island, Florida, U.S. Sept. 12, 2017. FILE - Volunteers with the Cajun Navy walk in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Chokoloskee Island, Florida, U.S. Sept. 12, 2017. Natural disasters Trump and his wife also invited three guests who played key roles in their communities last year in coping with unprecedented natural disasters in the U.S. Jon Bridgers was founder of the Cajun Navy, a nonprofit group that led rescue efforts in the southern part of the country, especially during the flooding in Houston that resulted from Hurricane Harvey. David Dahlberg is a fire prevention technician who saved 62 people, including children and staff members, when a Southern California wildfire erupted. Ashlee Leppert is a Coast Guard aviation electronics technician who engaged in rescue efforts during a string of hurricanes. Even as Trump invited guests to highlight his tax legislation and prominent issues important to his political fortunes, he already is focusing on his 2020 re-election effort. His campaign is live-streaming his address and promised anyone willing to donate at least $35 that their name will be displayed on screen as a donor while Trump is speaking. Some Republican lawmakers have invited guests supporting Trump policies, while numerous Democratic lawmakers gave speech tickets to guests showing their opposition to Trump. Several Democrats have invited undocumented immigrants who years ago were brought illegally to the U.S. by their parents. Their right to stay in the United States, or be returned to their native countries, is at the heart of contentious negotiations between lawmakers and the White House after Trump last year ended a program protecting them against deportation.He gave Congress until March 5 to weigh in on the issue. FILE - U.S. Congressman Joe Kennedy III waits to s FILE - U.S. Congressman Joe Kennedy III waits to speak at ceremonies on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Congressman Kennedy's great-uncle, U.S. President John F. Kennedy, outside the home where President Kennedy was born, in Brookline, Massachusetts FILE - U.S. Congressman Joe Kennedy III waits to speak at ceremonies on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Congressman Kennedy's great-uncle, U.S. President John F. Kennedy, outside the home where President Kennedy was born, in Brookline, Massachusetts One Democrat, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan, invited as her guest Cindy Garcia, whose husband, Jorge Garcia, was recently deported to Mexico by the Trump administration after living in the U.S. for 30 years. Congressman Joe Kennedy of Massachusetts, who is giving a Democratic rebuttal speech after Trump finishes his address, invited a transgender soldier, Patricia King, to focus on Trump's plan to ban transgender people from serving in the military. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York invited San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, a sharp critic of the Trump administration's response to Hurricane Maria's devastation of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean island that is a U.S. territory. WASHINGTON - The controversy over information gathered from GPS-enabled fitness devices and published online in some cases highlighting possible activity at U.S. military bases in places like Syria and Afghanistan could be just the start of an ever-growing problem in a world where more people and devices are connected to the internet. Already, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has ordered a review of security protocols following concerns that a so-called Heatmap published by the fitness app company Strava showed locations and movement patterns of troops serving overseas. "We take matters like these very seriously and are reviewing the situation to determine if any additional training or guidance is required," the Pentagon said in a statement Monday. "Recent data releases emphasize the need for situational awareness when members of the military share personal information," the statement continued, further noting that annual training for all military personnel, recommends limiting public profiles on the internet, including personal social media accounts." Yet the concern about the impact is not new. "Digital dust" Numerous sensitive U.S. military and intelligence offices and installations ban the use of so-called smart devices on their premises, including smart phones and the GPS-enabled fitness trackers from companies like Fitbit, Garmin and Polar, which helped Strava create its global Heatmap, highlighting the most popular routes for walking, running and biking this past February. And U.S. intelligence officials have been warning for years about the impact of what they call digital dust, information that by itself seems to have little relevance and that users have posted to social media. The U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center cautions member of the U.S. intelligence community they could be targeted by adversaries who have, "Collected information on you from social media postings." And a pamphlet from the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence warns employees to, "Maintain direct positive control of, or leave at home, electronic devices during travel, especially when traveling out of the U.S." Still, the potential consequences of sharing information with a fitness tracking app seemed to have escaped notice until Nathan Russer, a student at the Australian National University in Canberra, tweeted about the Strava Heatmap this past Saturday. Strava released their global heatmap. 13 trillion GPS points from their users (turning off data sharing is an option). https://t.co/hA6jcxfBQI It looks very pretty, but not amazing for Op-Sec. US Bases are clearly identifiable and mappable pic.twitter.com/rBgGnOzasq Nathan Ruser (@Nrg8000) January 27, 2018 It was not just the United States, though. Russer also identified the routes of Turkish forces and Russian activity in Syria, as well. Not just US bases. Here is a Turkish patrol N of Manbij pic.twitter.com/1aiJVHSMZp Nathan Ruser (@Nrg8000) January 27, 2018 You can see the Russian operating area in Khmeimim, but also the guard patrol to the NE. pic.twitter.com/iWiX5Kozc1 Nathan Ruser (@Nrg8000) January 27, 2018 Strava says it excluded activities that users marked as private or ones that took place in areas people did not want to make public. Even so, the map included 1 billion activities between 2015 and September 2017. And in places like Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, where activities show up bright against otherwise dark terrain, combining the Strava data with information from other maps available online could have far reaching consequences. "This is pattern analysis," according to Michael Pregent, a former U.S. intelligence officer now with the Hudson Institute. "This [Strava] map is a tool that most intelligence analysts seek out." And, it is a tool that can be exploited by a wide range of actors. "This allows an enemy to pinpoint their fire," Pregent said, noting this type of information could have been used to great effect by Shia militias who had been targeting U.S. bases during the Iraq War. Now, he said, it could guide new attacks by the Taliban or even the Islamic State (IS) in Afghanistan. "Several of the [Strava] graphics are our bases in Afghanistan and you can see the most trafficked areas," he said. So far, there is no evidence that groups like the Taliban, IS or al-Qaida have managed to make use of the type of information provided in the Strava Heatmap. Still, the possibility has gotten their attention. "All I've seen is Jihadi groups sharing the Strava news, consuming it just like us," Raphael Gluck, an independent researcher, told VOA. "Maybe there's some wishful thinking on their part, but so far [I've] not seen anyone talking further than that." And the information may only be so useful to an untrained eye. Interpreting the data "The map alone is sometimes inadequate to provide useful analysis," Aric Toler, a lead researcher for the investigative journalism website Bellingcat wrote on his blog. Toler told VOA activity in Strava can be falsified. For example, he found Strava activity in the Atlantic Ocean, south of Ghana likely a spoof or an error. But he said in less obvious cases, without understanding the context, it can be difficult to know what the data means. Still, he warned,"obvious that there can be danger in this." As for why it appears so many U.S. military personnel in war zones like Afghanistan and Syria allowed their devices to keep sending data to Strava, some experts say its just human nature. "These arent necessarily the special operators out there killing ISIS or helping our partners on the ground," said Hudson Pregent. "The majority of these forces are back at bases where they try to normalize life." Weve seen everyone from police officers to members of the military, members of the foreign service people in sensitive positions oversharing online, whether it be Facebook or Twitter," said Stratfor Threat Lens Senior Analyst Ben West. "I see this, the Strava map, as an extension of this." And Strava is just one of hundreds of apps and devices that make it easy to expose this vulnerability. "Wherever these things are located and are operating, they are collecting information on our daily routines which can be used to anticipate our behavior and bad guys can exploit that," West said. UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Special Envoy on Syria says participants at peace talks in Sochi, Russia, have agreed to establish a committee that will draft the country's new constitution. Staffan de Mistura told reporters in New York via telephone late Tuesday from the Black Sea resort that the guarantors of the meeting Russia, Iran and Turkey had each given him a list of 50 proposed candidates to be on the committee. He said it would include representatives from the Syrian government, opposition and independents. United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura speaks to attendees after a session of the Syrian Congress of National Dialogue in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Jan. 30, 2018. United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura speaks to attendees after a session of the Syrian Congress of National Dialogue in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Jan. 30, 2018. "I plan to consult widely including other Syrians, including those who did not attend [Sochi]," de Mistura said. "And myself prepare a list of 45 to 50 people based on criteria that will be soon announced by me, in Geneva, based on very wide consultations." De Mistura said he was "determined" to make the constitutional committee a reality. The veteran diplomat would not give a timeline for when he would announce his criteria or convene the committee to begin drafting the constitution. "The job ahead is going to be complicated," he admitted. "But frankly, we believe that we can build on it." Heckling, delays Tuesday's breakthrough at the Syrian Congress of National Dialogue was made despite an occasionally chaotic meeting with some 1,600 Syrian participants. Attendees shout slogans prior to a plenary session Attendees shout slogans prior to a plenary session at the Congress of Syrian National Dialogue in Sochi, Jan. 30, 2018. Attendees shout slogans prior to a plenary session at the Congress of Syrian National Dialogue in Sochi, Jan. 30, 2018. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's opening speech at the two-day Syrian Congress of National Dialogue was interrupted by heckling from Syrian delegates and cries of "Long live Russia!" The speech was delayed by two hours due to on-going negotiations. Reading a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lavrov said conditions were ripe for Syria to turn "a tragic page" in its history. Syrian delegates accused Russia of killing innocent civilians in their country. Russian state television footage of the event showed security guards ordering a man in the audience to sit down. FILE - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov deli Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivers a speech during a session of the Syrian Congress of National Dialogue in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Jan. 30, 2018. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivers a speech during a session of the Syrian Congress of National Dialogue in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Jan. 30, 2018. Critics of the Sochi Congress, which is backed by Turkey and Iran, accused Russia of trying to hijack the Syrian peace process from the United Nations and offering a solution that favors the government of Bashar al-Assad. After much internal debate, the United Nations secretary-general did not decide until Saturday to send his envoy, de Mistura, to the meeting. Boycotts The Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC) the opposition's main negotiating bloc boycotted the talks. Another opposition delegation, that included members of the armed opposition who had flown in from Turkey, refused to leave the airport upon arrival, saying it was boycotting the talks because of broken promises to remove the Syrian government emblem from the premises. Artyom Kozhin, senior diplomat at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said Lavrov had spoken by phone with his Turkish counterpart prior to the meeting and promised that Syrian flags and emblems would be removed from the airport and the conference venue. Kozhin acknowledged that there had been complications. The United States, France and Britain declined to attend the conference, deferring to a U.N.-led effort to end the seven-year-old civil war. Ten foreigners have been arrested in Cambodia on charges of pornography after they were caught dancing suggestively during a private party. The group five Britons, two Canadians, and one person each from the Netherlands, Norway and New Zealand were arrested last Thursday during a police raid of a villa in the northeastern village of Siem Reap, home to the famous ruins of the ancient Angkor Wat temple. Prosecutors say the 10 have been charged with producing pornographic pictures and other materials, and face at least one year in jail if convicted. Sorung Sophea, an attorney representing the 10 jailed Westerners, says the group was clad in swimsuits and drinking alcoholic beverages by a swimming pool, but insists none of the photos show them undressed or engaging in sex. Sophea said the group should be deported instead of facing criminal charges. Seventy-seven other people arrested during the raid were released with a warning. COCOA, Florida - A recent Facebook post by the Cocoa Police Department warning about unlicensed street vendors is generating public backlash on social media: "We are asking property owners in the city of Cocoa to please not allow people to set up vendor areas on your properties. Per city zoning regulations all street vending is prohibited within the city limits unless it is a permitted special event. Street vending is prohibited and property owners allowing this activity on their property will be cited and the vendor will be forced to leave. Unregulated street vending can create potential health risks and other hazards. For more information please contact the Police Departments Code Enforcement Division at 321-433-8508." But the post didn't sit well with many residents who expressed concerns that the Cocoa Police Department should focus on higher-priority crimes rather than street vending. "Its a good thing they are cracking down on this and not the bums, junkies, thieves, drug dealers that are huge problem in the City of Cocoa," wrote one commentator which reflected the position of the majority of Facebook comments. However, a few people sided with the enforcement policy. WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to highlight a strong economy and call for bipartisan action on immigration as he gives his first State of the Union address Tuesday night. The televised speech before a joint session of Congress comes a year after Trump took office and about a week after a three-day government shutdown spawned by a fight over the federal government budget and how to deal with hundreds of thousands of immigrants who years ago came to the country illegally as children. Trump will focus on the campaign promises he says he has fulfilled and offer to work with both Democrats and Republicans to do more, according to the excerpts of the speech released by the White House Tuesday evening. "Just as I promised the American People from this podium 11 months ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reform in American history," he is expected to say, boasting about providing "tremendous relief for the Middle Class and small businesses." On foreign policy, Trump is expected to note that the U.S.-led coalition "has liberated almost 100 percent of the territory once held by these killers in Iraq and Syria" but he will also acknowledge that there is much more work to be done to defeat the militant group. Immigration will also be a critical component. He is expected to promise that "struggling communities, especially immigrant communities, will also be helped by immigration policies that focus on the best interests of American workers and American families." FILE - The Capitol Rotunda is seen with the statue The Capitol Rotunda is seen with the statue of George Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 30, 2018, ahead of the State of the Union address by President Donald Trump. The Capitol Rotunda is seen with the statue of George Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 30, 2018, ahead of the State of the Union address by President Donald Trump. "Designated Survivor" Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has been named the "designated survivor" during the State of the Union speech. Each year, one member of the the presidents Cabinet is whisked away to an undisclosed location during the address in case a catastrophic event occurs and wipes out the line of presidential succession. The tradition harkens back to the dawn of the Cold War, amid fears of a nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union. After the vice president, the speaker of the House, and the president pro tempore of the Senate, the line of succession goes to Cabinet secretaries in the order they were created, beginning with the secretary of state and ending with the secretary of Homeland Security. One member of Trumps Cabinet cannot serve as a designated survivor: Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, who was born in Taiwan and does not meet the constitutional requirements to serve as president. The designated survivor is briefed on what would happen if tragedy strikes during the speech and prepares to take over duties as the acting commander-in-chief. FILE- President Donald Trump's Twitter feed is pho FILE- President Donald Trump's Twitter feed is photographed on a computer screen in Washington. April 3, 2017. FILE- President Donald Trump's Twitter feed is photographed on a computer screen in Washington. April 3, 2017. Year marked by Twitter attacks Trump's year in office has been marked by his frequent Twitter attacks on his political opponents, Democratic lawmakers and the occasional Republican who have drawn his ire for opposing his policies. In politically fractious Washington, however, the White House has said Trump will give an optimistic speech, calling for resolution of contentious issues by both Republicans and Democrats working together. Trump is giving his address at time when his voter approval ratings are the lowest ever for a president at this point in his four-year White House term, with the latest Gallup poll showing Americans disapprove of his handling of the presidency by a 58 percent to 38 percent margin. In nine months, American voters head to the polls again for congressional elections, with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the 100 Senate seats being contested. As is tradition, several Democrats will give shorter response speeches after the president finishes his address. Some Democrats to Skip Address At least 14 Democratic lawmakers announced they plan to boycott the speech. It could be the biggest known boycott of a president's State of the Union. Among them: Rep. John Lewis of Georgia said he would not attend. "At this junction, I do not plan to attend the State of the Union," Lewis said on MSNBC. "I cannot in all good conscience be in a room with what he has said about so many Americans. I just cannot do it," he added. Rep. Juan Vargas of California tweeted Monday afternoon on his decision not to attend: " @POTUS continues to disrespect women, insult people of color, and attack our immigrant communities. I will not be attending the State of the UnionI stand in solidarity with all the people he has and continues to disrespect. #SOTU" Rep. Maxine Waters of California, a harsh Trump critic, also said she wouldn't be going. When asked on MSNBC if she had plans to go, she said: "Oh, no." "Why would I take my time to go and sit and listen to a liar?" Waters also sat out Trump's address to Congress last year. This is not the first boycott of a president's State of the Union address. In 1999, President Bill Clinton spoke in front of a divided Congress in his State of the Union address, just weeks after being impeached by the House of Representatives. Some Republicans decided not to attend. They included Reps. John Shadegg of Arizona, Bob Schaffer of Colorado, and Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Bobb Barr of Georgia. The previous largest known boycott of a president's address came in 1971 by all 12 African-American lawmakers in the House, who were also members of the newly founded Congressional Black Caucus. The members wrote to President Richard Nixon for a meeting, which they said he refused. In turn, they skipped Nixon's speech. WATCH: History of annual presidential speech ISTANBUL - Tensions between Turkey and the United States are rising partly due to Washingtons support for Kurdish fighters in Syria. Analysts warn distrust between the NATO allies is a key factor behind the rising tensions and remains the main obstacle to resolving them. As Turkish-led forces continue their offensive into the Syrias Afrin enclave, Ankara is demanding that Washington remove its forces deployed with the YPG in the Syrian City Manbij, Turkeys next target. The militia is a key ally of Washingtons war against the Islamic State but are deemed terrorists by Ankara who accuses them of being linked to a Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey. At the moment there is absolutely no trust between the sides, warns political columnist Semih Idiz, of Al Monitor website. Clearly Washington doesnt trust Ankara and there is no trust in Ankara of Washington, not just because of Syria but because of a whole line of issues, since the coup attempt (in Turkey) two years ago. Two Turkish ministers accused Washington of being behind the 2016 coup attempt, a charge repeated last week by Yigit Bulut, a top advisor to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Washington has repeatedly denied any involvement, but analysts warn the perception of U.S. involvement by Turkey remains an open wound in relations. Also fanning the flames is Washingtons failure to honor its guarantee that YPG forces would withdraw from the Syrian city of Manbij after it was captured from Islamic State, a promise made by the Obama administration. We (Turkey) remember Joe Biden, he promised to Turkey he would withdraw U.S. and YPG forces from Manbij area says Mesut Hakki Casin, professor of international relations at Istinye University. The relationship reached new depths last Wednesday when neither side agreed on what was discussed in a telephone conversation between Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag addresses the Turkis FILE - Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag addresses the Turkish Parliament during a debate in Ankara, March 19, 2014. FILE - Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag addresses the Turkish Parliament during a debate in Ankara, March 19, 2014. We are facing more than one United States, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said Sunday in a television interview. The Pentagon says something while the State Department says otherwise. We are confused. According to which statement should we act upon? The clearest example of Washington's lack of clarity was a statement from the Pentagon that said they would train a 30,000-strong force that would include the YPG, but was later refuted by other U.S. government officials, says analyst Sinan Ulgen of the Carnegie Institute. That was one of the triggers for this (Turkish) cross-border operation (into Afrin). This is clearly a case of a lack of coordination, even a lack of clear U.S. strategy in dealing with Turkey, in particular in regard to Syria, Ulgen said. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks d Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a news conference in Istanbul, Jan. 25, 2018. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a news conference in Istanbul, Jan. 25, 2018. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu demanded that U.S. forces deployed in the Syrian city should immediately withdraw along with the Syrian Kurdish militia. Erdogan has warned Manbij is the next target of Turkish forces after its operation against the YPG in Afrin. Not something we are looking into, said U.S. General Joseph Votel, commander of the United States Central Command, when asked about Cavusolgu's demand. Turkish forces are already deployed close to Manbij as part of a previous Turkish military operation into Syria. FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2017 file photo, Turkish FILE - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ankara, Turkey, Sept. 28, 2017. FILE - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ankara, Turkey, Sept. 28, 2017. There can be military mistakes. I am afraid of this, there can be accidental clashes, warns Casin. If an American kills one Turkish soldier, you will lose forever the Turkish nation. This would result in a collapse of NATOs southern flank. Who would be the winner? Russia. Prizing Turkey away from its western partners has been a decades-long goal of Moscow, analyst Ulgen said. When you look at incentives for the other actors who have influence on the ground whether its Moscow, Tehran or the Damascus regime, they have an interest in creating a situation where this undesirable outcome (a U.S.-Turkish conflict) could emerge, he said. ATHENS - A U.N. special envoy urged Greece and Macedonia on Tuesday to seize on momentum in talks to resolve a name dispute straining relations for a quarter of a century, saying the two sides now appeared "energized" to reach an accord. Athens says Skopje's use of "Macedonia" as its name could imply a territorial claim over the northern Greek province of the same name, and a claim to its national heritage. Skopje counters that Macedonia has been its name dating to the now defunct Yugoslav federation of which it was part. The 25-year-long dispute has posed an obstacle to Macedonia's ambition to join both the EU and NATO. "Everyone knows what the issues are. There is a time for decision-making, and I think we are there," said Matthew Nimetz, U.N. special envoy on the "Macedonia" dispute since 1999. "I know the [Greek] government is very sincere and energized to reach a solution to the problem ... I think there is a will here, and I think also in Skopje, to try to reach a settlement," he told reporters in Athens. The two countries recently agreed to intensify talks. Still, there is mounting public sentiment in Greece against any deal which could include the name Macedonia. Greece has said a compromise could include a compound name with a geographical or chronological qualifier, and be known only by that name. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has so far failed to secure broad backing from political parties for a settlement which would include the contentious name. "I think waiting, slowing things down doesn't make any sense. Here it doesn't make any sense, and in the northern neighbor it doesn't make any sense [either]," Nimetz said. Athens may submit an outline of its proposals to Skopje and the United Nations next month, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias told state television on Monday night. Until the issue is resolved, Greece has agreed only that its Balkan neighbor be referred to internationally as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), the name under which it was admitted to the United Nations in 1993, two years after Skopje won independence from Yugoslavia. ROME - Conflict is worsening global starvation, the United Nations said on Tuesday, as it called for greater peace-building efforts to end hunger for almost 500 million people living in war zones. In the world's eight hungriest countries, at least one in four people do not have enough to eat, two U.N. agencies said in a report to the Security Council on Monday. The greatest needs in Yemen where 60 percent of the population 17 million people face acute hunger, followed by South Sudan, where 45 percent of people do not have enough food. "Unless the wars stop, what we build by day will be undone by night," Andre Vornic, a spokesman for the World Food Program (WFP) in Rome, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. WATCH: Global aid for children ? Without peace, "we stand no chance of ending hunger, whatever else we do," he added. Eliminating hunger and malnutrition by 2030 is one of 17 ambitious global goals set by governments in 2015. But hunger levels rose in 2016 for the first time in more than a decade to 815 million people, up from 777 million in 2015, amid biting conflict, climate change and economic woes. U.N. data shows the majority of the hungry - 489 million people - live in countries where there is war. The report highlighted 16 countries globally, plus West Africa's Lake Chad basin, that face the greatest hunger risks. Syria and Lebanon which is hosting millions of Syrian refugees were the third worst hit, with 33 percent of the population short of food. "The intensification of conflicts is a key reason behind the recent resurgence of world hunger levels," the Food and Agriculture Organization said. "Activities to support resilient livelihoods must be combined with peacebuilding and conflict resolution." Two countries -- Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have seen dramatic increases in the number of people needing food aid over the last year, the report said. In Afghanistan, 7.6 million people need help, with many in areas that are difficult for aid agencies to access and where armed groups are present, it said. The situation in the DRC is also "deteriorating", with 7.7 million people short of food, an increase of almost 2 million since 2016, it said. "Many people are eating little more than a meal a day typically just maize or cassava root and leaves," it said. The DRC was identified as 2017's most neglected crisis, according to a Thomson Reuters Foundation survey. STATE DEPARTMENT - The United States is urging all sides in the ongoing Gulf dispute to de-escalate tensions and work to counter terrorism as well as Iran's influence in the region. "It's critical that all parties minimize rhetoric, exercise restraint to avoid further escalation and work toward a resolution," said U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday. In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt imposed sanctions on Qatar, accusing Doha of financing extremist groups and aligning with Iran, the Gulf Arab states' rival. Qatar has denied the allegations. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Qatar are all members of Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC. Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis co-hosted the inaugural U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Defense Minister Khalid bin Muhammad al-Attiyah at the State Department. US Qatar Defense Secretary Jim Mattis speaks during the U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue at the State Department in Washington, Jan. 30, 2018. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis speaks during the U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue at the State Department in Washington, Jan. 30, 2018. Tuesday's high-level talks took place as the Gulf dispute nears its eighth month. The tensions have divided the GCC, a grouping of U.S. allies that has long served as an Arab counterbalance to Shiite Iran. "A united GCC bolsters our effectiveness on many fronts, particularly on counterterrorism, defeating ISIS and countering the spread of Iran's malign influence," said Tillerson, using an acronym for the Islamic State terror group. U.S.-Qatar defense ties U.S. officials say the rift between Qatar and other Arab nations has not affected U.S. military ties with Qatar, which hosts the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East. U.S.-led coalition aircraft bomb Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq from Al Udeid Air Base. "The United States enjoys a long-standing defense relationship with Qatar," said Mattis on Tuesday, calling Qatar "a strong and valued military partner" in the Middle East region. "Even in the midst of its own current challenges, Qatar and the United States maintain excellent military-to-military relations," he added. Last week, the Qatari air force for the first time flew two C-17 flights from the Gulf to Afghanistan to supply the NATO mission there, according to Mattis. Strategic and commercial relations The State Department said Washington is reaffirming its "strategic relationship" with Doha, with both agreeing to deepen security and military cooperation, as well as work together in the fight against human trafficking. The two countries also agreed to establish a permanent and annual strategic dialogue, with the next round to be held in Doha next year. A Qatar Airways plane is seen in Doha, Qatar FILE - A Qatar Airways plane is seen in Doha, Qatar, June 5, 2017. FILE - A Qatar Airways plane is seen in Doha, Qatar, June 5, 2017. Tuesday's talks came after U.S. authorities issued an order requiring additional screening of cargo on flights heading to the United States from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said last Monday the purpose of this order was to prevent terrorist attacks in response to persistent threats to aviation. Qatar Airways, operating out of Doha International Airport, is one of the airlines required by the U.S. authorities to provide certain information on shipments before loading cargo. As trade tensions grow between the United States and China, there is concern among foreign companies in China that a possible trade war between the two countries could leave them caught in the crossfire. President Donald Trump has been ratcheting up trade pressure on China, and a senior administration official has said the U.S. leader would be emphasizing the fair and reciprocal nature of trade in his State of the Union speech Tuesday. Already, Trump has issued what some believe could be the opening salvo in a more intense showdown over trade, recently slapping stiff import tariffs on solar panel imports and washing machines. More trade actions could be announced soon. If that does go forward, I have been told by certain officials [in China] that yes, definitely, there will be retaliation, said William Zarit, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, or AmCham China. And what weve been telling our interlocutors is that if there is some kind of tariff and if the Chinese do want to retaliate, they do so maturely and with precision so as to not actually adversely affect their own economy. Zarit spoke on Tuesday at the launch of AmCham Chinas annual survey on the business climate in the worlds second-largest economy. The survey for 2017 was conducted at the time of Trumps visit late last year and cited growing optimism among members about the outlook for growth and investment in China. Seventy-eight percent of the respondents said that positive relations between the U.S. and China are extremely important or very important, compared with 64 percent in 2015. China's President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Do FILE - China's President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump witness U.S. and Chinese business leaders signing trade deals at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Nov. 9, 2017. Trade relations between the two countries might soon be on a rockier road. FILE - China's President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump witness U.S. and Chinese business leaders signing trade deals at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Nov. 9, 2017. Trade relations between the two countries might soon be on a rockier road. Three out of every four companies surveyed, however, said they still feel unwelcome in China. One key driver of that perception - regulatory barriers for foreign companies and unfair treatment relative to local ones, the survey found. While no one wants a trade war, the survey found that more than 60 percent are advocating for the U.S. government to take actions to help correct trade imbalances. Zarit said some have grown weary of years of negotiations on trade and investment issues between the governments and think Washington should use pressure. Strictly just dialogue has not really brought much in terms of progress. So, perhaps some pressure will help get us more progress to a more balanced economic and commercial relationship, he said. Seeking level playing field According to the survey, 27 percent of its business members advocate more strongly for a level playing field for U.S. businesses in China. Another 19 percent want the U.S. government to apply investment reciprocity as an approach to improve market access in China. A third group comprising 14 percent of AmCham members wants Washington to pursue a new multilateral trade agreement that would include the U.S. replacing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. One of Trumps first actions in office was to pull the United States out of the TPP, but last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he hinted at a possible path back toward the TPP or something similar to the trade agreement. Workers install glass panels near a McDonald's in FILE - Workers install glass panels near a McDonald's in Beijing, Nov. 7, 2017. "Some companies will inevitably suffer some repercussions if there are trade frictions between the two countries," says Lester Ross, head of AmCham Chinas policy committee. FILE - Workers install glass panels near a McDonald's in Beijing, Nov. 7, 2017. "Some companies will inevitably suffer some repercussions if there are trade frictions between the two countries," says Lester Ross, head of AmCham Chinas policy committee. Lester Ross, head of AmCham Chinas policy committee, said American companies should be ready to deal with harsh measures and other forms of retaliation from Beijing. I dont think any company wants to absorb or make a sacrifice for trade relations, but I think some companies will inevitably suffer some repercussions if there are trade frictions between the two countries, he said. They [U.S. companies] have to consider that possibility. Ross said retaliation from the Chinese government could include measures targeting the airline and agriculture sectors, and possibly affecting industries and communities where support for Trump was strong during the elections. "It would be likely that they [Chinese] will target sectors that have political resonance in the United States, and particular products or commodities, he said. Rising friction over trade is not the only way companies doing business in China could be caught in the middle. As part of Trump's efforts to exert more pressure on North Korea, he previously has complained that China is not doing enough and used the threat of possible trade actions as a carrot and stick to try to get Beijing to do more. Some analysts said the Trump administration might go slowly on trade remedies against China if Beijing does more to help Washington in resolving the North Korea problem. But that, in turn, could distract Washington from its plans to deal with what the U.S. sees as Beijings unfair trade practices. Zarit said AmCham members also want the North Korea issue to be resolved as peacefully as possible. We also hope that our needs for addressing the structural imbalances in the relationship are not sacrificed in the process, he said. WASHINGTON - North Korea's nuclear program has made strides in recent months but the country has not yet demonstrated all the components of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), including a survivable re-entry vehicle, the vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Tuesday. Air Force General Paul Selva's remarks confirmed an assessment by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in December that North Korea's ICBM did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. "What he has not demonstrated yet are the fusing and targeting technologies and survivable re-entry vehicle," Selva said, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "It is possible he has them, so we have to place the bet that he might have them, but he hasn't demonstrated them," Selva, the second highest-ranking U.S. military official, added. In November, North Korea said it had successfully tested a new type of ICBM that could reach all of the U.S. mainland and South Korea. U.S.-based experts said data from the test appeared to support that. Selva said that if conflict were to break out, it was unlikely the United States would be able to get an early indication of North Korean launches. "It is very unlikely that in a tactical situation, we would get any of the indications and warning that would precede a launch other than if we got lucky and saw the movement of the launch mechanism to the launch platform," Selva said. He added that by using mobile-erected launchers, the warning time for the United States had decreased from up to an hour to about a dozen minutes. The Trump administration has said all options are on the table in dealing with North Korea, but debate on military options has lost some momentum in recent weeks after North and South Korea resumed talks ahead of next month's Winter Olympics in the South. Selva said the Pentagon's upcoming nuclear posture review, expected to be released on Friday, would lay out the future of nuclear modernization and may include new missiles on submarines. A leaked draft policy document posted online this month, said the United States would pursue development of a new nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile. CARACAS - Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, who pitched himself as the "son" of Hugo Chavez to appeal to voters ahead of his 2013 presidential win, has all but scrubbed mention of the late socialist leader from his campaign for re-election this year. Chavez is barely anywhere in Maduro's new campaign song or logo, unveiled in recent days ahead of presidential elections slated to be held before the end of April in the crisis-torn country. Maduro's campaign logo features a big "M" emblazoned in the yellow, blue, and red Venezuelan flag colors. "Together we can do more. Nicolas Maduro, president," reads the slogan promoting the former bus driver and union leader. During the 2013 race to replace Chavez, who died of cancer, Socialist Party billboards usually featured the charismatic late president's face and the slogan, "From my heart, (I want) Maduro president." And while the new campaign song, a catchy mix of reggaeton, merengue and rap, makes a brief reference to Chavez by mentioning his nickname "comandante," the song is squarely focused on Maduro. "Nicolas Maduro, a driver of victories, is guiding Venezuela to peace and glory!" goes the song, publicized on Maduro's Twitter feed, with the chorus urging, "Everyone with Maduro!" That's a far cry from the 2013 campaign song, which kicked off with a recording of Chavez naming Maduro his political heir and featured the chorus: "Chavez, I swear to you, I'll vote for Maduro!" Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro throws the ba Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro throws the ball during a softball game with ministers and military high command members at Fuerte Tiuna military base, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 28, 2018. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro throws the ball during a softball game with ministers and military high command members at Fuerte Tiuna military base, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 28, 2018. ?'Burying the father' The shift highlights how Maduro, although widely disliked due to a brutal economic crisis that has sparked malnutrition and disease, is seeking to carve out his own political image away from his far more popular predecessor. "Symbolically, Maduro is burying his political father," said Andres Canizalez, a professor and expert in political communications. "If this turns out to be successful, we could be in the presence of a metamorphosis in the political process to go from 'Chavismo' to 'Madurismo'," added Canizalez. But the shift could also heighten growing tensions in the ruling Socialist Party, once firmly held together by the dominant Chavez. Rafael Ramirez, a former oil czar in exile and wanted for alleged corruption, has lashed out at Maduro for his handling of the economy and asked for guarantees to return to the country and face him in primaries. But officials have said there is but "one candidate" in this year's vote, solidifying Maduro's grip on the country after major anti-government protests last year. During a softball game Sunday, Maduro and his cabinet played against military officers, who had the words "Chavez lives" emblazoned on their blue shirts. Maduro, meanwhile, wore a white uniform with the Venezuelan colors on its sleeves. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. Across the United States, the #MeToo movement and Womens marches are changing the nation's political debate and inspiring record numbers of women to run for political office in this years crucial mid-term elections. VOAs House Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports. Defying threats of arrest, Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga took an oath in a mock presidential inauguration ceremony in a Nairobi park. The 73-year-old Odinga pledged to serve as "the people's president" before thousands of cheering supporters Tuesday in Uhuru Park. Odinga claimed voting irregularities handed last August's initial presidential vote to President Uhuru Kenyatta, Following a challenge, the results were declared null and void by Kenya's Supreme Court in a historic decision. Odinga and his supporters boycotted a October 26 revote, citing doubts it would be conducted fairly. Kenyatta easily won the second election by a 98 percent margin, and was sworn in the following month. Attorney General Githu Muigai had warned that any attempts to swear in Odinga as president would qualify as high treason, which is punishable by death. A number of media outlets, including independently-owned Citizen TV, that attempted to cover the ceremony had been forced off the air by the government's communications authority. Andrew McCabe, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's No. 2 official whom President Donald Trump publicly criticized for alleged political bias and reportedly wanted fired, stepped down from the agency on Monday, weeks ahead of his retirement. The move followed months of blistering criticism by Trump and his Republican allies that McCabe, 49, was an anti-Trump partisan. Recent reports said McCabe had been pressured to leave the bureau. "Todays news that FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is stepping down from the bureau is overdue," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "The only way to ensure the FBI remains the premier law enforcement agency in the world is to ensure that the leadership at the bureau holds the trust of the American people. This change in leadership at the FBI is a good first step in repairing the damage to their reputation." White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump "stands by his previous comments" about McCabe, but told reporters that the president "wasn't part of the decision-making process" that led to McCabe's early retirement. "I can tell you none of this decision was made by anyone at the White House," Sanders said. McCabe was thrust into controversy just days before the 2016 presidential election when it was disclosed that his wife, Jill McCabe, a Democratic candidate for a seat in the Virginia Senate in 2015, had taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from a political action committee controlled by a Hillary Clinton friend then-Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee, used the disclosure to question the FBIs impartiality in investigating Clintons use of a private email server, before it declined to bring criminal charges against her. At the time, the FBI said that McCabe had consulted bureau ethics officials and that he and FBI lawyers "implemented a system of recusal from all FBI investigative matters involving Virginia politics." But the controversy continued to dog McCabe after Trump abruptly fired then-FBI director James Comey over the Russia investigation last May, a move that led Attorney General Jeff Sessions to elevate McCabe to acting director. "Why didn't A.G. Sessions replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a Comey friend who was in charge of Clinton investigation but got big dollars ($700,000) for his wife's political run from Hillary Clinton and her representatives. Drain the Swamp!" Trump tweeted in July. McCabe led the agency until August when Christopher Wray, a former assistant attorney general, was sworn in as the new FBI director. Trump's excoriation of McCabe remained unabated, even after it was reported in December that McCabe would retire in March when he became eligible for full pension benefits. "FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits," Trump tweeted Dec. 23. "90 days to go?!!!" Last week, the Axios news website reported that Sessions, urged by Trump, had pressured Wray to fire McCabe, but Wray threatened to resign if his deputy was dismissed. Trump later denied Wray had threatened to resign under pressure, saying, "He's going to do a good job." Comey, who appointed McCabe to the No. 2 position at the FBI two years ago, praised his former deputy for standing up to the agency's detractors. Special Agent Andrew McCabe stood tall over the last 8 months, when small people were trying to tear down an institution we all depend on, Comey tweeted late Monday. He served with distinction for two decades. I wish Andy well. I also wish continued strength for the rest of the FBI. America needs you. Russian meddling Trump and other Republicans say the FBI and Justice Department investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia is politically motivated. The criticism has not been limited to McCabe. In recent weeks, critics have seized on reports that two FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page previously assigned to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team, had exchanged anti-Trump text messages. Critics offered the texts as evidence that the Russia probe is politically tainted. Thomas O'Connor, president of the FBI Agents Association, said last month that the criticism of top FBI officials "clearly trickles down to the agent on the street, and it trickles down to their kids in school." In a statement emailed to VOA on Monday, O'Connor said the association thanks "Andrew McCabe for his service, and his support of the association and our charitable efforts." David Gomez, a retired FBI special agent, said: "It is unfortunate that what should be a joyous occasion for McCabe has been marred by political partisanship. In my opinion, and I believe the timeline of his activity proves this point, McCabe did nothing wrong." Organisers say Carnevale Romano 2018 should have already started. Fans of Rome's carnevale may have to travel outside the capital to enjoy the celebrations this year, following a statement from the Carnevale Romano organisation.This year would have marked the tenth edition of the annual event celebrating the traditional carnival season, a highlight of which is a horse-drawn parade between Via del Corso and Piazza del Popolo.However the organisers of Carnevale Romano say that - as of 30 January - their plans for 2018 have been met with months of "deafening silence" from the city administration of Rome mayor Virginia Raggi.Organisers told Wanted in Rome that Carnevale Romano normally runs for "at least 11 days" up to Shrove Tuesday, which this year is 13 February, and that the event should in theory have already started. They also said that they agreed to the city's terms of holding a reduced carnival celebration last year in order to "keep the event alive" for 2018.The city's website contains no notice of carnevale while an operator at the capital's cultural hotline 060608 said there was no news of the event. Carnevale Romano organisers say they will do all that they can to return with future editions of the carnival which was revived in 2009 after falling into oblivion in the 19th century.Traditionally carnival is the period of fun and festivities preceding the 40 days of fasting and prayer that Christians observe during Lent, which begins this year on 14 March, with Ash Wednesday, and ends with Easter Sunday on 1 April. 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. Famed primatologist Jane Goodall with Emory disease ecologist Thomas Gillespie, who is working with the Jane Goodall Institute to study the health of chimpanzees in Tanzania's Gombe National Park. The American Journal of Primatology just published a special edition bringing together experts who have contributed to the understanding of chimpanzee health at Gombe National Park in Tanzania and beyond. Gombe is the site where Jane Goodall pioneered her behavioral research of chimpanzees. Goodalls work at Gombe began in 1960, and continues today through the Jane Goodall Institute, making it the longest field study of any animal. Thomas Gillespie, associate professor in Emorys Department of Environmental Sciences, was a guest editor of the special journal edition, along with fellow scientists Dominic Travis and Elizabeth Lonsdorf. Gillespie works at the interface of biodiversity conservation and global health. Much of his research examines how and why anthropogenic influences within tropical forests alter disease dynamics and place wild primates, people and other animals in such ecosystems at increased risk of pathogen exchange. Following is an interview with Gillespie about the special journal issue and why research on chimpanzee health is important. What is the current status of chimpanzees? Both the common chimpanzee and the bonobo, the two chimpanzee subspecies, are endangered. Chimpanzees are the most closely related species to humans and we see them declining precipitously due to habit loss and poaching. Typical estimates for the chimpanzee population are in the hundreds of thousands. Thats far less than the number of people in Atlanta for the entire chimpanzee species spread across all of Africa. There is a real risk of chimpanzees going locally extinct in core parts of their habitat. Chimpanzees communities in West Africa, for instance, have very little habitat left. Theyre often found living in scraps of habitat between villages. How important is health to conservation? Wildlife health is a critical conservation issue, but thats something thats only recently been recognized. Wildlife populations already dealing with poaching and habitat loss are more vulnerable to being knocked out by disease. It becomes even more difficult when they are exposed to new pathogens, from humans or domesticated animals. On top of that, primates are dealing with shifts in the dynamics of pathogens like Ebola. Ebolas been around for a long time in natural systems but now were seeing big mortality events in wild chimpanzees and other apes. The Lowland Gorillas are actually listed as critically endangered due to Ebola. View Full Story in eScienceCommons Tunnel of Oppression visitors experience discrimination and oppression firsthand by Christi Mathis CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Experience is the best teacher, a Latin proverb claims, and Southern Illinois University is hosting an event which will give participants the chance to experience for themselves what discrimination and oppression really feel like. Free and open to the general public, the Tunnel of Oppression is an interactive event. Those attending will visit a series of connected rooms, each illustrating some form of oppression, prejudice or discrimination. Themes vary from year to year, but are always a surprise. In previous years, people have been immersed in scenes focusing on cultural biases, drug abuse, racism, child abuse, body image, discrimination based on race, gender, religion or sexual orientation, and various other types of discrimination or subjugation. They see what its like to be laughed at or mocked, to be treated unfairly for no real reason, or even to be invisible. The goal is to spark understanding and conversation to bring about positive changes. How to attend The 2018 Tunnel of Oppression tours will take place Feb. 26 to March 1 from 5 to 8:45 p.m. nightly on the lower level of Grinnell Hall, located at 275 E. Park Street on the SIU campus. The event traditionally draws a wide range of visitors and while its open to all, organizers suggest that those attending be at least 17 years old due to the intense nature of the experience. Anyone younger than 18 years of age will need a waiver, available at the event, signed by a guardian. To reserve a spot, call 618/536-5505, email Travis Hardwick at thardwick@housing.siu.edu, or access the reservation form online. When making a reservation, indicate the number of people attending and the three preferred dates and times. Participants must arrive 10-15 minutes prior to their reservation time to confirm and secure their spots. Tours begin every 20 minutes with the last tour starting at 7:40 p.m. Each tour lasts about an hour and is limited to 15-20 visitors to assure each has an optimal experience. Walk-in visitors are permitted if space allows. Additional information New for the 2018 event is a Hope Room at the end of the Tunnel of Oppression. Its a place where those attending can individually and also with campus and community groups, reflect on the event and discuss how they can serve as agents of change for the good. In addition, each tour wraps up with a short debriefing led by staff from SIUs Counseling and psychological Services. The Black Togetherness Organization, a campus registered student organization, and University Housing are the Tunnel of Oppression sponsors. The RBC Convention Centre is getting a new boss for the first time in 25 years. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2018 (1318 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The RBC Convention Centre is getting a new boss for the first time in 25 years. Longtime president and CEO Klaus Lahr is retiring in mid-March. His replacement will be Drew Fisher, currently the general manager of the Fairmont Winnipeg, a post hes held for the past four years. "My goal will be to build on the legacy that Klaus and his team have established at the RBC Convention Centre, generating economic benefit for the city and the province," Fisher said in an interview on Monday. Fisher was selected after a lengthy search that attracted about 80 applicants from as far away as Dubai and India. "We are pleased to welcome Drew to the convention centre organization," said Crystal Laborero, the centres board chairwoman. "We are quite confident that we have selected the best person for the position." Fisher, 50, originally from the Greater Toronto Area, said he is thrilled to be able to call Winnipeg home. "I say that with 100 per cent sincerity. I think the city has so much to offer," he said. "Its an honour and a privilege. Its very humbling." RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Klaus Lahr is leaving his post as RBC Convention Centre president and CEO. The 30-year veteran of the hotel business is in his second stint at the Fairmont (he was previously the operations manager under a former general manager), as well as working at Fairmont properties in New Brunswick, B.C. and Alberta. Lahr, who is 65, said he had previously committed to the board to stay at his post until the convention centre expansion was completed and all the bugs worked out. "The time has come," Lahr said. "Its very satisfying to be able to retire now on several fronts." He said overseeing the $181-million expansion and to be able to bring it in "on time and on budget with zero controversies and zero lawsuits is quite a rarity." It is now the fourth-largest facility of its type in the country, tied with the Montreal convention centre (Palais des congres de Montreal). And while measuring convention centre occupancy rates is not an exact science, according to some measurements, the Winnipeg facility is the busiest in the country. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Fisher said it is too early for him to talk about any new development at the RBC Convention Centre. Fisher said he believes there are many similarities between managing a hotel and a convention centre. (Lahr also came from the hotel business.) "We are dealing with ensuring that our clients and customers are happy with the service provided," Fisher said. "Its very similar." Lahr will remain at the convention centre until early May as he works with Fisher during a transition period. "After that, I have told Drew that he has my number and he can call me any time he likes," Lahr said. martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca Cottagers and Canadian National Railway say they are closely monitoring a clean up of rail cars derailed in the Whiteshell area in early January. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2018 (1318 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Cottagers and Canadian National Railway say they are closely monitoring a clean up of rail cars derailed in the Whiteshell area in early January. Twenty-three cars left the CN tracks Jan. 6, inside the boundaries of the Whiteshell Provincial Park in eastern Manitoba. The train carried petroleum products (but not crude oil), along with a corrosive liquid and nickel sulphide, an environmentally sensitive product, the railway said. One tanker tipped over into a swamp and an open car loaded with nickel sulphide tipped over beside the track. No one was injured and the incident remains under investigation by both the rail company and regulators with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, CN spokeswoman Kate Fenske said Tuesday. CN cleared the track in a day and had the line reopened by Jan. 7. Since then, crews have spent weeks removing the cars' contents; this week, they're hauling away the cars. "There were no leaks of dangerous goods from the tank cars involved," Fenske said, adding crews also removed the metre-sized sacks of nickel sulphide, none of which broke open. "All the product was contained and there were no leaks or spills," Fenske said. "CN is committed to a full clean-up of the area. We will also return in the spring to assess the site again." The location is just as sensitive as the shipment: an area of track about eight kilometres west of the Ontario border, between Nora and Florence lakes in the provincial park. The Whiteshell Cottagers Association is watching the clean-up carefully out of an abundance of caution, said the group's environmental spokesman. "Our only concern is the clean-up is being led by CN and not the province or some independent third party," said Alan Roberts. "Their main objective is to keep the line operating." The association represents 2,400 of the 3,400 private cottagers with property in the provincial park. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Two of the association's directors have visited the site, another cottager took a sweep of the area by plane, and the group's environmental committee is watching the progress and passing on CN updates through the association's website and social media. "The derailment involved a noxious material that's highly toxic, nickel sulphide. It's a dry powder and it's (transported) in sacks, and one of the three cars containing nickel sulphide was a gondola car. We were told the nickel sulphide was contained... but it tipped over in an open gondola car," Roberts said. "How do you contain spillage from an open gondola car?" Nickel sulphide, used in the nickel mining process, is a known carcinogen. Ordinarily it's a black solid and insoluble in water, but the cottagers are concerned because this shipment was in powder form, Roberts said, also voicing the group's concerns about the derailed tanker car. "We were told there was no leakage from the tanker car; that it tipped over into a swamp. The petroleum product (inside) was not identified to us." alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca The NDP's reckless decisions over the Keeyask generating station megaproject have left the provincial Progressive Conservative government with a "jackpot" of Manitoba Hydro debt, Crown Services Minister Cliff Cullen declared Monday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/1/2018 (1319 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The NDP's reckless decisions over the Keeyask generating station megaproject have left the provincial Progressive Conservative government with a "jackpot" of Manitoba Hydro debt, Crown Services Minister Cliff Cullen declared Monday. But Cullen could not explain how creating a new Crown corporation to reduce energy costs to consumers will not also take money out of Hydro's pocket the utility says it desperately needs to pay down that debt. "Maybe you should be asking the NDP that question," Cullen said in an interview. Last week, Cullen announced the provincial government has proclaimed legislation creating Efficiency Manitoba, mandated to reduce the previous year's electricity consumption at least 1.5 per cent every year for 15 years, and natural gas consumption at least 0.75 per cent annually. It has no personnel, budget or program details yet. Meanwhile, Hydro is asking the Public Utilities Board for annual rate increases of 7.9 per cent for the next six years. Cullen blamed media coverage for the public's misunderstanding of why the province created Efficiency Manitoba, which will The goal of the program is to reduce consumption and save money for consumers, he said. "It's intended to reduce bills of Manitobans. I don't think it's come across in the media as how we envision it. We're really taking the conflict out of Manitoba Hydro," Cullen said, noting it is a predicament that Hydro also needs more money. Efficiency Manitoba must produce an annual reduction in energy use, even after taking into consideration increased consumption through greater use of electric vehicles and conversions of home heating from natural gas to electricity. When parts of Keeyask's operations first come online in 2021, Hydro will face $25 billion in debts, with annual interest payments of $1.3 billion and revenues of $1.6 billion, Cullen said. He would not speculate what the PUB will do Tuesday with testimony from international consultant MGF Project Services, which the PUB paid $2 million to review Hydro's capital projects. MGF says Keeyask is even further behind schedule than Hydro estimates, and that its final cost will be $10.5 billion, not the $8.7 billion Manitoba Hydro maintains will be the final figure if everything goes right. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The original price tag was $6.5 billion. "We look forward to what the PUB has to say about it," Cullen said, declining several times to say if he believes MGF's assessment is accurate. Hydro has blamed the delays and cost overruns on BBE, its consortium of contractors, for a lack of expected productivity and failure to meet promised performance levels. Cullen would not say Monday if he has considered ditching BBE as the project's contractor, nor would he say if he even has that power. nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca OTTAWA Manitoba is set to be the second province to allow the testing of self-driving cars, as parliamentarians push for regulations to keep Canada abreast of a looming technological revolution. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/1/2018 (1319 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Manitoba is set to be the second province to allow the testing of self-driving cars, as parliamentarians push for regulations to keep Canada abreast of a looming technological revolution. Manitoba Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler announced Monday in Ottawa the Pallister government would table amendments to the Highway Traffic Act to test autonomous vehicles on provincial highways. The announcement came hours after the Senate transport committee urged the federal Liberals to co-ordinate competing departments, with some bureaucrats hitting the brakes out of safety concerns, while others hope to drive innovation by stepping on the gas. The committee included half of Manitoba's six senators, including vice-chairwoman Patricia Bovey. "We're approaching the end of the era of human-driven automobiles, and this has huge implications across a number of sectors," Bovey said. "The future has a way of becoming the present very quickly, and we need to be ready, so that we can greet it on favourable terms." The report recommends giving the privacy commissioner greater reach over how automobile companies use drivers information, including whether companies can monetize personal information, and giving federal cybersecurity officials a bigger role over protecting the new technology from hackers. The committee also says the government must invest more in its own research of self-driving cars to deal with questions of safety, such as how to ensure a driverless vehicle safely navigates a snow-covered road. Bovey noted Winnipeg suffers from potholes, and streets with no visible painted traffic lines, which automated cars often rely on. The senators urged a balance between stricter regulations than the United States, without stifling competition. Quebec Sen. Dennis Dawson compared the advent of driverless cars to the challenges wrought by ride-hailing apps. Winnipegs city council only gave services such as Uber the green light last month, but the costly plan suggested by Manitoba Public Insurance might keep them out of the market entirely. "It's frankly shocking how unprepared we were for the arrival of Uber, when any 19-year-old with a smartphone could have told you it was a good idea and it was on its way. Today, we face a similar situation," said Dawson. Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Ottawa will present a plan in the coming months for the safe introduction and use of automated vehicles on Canadian roads, not just for research. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Schuler said thats also Manitoba's long-term goal, as he announced the provinces upcoming legislation. Ontario is the only province that currently allows research for self-driving cars on its roads. Fully-autonomous vehicles may still be a decade or more away, but companies are already testing prototypes on Canadian and American roads. Automakers have also introduced assisted-driving features on newer model cars such as adaptive cruise control and automated parking. The committees report, which Garneau requested shortly after taking office, says self-driving cars could reduce the number of vehicle collisions that are largely caused by human error, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and boost productivity. But it could also lead to job losses in transportation sectors that employ some 1.1 million people, including truck, bus, and taxi drivers. The Liberals, the committee says, must put in place job retraining programs for those whose jobs will be affected, and ensure sectors such as after-market companies can maintain a foothold as new, automated cars hit the roads. with files from The Canadian Press dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca A deluge of words has already been spilled about Tina Fontaine, the 15-year-old girl from Sagkeeng First Nation who was found dead in the Red River in August 2014 and inadvertently became the poster child for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2018 (1318 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A deluge of words has already been spilled about Tina Fontaine, the 15-year-old girl from Sagkeeng First Nation who was found dead in the Red River in August 2014 and inadvertently became the poster child for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. On Monday, about 60 people in a Winnipeg courtroom finally heard from Tina herself. "Hey, umm. I would like to report a blue truck that was stolen earlier today," said a drawling, child-like voice emanating from the speaker system. As soon as Tinas great-aunt Thelma Favel heard the voice, she began to sob into both hands on the witness stand. Other relatives in the gallery cried, too, passing tissue boxes to and fro. "Thats Tina," Favel told Crown lawyer James Ross after the recording of the quick phone call, which lasted about 40 seconds. Tina placed a 911 call Aug. 6, 2014, at 10:18 p.m., to report her friend "Sebastian" had stolen a vehicle, court heard. Within seconds, the operator told her a different number to call to reach police directly. "Kay then," Tina said, sounding a bit defeated. "Bye." She hung up. The teens presence was jarring and swift gone nearly as fast as it materialized. Monday was the first day of a trial almost four years in the making. The accused, Raymond Joseph Cormier, 55, maintains his innocence, pleading not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Tina. Cormier was escorted into courtroom 230 with his hands and ankles in shackles. He sported a grey-and-black striped crewneck sweater, grey pants and white Nike shoes. His salt-and-pepper hair was cropped close to his skull, nothing like the unruly mane in his now-infamous mug shot. His beard looked as though it had been shaved the day before. Favel, the first witness called by the Crown to testify, didnt appear to make eye contact with Cormier throughout the daylong proceedings. She sat in the gallerys front row, near the jurors box. Cormier sat in the middle of the room, shielded from view. The tall wooden bench had three cocoon-like walls at least 1.5 metres tall, making the defendant only visible to the jury eight women and four men witnesses, lawyers, clerks and Manitoba Court of Queens Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal. In his opening remarks, Crown attorney Ross outlined the evidence court will hear over the next several weeks (the trial is expected to wrap by March 2) and called six witnesses, alongside fellow prosecutor Breta Passler. Ross asked Favel about Tina, whom she described as "sparkling." She wrapped up her testimony in tears. Tinas mother, Tina Duck, was in court briefly Monday morning, but left within the first hour of proceedings before Favel took the stand and did not return. Favel returned to her seat, resting her head on her husband Joseph Favels shoulder. Her facial expressions remained pained for the rest of the day. Later, witness testimonies from police and firefighters explained where Tinas body was found and its level of decomposition, which prevented any forensic evidence from being extracted for the case. She was found in the Red River on Aug. 17, 2014, wrapped in a tan-coloured duvet cover weighed down with rocks. Hearing the bleak testimonies stung for relative strangers, so one can only imagine how Tinas family was feeling. Members of the family told media no comment as they were leaving the courthouse. Some of Tinas family wore red ribbons pinned to their sweaters and blouses, a tribute to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls across the country. Ostensibly, hundreds of other families with missing or murdered loved ones are reading about Cormiers trial, hearing about it on the radio or watching news excerpts on television, as they anxiously await their own days in court if such circumstances ever surface. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. There are the families of Cherisse Houle, Glenda Morrisseau, Hillary Wilson and Cheryl Duck, whose bodies were found, but their killers never apprehended. There are the families of Sunshine Wood, Claudette Osborne-Tyo, Fonessa Bruyere, Sylvia Guiboche, Felicia Solomon and Jennifer Catcheway women who vanished, leaving their relatives in a perpetual, agonizing wait to see them again. There are far, far too many people who could be in the same scenario as Tinas family, waiting for an iota of justice. A month from now, we may know if Tinas family got what they came for. jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @_jessbu Days after Donald Trump took the oath of office, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists reset the Doomsday Clock to two and a half minutes to midnight, in part because of destabilizing comments and threats from Americas new commander in chief. One year later, we have moved the clock forward again by 30 seconds, due to the failure of the U.S. president and other world leaders to deal with looming threats of nuclear war and climate change. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2018 (1318 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Days after Donald Trump took the oath of office, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists reset the Doomsday Clock to two and a half minutes to midnight, in part because of destabilizing comments and threats from Americas new commander in chief. One year later, we have moved the clock forward again by 30 seconds, due to the failure of the U.S. president and other world leaders to deal with looming threats of nuclear war and climate change. The Science and Security Board for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists assesses that the world is not only more dangerous now than it was a year ago, it is as threatening as it has been since the Second World War. In fact, the Doomsday Clock is as close to midnight today as it was in 1953, when Cold War fears reached perhaps their highest levels. To call the world nuclear situation dire is to understate the danger and its immediacy. North Koreas nuclear weapons program appeared to make remarkable progress in 2017, increasing risks for itself, other countries in the region and the United States. The failure in 2017 to secure a temporary freeze on North Koreas nuclear development was unsurprising to observers of the downward spiral of nuclear rhetoric between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. But North Koreas developing nuclear program will reverberate not just in the Asia-Pacific, as neighbouring countries review their security options, but more widely, as all countries consider the costs and benefits of the international framework of non-proliferation treaties and agreements. Global nuclear risks were compounded by U.S.-Russia relations that now feature more conflict than co-operation. The United States and Russia remained at odds, continuing military exercises along the borders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, undermining the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, upgrading their nuclear arsenals and eschewing arms control negotiations. Tensions over the South China Sea have increased. Pakistan and India have continued to build ever-larger arsenals of nuclear weapons. And in the Middle East, uncertainty about continued U.S. support for the landmark Iranian nuclear deal adds to a bleak overall picture. A related danger is the rise of cyberthreats targeting national infrastructure, including power grids, water supplies and military systems. On the climate-change front, the danger may seem less immediate than the risk of nuclear annihilation, but avoiding catastrophic temperature increases in the long run requires urgent attention now. Global carbon dioxide emissions have not yet shown the beginnings of the sustained decline toward zero that must occur if we are to avoid ever-greater warming. The nations of the world will have to significantly decrease their greenhouse-gas emissions to manage even the climate risk accepted in the Paris accord. So far, the global response has fallen far short of meeting this challenge. The Trump administrations decision essentially to turn a blind eye to climate change transpired against a backdrop of a worsening climate, including exceedingly powerful hurricanes in the Caribbean and other parts of North America and extreme heat waves in Australia, South America, Asia, Europe and California. The Arctic ice cap achieved its smallest-ever winter maximum in 2017. And last week, data from 2017 demonstrated a continued trend of exceptional global warmth. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. We believe that the perilous world security situation described here would, in itself, justify moving the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock closer to midnight. But there also is a real threat posed by a fundamental breakdown in the international order that has been dangerously exacerbated by recent U.S. actions. In 2017, the United States backed away from its long-standing leadership role in the world, reducing its commitment to seek common ground and undermining the overall effort toward solving pressing global governance challenges. Neither allies nor adversaries have been able to reliably predict U.S. actions or discern between sincere U.S. pronouncements and mere rhetoric. U.S. allies have needed reassurance about American intentions more than ever. Instead, they have been forced to negotiate a thicket of conflicting policy statements from an administration weakened in its cadre of foreign policy professionals and suffering from turnover in senior leadership. Led by an undisciplined and disruptive president, the administration has failed to develop, co-ordinate and clearly communicate a coherent nuclear policy. This inconsistency constitutes a major challenge for deterrence, alliance management and global stability. We hope this resetting of the clock will be interpreted exactly as it is meant: an urgent warning of global danger. The time for world leaders to address looming nuclear danger and the continuing march of climate change is long past. The time for the citizens of the world to demand such action is now. It is time to rewind the Doomsday Clock. Lawrence Krauss, chair of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Board of Sponsors, is director of the Origins Project and foundation professor of the School of Earth and Space Exploration and physics department at Arizona State University. Robert Rosner, chair of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Science and Security Board, is a distinguished service professor in the departments of astronomy & astrophysics and physics at the University of Chicago. Washington Post On Nov., 28, 2017, the National Audubon Society; National Geographic; the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; and Cambridge, England-based BirdLife International announced that 2018 would be the Year of the Bird. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/1/2018 (1318 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion On Nov., 28, 2017, the National Audubon Society; National Geographic; the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; and Cambridge, England-based BirdLife International announced that 2018 would be the Year of the Bird. Its a global event that provides an important opportunity to recognize and celebrate the value of birds to us and our environment, says Kevin Fraser, an assistant professor at the avian behaviour and conservation lab in the University of Manitobas department of biological sciences. Although there have been some successful conservation stories since the implementation of the Canadian Migratory Bird Convention Act (MBCA), there are many species experiencing steep rates of population decline for reasons that are still poorly understood, Fraser explained via email. (Most species of birds in Canada are protected under the MBCA, 1994, according to the government of Canada website: "The MBCA was passed in 1917, and updated in 1994 and 2005, to implement the Migratory Birds Convention, a treaty signed with the United States in 1916.") Here in Manitoba, one of the biggest threats to wild birds is habitat loss, according to Dr. Nicola Koper, a professor in the U of Ms Natural Resources Institute. "We have amazing agricultural land in our province, but that has meant that much of our landscape has been converted to croplands, which takes away habitat from grassland birds that depend on it," she said. "When we add the roads that criss-cross our province, and energy infrastructure like power lines and wind turbines, we start really impacting how much habitat is available for birds to survive without disturbance." She stresses that in order to conserve grassland birds, and other dependent wildlife, we should preserve as much grassland on the landscape as we can. "But that its even more important to maintain large intact patches of grassland, and to avoid breaking them up by developing them or building roads or anything like that, because every time we introduce a cropland or road near a grassland, that greatly decreases the value of that grassland to the birds that depend on it," Koper emphasizes. "We need to protect lands that we have left for the wildlife that depend on them." Despite having already lost most of the grasslands in southwest Manitoba, Koper observes that there are still some intact areas, such as in the Poverty Plains (Broomhill Wildlife Management Area). This 330-hectare wildlife management area is rich in rare mixed-grass prairie birds and wildlife. A government of Manitoba website notes that the endangered loggerhead shrike, Bairds sparrow and even the little burrowing owl have been found here, as well as the ferruginous hawk, Spragues pipit, Says phoebe and willow flycatcher. "We should try to protect those areas that we have left," Koper says. Fraser also notes that two of our most familiar breeding birds, the barn swallow and wood thrush, have been added as "threatened" on the Species at Risk Act which, as the government of Canada website says, "is designed to prevent wildlife species in Canada from disappearing, to provide for the recovery of wildlife species that are extirpated (no longer exist in the wild in Canada), endangered, or threatened as a result of human activity, and to manage species of special concern to prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened." Meanwhile, the Year of the Bird will be marked with all sorts of activities occurring across Canada. Foremost among them will be the International Ornithological Congress 2018 in Vancouver from Aug. 19 to 26 an event that is considered the oldest and most prestigious of meetings for bird scientists. Vancouver will be the first time the congress has been on the Pacific coast of the Americas. The congress has broad national endorsement, including from Environment Canada and Simon Fraser University, among other organizations. Bird Studies Canada (BSC), the countrys leading science-based bird conservation organization, is co-host. There are many citizen science/birding activities that people in Manitoba can participate in this year, says Dr. Christian Artuso, BSCs Manitoba program manager. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The list includes Important Bird Areas blitzes and special surveys in spring, summer and fall; the Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative; roost monitoring activities and "swift night out;" the Manitoba Nocturnal Owl Survey; and the Great Backyard Bird Count (which will be held from Feb. 16 to 19). Nature Manitoba will lead a series of bird outings throughout the year, and International Migratory Bird Day will be celebrated at Oak Hammock Marsh on May 12. The Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas will complete its online publication this year "A cause for much celebration," said Artuso, the initiatives principal architect. Its obvious that for Fraser, Koper, Artuso and other ornithologists and conservationists, caring about birds is simply an extension of caring for planet Earth, appreciating the miraculous gift of biodiversity we have all around us, and acknowledging, in the words of 27th IOCongress 2018 convener Robert Elner, "the vision that wild birds are ambassadors for environmental health." Year of the Bird is an opportunity for them to share that passion with an even wider audience. Martin Zeilig is a Winnipeg writer. Three employees each of two state departments were officially added to the list of defendants to face prosecution by Michigans attorney generals office over wrongdoings in the Flint water crisis. At a Flint press conference yesterday, Attorney General Bill Schuette made the announcement after making a promotional pitch for the existence of equality under the law in Michigan. The families of Flint will not be forgotten. We will provide the justice they deserve. And in Michigan, the system is not rigged, Schuette proclaimed, adding for effect, There is one system of justice. It applies to everybody. Equally. No matter who you are. Period. Each of the newly announced defendants faces a combination of felony and misdemeanor charges which could mean prison sentences of 11 years, on average. All six officials consciously covered up the health dangers posed by Flint water after the city was switched from a safe water source to the toxic Flint River. One of the more notorious of those charged yesterday was Michigan Department of Environmental Qualitys (MDEQ) former Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance Division chief Liane Shekter Smith, who was fired in February. In a meeting last August, she bragged to residents LeeAnne Walters and Melissa Mays, whose families had both been severely damaged by lead poisoning, that Miguel Del Toral, a water expert from Region 5 of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, who was seeking to expose the real situation with the water, had been handled. Adam Rosenthal, an MDEQ water quality analyst, faces 14 years for his role in falsifying the sampling of Flints water for lead. Rosenthal directed Mike Glasgow, former water plant manager, to find good samples in order to prove Flints water was in compliance. Glasgow, who was indicted last April, entered a plea of no contest and is cooperating with the investigation. Patrick Cook, of the MDEQ environmental health programs unit, was indicted for interfering with the proper sampling of Flint water. From the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), three other employees were indicted: Nancy Peeler, director of the program for maternal, infant and early childhood home visiting; Robert Scott, data manager for the healthy homes and lead prevention program; and Corrine Miller, former director of the bureau of epidemiology and state epidemiologist. The MDHHS defendants were charged with burying an internal report showing increased blood-lead levels in Flint children and creating a falsified report. These six indictments bring the number of criminal indictments to nine, including the indictments of Glasgow and former MDEQ officials Stephen Busch, who was a district supervisor in the MDEQ Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance, and Michael Prysby, a former MDEQ district engineer. In response to a question from the press, Schuette professed not to understand the motivations of those charged beyond part arrogance, part viewing people in Flint as expendable and handed the question over to Special Counsel Todd Flood. He claimed to have a good idea, but he wouldnt get into that right now. Another question was raised about whether Governor Rick Snyder would be indicted. That question was fielded by Chief Investigator Andy Arena, former FBI Detroit chief, who explained that in his history of investigating organized crime, you dont start at the top, but have to work upward through the channels. Schuette and his team insisted that Nobodys off the table in pursuit of the truth. That remains to be seen. The forcing of Flint off its longstanding source of safe water was a result of the bankruptcy operation in Detroit. This was carried out by both Democrats and Republicans and had the full endorsement of the Obama administration. The crimes committed by officials being prosecuted were in line with the narrative that Flints water was safe to drink, no matter how much the people of Flint protested and complained, and even died, over the toxic water being pumped into homes and hospitals from the Flint River. The breaking up of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department was done to override the safeguards to both employees and ratepayers in the city charter and prepare for privatization of one of the largest water systems in the country. Losing its largest customerthe city of Flintplayed into the scheme to monetize the citys assets. But the account that Detroit mayor Mike Duggan presented to the Democratic convention in Philadelphia the day before Schuettes latest indictmentsthat the bankruptcy in Detroit gave the city new opportunities to bring in new decent-paying jobs and encourage vibrant growth and prosperityis of the same cloth as that of the corrupt state officials being charged yesterday. On Thursday, the Trump administration rolled out the most right-wing immigration reform proposal since the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924 established immigration quotas to stabilize the ethnic composition of the United States. The Trump proposal, based largely on the SECURE Act introduced by Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue, will fundamentally alter the sociodemographic composition of the United States. If enacted as law, the proposal will cut documented immigration by 22 million people over the next 50 years. According to the White House, the plan includes $25 billion to expand the wall along the US-Mexico border and to further militarize not only the borderlands but at all ports of entry/exit, i.e., all air and sea ports. The plan will result in a massive hiring of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, who will be further armed and emboldened with pseudo-legal powers to conduct mass workplace raids, home invasions and public arrests of immigrants. The Trump plan proposes to hire new DHS personnel, ICE attorneys, immigration judges, prosecutors and other law enforcement professionals to speed up the deportation process. The plan will drastically slash due process protections for immigrants who are lucky enough to see the inside of a courtroom, or, in the governments newspeak, implement immigration court reforms to improve efficiency and prevent fraud and abuse. As for the countrys 1.8 million undocumented immigrants who are recipients or eligible for protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the Trump administration proposal puts forward a 10-12 year path for citizenship, with requirements for work, education and good moral character. DACA recipients would also be required to prove they are not a public charge, likely by abstaining from public benefits. This means nothing for DACA recipients, whose rights could be taken away once again by a right-wing legislature at any point over the next decade. The most dramatic cut to immigration will come by ending the family-based petition system, which has governed immigration policy for several decades. According to a study published yesterday by the Cato Institute, the new policy eliminates the right of a US citizen or legal permanent resident to petition for the entry of parents, unmarried adult children, married adult children or siblings. Legal permanent residents will also lose their ability to petition for their spouses and minor children. The Trump administration calls these restrictions protecting the nuclear family by emphasizing close familial relationships. The Trump proposal will also slash the number of asylees in half, from 37,200 to 18,600. As a result, thousands of people who face persecution in their home countries and who have legal claims to refugee status will be denied the right to which they are entitled under international law. The Trump administration plan also eliminates the diversity visa, which grants 50,000 visas each year from a pool of 10 to 20 million annual applicants. These visas are a lifeline for impoverished people from dozens of countries that have a relatively small number of people attempting to migrate to the United States. According to the Cato study, the State Department records 3.7 million applicants waiting abroad in the categories that the SECURE Act would eliminate, while roughly 250,000 people in a similar position are already in the US. On Monday, a group of 48 Democratic and Republican lawmakers announced a similar proposal with a 10-12 year wait for DACA recipients to acquire citizenship, as well as billions more in funding for border security and wall construction. This proposal is likely to be vetoed by Trump, who is demanding more extreme measures. The Democratic Partys response to Trumps hardline proposal has been muted. On Sunday, the Democratic leadership reiterated its main priority: pressuring the Trump administration to adopt a more hardline approach toward Russia. Speaking Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer said, The most important thing Congress can do right now is to ensure that Special Counsel Muellers investigation continues uninterrupted and unimpeded. Last night, Schumer published an op-ed in the Washington Post in anticipation of Trumps State of the Union address Tuesday that included no reference to Trumps immigration proposal. The article, titled What Im listening for in Trumps State of the Union, is about infrastructure spending. Schumer, presenting himself as an advisor to the president, says Trump should urge Congress to deliver a substantial investment in our nations infrastructure and that we Democrats will gladly work with him on it. Meanwhile, the death toll in the desert continues to grow as thousands of immigrants seek shelter and family unification in the United States. On Friday, 76 immigrants were found in the back of a trailer after crossing the US-Mexico border near Laredo, Texas. The passengers, including 13 children, were more fortunate than the ten immigrants who suffocated in July 2017 after being stuffed in the back of a trailer near San Antonio. On Monday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appealsthe most liberal of all US appellate circuits, with jurisdiction over California and Arizonaruled unanimously that children do not have the right to free legal representation in deportation hearings. According to the Los Angeles Times, a court panel upheld an immigration judges decision to deny asylum to a minor identified as C.J.L.G., who left Honduras at age 13 after being threatened by gangs. Mandating free court-appointed counsel could further strain an already overextended immigration system, wrote Judge Consuelo Callahan. The boy and his mother, who were too poor to afford a lawyer, will now be sent back to one of the most violent countries in the world to face their former persecutors. The decision, which was supported by an Obama appointee, is a death sentence for countless other immigrant children. This development is not an exception for the meat grinder of the American immigration system. As a result of policies enacted by both the Democratic and Republican parties, it is the rule. The campaign by the Jusos, the youth wing of Germanys Social Democratic Party, against a new edition of the grand coalition with the Christian Democrats has provoked considerable nervousness in the SPD leadership, and in other political circles. At the SPD party congress on January 21, the vote to begin coalition negotiations with the Union (Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union, CDU and its Bavarian wing, the Christian Social Union, CSU) was surprisingly close, with 362 for and 279 against. Although the party leadership had unanimously solicited a yes vote, it could win only 56 percent of the delegates. Now it fears that the members could reject a coalition agreement, which has still to be negotiated. At the party congress, Kevin Kuhnert, SPD youth organization chair, was the main opponent of party leader Martin Schulz. Like Schulz, he too had previously visited the SPD state associations and campaigned for a rejection of coalition negotiations. Since then, the media has provided the 28-year-old with much publicity: he is extensively interviewed in the main news programmes, widely cited by newspapers and invited onto prominent talk shows. The Jusos have continued their campaign after the congress. Under the hashtag #NoGroKo (No Grand Coalition), they advocate a rejection of the coalition agreement in the membership vote to which the party has committed itself. At the same time, under the slogan join up, say no, they are seeking to attract new SPD members who will vote against the GroKo. According to a report by Focus magazine, 1,900 new members joined the SPD within just two days of the party congress. Now, the party leadership wants to set a deadline after which new members can no longer participate in the vote. The main reason for the resonance that the Jusos campaign is finding in the SPD is the rejection of a grand coalition by broad sections of the population. A survey conducted by Insa after the SPD party congress on behalf of Bild newspaper showed that only 31 percent of respondents believed that a grand coalition was good for Germany. Half thought it was bad, and only 42 percent expected it to last until the end of the legislative term. Especially in the working class and youth, the grand coalition is hated as a synonym for social inequality, precarious working conditions, militarism, state rearmament and attacks on democratic rights. Under the previous two grand coalitions, the gulf between rich and poor has dramatically widened, German troops are in Asia, Africa and on the Russian border, and surveillance by the intelligence services and police is ubiquitous. For these reasons, SPD members who reject a grand coalition fear that the party will suffer the fate of the French Socialist Party and the Greek PASOK, disappearing completely into insignificance, if it continues the coalition with the Union. Over the past 25 years, the SPD has already lost more than half its members and one-third of its voters. Kuhnert is appealing to this fear of ruin and the associated loss of offices and sinecures. In December, at an SPD party congress, he said that the young ones in the SPD had an interest that there still be something left of this enterprise, damn it. He always returns to this topic. On January 10, he told Spiegel Online that the Jusos were sceptical in principle of an alliance of the Union and the SPD. This had little to do with the results of the negotiations, but with the fact we seriously lost votes. This could not be swept from the table by the results of any negotiations. In some of the media, Kuhnert is now being compared with British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and US Democrat Bernie Sanders. That is not entirely wrong. Corbyn and Sanders gained considerable support by criticizing party leaderships. For both, the issue was saving the party, not breaking with its reactionary policies. Sanders, who had won 13 million votes in the primary campaign with his attacks on Wall Street, then supported the icon of Wall Street, Hillary Clinton, in the presidential campaign. And Corbyn, now leader of the Labour Party, is preparing for a possible takeover of the prime ministership. Kuhnert, however, does not employ the left-wing and socialist rhetoric that Corbyn and Sanders use to lure their followers. The slick political science student, who made his career in Berlins local politics and in the Jusos, was elected as the Jusos national chair only two months ago. While he speaks in torrents, he says almost nothing of substance. With him, one finds just as little criticism of militarism and the imperialist great power policy being driven forward by SPD Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and his predecessor Frank-Walter Steinmeier, now federal president, as opposition to stepping up the powers of the state, surveillance and censorship. Even in social policy, Kuhnert limits himself to a few minimum demands that the SPD could not achieve in the negotiations with the Unionabolition of the groundless limitation of employment contracts, harmonization of medical fees for private and statutory insured and the like. This is nothing when measured against the social devastation for which the SPD has been responsible since the introduction of the Hartz labour reforms. Kuhnert's mantra is renewal. By this he does not mean a departure from the reactionary politics of the SPD, which in any case would not be possible with a party that has been a reliable support of the capitalist order for over a hundred years. Rather, he favours a kind of general overhaul while in opposition, to prepare the party to pursue its right-wing policies all the more aggressively in the future. Not least, he is driven by the fear that a further decline of the SPD will result in workers and young people turning to a socialist perspective. That Kuhnert is opposed to mobilizing a social movement against the right-wing programme of the grand coalition is most clearly demonstrated by his refusal to call for new elections. Asked about this by Spiegel Online, he claimed, Whether it comes to new elections is absolutely not in the hands of the SPD. Here, the president has a say in the matter. He added, for safetys sake, that the SPD would neither shy away from, nor seek new elections. This is simply untrue, even if one disregards the fact that the federal president himself has been a member of the SPD for decades and has currently only let his membership lapse on account of his office. Steinmeier would find it difficult to resist a powerful campaign that appealed to the working class, and combined the rejection of the anti-working class and militarist policy of the grand coalition with the demand for new elections. But this is what the Jusos, as well as the SPD as a whole and all other parties in the Bundestag (parliament), want to avoid at all costs. New elections would force them to publicly discuss the reactionary plans they are forging behind the backs of the population. In the political atmosphere of an election campaign, workers and young people could find their voice, and a socialist programme find support. In face of stark social inequality and escalating labour disputes in the metalworking and other industries, this is a nightmare scenario for the SPD. Kuhnert is even ready to support a CDU/CSU minority government to avoid new elections. Asked by Spiegel Online what kind of government model he wanted instead of a grand coalition, he replied, A minority government is the most honest option. But unfortunately, this variant is vehemently rejected by the Union. He could not say more clearly that he is not concerned with mobilizing resistance to the grand coalition policy, but rather with saving the offices and sinecures of the SPD. The fact that this also raises his own market value and increases his prospects of a future ministerial office is not merely a side effect. Kuhnert is also making sure he does not blot his copy book with the SPD grandees, emphasizing again and again that he is not demanding resignations. He could also live with the result of the negotiations between the SPD and the Union, he said at the congress. It is therefore not surprising that Kuhnert is also praised by right-wing and business media, in particular those who consider Chancellor Merkel to be weak and exhausted after 12 years in office and who are demanding a generational change. Leading business daily Handelsblatt appeared on the day of the SPD party congress with a ten-page special section accusing Merkel and Schulz of forming a pact of the fainthearted, which would mean four lost years for Germany. Regarding Kuhnert, it said, You do not need to support a single substantive demand of the Juso chairman to feel sympathy for his mission. He was, the left-hand defender keeping the Union and SPD from immediately going on to award the prizes after their petty midfield moves in the negotiations. The right-wing magazine Cicero celebrated Kuhnert as a young savage who goes unusual ways. He placed himself as a dedicated left-winger, but was by no means radical. Rather, his style of politics is radically unconventional ... We need more with punch like that. The Socialist Equality Party is the only party calling for new elections to prevent a grand coalition. In the election campaign it will mobilize all means to build a socialist alternative to capitalism, war and a police state, and to expose the real aims of the bourgeois parties. 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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 Bon Iver took aim at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards on Monday, questioning Bruno Mars Grammys sweep. Looks like [Grammys] are still something serious musicians should not take seriously! tweeted Bon Ivers Justin Vernon. Absolutely NO offense to Mr. Mars, but you absolutely have to be sting me. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Mars scooped up six awards album of the year (24K Magic), song of the year (Thats What I Like), best R&B performance (Thats What I Like), best R&B song, and best R&B album plus an additional win for best engineered album (non classical). Mars bested Kendrick Lamar, Lorde, Childish Gambino, and Jay-Z for the top prize. To be factual, Mr. Mars made a name in the INDUSTRY by making hits OUT of hits of yesteryear, Vernon continued. SO no real need to be mad, even, at the [Grammys]. SZA? KENDRICK? Id say move on from this s show. Felt like a Democratic Party Party, not R n Roll. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Vernon a four-time Grammy nominee with two wins in 2012 for best new artist and best alternative album didnt stop there. He next addressed the lack of female winners, asking, While some awesome musicians do win, what is WINNING? This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. His comment was directed at Recording Academy president Neil Portnows response when asked about the majority of male winners and how women can move forward next year. It has to begin with women who have the creativity in their hearts and souls, who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers, and want to be part of the industry on the executive level. [They need] to step up because I think they would be welcome, he said. I dont have personal experience of those brick walls that you face, but I think its upon us as an industry to make the welcome mat very obvious, breeding opportunities for all people who want to be creative and paying it forward and creating that next generation of artists. Story continues This response didnt sit well with Vernon. Sty Coach language, he said. Vernon also sided with Lorde, who declined performing at the ceremony because she was the only album of the year nominee not afforded a solo performance. Lorde was offered an opportunity to perform in a Tom Petty tribute, but turned it down, watching from the audience as Mars won album of the year. Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich defended the choice in the press room, explaining, these shows are a matter of choices. We have a box and it gets full. She had a great album. Theres no way we can really deal with everybody. Vernon again took umbrage, siding with Lorde. I have to say Ken [Ehrlich] is a d producer. Im with Lorde on this, hard, he wrote. Ken told us Holocene (roty, soty nominee in 2011 (?)) was too long and slow and that wed lose 4-6 million viewers cause of that and that hes broken a lot of careers on the show, so I should listen. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. To further cement his point, Vernon retweeted Crosby, Stills and Nash star David Crosbys response to a fan question on Twitter if he watched the telecast with the hashtag, incrozname. No, he wrote. I didnt even bother to watch. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Related stories Grammy Moments You Didn't See on TV U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley Blasts Grammys for 'Fire and Fury' Skit Grammys 2018: The Biggest Snubs and Surprises Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts! Elon Musks Initial Flamethrower Offering is off to a red-hot start. The same entrepreneur who wants to save the earth from fossil fuels also looks like he wants to burn it down in style, offering up a $500 flamethrower from The Boring Company his underground tunnel company looking to alleviate traffic. And so far, theyre selling like hot cakes. After going on sale this weekend, Musk has been tweeting sales updates, with 7k sold at last check. Also Read: Elon Musk Hates Turtlenecks and 3 More Takeaways From His 'Rolling Stone' Profile This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. That comes out to $3.5 million in flamethrowers sold so far and counting. The worlds safest flamethrower is guaranteed to liven up any party, as its preorder page puts it. Musk said hes capping sales at 20,000, which would bring in a grand total of $10 million. That should help fund an extra tunnel or two. The $500 flamethrower Musks flamethrower maneuver followed his initial hat offering a spoof on the initial coin offering trend with cryptocurrencies which sold more than 30,000 hats at $20 a pop. Also Read: Elon Musk Unveils Name of LA Car Sled Venture, 'Ready' to Dig More Tunnels Is it legal to just buy a flamethrower, though? Apparently, yes, in 48 states. Apologies to aspiring California customers, where youll need a permit, and Maryland, where its banned outright. Before shipping this spring, aspiring flamethrower aficionados will be sent a terms and conditions rhyme for review and acceptance, according to The Boring Company. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. If you want to see it in action before making a decision, a giddy Musk posted a sneak peek on his Instagram. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. And to be on the safe side, TBC is selling a $30 overpriced fire extinguisher as well. Related stories from TheWrap: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Plans to Shoot a Tesla to Mars Is Elon Musk's Rocket-Travel Plan Legit? We Asked a Rocket Scientist Elon Musk Shares SpaceX Blooper Reel: 'How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster' (Video) U.S. NY Daily News A convicted murderers second chance at life was cut short this week by a hitman in Hasidic garb who blasted him in the back of the head in a shocking Queens execution caught on surveillance video. Victim Jermaine Dixon a former member of the Patio Crew in Brooklyn had been out of federal prison for less than a year when the disguised gunman struck on Monday, killing the reformed ... The Sundance Film Festival wrapped with awards for The Miseducation of Cameron Post, director Desiree Akhavans accepting look at Christian teens wrestling with gay conversion therapy, and documentary winner Kailash, about a Nobel Prize winners crusade to end child slavery in his native India. Compared with last years kudofest, which took place a week after the presidential inauguration, 2018 presenters and award winners alike kept their comments largely apolitical even in cases when the films themselves tackled big issues. Technical difficulties prevented award show attendees from seeing Akhavans filmed acceptance speech. Other honorees in the U.S. Dramatic competition included Sara Colangelo for The Kindergarten Teacher, a remake of the Israeli drama that stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as a teacher who takes credit for one of her students creativity, and Christina Choe, who collected the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Nancy. U.S. Dramatic special jury awards went to first feature Monsters and Men, I Think Were Alone Now and actor Benjamin Dickey, star of Blaze. Director Andrew Heckler won the categorys audience prize for Burden, which stars Garrett Hedlund as a KKK member who experiences a change of heart. The U.S. Documentary jury honored Alexandria Bombach with the directing prize for On Her Shoulders, a portrait of ISIS survivor Nadia Murad. The judges also announced four special jury awards: to Crime + Punishment, Hale County This Morning, This Evening, Minding the Gap and Three Identical Strangers (but ignored last years one-off Orwell Award for free speech). As one of the NYPD officers in Stephen Maings Crime + Punishment told the crowd, All of the officers in this film, we jumped without a parachute and landed in Utah. Were hoping to send a ripple from New York City out into the nation. We have to get rid of this cancer. The U.S. Documentary audience prize went to The Sentence, inspiring director Rudy Valdez to profess, All my life, I felt like I didnt have a voice. I felt like my community was under-served. I kept waiting for somebody to help us, [for] somebody to step up to the plate. I decided I wasnt going to wait any longer for somebody to give me a voice. Story continues In the World Cinema dramatic competition, the grand jury prize went to Butterflies, a family-centric drama from Turkish director Tolga Karacelik (whose Ivy competed at Sundance three years ago), while Icelands Isold Uggadottir earned directing honors for And Breathe Normally. The audience prize went to The Guilty. Danish director Gustav Moller accepted the award, saying, The idea of the film is that it would be created by the audience so its very special to get the award from the audience. The World Cinema documentary grand jury prize went to Of Fathers and Sons, Talal Derkis two-year portrait of the pressures facing children growing up in a radical Islamist family. Directing honors went to Sandi Tan for Shirkers, while the audience voted for This Is Home, about four Syrian refugee families adjusting to life in Baltimore. Ethan Hawke presented the NEXT Audience Award to Aneesh Chagantys Search. The film, which takes place entirely on computer screens, stars John Cho as a father searching for clues to his missing daughters disappearance via social media. The categorys new NEXT Innovator Award was selected by RuPaul, who as the prizes first-ever judge confessed, We have a tie. I fought long and hard with myself over this, before presenting to both Jordana Spiros Night Comes On and Jeremiah Zagars We the Animals. Earlier this week, Chagantys Search received the $20,000 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, presented annually to a film that focuses on science or technology as a theme. Also previously announced, His House director Remi Weekes won the Sundance Institute NHK Award; the Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Awards went to Katy Chevingy & Marilyn Ness (directors of Dark Money) and Sev Ohanian for Search; and Sundance Institute Open Borders Fellowship winners were Derki (Of Fathers and Sons), Chaitanya Tamhane (for her still-untitled feature) and Tatiana Huezo (Night on Fire). The full list of winners appears below: U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION Grand Jury Prize: The Miseducation of Cameron Post Audience Award: Burden Directing: Sara Colangelo, The Kindergarten Teacher Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: Christina Choe, Nancy Special Jury Award for Outstanding First Feature: Reinaldo Marcus Green, Monsters and Men Special Jury Award for Excellence in Filmmaking: I Think Were Alone Now Special Jury Award for Achievement in Acting: Benjamin Dickey, Blaze U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION Grand Jury Prize: Kailash Directing: Alexandria Bombach, On Her Shoulders Audience Award: The Sentence Special Jury Award for Social Impact: Crime + Punishment Special Jury Award for Creative Vision: Hale County This Morning, This Evening Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Filmmaking: Minding the Gap Special Jury Award for Storytelling: Three Identical Strangers WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION Grand Jury Prize: Butterflies Audience Award: The Guilty Directing Award: Isold Uggadottir, And Breathe Normally Special Jury Award for Acting: Valeria Bertucecelli, The Queen of Fear, Special Jury Award for Screenwriting: Julio Chavezmontes & Sebastian Hofmann, Time Share Special Jury Award for Ensemble Acting: Dead Pigs WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION Grand Jury Prize: Of Fathers and Sons Audience Award: This Is Home Directing Award: Sandi Tan, Shirkers Special Jury Award: Steven Loveridge, Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. Special Jury Award for Cinematography: Maxim Arbugaev, Peter Indergand Genesis 2.0 Special Jury Award for Editing: Maxim Pozdorovkin & Matvey Kulakov, Our New President OTHER AWARDS NEXT Audience Award: Search NEXT Innovator Award: Night Comes On AND We the Animals Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize: Search Sundance Institute NHK Award: Remi Weekes, His House Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Awards: Katy Chevingy & Marilyn Ness (Dark Money) AND Sev Ohanian (Search) Sundance Open Borders Fellowship Presented by Netflix: Talal Derki (Of Fathers and Sons) AND Chaitanya Tamhane AND Tatiana Huezo (Night on Fire) Related stories Sundance Film Review: 'Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.' Sundance Film Festival Awards: Watch the Live Stream Sundance Film Review: 'An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn' Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts! President Donald Trump wasnt a part of the decision-making process that led to Mondays exit of Deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders insisted shortly after word broke of his departure. McCabe exited the FBI building around noon on Monday after more than 20 years with the bureau. Trumps not-involvement dates back at least to May, when, according to the Washington Post, he asked McCabe who he voted for in the presidential election. McCabes exit follows WaPos report by one week. In May, Trumps not-involvement included tweeting: This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. By December, Trumps not-involvement extended to: This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Sanders insisted the only pressure Trump has applied in this process was intended to make sure everyone got Russia fever out of their system and to drive home the point there was no collusion. NBC News noted Trumps unusual attacks on the high-ranking FBI official stem from support of former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Clinton ally, in McCabe wifes run for state office in 2015. Asked about Trumps confidence in Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is expected to be the next to go, clearing the way for Trump to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, Sanders told reporters, When the President no longer has confidence in someone, youll know. In June, Trump tweeted, of Rosenstein: I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt. Mondays presser comes just a few days after the New York Times reported Trump tried to fire Mueller last June, backing down when White House counsel Don McGahn declined to do the deed and threatened to quit. Trump dismissed the report as fake news. Related stories Chris Christie Debuts As ABC News Contributor: "Only Bob Mueller Knows What's Going On" Jimmy Kimmel Boasts Of Booking Stormy Daniels For Donald Trump's SOTU House Intel Committee Republicans Vote To Release Nunes Memo In Move DOJ Calls "Extraordinarily Reckless" In today's episode of "Things Have Names," we have Kim Kardashian West on her Snapchat unveiling her latest hairstyle, which she calls "Bo Derek" braids. Oh, and she's like, "really into it." Now, there's no need to be a historian to know that small braided cornrows have been worn by women of color, in particular women of African descent, prior to Derek's breakout role in the 1979 film 10 where she rocked the famous style. A simple Google search of African or African-American hairstyles will show you a number of looks that predate the 1979 flick. For the record, Kardashian West's hairstyle mirrors Fulani braids, a style that can be traced back to the Fulani ethnic group in West Africa. Holistic braid stylist and owner of Ancestral Strands salon Tamara Albertini schools us even further: "The 'Fulani braids' inspiration came from two ethnic African groups: the women of the Wodaabe tribe, a subgroup of the Fulani people, and several other tribes in Ethiopia/Eritrea who wear various Sheruba styles ('braids' in Amharic)." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The argument is bigger than who did it first, of course, because ultimately, cultures are influenced by one another. The argument here: Styles worn for decades, centuries, even millennia, by black women are not deemed beautiful until someone white or white-passing wears it. Shoot, I was born two years after Bo Derek drove white America wild with her (admittedly fuzzy) "cross-cultural craze," and even years later in my childhood, the style was still the talk of the town. And we're still talking about it today in 2018. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. See, the biggest thing about this isn't whether or not Kardashian West is "allowed" to wear cornrows. She's free to style her hair in any way she so pleases. The real issue is the constant erasure of black women when it comes to beauty. When we wear braids, it's enough to get us sent home from school or not considered for employment. Or we get called "ghetto" or "unkempt" for our hairstyles only for it later to be cherished and applauded when a white woman wears it. Our looks have constantly been mocked throughout history. We've been made to feel as if we have to conform to European standards of beauty in order to be deemed beautiful. Then the same group of people who mocked us start wearing the same styles we were shamed for and now it's "fashion." It's like constantly having your ideas shot down at work, and then someone comes along with your same ideas, gets called a genius, and has all sorts of money thrown at them for your innovative ideas. Story continues This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Folks on the internet were quick to correct Kardashian West on the proper name of her hairstyle: This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Of course, others see no issue with the reality TV star's flagrant misnomer: This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. What makes this so irritating is the fact that Kardashian West, an internationally-known celebrity with so much influence in the beauty world, who has a multiracial family and claims inclusivity is "really important" to her, has a huge opportunity to enlighten the masses. But here she comes talking about some damn "Bo Derek" braids. Sigh. She has been in the center of countless cultural appropriation discussions, so she can't feign ignorance on this one. No matter how you feel about Kardashian West wearing cornrows, at the very least, she should call them by their actual name, and not their whitewashed, watered-down alias. In fact, Kardashian West's braided hairstyle is very popular even now among black women. A quick Instagram hashtag search of #fulanibraids will show you that and not a single image of Bo Derek. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Just call them cornrows and be done with it. Check out these stories about CORNROWS: Now, watch this video about popular black American hairstyles from the past century: It seems like it's barely been a minute since Alec Baldwin was last defending Woody Allen on Twitter. Allen's adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, as you're likely aware, has alleged for years that the director sexually abused her as a child, while Allen has maintained his innocence. In mid-January, Baldwin spoke out for the filmmaker after a slew of actors renounced working with Allen by calling their disavowal "unfair and sad." And on Sunday, Baldwin was back it, tweeting his thoughts on the matter through his foundation's account. In the wider celebrity landscape, Baldwin is one of the only actors being so vocal in defense of Allenand it's time for him to take a seat. "1 of the most effective things Dylan Farrow has in her arsenal is the 'persistence of emotion.' Like Mayella in TKAM, her tears/exhortations r meant 2 shame u in2 belief in her story. But I need more than that before I destroy some1, regardless of their fame. I need a lot more," he tweeted on Sunday. "To say that @RealDylanFarrow is telling the truth is to say that @MosesFarrow is lying. Which of Mias kids got the honesty gene and which did not?" He paused for breath by linking here to a New York Times article from Sunday exploring the likelihood of Allen continuing to film in Hollywood as #MeToo continues to march on. "If my defense of Woody Allen offends you, its real simple. Unfollow. Condemn. Move on," Baldwin tweeted next, followed by "2 assume that I or any1 wants 2 prolong or diminish the suffering of another by denying their truth is a mistake. But that cuts both ways. I hope that every perpetrator of sexual assault is caught and punished. No exceptions. And that innocent ppl are left alone. Having said that" And from there, we were treated to three re-tweets telling us to follow his foundation's account on Instagram. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The tweets are problematic for a variety of reasons, not the very least the comparison between Dylan Farrow and Mayella Ewell, the character in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. In Lee's novel, Mayella falsely accuses Tom Robinson of rape out of anger after he turned down her advances. Later, she's repeatedly raped by her alcoholic father. It doesn't seem like Baldwin thought that comparison out too well. Story continues There's almost too much in his tweets to break them down: He cites Farrow's displays of emotion as a reason not to believe her, just as so many men throughout time have used women's expression of emotion as a way to undermine their credibility. There's also the fact that he feels as though his choice is either to "destroy some1" or to defend themthe middle ground, of course, is to simply take a seat. Finally, there's the whole line about "needing more": It smacks of the guys on Tinder who tell us to "impress them" or "make them laugh," who demand that we prove ourselves. Dylan Farrow, by being public and putting her reputation on the line for years in a society that previously refused to believe women, has already given morefar more. Because we're living in a time when #MeToo is calling outand ending the careersof men who once flew under the radar with their sexual misconduct, speaking out as Baldwin is doing is, at the very best, in poor taste. Let's not forget that in November, he also came off as criticizing women who took settlements in exchange for their silence about sexual misconduct. So much has made it clear that it's finally time to listen to women, and yet he won't ease off his efforts to discredit them, though it would be so easy to just not tweet (a problem of restraint that the target of Baldwin's frequent SNL parodies, Donald Trump, also shares). Matt Damon, who has also recently put his foot in his mouth during a number of #MeToo-related interviews, finally realized what he should do when he didn't have anything constructive to say: be quietand start listening. It might be wise for Baldwin to do the same. Related Stories: -Alyssa Milano Had to Explain How Rape Culture Works to Matt Damon -Matt Damon Finally Figured Out That Maybe He Should Stop Talking about #MeTooand Start Listening -Alec Baldwin Got in a Twitter Fight With Asia Argento and Anthony Bourdain via His Foundations Account Dubai (AFP) - Fourteen soldiers were killed on Tuesday in a suicide attack by suspected Islamist extremists in southern Yemen, a senior military official said. The bombing struck a checkpoint manned by UAE-trained special operations forces in Ataq, capital of the oil-rich province of Shabwa, a high-ranking source in the Yemeni army said. The source, who requested anonymity as he was not authorised to brief the press, said the attack was likely the work of Islamist extremists, but declined to give further details. Another military source in Shabwa said at least 10 people had been killed. Shabwa is controlled by Yemen's Saudi-backed government, which has been locked in a fight against the country's Shiite Huthi rebels since 2014, and is also now battling separatists in the southern port city of Aden. Islamist networks, including Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State group, have exploited the war to expand their presence in southern Yemen. The UAE is a key member of a military alliance, led by Saudi Arabia, that for three years has provided crucial support for the government's fight for territorial control. In August, Yemen's Emirati-trained special forces launched a US-backed operation against AQAP, also the target of a long-running US drone campaign. The Yemen war has claimed more than 9,200 lives since Saudi Arabia and its military allies joined the conflict in March 2015, triggering what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Since its triumphal return to the African Union, Morocco continues to score precious diplomatic points on the Sahara issue at the continental level. The speech given by the Chairperson of the African Unions Commission, Faki Mahamat at the opening of the 30th Summit of the pan-African organization is indicative of a U-turn in how the Sahara issue will be tackled at the continental stage. Mahamat has delivered a speech in which the Sahara was mentioned as an issue to be resolved within the scope of the UN, which has been organizing talks between the parties to the conflict. In his speech, Mahamat broke away with the Algerian-rhetoric portraying the Sahara as the last colony in Africa. Mahamat has in fact signaled a gradual change in AUs position regarding the regional dispute over Moroccos territorial sovereignty over the Sahara by showing AUs willingness to contribute to UN efforts to settle the dispute. The terminology used by Mahamat to refer to the Sahara conflict stands in stark contrast to the subjective way the Sahara issue was tackled by his South African Predecessor Dlamini Zuma, who turned the AU into an enemy of Moroccos territorial integrity. Mahamats speech is actually in line with the Moroccan stand on the Sahara issue. The North African Kingdom has long been at odds with the AU over the issue as it deems that the Sahara is being tackled within the framework of the UN and considers that the AU, under pressure from Algeria, has prejudged the outcome of negotiations by recognizing a separatist entity. Moroccos election to the Peace and Security Council will further strengthen the Kingdoms stance at the Continental organization. The Council is the supreme decision making body on peace and security issues and has been chaired by Algeria since its creation. Hence, the pro-separatist stands of AU are poised to change with Morocco and its increasing circle of allies acting as a bulwark against attempts to use the orgnization for separatist purposes. The Polisario and their Algerian mentors are feeling the heat of an imminent change in the AU in favor of Morocco. Actually, the winds of change started to be felt since July 2016 at the AUs summit in Kigali, when 28 African states submitted a motion demanding the freeze of the membership of the Polisario in the pan-African organization. If you're thinking about what to give your sweetheart for Valentine's Day, it pays to think outside the chocolate box. Picking nontraditional gifts won't just impress your loved one with your creativity, it will save you money, too. Demand for Valentine's Day staples (red roses, chocolate-covered strawberries and other traditional gifts) is sky-high right now, elevating the prices -- and costs will only increase as Feb. 14 creeps closer. The trick, therefore, is to find gifts that are still sweet and romantic but don't have the same markup. If you'd like to dodge the expense of pricey Valentine's Day gifts, consider these alternative money-saving presents. [See: 10 Ideas for Dating on a Budget.] Traditional: A dozen long-stemmed red roses Alternative: Daisies Visit any flower-delivery site, and you'll see the classic bouquet of red roses front and center -- with an average price of around $40. Dig a little deeper, however, and you'll find daisies, averaging less than $30 for a bouquet. They're just as thoughtful and come in a variety of cheerful colors, including yellow, orange, red and pink. Traditional: Flowers delivered at the office Alternative: Flowers waiting on the kitchen table at home Even the most budget-friendly bouquets will cost at least $30 (plus delivery charges) if you want them delivered. Luckily, you don't have to shell out for a flower-delivery service to surprise your beloved. A dozen red grocery-store roses can be purchased for as little as $10. If you do have $30 or more to spend, that money goes further at the grocery store, meaning you can upgrade to a more elaborate arrangement. [See: 7 Signs Your Romantic Partner Is Financially Unstable.] Traditional: Chocolate-covered strawberries or a fancy box of chocolates Alternative: Cookies A dozen chocolate-covered strawberries will run you at least $40 (plus delivery), when ordered from a treat-delivery service. A dozen chocolates in a heart-shaped box from a high-end chocolatier will generally run you $30 or more. Story continues Equally sweet and decadent, however, are cookies. Getting a dozen of them delivered from a treat-delivery service can easily be done for less than $30 (plus delivery). Your local bakery or mall cookie store, meanwhile, will generally charge you $1 to $2 each for fresh-baked cookies. Traditional: Teddy bear holding a heart Alternative: Nearly any other stuffed animal When plush animals take bear-holding-heart form around Valentine's Day, markups happen. The classic Valentine's Day teddy bear will run you $5 to $15 more, compared to stuffed frogs, dogs and other critters of comparable sizes and even generic teddy bears without the red heart. So pick up any stuffed animal and add some red ribbon for Valentine's Day flair. Or consider picking up the heart-holding bear on Feb. 15 or Feb. 16, when the price will be reduced by 50 percent or more. Traditional: Gift packages categorized as "Valentine's Day" on gift-delivery sites Alternative: Gift packages categorized as "Just Because" on those same sites Many flower-and-gift delivery sites bundle treats and gifts together in a basket or box. But where you click can affect how much you pay. Gift bundles in the "Romance" or "Valentine's Day" category tend to be a few bucks more expensive in late January compared with comparable bundles in the "Just Because" category. Packages in the latter category may not have the pink-and-red-hearts aesthetic, but the treats will taste the same. Traditional: Fancy dinner out Alternative: Candlelit takeout dinner at home On Feb. 14, many restaurants switch to fixed-price multi-course menus that rake in more money than their regular menus. You can cut those costs (and still skip cooking) if you opt for takeout. By eating at home, you'll also avoid the server's attempts to sell you wine. Light candles or pick up balloons from the grocery store for ambiance. [See: Check, Please: Paying the Bill in 6 Awkward Situations.] Traditional: Fine jewelry Alternative: Useful gadgets Heart-shaped baubles are ubiquitous this time of year and make an elegant, traditional Valentine's Day gift. But once you see the price-slashing that happens with these items on Feb. 15, you'll realize just how marked up some of them are. So go for "thoughtful" instead of "dazzling." The Echo Dot, Google Home Mini, Tile keychain attachment and Amazon Fire Stick sell for less than $50. Your sweetheart will use them every day -- and think of you every time. Companies and products mentioned in this article may be promoted on www.offers.com. Kristin McGrath is a shopping and deals expert. A graduate of American University with a degree in journalism, she specializes in helping shoppers make the best money decisions, whether it's choosing the right financial product or getting the best deal on purchases big and small. You can see more of her work and get tips for saving time and money at offers.com. Danielle Highley of Montana. (Photo: Courtesy of the Highley family) With President Trumps State of the Union address aimed at trade and immigration, its likely that much of Tuesday nights media coverage will center on the two dozen so-called Dreamers in the audience. But for parents of children who rely on the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP), all eyes will be on Danielle Dani Highley. The 9-year-old from Montana was invited to attend the event by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who recently fought to keep the program afloat. Ahead of the State of the Union address, here is what you need to know about Dani and CHIP itself. Why is Daines bringing someone? Historically each lawmaker is allowed to bring one guest to State of the Union address (the president is allowed 24 guests). Senators often choose someone symbolic of a cause or piece of legislation for which they have fought. Why did he choose Highley? Highley is one of 9 million children nationwide who rely on CHIP for health insurance. In her state alone, there are 24,000 kids who use the insurance. Daines is one of many senators who demanded the reauthorization of the program. Highley represents the reason why he did it. Photo: Courtesy of the Highley family What is CHIP? The Childrens Health Insurance Program is a joint state-federal program that provides free or low-cost insurance to families who do not qualify for Medicaid. It was created in the mid-1990s by Sens. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. In 2009, President Barack Obama expanded the program by $35 billion, covering an additional 4 million children through 2015. Why is everyone talking about it now? CHIPs funding expired in October, causing states to run out of funding and parents who rely on it to panic about how theyll cover their childrens medical expenses without it. Last week, Republicans revived it tacking a six-year CHIP extension onto their short-term spending program. The move was an overtly political one, aimed at encouraging Democrats not to shut down the government over something else they wanted the bill to include: protection against the deportation of Dreamers. Story continues Where does CHIP stand now? After a three-day government shutdown, lawmakers agreed to pass the short-term spending bill on Jan. 22. The move both reopened the government and reauthorized CHIP for six more years. What does CHIP actually do? CHIP covers the health insurance of children, up to age 19, from low-income families who dont qualify for Medicaid. The program works by allotting a certain amount of federal funds to each state, based on enrollment, and allowing the states to structure their own plans. Of those covered, 90 percent are families earning at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line (thats roughly $40,480 for a family of three). How does Highley fit into this? Daines told Highleys story on the Senate floor on Jan. 18, urging his colleagues to support CHIPs reauthorization. Highley was born with a rare form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which left her unable to walk at 18 months old. The autoimmune disease is fueled by inflammation, which causes stiffness in the joints, swelling, pain, and vision problems. The medicine to treat it is a bimonthly injection that costs upward of $6,000. Through CHIP, Highley was able to get access to the treatment and resume walking. Without it, she has to be carried around the house by her mom and is in too much pain to go to school. How does Highley feel about attending the event? In an interview with local TV news show Montana Right Now, Danielles mom says Daines called her personally to invite her daughter, and that both of them were thrilled. In a video of the two, a smiling Danielle expresses her excitement, saying shes planning to wear a blue dress with white stars all over it. And what does Daines think? In a statement sent to Yahoo Lifestyle, Daines expressed his commitment to the cause. It is great to be here with Dani for her first trip to Washington, D.C. Dani and the 24,000 Montana kids who depend on CHIP can now rest assured theyll continue to have access to critical health care, said Daines. These kids are worth fighting for. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Updated | An FBI official who served as associate deputy director under James Comey and Andrew McCabe is replacing McCabe as acting deputy director, an FBI spokesman confirmed to Newsweek. Multiple outlets including Newsweek had previously reported the news, citing sources. As associate deputy director, David Bowdich was the third-ranking FBI official, according to the bureau's organization chart, and would now become No. 2. It was widely reported on Monday that McCabe stepped down as deputy director amid allegations of bias and misconduct regarding the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email practices while secretary of state. An FBI spokesperson declined to confirm the reports, but White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Monday afternoon that she expected the FBI to release a statement later in the day. Trending: Trump's State of the Union Address: The Democrat Lawmakers Boycotting Speech Bowdich became associate deputy director in April 2016. In that role, he oversaw most of the bureau's nonoperational branches and divisions, such as personnel, budget, administration and infrastructure. Previously, starting in 2014, he was assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles field office. Before that, he led the counterintelligence division at that office, overseeing all international and domestic terrorism investigations in the region. He joined the FBI in 1995 and at various times was a SWAT team operator and a sniper. Related: FBI deputy director leaving amid bias accusations 01_29_David_Bowdich_Andrew_McCabe Joe Raedle/Getty Bowdich is known for his work in response to the 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. Don't miss: Will Tom Brady Forgive WEEI Now Alex Reimer Is Suspended? Story continues Prior to the recent promotion, he had been viewed as next in line towards the top of the organization, according to Frank Montoya Jr., a former special agent in charge of the FBIs Seattle division and the former head of national counterintelligence for the bureau. Montoya described Bowdich as a good man, fair and objective, and said he has a good reputation among agents. Great guy, said Katherine Schweit, a retired FBI executive. Hes well respected. But Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators who have called for a purge of the bureaus Comey-era officials might be disappointed, given his former proximity to Comey and McCabe. In testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee last June, Comey said he had spoken to senior colleagues including Bowdich about President Donald Trumps allegedly asking Comey to have the FBI back off its probe into Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser. Because of that apparent conversation, and because he was the No. 3 official under Comey, Bowdich is a potential witness into whether Trump obstructed justice by firing Comey. Last June, Senator Dianne Feinstein, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, requested that the committee interview Bowdich and other FBI officials as the panel investigated Comeys termination. Most popular: Russia Will Meddle in 2018 Midterm Elections, Says CIA Chief Mike Pompeo Before his departure, McCabe told Bowdich and other senior employees that they might have to serve as witnesses in special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible coordination with the Trump campaign, Vox reported in August. As a senior official, Bowdich was also involved in conversations following reports about the so-called tarmac meeting between thenAttorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton while the FBIs probe involving Hillary Clinton was ongoing. Documents show that Bowdich and Comey discussed the reports via email. The Department of Justice now is expected to approve making Bowdich the long-term deputy director, removing the acting title. The decision would likely be up to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the FBI. A spokesperson for the department was not immediately available to comment. This article has been updated to include confirmation from an FBI spokesman, comments by Frank Montoya Jr. and information about the involvement of the Department of Justice. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, was Pharaoh of Egypt from 1279-1300 and, according to ancient inscriptions, was a great warrior who led Egypt to many successful battles. However, a recent archaeological find suggests that stories of Ramses battle victories may be little more than elaborate lies. In a study published in Antiquity, scientists in England found 3,300-year-old sickle blades, handstones, querns and cow bonesall forms of ancient farming tools and evidence of cattle rearingless than five miles away from an Egyptian fort deep in Libyan territory, Phys.org reported. The finding shows that Egyptians farmed far into Libyan territory without the need for military protection, suggesting that the two nations were not at war, but lived peacefully beside each other. In addition, according to lead researcher Nicky Nielsen, an Egyptologist at the University of Manchester in the UK, this evidence shows that not only did Egyptians in Libya territory rely on their neighbors for trade, but also relied on the Libyans knowledge of their environment to help improve their farming skills. Trending: Gold and Silver Treasure Recovered From an Atlantic Wreck Might Finally Reveal Location of Long-Lost Pulaski Steamship The type of agriculture practiced in the region around the fort is sustained by very limited rainfall and required in-depth knowledge of hydrological conditions, water storage etc, Nielsen told Newsweek. "The Egyptians were used to a far more fertile agricultural system supported by the Nile Inundation. It is difficult to imagine that an Egyptian garrison would be able to set up a functional agricultural system in such an alien environment without local know-how. The evidence points to peace between the two peoples, not constant fierce war and conquering, as the ancient inscriptions would suggest. In fact, the study even goes as far as to say that Ramses the Great purposely spread lies about himself in order to depict an image of reign that was not true. Story continues Ramses was trying to live up to the image of a perfect Egyptian Pharaoh Nielsen said. No Pharaoh would ever have admitted defeat publiclythis is why it is very difficult to study Egyptian historical documents as they tend to be very biased. Don't miss: 40 Pounds of Pot Dumped Near Elementary School, Mystifying New Mexico Police 01_29_Egypt KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images Nielsen explained that Ramses was a young member of a military dynasty, and most Egyptian pharaohs portrayed themselves as warriors. Furthermore, Ramses father, Seti I, was a successful warrior and Ramses may have felt pressure to live up to his father's greatness. Stories of Ramses greatness are inscribed in Egyptian monuments, often carved so deeply that it was nearly impossible to remove the etchings, Nielsen explained, according to Phys.org. Ramses ruled Egypt for 69 years, Nielsen said, and sired over 160 children. This meant that his lies of greatness had plenty of time to take root, and his plentiful descendants may have helped to spread and uphold the lies. Most popular: Worlds Tallest Man and Worlds Shortest Woman Meet in Egypt Members of the public (at least the soldiers present at Qadesh for instance) would probably have known [about Ramses' lies], and possibly the court would have as well, Nielsen told Newsweek . But it was simply expected that Pharaoh portrayed himself as a great victor (regardless of whether this was true or not), so I doubt anyone would have seen anything strange in what Ramses did." Ramses ruled thousands of years ago, and there is no denying that he was a great leader, although in ways different than those he chose to depict. What Ramses II may have lacked in military skill he made up in architecture accomplishments. The pharaoh was responsible for the erection of more monuments than any other Egyptian pharaoh, with the most notable being the Ramesseum and the temples of Abu Simbel, Ancient Egypt Online reported. Regardless, according to Nielsen, the new findings have broader implications than simply proving the ancient king had a tendency to inflate his reputation. As he said: They show that we need to be aware when studying ancient Egypt to not simply take the word of the Egyptian monumental sources, inscriptions and great reliefs. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Among the many milestones that marked the tortuous path of Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive stands out. The coordinated series of attacks by North Vietnamese forces, timed with the Vietnamese New Year celebration, was technically a win for the South and its American allies but for Americans watching back home, it looked like such a disaster that the national understanding of the war effort changed. The day it began, 50 years ago, on Jan. 30 and 31, 1968, would go on to qualify as one of TIMEs 80 Days That Changed the World. As it all went down, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Peter Arnett had a firsthand view. In the following excerpt from his new book Were Taking Fire, he recalls that war-shaping day. The blast of strings of exploding firecrackers jerked me awake as Vietnamese neighbors continued their celebrations into the early hours of the morning. It was Saigon, January 31, 1968, the first day of the year of the traditional lunar calendar, Tet Nguyen Dan, and the most important Vietnamese festival. Amid the cacophony I noticed a loud, methodical rat-tat-tat that shook our apartment shutters as though someone was banging on them with a hammer. Id heard that sound before in the battlefield, the roar of a heavy-caliber machine gun, and it seemed to be shooting up Pasteur Street just three room-lengths away. A weapon that lethal had not been discharged in Saigon since the overthrow of President Ngo Dinh Diem four years earlier. I opened my bedroom window and watched as war came to Saigon from the jungles and paddy fields and peasant villages where it had lingered for years. Red tracer bullets zipped through the sky and firefights were erupting near the centers of power in South Vietnams capital, the presidential palace and the American embassy. As the sounds of exploding grenades and rockets vibrated through the darkness, I bundled my wife Nina and my young children, Elsa and Andrew, and our maid into the bathroom, which I hoped was safer than the rest of our small apartment, and I covered them with mattresses from the beds. I phoned the Associated Press office, and bureau chief Robert Tuckman answered, his voice high-pitched and excited: Theyre shelling the city, for Gods sake. I told him I was on my way. Story continues I wasnt the only one so rudely awakened in total surprise at around 2:30 that morning. Only those in the know the attacking Vietcong guerrillas and North Vietnamese military forces and their allied clandestine networks in the city had any idea of what was happening. By quietly moving combat troops through the supposedly secure countryside into the heart of Saigon, they were able to strike without warning. General William Westmoreland, the increasingly confident commander of all American combat forces fighting in Vietnam, was asleep in his comfortable villa at Tran Quy Cap street when attacks began all around his neighborhood. Just nine weeks earlier, the general visited the United States on the orders of President Lyndon Johnson to participate in a success offensive, a concerted effort to bolster public support for the war. In an address at the National Press Club, he asserted that the Vietcong were unable to mount a major offensive and that the point was reached when the end begins to come into view. But on this early morning, Westmoreland was stuck, unable to reach his Saigon headquarters as gunfire roared in the street outside. By telephone, he learned of the spiraling crisis, particularly a fierce attack on the six-story American embassy at Thong Nhut street several blocks away. He later said, My Marine aide was talking to the Marine guard inside the embassy, and by my numerous telephone conversations with U.S. Army MP command I was able to follow the course of the battle and direct action. Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker was similarly blindsided by the ferocity of the enemy attacks, particularly the assault on his embassy. He was asleep in his villa four blocks away when his security team rushed into his bedroom and ushered him down to the basement in his pajamas. Wearing his bathrobe, he was soon loaded into an armored car and driven to a safe house. Bunker had been in South Vietnam less than a year, and in that time he had worked closely with Westmoreland and endorsed his views. In Washington, D.C., half a day behind Vietnam in time, it was the early afternoon of January 30. President Johnson was presiding over a meeting of his closest security advisers, their biggest Vietnam concern the struggle to avoid the loss of the U.S. Marine combat base of Khe Sanh that over the weeks had been threatened by a growing number of North Vietnamese troops. Nearly half of all American combat troops in Vietnam were being moved to the northern provinces to support Khe Sanh and other border bases. It was during the meeting that President Johnson first heard the alarming news from Saigon. His special assistant for national security affairs, Walt Rostow, returned after taking a call from the National Military Command Center. It was 2:35 p.m. Rostow, a hawk on Vietnam who late in 1967 had used the phrase light at the end of the tunnel to describe the war policys successes, announced, We have just been informed that we are being heavily mortared in Saigon. The presidential palace, our bachelor officers quarters, the embassy and the city itself have been hit. This flash was just received from the NMCC. The minutes of the meeting record President Johnson as responding, This could be very bad. What can we do to shake them from this? This looks like where we came in. Remember it was at Pleiku that they hit our barracks and that we began to strike them in the North. What comes to mind in the way of retaliation? He was recalling that it was at Pleiku in the Central Highlands in the early morning hours of February 7, 1965, that 300 Vietcong troops attacked the helicopter facility at Camp Holloway, killing eight Americans, wounding 126 and destroying 16 aircraft. President Johnson ordered retaliatory airstrikes against North Vietnam by carrier-based Navy fighter-bombers in a response that foretold Americas full-scale entry into the Vietnam war. Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter At the White House meeting, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Earle Wheeler, downplayed the news. It was the same type of thing before. You remember that during the inauguration, the MACV (Military Advisory Command Vietnam) headquarters was hit. In a city like Saigon people can infiltrate easily. They carry in rounds of ammunition and mortars. They fire and run. It is about as tough to stop it in its entirety as to protect against a mugging in Washington, D.C. Weve got to pacify all of this area as get rid of the Vietcong infrastructure. They are making a major effort to mount a series of these actions to make a big splurge at Tet. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, the primary architect of early war policy whose growing doubts about the morality of the American effort had led to his announced replacement, gave little weight to the initial information, suggesting it should be handled as a public relations issue. Around the same time, William Colby, the CIAs chief of the Far East Division, at work at the agencys Langley, Virginia, headquarters, received a flash message from Saigon station reporting that a violent attack against the American embassy is in progress with the attackers possibly within the embassy itself. Colby advised them in a flash return message that the Communications Center should button up its steel doors. Colby was a former CIA station chief in Saigon, a confidant of the slain President Ngo Dinh Diem, and a proponent of a counter insurgency strategy that relied less on American combat troops. Within days, he would be on his way to South Vietnam to help pick up the pieces of a crumbling policy. As the 3 million people of Saigon became abruptly aware of the brutal enemy intrusion in their Tet holiday celebrations, there was confusion within the South Vietnamese security ranks. Many of the military police primarily responsible for city protection were at home celebrating with their families. President Nguyen Van Thieu, who was also the commander of Vietnams armed forces, was on a Tet holiday with his family and could not be immediately located. A month earlier, the American military command had handed over the security of the nations capital entirely to the Vietnamese paramilitary police forces, and Thieus authority was necessary to facilitate supporting troop movements from outside. Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky complained later, Catastrophe loomed. In expectation of the usual Tet truce, half of our armed forces had gone on leave. To make things worse, most of our armys combat forces were not deployed in or near big cities. General Westmoreland was particularly unhappy about President Thieu, who had been informed of security concerns in the northern region and had agreed to cancel the Tet ceasefire there a day earlier. The day passed with no notice of the cancellation, and according to Westmoreland, I telephoned the American embassy to find that the South Vietnamese government had provided its press officer with a release but that the press office was shut tight, closed for Tet. President Thieu had departed to pass the holidays in My Tho, his wifes hometown in the Mekong Delta. Such a lackadaisical attitude on the part of the government was shocking and frustrating yet indicative of the state of mind, to near euphoria, that envelops the Vietnamese at Tet. Not all the Vietnamese, however, were euphoric celebrants, certainly not the Vietcong who were violating their own announced seven-day Tet truce with surprise attacks across the country. We would soon learn that the Saigon attacks were just the point of the spear. The Vietcong and the North Vietnamese, who had until now avoided attacking major population centers, were using an estimated 80,000 fighters in a coordinated assault against 39 of South Vietnams 44 province capitals, 64 district headquarters, almost every allied airfield, and Saigon. A puzzle was that the only American installation attacked was the embassy. I said goodbye to my family to begin my reporting day, and opened my apartment door as a burst of heavy machine-gun fire flashed through the darkness in the direction of the presidential palace two blocks away. I waited for a break in the shooting and stepped out into the lamplight, raising my arms in a friendly gesture to the invisible gunners behind the sandbags just down the street. I was in shirt sleeves and slacks and I smiled and shouted journalist in Vietnamese. There was no reaction so I just walked past them on my way to the AP office. Our staff were on the telephones, reporting what best they could to our news headquarters in New York City. The American embassy was under attack; so was Tan Son Nhut airport and the main Saigon radio station, the presidential palace, and Vietnamese security installations. We needed eyewitness stories, bureau chief Tuckman told me. Excerpted from Were Taking Fire: A Reporters View of the Vietnam War, Tet and the Fall of LBJ, by Peter Arnett, available now from the Associated Press. Charles in Charge actress Nicole Eggert said her former co-star Scott Baio sexually abused her repeatedly starting when she was 14 years old in an interview Tuesday morning on Megyn Kelly Today. The actress shared her story with Megyn Kelly following a Saturday tweet she posted referencing the alleged abuse. After the tweet, Baio posted a 16-minute-long video on Facebookdenying the allegations, citing previous statements Eggert had made about their relationship. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Eggert told Kelly the alleged abuse began when they met on the set of the 1980s sitcom Charles in Charge. Baio was 11 years older than her, and the age of consent in California is 18 years old. He immediately took to me and befriended me and earned my trust. And then he started expressing his love for me, and talking about marriage and the future, Eggert told Kelly while tearing up. Then, I was still 14, before my 15th birthday, we were at his house in his car in his garage, and he reached over and he penetrated me with his finger. That is when the sexual touching and abuse started, after that. Baio would allegedly grope her, pull her up onto his lap and sneak kisses with her while on set, Eggert said. They had intercourse for the first time when she was 17 years old while the show was still on, according to Eggert. Baio has denied this and said they had sex was when she was 18 years old. I was very young and it was shocking a little, she said. I had never experienced anything like that either so he was playing on not only my emotions but my hormones and all of those things, she said. Another issue, she told Kelly, was that Baio was the boss on set. Eggert said Baio told her not to tell anyone about their relationship since it was illegal and he would go to jail, thus ending the show. Its scary, Eggert said. Thats intimidating, especially when youre that young. Story continues It wasnt until getting a little bit older that I started to realize this is not love, Eggert said. Eggert said she had told a few close friends about the allegations at the time, but they didnt have a good reaction to it. She said she always lied about it in interviews years later. I got really good at bearing it and putting it away in a box, she said. Speaking with other women who had gone through similar experiences helped her come forward, she said. During the interview, Kelly shared a statement from Nik Richie, a radio host who said Eggert had told him Baio had molested her. Kelly also said Charles in Charge actor Alexander Polinsky witnessed inappropriate cuddling between Eggert and Baio on set. Additionally, Kelly pointed to a tweet from Adam Carl, who worked on the set of Charles in Charge, that said he remembers being with Eggert while she cried about Baio on set. When I worked on Charles in Charge in 88, I sat with you while you cried about that abusive asshole, Carl said in a tweet to Eggert on Saturday. I know youre telling the truth and Im so glad to see you speaking out. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. In statements before Eggerts interview aired, Baio said he and Eggert had a consensual relationship when she was over 18 years old. A representative for Baio did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Eggerts allegations. A number of men have been accused of sexual abuse, misconduct and harassment in recent months amid a national reckoning in Hollywood and other industries. Vienna (AFP) - Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Tuesday that he aimed to ease east-west strains within the European Union, as his new right-wing government welcomed Hungary's incendiary Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Vienna. "In particular since the start of the migrant crisis (in 2015) tensions have grown in the European Union," Kurz told a joint news conference with Orban in the Austrian capital. "Our great aim in Austria is to be a bridge-builder in this respect between the Visegrad states and the countries in western Europe," the 31-year-old conservative said. A rift has emerged in recent years between Brussels and the Visegrad group of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia -- and in particular with Warsaw and Budapest. A sweeping revamp of state institutions by the nationalist governments in both countries has raised worries about the rule of law, judicial independence and media freedom. Both have been the subject of legal action by the European Commission and they have refused to take part in a scheme to share out migrants around the 28-nation bloc. Orban has called immigration the "Trojan Horse of terrorism" and described migrants as "Muslim invaders" of a Christian Europe. "The biggest danger today to the hopeful future of central Europe is migration of peoples," Orban told the news conference with Kurz on Tuesday. "When I say that the future needs to be protected I mean that we have a culture, a Christian culture... We have a way of life, and we want to protect this way of life," Orban said. - New ally - Hungary and Poland are likely to have something of a new ally in Austria, although both Kurz and Orban on Tuesday sought to quash speculation that Austria might even join Visegrad. "Today is a new start" in relations, Orban said. Kurz has talked tough on immigration and has praised Hungary for building fences in 2015 on its southern border, an outer frontier of the Schengen zone. Story continues The EU scheme, Kurz said Tuesday, "isn't working... We have to stop illegal immigration in order to ensure security in Europe. I am glad that there has been a change in thinking in many European countries in recent years." Orban, 54, was expected to get an even more sympathetic audience later Tuesday in a meeting with Heinz-Christian Strache, head of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe). Since December the FPOe, which opposes immigration, has been Kurz's coalition partner. Strache told a news conference with Orban that instead of insulting the Hungarian premier in 2015 during the migrant crisis, Austria's government "should have thanked him" for protecting the Schengen outer border. Orban, Kurz and Strache acknowledged however that they differ on some issues, in particular Austria's plans to sue the European Commission for allowing Hungary to expand its Paks nuclear plant with a 10-billion-euro ($12.4-billion) Russian loan. Orban also said that Kurz's plans to cut child benefits for people working in Austria but whose families live elsewhere amounted to "discrimination". Kurz said the changes "are about justice". By Dilawar Hussain PARACHINAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - An explosion ripped through a car on Tuesday killing six members of a family driving to a Pakistan village to attend a funeral in the northwestern district of Kurram near the Afghanistan border, officials said. It was unclear whether the blast was a landmine or a roadside bomb planted by Islamist militants, said local government official Akbar Iftikhar. Both the militants and the Pakistani military use landmines. "Three women and three men died on the spot," he said. One survivor was in a stable condition, said Doctor Mumtaz Hussain at a hospital in Parachinar, the main town in Kurram. Kurram is one of the seven districts along the Afghan border in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which have long been home to local and foreign Islamist militants. Kurram is a predominantly minority Shiite Muslim region that is often targeted by Sunni militant groups such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State. The six family members, however, belonged to Sunni sect, Iftikhar said. The region has lately been the target of suspected U.S. drone strikes, which mainly took out members of Haqqani militant network that is allied with Afghan Taliban and operates on both sides of the border. The Haqqanis have been at the center of the current tensions between the United States and Pakistan. Washington alleges that Islamabad supports the Haqqani militants, who attack the U.S. and allied NATO troops in Afghanistan. (Writing by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Michael Perry) Nearly two months after reports emerged showing African migrants sold out as slaves in Libya, the African Union launched a repatriation operation that saw 13,000 migrants return to their homelands since last December. Speaking to the press, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahamat Faki, noted that the number is still below the goal set by the Pan-African organization to airlift 20,000 migrants out of war-torn Libya by mid-January. He said the operation is on course although with a bit of delay. Already more than two-thirds have been repatriated. Libya collapsed into violent chaos after the 2011 revolt that toppled and killed longtime dictator Muamar Gaddafi, with a myriad of militias and several jihadist groups battling for influence. The dire situation of migrants in Libya came under the spot-light late last year after CNN aired a shocking video footage showing Sub-Saharans being sold at an auction in slave markets in Libya. The video, showing migrants referred to as merchandise sold off for $400, triggered a global outrage. The appalling video footage prompted the United Nations, the European Union and the African Union, during the EU-AU summit held in Abidjan end of November, to put in place a joint Task Force to save and protect lives of migrants and refugees along the routes and in particular inside Libya. The three organizations discussed concrete steps to address jointly the dramatic situation of migrants and refugees, victims of criminal networks, in particular inside Libya. Estimates from the United Nations put the number of migrants in Libya at 700,000. For years, migrants crossing the Mediterranean have brought with them stories of beatings, kidnapping and enslavement. The son of a police chief who is accused of murdering his three-year-old stepson broke down in tears as a judge detailed the injuries sustained by the boy. As Joshua Richards wept, Judge Alton Johnson told Carroll County Superior Court, that Brentley Gore "had multiple marks, bruises all over his body and a large knot over his eyebrows." The boy died over the weekend after suffering swelling on the brain from a brutal beating, Villa Rica police said. Prosecutors claim Richards used a belt to beat his stepson while his mother, who has not been named, slept in the next room of their home in Hickory Falls, Georgia. She called the police after finding bruises on her son and struggling to wake him. Richards denies killing his stepson and investigators said he told them that he dropped the child by accident. He does admit to disciplining the child, as he was in fact living with the child for a number of months while he was in his custody," his attorney Mac Pilgrim told reporters after the hearing. "But at this point, hes made no indication that hes ever abused this child in any way, A fundraising page set up on behalf of his family said Brentley underwent emergency surgery to remove a portion of his skull to relieve some of the pressure, but he succumbed to his injuries just days later. Richards, the son of Carollton Police Chief Joel Richards, was originally charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, cruelty to children in the first degree and possession of marijuana. Investigators told WBS-TV2 that Chief Richards had been "professional and supportive" with them and had been "open to an information they had asked of him". His son being held at the Carroll County Jail and is reportedly on suicide watch. Thirteen children were found among 76 illegal border crossers squeezed shoulder-to shoulder-into a tractor-trailer seized by border patrol agents on Friday, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said Monday. The driver of the tractor-trailer was a United States citizen. The driver's name was not released, but the individual was arrested at a U.S.-Mexico border patrol checkpoint near Laredo, Texas. GettyImages-1593952 Photo by Joe Raedle/Newsmakers Trending: Democrat Women to Wear Black to State of Union in Solidarity "These criminal organizations view these individuals as mere commodities without regard for their safety. The blatant disregard for human life will not be tolerated," Laredo Sector Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Gabriel Acosta said in a statement Monday. The people found in the trailer were from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador. The agency released a picture on Twitter of the 76 border crossers packed into the trailer, some sleeping on each other. Don't miss: Why Trump Is Wrong to Want the Nunes Memo Published This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Earlier this month, the Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security said they would end the Temporary Protected Status program for immigrants from El Salvador. The move came amid efforts by the Trump administration to curb protections for immigrants. On Monday, lawmakers in the House offered a new bipartisan proposal for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood program that protects immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally at a young age. Trump moved to phase out DACA in September 2017 and gave Congress a six-month deadline to pass new immigration legislation. Debates over the program were at the heart of the government shutdown that took effect on January 20 after Congress failed to agree on a funding bill. The shutdown ended January 22 without a DACA deal. Story continues Most popular: Rocky Mountains Formed From Squishy Layers Like a Peanut Butter Sandwich During the shutdown, the Trump campaign released an ad that framed illegal immigrants as criminals, saying that Democrats who stand in the way of immigration reforms would be "complicit" in every murder committed by an illegal immigrant. Last July, 10 people died in the extreme heat in the back of tractor-trailer parked at a San Antonio Walmart. James Matthew Bradley Jr., who was driving the vehicle, told authories that he was unaware of the illegal stowaways. According to one man riding on the truck, some were banging on the walls and took turns breathing through a hole in the bed of the trailer. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Santiago (AFP) - Chile is greatly expanding protected parkland in its stunning southern Patagonia region under a decree signed Monday that will incorporate reserves owned by a late American philanthropist who founded the North Face label. The order signed by President Michelle Bachelet will boost the amount of parks in Chile by more than a third. "Chile needs to take this decisive step to protect and preserve our biodiversity, our unique landscapes, the habitat associated with endangered national species," including trees, indigenous deer and the Andean fox, Bachelet told reporters in the southern town of Cochrane. The signing was attended by the widow of Douglas Tompkins, the US millionaire founder of North Face who died in a kayak accident in Chile in December 2015. Tompkins and his wife Kristine McDivitt Tompkins had dedicated decades to preserving Chile's wilderness and buying vast tracts of land to create parks and reserves. The increased national parks will include 400,000 hectares (nearly one million acres) of land the Tompkins had handed over to the government. In all, 4.5 million hectares are being added to Chile's protected zones, with the ancillary aim of them also boosting tourism to the unspoilt reaches of South America. Some 10 million tourists have already visited Patagonia's wilderness over the past four years, according to official statistics. The decree was one of the last big flourishes of Bachelet before she leaves office in March, handing over power to Sebastian Pinera, a conservative billionaire who won a December runoff election. Under Chile's constitution, a president cannot try for immediate re-election. Photo credit: National Radio Astronomy Observatory From Popular Mechanics For the past two years, the most powerful radio telescope in the world has been located in China. Ever since the FAST telescope was completed in the province of Guizhou in 2016, China has held the world record for the largest and most powerful single-dish radio telescope. However, the FAST telescope has one significant design limitation: it can only point straight up. The FAST telescope is essentially a giant bowl built into a natural depression in a mountainside, which is what allows it to be so big. But that bowl cant move or point in any direction but up, which limits the areas of the sky that the telescope can observe. Now, according to a report from Seeker, China is planning to build a brand new telescope to overcome that obstacle. The new telescope will be whats known as a steerable radio telescope, similar to the Green Bank Telescope (pictured above). A steerable radio telescope has its dish mounted on a series of actuators that allow it to point anywhere in the sky. While these types of telescopes are understandably less powerful, their versatility more than makes up for it. The new telescope being constructed in China, the Xinjiang Qitai 110-meter Radio Telescope (QTT), will be slightly larger than the Green Bank Telescope, the current largest steerable radio telescope. The added size will allow the QTT to look for faint pulsars, map distant galaxies, and possibly find evidence of extraterrestrial life. Theres no information yet on where the telescope will be built, or when it will be completed. Telescopes of this size often take a long time to construct and are frequently plagued with cost overruns and delays. Still, theres a good chance the QTT will be completed before 2030, and we can have an even better eye on the cosmos. Source: Seeker You Might Also Like By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - China and the African Union dismissed on Monday a report in French newspaper Le Monde that Beijing had bugged the regional bloc's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital. An article published Friday in Le Monde, quoting anonymous AU sources, reported that data from computers in the Chinese-built building had been transferred nightly to Chinese servers for five years. After the massive hack was discovered a year ago, the building's IT system including servers was changed, according to Le Monde. During a sweep for bugs after the discovery, microphones hidden in desks and the walls were also detected and removed, the newspaper reported. The $200 million headquarters was fully funded and built by China and opened to great fanfare in 2012. It was seen as a symbol of Beijing's thrust for influence in Africa, and access to the continent's natural resources. As in the Ethiopian capital, China's investments in road and rail infrastructure are highly visible across the continent. At a 2015 summit in South Africa, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $60 billion in aid and investment to the continent, saying it would continue to build roads, railways and ports. Chinese and African officials gathered in Addis Ababa for the bloc's annual summit both denied Le Monde's report. China's ambassador to the AU, Kuang Weilin, called the article "ridiculous and preposterous" and said its publication was intended to put pressure on relations between Beijing and the continent. "China-Africa relations have brought about benefits and a lot of opportunities. Africans are happy with it. Others are not." Asked who, he said: "People in the West. They are not used to it and they are simply not comfortable with this." Asked about the report, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who assumed the African Union chairmanship this year, said he did not know anything about it. "But, in any case, I don't think there is anything done here that we would not like people to know," he told reporters after a meeting of African heads of state. "I don't think spying is the speciality of the Chinese. We have spies all over the place in this world," Kagame said. "But I will not have been worried about being spied on in this building." His only concern, he said, was that the AU should have built its own headquarters, instead of China. "I would only have wished that in Africa we had got our act together earlier on. We should have been able to build our own building." (Reporting by Aaron Maasho; writing by Maggie Fick; editing by Mark Heinrich) The public will likely soon see the controversial memo that Republicans in Congress have said contains jaw-dropping revelations about the FBI and Department of Justice. On Monday evening, Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee voted to make public the memo written by staffers for GOP Representative Devin Nunes of California, the committee chairman. The classified four-page document outlines how Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein approved the extended surveillance of Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser on Donald Trumps 2016 campaign, under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), according to The New York Times. The memo reportedly claims that officials did not disclose the extent to which the FBI and Justice Department were relying on research funded in part by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clintons presidential campaign. Trending: Former FBI Director James Comey Weighs in on Andrew McCabe Related: What Is In the Nunes Memo? Because Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd has warned the committee against making the memo public, saying it would be extraordinarily reckless to do so, the panel has reportedly invoked a rule that enables the president to decide whether to grant the release the document, overruling the Justice Department. A White House spokesman told CNN Monday morning that President Donald Trump had not seen the memo, but The Washington Post and Bloomberg reported that the president has indicated that he believes it should be made public. Under the rule, he has five days to decide. On Monday evening, White House lawyers were reviewing the memo, according to the Times. Democrats on the panel have said that the Nunes memo is misleading and that the representative had not even reviewed firsthand the information on which it is based. The Democrats drafted their own document based on the same information, but on Monday evening, the full committee voted against making that document public. Members of the House will be able to view the Democratic version, as was the case with the Republican one. The Republicans on the committee also voted against allowing FBI and Justice Department officials to review their document. Story continues Don't miss: Trumps State of the Union Tickets Typo: Will You Be Watching the State of the Uniom? We had votes today to politicize the intelligence process, California Representative Adam Schiff, the Democratic ranking member on the committee, told reporters following the voting. A very sad day, I think, in the history of this committee. 01_29_House_Intelligence_memo Mark Wilson/Getty People on the political right have called for the public release of Nunes memo, taking to social media with the hashtag #ReleaseTheMemo. But people on the other side of the political spectrum have considered the memo part of a wider effort discredit the FBI and Justice Department as special counsel Robert Mueller moves forward with his probe into Russias meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible links to the Trump campaign. Those people have pointed out that the memo apparently targets Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, perhaps in an attempt to get him removed from overseeing the Mueller probe. Most popular: Top Foods to Eat for Full Nutrition and Balanced Meals, as Ranked by Scientists The House Intelligence Committee has faced a partisan divide as it moves forward with its own probe into Russian meddling and possible coordination. Democrats on the panel told Newsweek in early January that the Republicans had sought to draw attention away from the main aspects of the Russia probe. Looking at the history of the investigation, theres been, I think, a motive on the part of some, including our chair, to protect the White House at all costs, Schiff told Newsweek at the time. Theyve moved from one diversion to another. Illinois Representative Mike Quigley, another Democrat on the committee, said in early January, They dont want this to continue because it embarrasses them. At press time, Nunes had not released a public statement about Mondays votes. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Federal and congressional probes are looking into alleged ties between Russia and the Trump campaign: Getty Images President Donald Trumps administration is up against a deadline to issue a list of companies and individuals that will be sanctioned for doing business with blacklisted Russian entities. But there is still question over whether Mr Trump will comply on time amid continuing suspicion of the Presidents eagerness to mend relations with Russia and ongoing investigations into whether Trump campaign advisers colluded with the Kremlin. The sanctions were mandated by Congress in a bill passed last year to punish Russia for election meddling and aggression towards its neighbours. Mr Trump called the legislation, which passed almost unanimously in Congress, seriously flawed when he signed it in August, asserting that it encroaches on the executive branch's authority to negotiate with the Kremlin. On Monday morning, White House spokesman Raj Shah told CNN that the Department of Treasury does plan to act today to issue a report and take this process the next step forward. The administration missed its first deadline on October 1 to issue guidance on which Russian entities in the military and intelligence sectors should be subject to sanctions. Mr Trump was late by almost three weeks - possibly because Secretary of State Rex Tillerson eradicated the State Departments office that oversees sanctions. The Trump administration announced new sanctions last week related to Russia's annexation of Crimea, hitting 21 individuals and nine entities, including Russian government officials and Russian companies connected to projects in the disputed Crimean Peninsula. The agency also sanctioned senior leaders of two Ukrainian separatist groups, the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, as well as people and entities alleged to have provided them with material support. The US government is committed to maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and to targeting those who attempt to undermine the Minsk agreements, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a statement. Story continues Those who provide goods, services, or material support to individuals and entities sanctioned by the United States for their activities in Ukraine are engaging in behavior that could expose them to US sanctions. Fridays sanctions are part of the latest attempt by the administration to put pressure on the Russian government for aggression in eastern Europe, particularly in Ukraine. Last month at an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe event, Mr Tillerson told an audience that included Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the US would maintain its sanctions against Russia until Crimea is once again controlled by the government of Ukraine. We will never accept Russia's occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea, he said. Democratic lawmakers are planning to bring Dreamers to President Trumps State of the Union address on Tuesday, an effort to urge him to find a solution for the undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. Trump announced in September that he would end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an Obama-era program that shielded undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation. DACA recipients, who are often called Dreamers, have spent months facing uncertainty as lawmakers struggle to negotiate a deal for the program. An immigration plan proposed by Trump last week was criticized by both hardline conservatives and immigrant rights activists for the concessions it made to either side. Members of Congress often bring guests to the State of the Union who are affected by issues that are important to them, including immigration, health care, military spending and sexual harassment. At least 24 House Democrats are bringing a Dreamer to watch Trumps address, ABC News reported, citing a list from a congressional official. These are the Democrats who have announced the Dreamers who will be joining them so far: California Sen. Kamala Harris Denea Joseph, a DACA recipient, will attend the State of the Union with Harris. I truly believe that we will win, we will win the fight to ensure that immigrants like myself are equipped with the rights to live and contribute fully, Joseph, communications coordinator for the UndocuBlack Network, said in a statement. The time is now to pass a Clean Dream Act that doesnt use undocumented youth to criminalize the original Dreamers our parents and grandparents. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden Daysi Bedolla, a DACA recipient and the student body president at Eastern Oregon University, will attend the speech with Wyden, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo Curbelo will attend the address with Adrian Escarate, a DACA recipient who was brought to the U.S. from Chile when he was 3. Story continues This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Illinois Rep. Bill Foster Ana Campa Castillo, who was brought to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 6, will attend the speech with Foster. I know firsthand how difficult it is for DREAMers to imagine leaving one of the few places they have called home, Castillo, a student at Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Illinois said in a statement. Its not surprising that President Trump rescinded DACA, but its a decision that calls on us to empower people like me to speak up and work for a solution. Virginia Rep. Gerald Connolly Nicolle Uria a high school senior who immigrated to the U.S. from Bolivia with her family when she was 1 will be Connollys guest. Nicolle is a bright, talented student who until last September lived the American Dream, he said in a statement. She was looking forward to going to college and to run her own media company one day, until President Trump put that future in jeopardy with his callous decision to end DACA. Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer Blumenauer announced that he would be boycotting the speech, but sending a Dreamer in his place to remind Trump that these are real people with families and jobs, who are vital to our communities. They deserve certainty and protection. Aldo Solano, a Portland Community College student from Mexico, will attend instead. Oregon Rep. Jeff Merkley Dreamer Leonardo Reyes will be at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday with Merkley. As President Trump addresses Congress next week, he will look up and see the young leaders he has promised to treat with great heartand he will see that we are determined to hold him to that promise, Merkley said in a statement. Oregon Rep. Suzanne Bonamici Miriam Vargas Corona, a Dreamer brought to the U.S. when she was 9 months old and who now lives with her husband and 7-year-old son, will join Bonamici at the State of the Union address. Not having protection against deportation is terrifying. Being forced to plan for a potential separation from my child and husband is something that I do not wish for any parent, Vargas Corona said in a statement. It is deeply heartbreaking to mentally prepare yourself to not see your child grow up and be there for all his defining milestones. Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader Schrader has invited Juan Carlos Navarro, a graduate student at Oregon State University who has received treatment for cerebral palsy in the United States, according to the Oregonian. Schrader shared Navarros story on the House floor in November, while advocating for legislation that would protect immigrants like him from deportation. New York Rep. Nita Lowey Hugo Alexander Acosta Mazariego, a Dreamer whose family moved from El Salvador in 2005, will attend the address with Lowey. I want to be clear: Dreamers are Americans, Lowey said in a statement. They contribute to our economy, our communities, and our strength and stability as a nation. Hugo is no exception. Kentucky Rep. John Yarmuth Leo Salinas Chacon, a Dreamer who is currently studying economics and Spanish at the University of Louisville, will be Yarmuths guest on Tuesday. Im thrilled to welcome Leo as my guest for this address and Im glad to know that he will be among those staring back at this President, reminding him that we are a nation built by and for individuals of all ethnicities and nationalities, representing every race, color, and creed, Yarmuth said in a statement. California Rep. Judy Chu Chu invited 23-year-old Dreamer Jung Bin Cho, who immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea in 2001, to the State of the Union. I invited Jun Bin so that Trump could see the face of immigrants today, Chu said in a statement. Dreamers have known no home but America. They have contributed through school, work, or military service. And theyve stayed within the law. Deporting them now would be both cruel and counterproductive, causing serious disruptions to families and communities alike. Illustration: Getty Images The first email arrived in the morning; the sun was just rising, barely visible through the heavy blinds covering my window. The email was delivered via the automated messaging system on my website; the sender was a complete stranger. Although I had no way of knowing it at the time, this email would be the first of many just like it. The stranger had sent a short message: Heres a link to a stuttering specialist in Atlanta, it read. I scrunched my eyes together, puzzled. I dont live in Atlanta, I thought. But more important, Im not looking for the help of a stuttering specialist. Why would a stranger assume that I am? Stuttering is a genetic and neurological speech disability that Ive carried my whole life. For years, I had difficulty accepting my stutter, but by the time I was in my mid-20s, I began a journey of self-acceptance. I started writing about my stutter, and advocating for myself and others who stutter. I hoped that my everyday activism and writing might have a positive impact on the world. This past year alone, I wrote and published a dozen articles and essays about stuttering. But I wasnt prepared for the response I received when one particular piece I wrote about stuttering was published in The Washington Post placed on the front page of the Sunday health section, no less. After the storys initial publication, the piece was syndicated and republished in a handful of newspapers all across the United States and Canada. I was delighted, giddy, imagining how many people would read my article and learn more about stuttering, an incredibly complicated speech impediment that only affects 1 percent of the American population. Youve done it, I whispered to myself, holding the article in print for the first time. Youve told the truth. Youre helping people learn. But then the emails started coming in all of them from strangers. Whether they were complimentary of my article or not, most of them insisted on sharing some sort of cure. Story continues My cousin had a stutter, one read, but this SpeechEasy device cured him! By lunchtime, there were a dozen new emails: Have you tried Prozac to cure your stutter? The next day, more: Have you heard thiamine hydrochloride might cure stuttering? Months later, theyre still trickling in: Try out this fluency-shaping program! or, Have you ever tried the Alexander Technique? Most of these strangers are well-intentioned a handful impolite but what they share is the assumption that Im actively seeking a cure for my stutter. They seem to assume that people with disabilities which encompasses nearly one-fifth of the American population are only concerned about finding a cure. This is simply untrue. The fact is, for adults, there is no cure for stuttering. Our scientific understanding of stuttering is still incomplete, so for now, researchers seem to agree that early intervention in children is the only way to actually reverse a stutter. Once you reach adulthood, theres no miracle cure. In the past, that hasnt stopped me from trying. For years, I chased every false cure: vitamins claiming fluency, outrageously confident self-cure programs, delayed auditory feedback devices that proved impractical in everyday life. I also tried speech therapy three separate times in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood but it was ultimately unsuccessful for me. I even pursued the most harmful miracle cure of them all: drinking alcohol in excess. I discovered this option when I was 15, and perusing a stuttering-focused blog. For years afterward, I struggled with alcohol as a form of disability self-medication. It took more than a decade, but I finally learned that all of these cures were ineffective for me. Seeking a magical solution for a lifelong disability did more harm than good. Eventually, I began to accept my stutter as a permanent part of my speech. I realized that my disability is part of my identity not a disorder that requires correction. Self-acceptance has been scientifically proven to positively impact the life of a person who stutters. For me, it did just that. But then came the article, the emails. The messages. The strangers who believed I wanted nothing more than to smother my stutter with pills, devices, and false hope. The more messages I received, the more surprised I became. I had stuttered my entire life. I had been studying and writing about my stutter for years. My graduate thesis had a research component entirely dedicated to stuttering. I have a bookshelf of textbooks, nonfiction research, and self-help books, all about my speech impediment. I wanted to ask these strangers: if there was a miracle cure for stuttering, wouldnt I know about it already? Thinking about all this, I grew angry. I complained about the emails to my family. I commiserated with my friends who also stutter. Can you b-b-b-believe th-th-them? I demanded. One night, I was up late working on a project. I turned the TV on, absently watching infomercials. They seemed to be on every channel: commercials for hair-growth serums, weight-loss pills, the perfect shampoo, the perfect shoe rack, the perfect gadget or organizer or device. I started thinking. Over the past few months, I had been recommended pills and programs from strangers who assumed I needed a cure. I had blamed them for being insensitive, for being unaware, but I shouldve understood all along: Its our culture that demands perfection. Its our culture that makes people believe disabilities have to be cured. I dont discourage others who are disabled and hope for a cure, I respect their right to pursue whatever it is they want. But this whole experience taught me something about myself: For my own stability and peace of mind, its important that I not search for a cure. I hope others too will stop assuming that disability is something that needs to be fixed. And I hope our culture embraces disability for what its always been: Just another form of living. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Gainesville, FL -- Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced in Washington D.C. recently that USDA invested in nearly 400 projects to provide essential services for more than 7 million people in rural areas across the country in Fiscal Year 2017. In Putnam County Florida, the Putnam Academy of Arts and Sciences Charter School received Community Facilities Direct Loan Program funds to construct a 4,500 square foot building housing classrooms and an enclosed physical education area. Funding will also be used to refinance existing debt and complete renovations to existing buildings. To build stronger, thriving rural communities, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in April 2017 to identify how federal regulations impact agriculture and rural communities. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was selected to chair the group, which includes 22 federal agencies as well as local leaders. Member of the task force traveled across the country, holding listening sessions and gathering recommendations from the people living and working in rural America. Earlier this month Secretary Perdue presented the task forces findings to President Trump. They include more than 100 recommendations for the federal government to consider to restore rural prosperity. USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. E-cigarette vapour is carcinogenic a new study has concluded - Getty Images E-cigarette vapour could raise the risk of developing of cancer and heart disease by damaging DNA in as little as 10 years, a new study suggests. Researchers from New York University School of Medicine said while it was clear that vaping was less harmful than smoking, it was still dangerous' for non-smokers and should not be promoted as safe. The scientists looked for mutations to DNA in animals, as well as human lung, bladder and heart cells, when exposed to e-cigarettes for the equivalent of 10 years. They found that in comparison to filtered air, e-cigarette vapour damages DNA and also prevents the genetic code from repairing itself. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the authors conclude: It is therefore possible that e-cigarette smoke may contribute to lung and bladder cancer, as well as heart disease, in humans. Based on these results we propose that e-cigarette smoke is carcinogenic and that e-cigarette smokers have a higher risk than non-smokers to develop lung and bladder cancer and heart disease. There are around three million vapers in Britain now Credit: Jane Mingay Around three million people use e-cigarettes in Britain, and since 2015 Public Health England (PHE) has encouraged smokers to switch to vaping, claiming it is 95 per cent safer than tobacco. E-cigarettes have generally been considered less harmful because they do not contain thousands of carcinogenic chemicals which are present when tobacco is burned. However the US scientists say that nicotine itself can be transformed into dangerous cancer-causing chemicals called nitrosamines. Study author Dr Moon-shong Tang, Professor of Environmental Medicine at NYU school of medicine, said determining the safety of e-cigarettes was an urgent public health issue. Yes, I think they are dangerous, and not only to the lungs and bladder, but also to the heart, he told The Telegraph. The experiments are the equivalent of what could be expected to happen to DNA over 10 years. It takes 20 years to develop cancer in the human body so we arent going to have the epidemiological studies for decades. This is a reasonable alternative to address this question. Story continues "We have done similar tests on tobacco smoke, which we are yet to publish, but which show similar results." Around half of British vapers are former smokers, having used the devices to stop completely. Most of the rest use both e-cigarettes and tobacco, and fewer than one per cent have never smoked. The Independent British Trade Association asks all vaping shops to sign a voluntary code prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes to non-smokers, but last year a survey for the Royal Society of Public Health found nine in 10 vape shops still do. E-cigarettes | Helpful or harmful? Commenting on the research Dr Ed Stephens, Senior Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews, said: This new research is a valuable contribution to understanding the mechanisms of DNA damage caused by nicotine-bearing aerosols inhaled by smoking cigarettes or vaping. By measuring indicators of DNA damage in various mouse organs the authors observed significant differences between experiments using nicotine-bearing e-cigarette vapour and those using filtered air. That study and this new research are both consistent with the widely-held view that vaping is not without risk of cancer and other diseases, but that risk is usually considerably lower than smoking. In the latest experiments mice were exposed to a 10mg/ml e-cigarette solution for three hours a day, five days a week for four months, a dose equivalent to light vaping for 10 years. At the end of the 12 weeks they found that there were significant amounts of carcinogenic chemicals attached to DNA, which signals the beginning of cancer. Researchers also looked at the impact of e-cigarette vapour on how well tissue can repair itself once damaged. The activity of two repair paths were significantly lower in the lung tissue which was exposed to e-cigarette vapour, in comparison to filtered air. Reasons for using e-cigarettes The study also looked at human cells and found similar damage to DNA and its repair systems. Scientists and health officials across the world are divided over whether e-cigarettes are safe. In late 2016, the US surgeon general published a wide-ranging report warning the e-cigarettes are leaving young people at risk of nicotine addiction, brain development problems and mood disorders. The World Health Organisation has also warned about the potential dangers. However Prof Peter Hajek, Director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), who advised PHE on its e-cigarette guidance, warned that the study could not be used to show an effect on humans. Human cells were submerged in nicotine and in off-the-shelf bought carcinogenic nitrosamines, he said. It is not surprising of course that this damaged the cells, but this has no relationship to any effects of e-cigarettes on people who use them. The Science and Technology Select Committee is currently hearing evidence on the issue and is due to report later this year. CAIRO (Reuters) - In October, Emad al-Din Abdel Hamid, a former army commando who had embraced Islamist violence, led a desert ambush against Egyptian police. His decision illustrates a growing threat from ex-officers ready to turn their guns on the security forces. Abdel Hamid, whose group Ansar al-Islam claimed the attack and hailed him as one of their leaders, was later killed in a retaliatory air strike. But his death has not discouraged more army officers and police from joining Ansar, three Egyptian security sources said. The October attack was the group's first public claim, and the first appearance of the name Ansar al-Islam. But the group, with links to al Qaeda, has history. It is part of an unnamed network that Egyptian security officials have accused of trying to assassinate a former interior minister in 2013 and of killing the country's top prosecutor in a car bomb two years later. Today, Egypt is also battling Islamic State in the North Sinai region. Hundreds of soldiers have been killed there since 2013, when Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a former army chief who is now president, seized power and vowed to crush Islamist militancy. The shadowy network that Ansar is part of presents a more daunting national security challenge than the Sinai militants, intelligence officials say, since it is comprised of army officers and policemen who use their training in counter-terrorism and surveillance to attack the forces they once served. "They're more dangerous than those in Sinai even though they're fewer in number," one security source said. The interior ministry, which oversees the police, did not respond to requests for comment. The military has also not commented. Sisi appointed a new military chief of staff a week after the attack and the interior ministry dismissed several high-ranking officials in an apparent reorganization of the country's security command. The three Egyptian security sources said that in recent months up to 30 more captains and lieutenants in the security forces have joined the Ansar network, which is headed by one of the country's most wanted men, former special forces officer Hisham al-Ashmawy. "They've got stronger," an officer in Egypt's National Security service told Reuters. "New numbers have joined, they have new weapons ... they focus only on big operations, so they don't use up manpower or firepower." Ashmawy has been mounting a recruiting campaign in recent years and that is now beginning to bear fruit in terms of numbers joining, two of the security sources said. Like the other officials interviewed, they requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. Egypt has had to contend with Islamist sympathizers in the armed forces for years. In 1981, army officers assassinated President Anwar Sadat, whose rapprochement with Israel angered much of the Arab world. U.S. prosecutors say Seif al-Adel, a former army colonel, helped al Qaeda plan bomb attacks against American embassies in East Africa in 1998. In recent months, hundreds of members of the security forces have been discharged because of their political or religious affiliations, the security officials said. Reasons for dismissing officers included refusal to arrest protesters at a demonstration or anti-government social media posts. Sisi faces a presidential election in March, but the political effect of the violence may be limited. The main opposition candidates have withdrawn, and in any case many Egyptians say they are angrier about soaring living costs than about militant attacks. BIG IMPACT Only about a dozen heavily armed Ansar militants were needed to lure a police convoy into the Western Desert ambush on Oct. 20, a survivor of the attack said. "We fell into a trap. We followed banana and orange peels discarded by militants, thinking they'd got careless and left traces," an officer who survived the attack said. Three security sources told Reuters at the time of the attack that dozens of police officers and conscripts were killed. But the interior ministry denied that figure the next day and said 16 police and conscripts died, including some high-ranking officers. Two sources in Egypt's General Intelligence Service said Ansar al-Islam had likely known about the police's movements in advance. "We have information that Ashmawy was able to get hold of devices or somehow listen in on a network that officers use," one of the sources said. The communications network had been secured in the months before the ambush with new wireless technology used only by the National Security branch, he said, so Ashmawy either "had a way of bugging it, or had got hold of one of the new devices." The security sources said Ashmawy recruits selectively, usually via a network of former officers operating in small cells. But Ashmawy and Abdel Hamid's path to jihad is familiar to military intelligence officials. Both graduated from Egypt's military academy in 1999, according to Abdel Hamid's family, and spent time in a special forces unit called Sa'aika, or Thunderbolt. They were discharged in 2007 and 2006, respectively, after the army saw they had become more religiously observant. Both men disappeared and became jihadists in the years of chaos that followed Egypt's 2011 Arab Spring uprising, according to Abdel Hamid's family. Abdel Hamid came from a long family line of military and police. He became radicalized nonetheless, raising the suspicions of intelligence agents. "He had started reading more deeply into religion," his mother, Sohair al-Gohary, said at the family home in Alexandria. The army locked Abdel Hamid up for a month after he was found carrying Islamic books. In 2006 he was transferred to a civilian service job for several years, his brother Alaa Abdel Hamid said. Abdel Hamid divorced, married a woman who wore the Islamic face veil, and then disappeared in 2013, relatives said, days before the Ashmawy network carried out its failed assassination attempt on the interior minister. LAST WORDS Abdel Hamid's family heard nothing of him until he was killed by Egyptian warplanes two weeks after the Western Desert ambush. Alaa recalled his brother's last words to him in 2013. "He said: how can I serve in a military that tries me (for religious piety) ... or live in a country that doesn't follow God's law?" During the October ambush, Abdel Hamid's skill at arms could be clearly seen, a policeman caught up in the firefight said. "I saw Emad shoot an officer in the head from a distance even though the officer was taking cover behind a car," the policeman told Reuters, recalling the incident. Soon after taking office on Feb. 17, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Scott Pruitt set out to revamp his agency's websites in order to take down longstanding information on climate science and policy. This included the agency's authoritative resources on climate science findings and data, a climate change for kids page, and a website detailing the landmark Clean Power Plan. Documents released Monday by the Environmental Defense Fund show that Pruitt was involved in ordering and monitoring his staff's progress in taking down these specific websites, and putting up interim redirect sites in their stead. SEE ALSO: Trump's big EPA website change should make you furious For example, on April 28, 2017, J.P. Freire, then the chief of public affairs at the EPA, wrote to agency web and public affairs staff to direct them to remove and archive content on several EPA webpages, including the Clean Power Plan site and the main climate science section, which had remained online and expanded throughout Democratic and Republican administrations, dating back to the presidency of George H.W. Bush. "... We would like the content at the links below removed and archived as soon as possible. The removed climate change pages will be replaced with a custom page that will explain why the change is happening, include a link to the January 19, 2017 snapshot of the EPA website, and a link to the press release we'll be putting out. The clean power plan pages will be redirected to the newly posted energy independence pages," Freire wrote. Email sent from an EPA public affairs official in April 28, pertaining to EPA websites. Image: EDF. Bottom portion of the same email, listing some of the websites to be taken offline. Image: EDF The EPA's climate change website went dark on April 28, with an archived version of the previous site still available from Jan. 19, 2017. In another email that EDF obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, Pruitt pressed his public affairs staff to move swiftly in replacing all references to the Clean Power Plan on EPA websites to reflect an Executive Order that Trump signed on March 28, which the new EPA website states, "signaled the restoration of the rule of law, cooperative federalism, and sound scientific rulemaking at the Environmental Protection Agency." Story continues In an April 5 email to other members of the EPA communications staff, J.P. Friere wrote: "Just asking because he is asking," an apparent reference to Pruitt. In the same email chain, Lincoln Ferguson, an adviser to Pruitt, asked for a progress update on the Clean Power Plan websites. "How close are we to launching this on the website?" he asked. "The Administrator would like it to go up ASAP. He also has several other changes that need to take place." The reply came from Freire that, "You can tell him we have already mocked it up, and are just finishing up. Should happen this week." The instruction from Pruitt was to redirect "Any reference to the Clean Power Plan, any link to it," to a new page that would showcase the Trump administration's plans and offer little information on what the plan actually does. Earths average global temperature from 2013 to 2017, as compared to a baseline average from 1951 to 1980. Image: nasa giss. The Clean Power Plan was put in place (though not fully implemented) by the Obama administration, and is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. Taking down web resources on the Clean Power Plan so early is controversial, because Pruitt had not yet put forward a plan to withdraw the plan or replace it. In fact, that occurred six months after the website changes were made. Also, in his former life as Oklahoma attorney general, Pruitt had sued the EPA over the plan to try to block it. Making information on it harder to find hampered peoples' ability to educate themselves about the policy in order to comment on proposed changes to the rules. Also on Monday, the EDF and about a dozen other environmental and advocacy groups called for Pruitt to recuse himself from the Clean Power Plan decision making process because it was clear from the outset what his position was. The EPA is in the midst of a public comment period through the end of April regarding the Clean Power Plan's repeal. The EDF contends that the removal of information from the EPA website makes it more difficult for people to educate themselves and make pertinent comments about the law. Brussels (AFP) - The European Union on Tuesday gave France, Germany, Britain and six other polluting member states until next week to meet the bloc's air quality standards or face legal action. Brussels said it was running out of patience with states -- including the EU's three biggest economies -- that had failed to take steps to improve air quality despite years of warnings. EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella gave ministers until next week to come up with solutions to what he called the "life-threatening" air pollution issue that the bloc says causes 400,000 deaths a year. "In the face of such outstanding failures to take serious action and in view that the ongoing legal process will continue, I urge all member states to address this life threatening problem with the urgency it deserves," Vella told a press conference. He told the ministers "that if they have any new measures that they can put on the table, that they have to come with these new measures latest by Monday." European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas later said that Vella "gave the member states the deadline until the end of next week to complete their submissions so that a recourse to the court will be avoided." Vella delivered the warning during a "final chance" meeting in Brussels Tuesday with ministers from France, Germany, Britain, Spain, Hungary, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania. Britain was summoned despite the fact it is due to leave the EU next year. - 'Criminal' failures - These countries, which could be taken to the European Court of Justice, the bloc's highest tribunal, are deemed regularly to exceed emissions limits set to protect Europeans against particulate matter and azote dioxide. The court could impose fines. The EU estimates that air pollution costs the bloc 20 billion euros ($24.7 billion) a year in health costs, but says this could be reduced if member states comply with agreed emissions limits. Story continues Throughout the EU, fine particulates -- small particles of pollution -- were responsible for three out of four premature pollution deaths (399,000 out of 487,600) in 2014, according to EU figures. Steps needed include establishing incentives for the transport, energy and agricultural sector as well as in urban planning and building design, Vella said. Twenty-three of the 28 EU member countries exceed air quality norms, the European Commission said. The problem affects more than 130 cities in Europe. Bulgaria and Poland, which have also failed to take action, are not being summoned because they have already been taken before the top court. The European Environmental Bureau described the countries summoned by Vella on Tuesday as a "toxic bloc". Greenpeace air quality campaigner Benjamin Stephan said "car fumes are killing tens of thousands across Europe" as governments have failed to enforce anti-pollution laws. "That is criminal, and should be penalised," Stephen said in a statement. "Every day of delay in switching from diesel and petrol cars to clean forms of transport, will result in more deaths and make driving bans inevitable." McCabe has exited ahead of his planned retirement amid an escalation by Donald Trump in attacks on the FBI Andrew McCabe on Capitol Hill in Washington on 23 December 2017. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP Andrew McCabe, the deputy director of the FBI, stepped down on Monday in a widely anticipated move that nevertheless reflected a further deterioration in relations between the White House and authorities investigating Donald Trumps Russia ties. The move came after months of attacks on McCabe by the president, who implied that McCabe had been compromised by a political donation made in 2015 to McCabes wife. Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, sought to distance the administration from McCabes departure. Weve seen the numerous reports, as all of you have, she said. I can tell you none of this decision was made by anyone at the White House. Sanders added: We dont have any specific comments and I would refer you to the FBI for any specifics on the things taking place today. She insisted that Trump stands by his previous comments about McCabe but was not part of the decision-making process. The president has full confidence in FBI director Christopher Wray, she added, and has put the decision at the FBI in his hands. Sanders also denied that Trump had pressured special counsel Robert Mueller to wind up his investigation quickly. The only thing the president has applied pressure to is to make sure we get this resolved so that you guys and everyone else can focus on the things that Americans care about, she added. And that is making sure everybody gets the Russia fever out of their system once and for all, that youre all reminded once again there was no collusion. The immediate circumstances of McCabes departure were unclear. He had not previously described plans to colleagues to depart so soon. The FBI did not immediately release comment on the move. Beyond Mueller Three separate congressional committees are investigating Russian tampering in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign: the Senate judiciary and intelligence committees, and the House intelligence committee. Story continues The committees have the power to subpoena witnesses and documents. The list of witnesses to have been interviewed so far is long, and includes Donald Trump Jr and Jared Kushner, as well as lesser figures such as former adviser Carter Page; Glenn Simpson, the co-founder of Fusion GPS, which commissioned the Steele dossier; and Ben Rhodes, the former Obama adviser. Senate intelligence committee The most aggressive of the three committees so far, with a reasonable appearance of bipartisanship. Republican chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina said in October that the question of potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives remained open. But Burr has also said the committee was not focused on criminal acts but a larger picture. The committee notably heard testimony from James Comey after the former FBI director was fired. Senate judiciary committee Hampered early on by partisan disagreement about the scope of its investigation, the committee has interviewed top witnesses including Donald Trump Jr and has taken a particular focus on the firing of James Comey. But the committee has deferred to Mueller in the investigation of Paul Manafort and has interviewed fewer witnesses than others. House intelligence committee Riven by partisan conflict, the committee appears to be on track to produce two reports one from each party. Chairman Devin Nunes recused himself from the inquiry in March after Trump tweeted that Barack Obama had "tapp[ed] my phones" and Nunes, in an apparent attempt to defend the president, revealed that some communications involving Trump aides had been intercepted by US surveillance programs. Mueller, who himself is a former FBI director, is investigating whether Trump or his associates colluded with Russia in advance of the 2016 election, or sought thereafter to obstruct Russia-related investigations. Trump has denied all wrongdoing. McCabe became acting director of the FBI in May 2017, after Trump fired director James Comey, who was only four years into a nominal 10-year term. McCabe soon found himself under attack by Trump, who tweeted in July that McCabe ought to have been fired because his wife, Jill McCabe, received money for a state senate race from Hillary Clinton and her representatives. Jill McCabes campaign received money during the race from a political group tied to Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, a long-time Clinton supporter. The wife got $500 from Terry, Trump said recently, criticising the donation. Terry is Hillary. McCabe himself was a registered Republican as recently as 2016, when he voted in the Republican primary in Virginia, CNN reported. McCabes retirement plans first became known in December, after the deputy director sat for closed-door interviews before three congressional committees that Democrats described as poisonously partisan, with Republicans following Trumps lead in attacking McCabe. Mueller is believed to be examining Trumps attacks on law enforcement figures involved in the Russia investigation as part of a potential obstruction of justice case against the president. Trumps targets have included mostly Republicans or former Republicans, including Comey and Mueller. Last week Republicans briefly advanced allegations of a secret society at work inside the FBI to damage the president, allegations that were withdrawn when challenged. Mr Ragbir pictured here in March 2017: AP An immigrant rights leader has been released from federal detention after a judge called his imprisonment a cruel and unnecessary violation of his right to due process. Federal court judge Katherine Forrest ordered the immediate release of Ravi Ragbir, a nationally recognised immigrant rights activist who is the executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition, Monday. Mr Ragbir was detained January 11 during a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York. The judge's decision restores my faith in the power of our institutions to protect the rights of people facing such a cruel and inhumane system, Amy Gottlieb, Mr Ragbirs wife and an immigrant rights advocate with American Friends Service Committee, said in a statement. I am so thrilled that Ravi will be home with me, as he always should have been, she continued. Now the fight is to make sure Ravi can remain here with his family and continue his work to support immigrant rights in the United States. Mr Ragbir, born in Trinidad, first received a green card in 1994, but was later detained by ICE in 2006 for nearly two years because of an old wire fraud conviction. Mr Ragbir was later released in 2008 when the federal agency determined that he did not pose a flight risk, or a danger to the community. Following his 2008 release, Mr Ragbir began working as a community activist, rising in the ranks to his current position leading a coalition of over 150 faith based groups that advocate for immigrant rights. A wave of letters and phone calls from community organisations and elected officials have been sent towards the US Department of Homeland Security in recent days, as efforts were made to get Mr Ragbir released from custody. Taking such a man, and there are many such men and women like him, and subjecting him to what is rightfully understood as no different or better than penal detention is certainly cruel, wrote Ms Forrest in her decision. We as a country need and must not act so. The Constitution commands better. President Donald Trumps administration has overseen an up tick in detention of immigrants in the just over a year since Mr Trumps inauguration. At the same time, however, the administration has seen a drop in overall deportation rates. Afghan security personnel stand guard near the site of an attack near the Marshal Fahim Military Academy base in Kabul - AFP Eleven Afghan soldiers were killed in an assault on a Kabul military base on Monday, the fourth attack in Afghanistan within 10 days. Isil yesterday claimed the attack, which began at 5am as five militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles stormed the well-defended Marshal Fahim military academy. At least 16 soldiers were wounded in the attack, which lasted over five hours and ended with four of the militants being killed - two by their own suicide vests - and one arrested. Security officials at the scene said the gunmen had used a ladder to get over a wall into the post. "The Afghan National Army is the country's defence force and makes sacrifices for the security and well-being of the people," the ministry of defence said yesterday. President Ashraf Ghani denounced the attack on Monday. Gunfire and explosions were heard coming from the academy Credit: AP Photo/ Rahmat Gul) "We appreciate the sympathies extended to us by our international partner nations," Mr Ghani said, speaking a press conference in Kabul alongside visiting Indonesian president, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. "Thank you for standing with us." Monday's assault comes amid increased attacks by the Taliban and its regional rival Isil on civilian Afghan targets, including three in the space of a week. On Jan 20, Taliban attackers stormed the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, killing at least 30. The Taliban claimed another attack a week later when over 100 were killed after a bomb hidden in an ambulance exploded in the heart of the city. Isil claimed an assault on the office of aid group Save the Children in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Wednesday in which six people were killed. Earlier this month, the Intercontinental hotel in Kabul was attacked by the Taliban Credit: REUTERS/Omar Sobhani The increased attacks - also targeting military and government facilities - have put pressure on Afghanistan's more aggressive military strategy against the Taliban, in which it is backed by the United States. Kabul has become a growing target, amid government confidence that the new strategy is driving Taliban insurgents back from major provincial centres. Story continues In October last year, 15 cadets from the same military academy attacked on Monday, known as "Sandhurst in the Sand", were killed when the bus they were traveling in was targeted in a suicide bombing. Named after Mohammed Fahim, the country's late vice-president and a military commander of the Northern Alliance that fought the Taliban, the academy was inaugurated in 2013 after British forces oversaw building the officers' school and its training program. Analysts cast doubt over the claim of responsibility from Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil), which do not have much of a foothold in Afghanistan. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence accused the Taliban-linked Haqqani network of being behind the attack. The Taliban have dismissed suggestions they have been weakened and said Saturday's bombing was a message to President Donald Trump. "The Islamic Emirate has a clear message for Trump and his hand kissers, that if you go ahead with a policy of aggression and speak from the barrel of a gun, don't expect Afghans to grow flowers in response," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement. Todays attack, in a series of attacks in the last couple of weeks and likely more attacks in the coming weeks, can be counted as response to the aggressive strategy that the government of Afghanistan has been following. Gold and silver coins recovered from the sunken shipwreck approximately 40 miles off the coast of North Carolina might be the missing link needed to confirm the ship's identitythe doomed American steamship Pulaski, which sank in 1838 after one of its boilers exploded. Divers retrieved a cache of 14 gold and 24 silver coins from the ship, according to the Charlotte Observer. All of them are older than 1838 and could help determine once and for all whether the sunken shipwreck is that of the Pulaski. One coin in particular could be worth up to $100,000, according to the Charlotte Observer. The others are likely valued at approximately $10,000 to $12,000. All were found contained to an area of the ship no bigger than a cigar box. Trending: Top Newsweek Editor Takes Leave of Absence After Sexual Harassment Report This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This evidence supports reports that valuables, including gold and silver, were aboard the Pulaski when she sank, James Sinclair, a marine archaeologist involved in the project, said according to the Charlotte Observer. The Pulaski killed more than half of the roughly 200 people on board when it sank, according to the International Business Times. The victims included New York Congressman William B. Rochester and various members of wealthy Southern families. It remains one of the country's deadliest maritime accidents. Don't miss: Congress Must Reject Trumps Immigration Plan It is a Cruel Sophies Choice Experts believe the coins could finally determine if the lost-lost ship has been located because of accounts of a Pulaski passenger named Charles Ridge. Ridge survived the accident but lost $20,000 in gold coins, according to the Charlotte Observer's account: Ridges fate is legendary, because he rescued a wealthy heiress by holding her atop a floating piece of parlor furniture. He proposed marriage as they drifted along for four days. She accepted, even though hed lost everything when the ship exploded and sank. Story continues But not everyone is so optimistic. Keith Webb, founder of Blue Water Ventures, a shipwreck exploration company involved in the discovery, doesn't think the coins are Ridge's lost fortune, according to the Charlotte Observer. He believes such coins would number in the thousands, and be worth millions of dollars. When we find his money, it wont be the size of a cigar box. It will be the size of a chest, Webb said according to the Charlotte Observer. We will find it, I assure you, and it will be in one pile. And that will be gold coins with a specific history attachedan actual story of a man whose riches are lost and a woman still committed to marry him...Its romantic. Its exciting. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Thomas Jefferson abolished the early tradition of an annual personal address by the president to a joint session of Congress. Its time to recognize the wisdom of that step. Photo: Getty Images Every now and then, as we approach the ritualistic agony of yet another State of the Union Address, voices are raised describing the absurdity and offensiveness of the tradition. In 2006, presidential historian Lewis Gould anticipated with dread George W. Bushs sixth SOTU address, deploring the degeneration of the speech from a rare presidential communication with Congress into a semi-imperial speech from the throne. The trauma of Barack Obamas reelection led to an effusion of conservative hostility to SOTU addresses, though none could compare to Kevin Williamsons jeremiad in 2014: The annual State of the Union pageant is a hideous, dispiriting, ugly, monotonous, un-American, un-republican, anti-democratic, dreary, backward, monarchical, retch-inducing, depressing, shameful, crypto-imperial display of official self-aggrandizement and piteous toadying. Through such protests we are often reminded that nothing in the Constitution actually requires an annual personal speech by the president to a joint session of Congress, and that our third president, Thomas Jefferson, deliberately abandoned the precedent of annual speeches set by Washington and Adams because he disliked its monarchical pretensions. More than a century later, Woodrow Wilson revived the older practice, which was more or less followed by his successors until it became a highly stylized infomercial for presidents who had no need of such a spectacle to communicate either with Congress or with the public. And now SOTU addresses have become encrusted with stupid traditions: The members of Congress jockeying for aisle positions so they can be seen shaking hands with or embracing POTUS The procession of military leaders and Supreme Court justices into the House chamber, signifying the great leaders universal power The puppet-like reaction of members to nearly every phrase of the speech, as they stand, sit, cheer, and dont cheer, as dictated by partisan signals The Real People in the galleries to illustrate this or that presidential talking point, whose value is calibrated according to their proximity to the First Ladys seat The opposing partys response to the address, typically canned before the address itself, and thus usually a model of bland generality The snap polls and focus groups conducted by media outlets seeking to reinforce the events awesome political significance (which usually fades within hours). Rarely do SOTU addresses make actual news in the sense of an unanticipated departure from an administrations prior agenda or message, though perhaps they help get the basics across to the lowest of low-information voters (probably less each year as the networks carrying the speech no longer dominate viewership). And most of all, the whole spectacle is vastly redundant, particularly at a time when the president can command massive coverage of an Oval Office address or a major speech whenever he wants. Now that we have a president who communicates with the country at all hours of the day or night via social media, its especially strange to set aside an evening of prime-time television to let him share his pithy views on the state of the union. But for that very reason, you might expect that Donald Trump could be the president to put an end to the tradition and the misery that accompanies it. Yes, he enjoys pomp and media attention and the trappings of imperial splendor. But he also by all accounts dislikes set-piece speeches and has trouble sticking to scripts. Its hard to imagine him preferring SOTU to such alternatives as reviewing a huge military parade or getting to devote an entire evening to his Twitter account. Still, given the opportunity to flush the whole thing this year when Nancy Pelosi disinvited him from the usual venue of the House chamber, Trump instead looked around for a different staging area. And its even possible that the desire to give his speech was one of several factors that led the president to cave to Pelosi and end the government shutdown. Perhaps Trump thinks one more reiteration of his rap on the existential importance of border barriers is going to flip public opinion and finally give him the upper hand against the Democrats, who were regularly thrashing him during the shutdown. Or maybe he will finally go over the brink and deliver a full-on campaign-rally speech with the trappings of more dignified address. Like everyone in the chattering classes, I will watch this years SOTU address, though with more fear and loathing than those who are new to its idiotic features or who, God forbid, actually enjoy the show. I will not applaud the speech unless it ends with the vow: This is my last State of the Union address. Any way you interpret it, that would be good news. Editors note: This piece originally ran on January 29, 2018. It has been updated and republished. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., did an extended interview Monday with Alex Jones, the nations leading peddler of conspiracy theories, in an attempt to prove he was not a conspiracy theorist. Interviewed on Joness show, Infowars, Gaetz urged the release of a House Intelligence Committee memo that many Republicans say will cast doubt on the legitimacy of the FBI investigation into President Trumps campaign. Democrats have said that the memo is based on incomplete information and creates a false narrative, and the Justice Department has warned that releasing the memo without a security review would be extraordinarily reckless. Were called conspiracy theorists because we see this cabal right in front of us, said Gaetz. Were able to aggregate these data points and show what was really going on. Jones is a right-wing conspiracy theorist who has charged that the 9/11 attacks were an inside job conducted by the American government and that the Sandy Hook school killings in Newtown, Conn., were also faked. After a gunman fired shots in a Washington, D.C., restaurant, Jones apologized for pushing the theory that the proprietors of Comet Ping Pong were running a child pedophile ring out of its basement. (The gunman said he was a frequent listener of Jones and was on a self-appointed mission to rescue the imaginary victims.) Last year Jones was also forced to apologize to the Chobani yogurt company and the city of Twin Falls, Idaho, after broadcasting that refugees working in Chobanis plant were spreading disease and crime. Gaetz, a first-term congressman and Freedom Caucus member, is not the first well-known Republican politician to visit Jones. In December 2015, then candidate Trump told the host he had an excellent reputation. Jones claims he is still in contact with Trump, although Axios has reported that officials in the White House were attempting to limit Trumps access to Infowars. Jones assured Gaetz that while media companies would criticize him for appearing on the show, he should be proud of visiting. Story continues MSMs [mainstream media] gonna attack you for coming on the show, said Jones, but thats a badge of honor, the presidents come on before. Gaetz mentioned text messages between an FBI lawyer and FBI agent that he claims show a conspiracy to stop Trump from winning the 2016 election, and subsequently to remove him from the White House. (Republican legislators last week pushed the idea of a secret society of agents to depose Trump, claims that were later debunked.) A member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, the congressman has been pushing for months for the resignation of special counsel Robert Mueller. The House could vote on releasing the controversial Intelligence Committee memo as soon as Monday. After the vote, Trump would have five days to either allow the release to move forward or file an objection. Monday also saw the resignation of FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who has been the object of suspicion by many Republican representatives. Read more from Yahoo News: Patrisse Khan-Cullors (Photo: Tristan Kallas) It was a lifetime of oppression and violence that led activist Patrisse Khan-Cullors to cofound the Black Lives Matter movement, but the catalyst was one particular instant: The moment when George Zimmerman was acquitted in the killing of Trayvon Martin. Scouring Facebook after the decision was announced, Khan-Cullors came upon a post by her friend Alicia Garza (who went on to cofound the movement with Khan-Cullors and Opal Tometi). Garza wrote on the social media platform, btw stop saying that we are not surprised. thats a damn shame in itself. I continue to be surprised by how little Black lives matter. And I will continue that. stop giving up on black life. black people, I will NEVER give up on us. NEVER. And Khan-Cullors wrote back, #BlackLivesMatter. In her newly-released New York Times bestselling memoir, When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir, which she wrote with journalist Asha Bandele, Khan-Cullors lays the hypocrisy of the American justice system out plain and simple: I grew up in a neighborhood that was impoverished and in pain and bore all the modern-day outcomes of communities left without resources and yet supplied with tools of violence. But when someone in my neighborhood committed a crime, let alone a murder, all of us were held accountable, my God. Metal detectors, searchlights and constant police presence, full-scale sweeps of kids just walking home from school all justified by politicians and others who said they represented our needs. Where were these representatives when white guys shot us down? The life Khan-Cullors lived prior to forming Black Lives Matter is the life she focuses on in the bulk of When They Call You a Terrorist. Its an existence marked by protecting her mentally-ill brother from the LAPD, and finding her own place as a queer black woman growing up in a Jehovahs Witness home. Its a life defined by seeing her father struggle with drug addiction and homelessness, and her brothers treated like criminals for being black and male. Story continues Recalling a moment she witnessed when her brothers were only 11 and 13, Khan-Cullors writes that police officers throw them up on the wall. They make them pull their shirts up. They make them turn out their pockets. They roughly touch my brothers bodies. After this, she says of her brothers, They will be silent in the way we often hear of the silence of rape victims. They will be worried, maybe, that no one will believe them. Khan-Cullors spoke with Yahoo Lifestyle about her new book, Americas systems of oppression, and the importance of the Black female narrative. When They Call You a Terrorist (St. Martins Press) Yahoo Lifestyle: You write about your surprise at being approached to share your life story. Why was it important to you to overcome that feeling and share your narrative in this way? Patrisse Khan-Cullors: When youre socialized as a woman and raised black and poor, youre told that your story doesnt matter and is not worth listening to. And I think when a really important publisher said, I think you have a story in you, it made me nervous. I felt like, really? Why me? I had to really question: Does it make sense for me to be that person to write a book? What were really trying to do with the memoir, which is why we say, a Black Lives Matter Memoir, is let this inspire more folk who are a part of the Black Lives Matter movement and have been raised in different parts of the world to talk about how blackness has shaped them, how race has shaped them. Then this book doesnt just become a heros journey, it becomes a book that can be used to have hundreds and thousands of conversations with different Black people who have experienced similar issues. What did you learn, through your writing, about yourself, your own personal experience, and the general experience of Black Americans? I think there was a certain point in the book when I realized I grew up in a war zone that the experience of being in a neighborhood that was consistently patrolled by law enforcement and consistently hyper criminalizedwasnt normal. It wasnt healthy, and so many of us experienced the impact of state violence in our communities. I had to really come to terms with the idea that my family deserved dignity and deserved care and they deserved for their humanity to be really seen and that it wasnt. In fact, our poverty was weaponized against us. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. I wanted to talk to you about the word terrorist and how it is used as a weapon. Why was it important for you to reclaim that word and have it in the title of your book? Thats a good question, because I think when some people read it they think, Oh yeah, Black Lives Matter has been called a terrorist organization. But Im actually trying to have a larger conversation about how Black people who fight for our freedom are often called terrorists when actually government agencies are terrorizing Black people. Theres a reason why Angela Davis is the person who I asked to do the forward of this book, because Angela herself was on the FBIs fugitive list and was also labeled a terrorist for fighting for Black peoples rights. This becomes a central theme. What do you want people to learn in reading your book, particularly white people, straight people, people who havent had similar histories or experiences to yours? I want people to see the real human impact of incarceration and state violence. I want them to hear the pain and suffering of Black people, but more importantly, I want them to get involved. I want them to dedicate themselves to stopping these injustices and to realizing that its going to take all of us to end police violence, to end state violence. Its going to take all of us to really and truly see a world where Black lives actually matter. In terms of getting involved: There are so many societal problems, its overwhelming, and its hard to know where to begin. I feel like there is a resistance to doing anything because people are overwhelmed and scared. How do you overcome that and become a part of the solution? People should join an organization. There are hundreds of organizations doing amazing things across the country. Black Lives Matter is an organization, there are other civil rights organizations. You cant do it alone. Of course its overwhelming. Whatever you feel is a necessary fight in your community, thats where you find something, thats where you find your organization, and thats what I would encourage people to do. In the book you talk about your anger in your erasure from the Black Lives Matter story. Why do you think that that happened, and why did it upset you? I think we live in a culture that really sees the only Black people that deserve visibility are Black men. Weve created a superhero of MLK, and weve created his legacy to be fully about him versus about hundreds of people who stood up for civil rights for Black people. I think that part of this generation is challenging the idea of whos supposed to be at the helm of a movement, and what I try to tell people is that Black women have always been at the helm of movements. Weve always been changing whether thats abolishing slavery, Black Codes, Jim Crow, the suffrage movement. We have been so pivotal and instructive and we often dont get the visibility. I think this time around many of us are not allowing the conversation to just center around Black mens leadership. Honorees Patrisse Khan-Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza pose with an award during Glamour Women of the Year 2016 at NeueHouse Hollywood in 2016. (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Glamour) So I take it from that answer that youre not surprised at all that Black women are standing on the front lines of justice right now? Oh yeah, no. Weve always done that, thats been reality, thats what I see. And I think formally, Black women have always been social justice warriors, but also informally. My mother was the one who really taught me how to fight for people, and she wouldnt consider herself someone in a movement. I think thats very powerful. What are your thoughts on all of the Oprah 2020 chatter? (Editors note: This interview occurred before Oprah announced that she would not be running.) I dont care or not. I think its a fun conversation to have. If she were to run, that would be really interesting. But more importantly, we have to be really careful about having one person as our savior. Oprahs not going to fix five centuries of racism. Oprahs not going to be able to undo corporation relationships with elected officials. So, whats more interesting to me is how do we build a strong movement a movement that can actually build power, and build electoral power across the country? This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. You have a young son, who is still a baby. How will you ready him for the world and what America looks like today? Thats a great question. I think about it every day. I think just being a model. You can talk to someone until your face is blue and they can do whatever they want. So just being a model for what I believe is possible for Black people. Being a proud feminist and reminding him if he decides to be a boy that he can be a feminist, too. Im creating spaces and structure where he gets to be curious about his life and imagine a life that isnt just about hyper-violence and criminalization. Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and @YahooBeauty. Danny Lam Security, Asia Once America achieves the military destruction of North Korea, what next? What Happens After America Destroys North Korea? Militarily defeating a nuclear armed North Korea with minimal risks, low allied and DPRK casualties is possible. But that leads to the question of what sort of a post war Korea would emerge and how the peace can be won. Winning the peace is a distinctly different task from fighting and winning the war. It requires different preparation, mindsets, training, expertise, and experience, much of which are not part of standard military repertoire. Occupational armies more often than not, lose the peace after winning the war. The Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe brought them a sullen and oppressed allies called the Warsaw Pact who deserted them and defected to their arch enemies the moment USSRs grip weakened. Soviets facilitating the communist victory in China created for them an apparent ideological brethren that turned out to be a nuclear armed peer competitor barely two decades later. USSR diverted nuclear forces to deter PRC after 1969, and resources then had to be drained to support DPRK and Vietnam against the PRC up to USSRs collapse in 1991. Recommended: America Has Military Options for North Korea (but They're All Bad) Recommended: 1,700 Planes Ready for War: Everything You Need To Know About China's Air Force Recommended: Stealth vs. North Koreas Air Defenses: Who Wins? Russia disappointed the G8 and ultimately was expelled after multiple incidents of rejecting the Liberal-democratic consensus that borders should not be changed by force. Russia in turn, is back as a non-communist, but great power peer competitor to Allies ruled by an autocrat. Allies won the cold war, dismembered USSR for the most part, but lost the peace with Russia. PRCs intervention to prop up DPRK, more a Soviet than CCP client, resulted in a costly war that while producing a useful client, was far outstripped by ROK and Japan under US protection. Moreover, DPRK, rather than a useful bulwark toward growing US power against the PRC, is likely to become the trigger for allies under UN Command renewing the conflict to denuclearize the Korean peninsula. Story continues The ideological and geopolitical divisions between CCP led PRC as a revolutionary state and great power rival of the US and allies, papered over for nearly 5 decades since President Nixon visited PRC, is now back in the open. The PRC is openly advocating and implementing a program for the CCP to dominate the world and replace the allied led liberal internationalist order. The Trump Administrations new National Security, Defense, and Nuclear strategies identified a world with two great power competitors: Russia and the far more capable and lethal communist China. CCP economic aggression, mercantilists strategies and subversion of US and allies, once derided and discounted, are now high priority agenda items for both Administration and Congress. Allies no longer assume that either Russia or PRC is on the path toward liberalization and democracy. In that respect, the temporary advantage gained between 1972 to 2000 detaching PRC from the Soviet orbit turned out to be at best, a wash, and potentially a costly mistake akin to allowing Germany to rearm after WWI. The lessons from these cases suggest that the US and allies cannot accept anything less than either bona fide, permanent and irreversible denuclearization of the DPRK this time around, or alternatively, exercise a good military option to achieve the same goal. The former leaves open the possibility of DPRK surviving. The latter will by default, require termination of the DPRK regime. Should allies exercise a military option this time, it is unlikely the Allies will tolerate PRC creating DPRV Version 2.0. If the PRC and Russia were to attempt to block denuclearization of DPRK either militarily or by stealth, it would certainly invite a strong Allied response. Limited war or stealth aid to DPRK will, for starters, likely result in the immediate cut-off of both Russia and / or China from access to world markets, freezing of their assets, locking them out of the allied financial system, and rounding up of enemy operatives everywhere. Such a move will immediately cause an economic depression in Russia and China. Full cooperation with Allies in resolving the DPRK problem will leave open the possibility that PRC and Russia can have a disarmed buffer state like DPRK (even after regime change). Intervention in any form will leave the Allies no choice but to dictate the peace terms which will almost inevitably result in the absorption of DPRK by ROK on the German unification model. The ROK Ministry of Unification reveals few hints as to how it might proceed. It almost seem that ROK could not conceive of being victors in a war as West Germany did. The lessons from German unification are invaluable and directly applicable for Korean unification. Unification after a war with Allied forces as winners, still need to be cognizant of the need to minimize incentives and motives for the vanquished to go on fighting as irregulars and to provide continuity of governance and subsistence: stabilizing the system while gearing up for major change. A disastrous mistake after the Iraq War of 2003 (Operation Iraqi Freedom) was the failure of invasion force to secure Iraq immediately after major combat operations ceased. The invasion force was sized to defeat the Iraqi forces (a shadow of its former self), but not for securing all major population centers to prevent looting and sabotage. Looting of government departments and their destaffing ended organized administration on the old model. Public Administration had to be rebuilt from scratch. The Coalition Provisional Authority then made some disastrous blunders like disbanding the Iraqi military, security, intelligence and the Bath Party (Order 1 & 2) and ordering the privatization of the Iraqi economy (Order 39). Market forces, rather than snapping place magically to provide for the population as before (however wrenched), acted to provide a free for all: creating a Hobbsian world where life is nasty, brutish and short. Out-of-work and unpaid soldiers and former Iraqi officials did what they knew best: looted military arms caches, formed into armed gangs, and used their newfound freedom and unemployment to rob, loot, and do whatever needed to survive. This in turn, grew into initially a small, and ultimately a large insurgency that continued to this day. Contrast the disaster in Iraq with West Germany whom effectively bribed East German officials and military officers by offering to exchange East German Marks (nearly worthless) at inflated rates (varied from par for 1st 4,000 DDR Marks, 2:1 then 3:1). This deal almost ensured no organized opposition to the vanquishing elite and officials of East Germany. ROK is a sufficiently wealthy economy to afford this kind of largess that would encourage DPRK officials and military (whom had large stocks of DPRK Wons) to be bribed to surrender. Making them big winners in reunification by offering a similarly inflated exchange rate is a small price to pay compared to the cost of an insurgency like the US faced in Afghanistan and Iraq. What about giving DPRK officials and military officers the ability to keep their existing jobs and titles, suitably renamed, except at a ROK scale of pay and benefits including pensions? That will be another costly, but highly effective means of pacification. Giving every former DPRK national immediate access to ROK social safety net benefits is another costly, but critical move to stabilize the economy. Private property rights is a central element of ROK vs DPRK. How to bring it to a newly freed populace? Suppose every person who had usage rights (should we say squatters rights) the day before the war were to be entitled to receiving title for residential property they occupied. And for those who did not have property, they will be issued a voucher to acquire one as it is built? ROK can afford a massive construction program to create jobs. By granting title of residential property to the entire population, ROK will instantly make them all property owners. A similar process can be implemented to transfer all industrial and commercial enterprises, farms, etc. to cooperatives whose members will eventually become shareholders. Administratively it will be incredibly complex, but well within the skill set of ROK administrators. Making everyone a property owner is great in theory, but in practice, most of the population need a period of time to be educated in how markets work, and how to safeguard their wealth and grow it. The lesson from Russian privatization is that such a process must have dampers that prevent the sale of assets by an improvised people at fire sale prices that created the oligarch class, which in turn, set back the emergence of a stable middle class in Russia. Transfers of property gratis to ex DPRK nationals will require on limitations on their sale, mortgaging, etc. (e.g. 10% annually) with only gradual liberalization of the restraints. That way, fewer will make the mistake of selling out too soon only to discover explosive price growth later. Creating a propertied class with an equitable income distribution is an educational process that takes time and cannot happen instantly. Market forces need to be introduced, but only gradually for a population that only known rationing by the state and party all their lives. A decade goes by very quickly, and can result in the emergence of a propertied middle class --- the foundation of a modern democracy. Integration of DPRK nationals into ROK political system will be a major problem. At this moment, ROK grants citizenship to any DPRK nationals, and is believed to set no terms or limits on their political participation in ROK. Unification would involve a flood of newly enfranchised voters, potentially greatly upsetting the ROK political system if they were skewed toward one party or another. A well thought out plan, perhaps with quotas for each party during the transition period, and only gradually introducing the franchise to former DPRK nationals may be required to ensure the stability of the ROK political system from a sudden influx of new voters. After waiting 70 years, what is wrong with waiting an additional 10 for a phased transition? The United States experience in admission of the State of Utah may be instructive here on how not to upset a political system. Geopolitics will be a major problem. PRC and Russia have legitimate security concerns. It may be necessary to implement a deal whereby ROK forces in its present form is restricted from being deployed beyond the DMZ. Negotiated limits on lightly armed troops or border guards in the former DPRK borders with PRC and Russia is not an unreasonable limitation. But for such an arrangement, it is also not unreasonable for US, Japan, Russia, and PRC to guarantee ROKs borders. If ROK can have outstanding Koreans like Ban Ki-Moon serve as the Secretary General of the UN, surely there is scope for a brilliant solution to be created by Koreans that satisfy all great powers in the area. Finally, there will be loose ends like ensuring that DPRKs former rocket scientists and nuclear / chemical / biological weapons experts are gainfully employed by ROK, and tightly controlled to be sure they do not become a Korean Khan network of proliferators. Winning the peace is something that Allies need to discuss seriously with ROK now as military options are being contemplated. America do not need another Afghanistan, Iraq, or Syria. Allies need to leave nation building to Koreans! The Korean war was a terrible tragedy. Lets end it by facilitating Koreans creating a success that the international community will be proud of a century from now. Danny Lam is a Senior Contributor to Warrior Maven This article originally appeared on Warrior Maven. Image: Reuters. Read full article The Daily Show With Trevor Noah called out Hillary Clinton for her response to a New York Times report that she kept an advisor, Burns Strider, on her 2008 campaign staff after he was accused of harassing a young female staffer. According to the CNN, the staffer accused Strider of touching her shoulders, kissing her forehead, and sending her suggestive emails. At the time, Clintons campaign managers suggested Clinton fire Strider. However, Clinton only docked Strider several weeks of pay and ordered him to attend counseling. He declined to undergo counseling. The young staffer, who was the victim in the claim, was then assigned to another job. Of the report, Trevor Noah said, A few areas I dont expect Hillary Clinton to nail it: managing emails, visiting Wisconsin weaknesses. But I expected standing up for a woman on her staff to be one of her strengths. Clinton responded to the report, tweeting, A story appeared today about something that happened in 2008. I was dismayed when it occurred, but was heartened the young woman came forward, was heard, and had her concerns taken seriously and addressed. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Clinton followed up with a second tweet, reading, I called her today to tell her how proud I am of her and to make sure she knows what all women should: we deserve to be heard. Noah felt that Clintons response, which never makes a clear apology, was not in tune with todays politics. Noah said, I thought in 2018, with everything were learning about now, maybe Hillary would come out and say, Hey guys, I realize I was part of the problem in the way I handled this. When I look back, I should have done better.' Noah then went as far as to imply that her failure to sternly punish Strider enabled him to continue his harassment. Noah blasted Clinton, saying, This guy Strider he went on to get another job in Democratic politics, where he got fired for doing the same thing to other women. So you could argue that if Hillary had fired him, she would have been protecting many women instead of just herself. Story continues The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11 on Comedy Central. See the highs and lows from the 60th Grammy Awards: Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps Republican allies in Congress advanced their monthslong assault on special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election on Monday, voting along partisan lines to release a classified memo slamming officials from the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation who have investigated the Trump campaigns ties to Russia. The episode has more than a touch of Washington theater to it: Republican staffers wrote the memo, and Republican members of Congress, who always had the power to vote to release it, spent weeks calling on themselves to do so. But it was still an extraordinary event. In a letter last week, a top Justice Department official said releasing the classified memo would be an unprecedented action that would be extraordinarily reckless and could risk harm to national security and to ongoing investigations. The department did not understand why the Committee would possibly seek to disclose classified and law enforcement sensitive information without first consulting with the relevant members of the Intelligence Community, the letter read. It is extremely unusual for lawmakers especially Republican lawmakers to clash so publicly with law enforcement on issues of national security and classification. Trump has five days to block the memos release, but has indicated he will side with congressional Republicans on the matter, over the objections of the Justice Department. Republicans argued that releasing their own memo is a matter of transparency. Making the GOP memo public will allow journalists and the public to at least partially assess the claims it makes. But fully judging its merits will also be difficult without access to the underlying intelligence information, which is also classified and will not be released. At the same time, Republicans voted down a Democratic effort to release a memo authored by Democratic staffers that they say combated some of the inaccuracies in the GOP memo. While members of Congress will be allowed to read the Democratic memo, the public will not. Story continues The release the memo crowd, apparently, doesnt want to release the memo, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters after the vote. We have crossed a deeply regrettable line in this committee, where for the first time in the 10 years or so that Ive been on the committee, there was a vote to politicize the declassification process of intelligence, and potentially compromise sources and methods, Schiff added. Theres indeed more at stake than D.C. grandstanding: The release of the document is part of a pattern of behavior by the president and his congressional allies all of it apparently aimed at undermining Muellers probe and shielding Trump from scrutiny. Since Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey then the official responsible for the Russia investigation last summer, the president, Republican members of Congress and the right-wing media have battled to undermine public perceptions of the bureau and of the Justice Department: Andrew McCabe, Comeys former deputy, stepped down Monday after weeks of pressure from Trump and Republicans. Republicans have charged that McCabe was biased against the president because his wife ran for a Virginia state Senate seat as a Democrat, but FBI documents released earlier this month indicate he followed bureau recusal rules. The day after Trump fired Comey, the president called McCabe to complain about Comey being allowed to take a government-funded plane back to Washington, NBC reported Monday. When McCabe said he wasnt asked to authorize the flight but would have approved it, Trump told McCabe to ask his wife who lost her race for state Senate how it feels to be a loser, and hung up the phone, according to NBC. The president, Republicans in Congress, and the right-wing media have spun tales of a dark conspiracy involving Lisa Page and Peter Strzok, two FBI officials who were having an affair and exchanged text messages critical of Trump and other politicians from both parties. The evidence suggests Page and Strzok were actually driven more by loyalty to the FBI than partisan political considerations. The memo the House voted to release Monday reportedly focuses on criticizing Rod Rosenstein, a Republican Trump appointee at the Justice Department who now has responsibility over the Mueller probe. The memo, The New York Times reported, accuses Rosenstein of approving an application to surveil a former Trump campaign official last spring. Trump has long resented Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller as special counsel after Trump fired Comey. Trump reportedly considered firing Rosenstein last summer, but instead ordered Muellers firing only to back away the decision after his lawyer threatened to quit. The sustained assault on the FBI seems to have affected perceptions of the bureau among Republicans and independents. Just over half of the public has at least a fair amount of trust in the FBI, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll, down 12 points since 2015. The percentage of Republicans and independents saying they trust the agency dropped by 22 points and 15 points, respectively. The GOP memo lays the groundwork for that distrust. It was the work of the office of Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the House Intelligence Committee chairman and close Trump ally who recused himself from the committees investigation into ties between Trump and Russia after he was caught last year promoting a different surveillance scandal with intelligence cooked up by Trump White House officials. The memo reportedly suggests that FBI agents obscured their reliance on a controversial dossier about Trumps ties to Russia when they sought a warrant to spy on Carter Page, a Trump campaign adviser. Republicans have long sought to discredit the dossier, which was compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. Committee members voted along partisan lines earlier this month to allow any member of Congress to read Nunes classified memo. Some of the Republicans who read the memo described the allegations as sickening and worse than Watergate. Democrats who read it said it was a partisan hack job. Rife with factual inaccuracies, said Schiff. This may help carry White House water, but it is a deep disservice to our law enforcement professionals. Ariel Edwards-Levy contributed to this article. President Donald Trump, left, and special counsel Robert Mueller, right. (Photo: The Washington Post via Getty Images) Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Amer Othman Adi, fourth from left, with his wife and daughers. (Photo: Haneen Adi) Weeks of confusion and inconsistencies from immigration officials ended on Monday after authorities deported a Palestinian man who had been living in the U.S. for nearly 40 years. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had kept Amer Othman Adi, 57, in detention for two weeks, ignoring a House Judiciary Committee request that the Department of Homeland Security review his case, which would have allowed him to temporarily remain in the U.S. In a highly irregular rebuke of Congressional authority by ICE, Amer Othman was ripped from his four daughters, his wife, and the country that he has called home for over thirty years, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), who had been fighting his deportation, said in a statement. Amer was a pillar of the community and brought commerce to a downtown that craved investment. He hired members of our community. He paid taxes. He did everything right. There are violent criminals walking the streets, yet our government wasted our precious resources incarcerating him. Othman Adi, who arrived in the U.S. 39 years ago and whose wife and three daughters are all U.S. citizens, had his green card revoked after authorities accused him of marriage fraud. He was never granted a day in court to fight the charge, despite his ex-wife signing an affidavit confirming that the marriage was indeed legitimate and claiming that authorities had pressured her to previously say the marriage had been fake. He and his current wife, Fidaa Musleh, have been fighting the charge for years without success. Facing a deport order since 2009, he was spared under President Barack Obamas administration, thanks to a private bill passed in the House of Representatives. President Donald Trump did away with that provision, and in September, Othman Adi attended what he thought was a regular ICE check-in meeting. Instead, agents placed an ankle bracelet on him and told him he had until Jan. 7 to exit the country. He and his wife sold their house in Youngstown, Ohio, and purchased plane tickets to Amman, Jordan where he is a citizen. Early this year, he was told that the deportation had been called off. Story continues When he showed up for another routine ICE meeting on Jan. 16, he was detained with zero explanation and placed in jail. On Jan. 18, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security voted to request that DHS review Othman Adis case, which would have placed a six-month stay on his deportation. ICE ignored the request. They didnt comply, they didnt release him, one of his daughters, Haneen Adi, told HuffPost last week. They denied him a stay and now they are just keeping him in prison and not saying when they will let him out. Othman Adis wife grew increasingly concerned when, on Monday morning, she didnt receive her daily call from him, she told WKBN. Later that night, around 8 p.m., the family said they finally learned he had been moved from Youngstown to Chicago, where he was awaiting a flight to Amman. Just three hours later and after only a quick goodbye, he left. Othman Adis case is one of several recent key moments for Trumps hard-line immigration policies, where Americans are seeing not just violent criminals deported, but valued members of their communities as well. His story is in so many ways what Youngstown stands for, Mayor Tito Brown told WOSU of Adi, a successful small business owner. Hes what Youngstown needs more of. Youngstown residents have come out in droves to support Adi, organizing vigils and protests. Former congressman and presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich even joined the demonstrations. I hope President Trump comes to realize that when his words become public policy in places like Youngstown, families like Amers are ripped apart, Ryan said. Im sad that America, and the American Presidency has become a place where politics outweighs doing what is right. Clarification: Language in this story has been amended to better explain the request to DHS from the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. Also on HuffPost "The young Mexican couple spent five years working in Rhode Island with false Social Security numbers before they had saved enough to buy their own home, four years ago," Meehan writes. "They are active in their church and at their childrens' schools. At a kids' birthday party in the fall, the mother sat in the corner with tears in her eyes: Her father had died in Mexico, and if she had tried to attend the funeral, she would not have been able to return." "The man is from the West African country of Guinea Bissau, spending time first in Cape Verde before coming to the United States," Meehan writes. "He works nights doing factory work, and studies English as a Second Language." "The young man came from Cape Verde to Rhode Island with his family as a child and attended the public schools. He had embarked on a life of his own here before being incapacitated by a stroke. He is now back living at home and being cared for by his parents." "The teen-aged sisters are from El Salvador, high-achieving students and aspiring artists who dream of going to college in the United States. Although it is possible to attend college as undocumented immigrants, they have not found their way there, and are now working in a local restaurant that caters to the Spanish-speaking immigrant community." "The Colombian woman's children have begun to question her about why they continue to live in the United States with no clear path open to them. 'We try to keep our kids busy and not think about the situation, and try to do the best we can,' she says. 'Here is a great opportunity for them. They need to work hard, and focus on the future.'" "Cape Verdean man." "Colombian family." "The man from Guinea-Bissau prepares dinner for other friends from Africa." "The young woman is living in Rhode Island on an expired tourist visa from Cape Verde, working in a donut shop and doing hairdressing on the side. Together with her sister, who is also undocumented, they are raising her son." "The man from Guinea-Bissau lived in the apartment with his wife and daughter, until disagreements between them ended the marriage. He now sublets the rooms to other men, from Africa and Cape Verde." Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Billionaire Democratic donor Tom Steyer has funded a new advert promoting Donald Trumps impeachment, which is set to run during his first State of the Union address. The hedge fund manager has ploughed $40m (29m) into a campaign against the US President that includes national adverts, a petition, and billboards in Times Square. Mr Trump is expected to use his landmark speech on Tuesday to address immigration, national security and jobs. Experts anticipate he will cite the good performance of America's economy in recent months as evidence of his success. But the new advert will draw attention to less well-received features of the Republicans first year in office. He can fire an FBI director who wont pledge his loyalty. He can order the deportation of a million immigrant children, the advert says, referring to Mr Trumps decisions to sack the former intelligence boss James Comey and end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme. He can threaten an unstable dictator armed with nuclear weapons, the advert says, referencing inflammatory statements the US President made about North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un. He can go into a rage and enter the nuclear launch codes. How bad does it have to get before Congress does something? Mr Steyer has said the US President has committed eight impeachable offences, including conspiring with Russia to commit crimes against the US. Mr Trumps administration has fiercely denied improper links with Moscow, which are currently under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. The debate is no longer whether he has met the standard for impeachment, but whether members of Congress will allow him to get away with it, Mr Steyer said in a statement. Waiting for a politically convenient time to acknowledge this jeopardises the stability of our country and pushes us further away from our democratic values. We cannot wait until tomorrow, or next month, or next year. The time to act is now. Story continues Earlier in January, the San Francisco billionaire ruled out running for the Senate or the California governors office, ending months of speculation. Im not going to run for office in 2018 thats not where I can make the biggest difference, Mr Steyer told journalists in Washington. My fight is not just in California, my fight is in removing Donald Trump from office and from power. A senior administration official said the US President will be speaking from the heart during his State of the Nation speech, which will begin at 9pm EST on Tuesday (midnight GMT). The President will discuss jobs and the economy, infrastructure, immigration, trade and national security, the official added. Mr Trump will also refer to what he sees as the benefits of reducing the corporate tax rate from 35 per cent to 21 per cent. An Indian man has died in a freak accident involving an MRI machine at a hospital in Mumbai. Rajesh Maru, 32, was killed after walking into the magnetic resonance imaging room to visit a sick elderly relative while carrying an oxygen cylinder, police say. Two arrests have been made and an investigation has been launched into the tragic incident which occurred in Mumbais Nair Hospital on 27 January. "We have arrested a doctor and another junior staff member under section 304 of the Indian penal code for causing death due to negligence," Mumbai police spokesman Deepak Deoraj told AFP. Preliminary reports suggest he died from inhaling liquid oxygen that leaked from the cylinder after it hit the MRI machine. Rajesh Maru was 32 NDTV reports Mr Marus hand was trapped in the machine when the damaged cylinder burst, triggering a massive oxygen leak. He was rushed to an emergency room but was pronounced dead within 10 minutes. His family say staff at the hospital assured them the machine was switched off before he entered the room. I asked the ward boy thrice about the machine but he ridiculed me, saying that he knows his job well and does not need to know from me about it, his relative Priyanka Solanki said. The victims uncle, Jitendra Maru, added: The ward boy who was supposed to prevent such incidents told my family members to go inside when the machine was turned on. We are shocked and devastated. His mother Gala told Indian daily newspaper The Hindu that her son-in-law was initially meant to enter the room instead of her son. My son-in-law was supposed to take his mother to the MRI room, but the ring in his finger was stuck and wouldn't come off, she said. Ramesh Bharmal, the dean of the hospital, told AFP that an investigation had been launched to determine the exact cause of death. The victim's family have been awarded the victims family 500,000 rupees (5,600) in compensation. Tributes have also been paid to Mr Maru on his memorialised Facebook page. Romany Shaker Security, Middle East A coordinator walks past a Turkish flag and flags of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) before a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 13, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser Qatar has sought to enjoy the benefits of maintaining a membership in the GCC and close relations with Iran. Now those efforts are working against the Middle East nation. Iran's Relationship With Qatar Could Be Crumbling Tensions between the Gulf states and Qatar developed into an outright feud last June as a result of Qatars drift toward Iran, which led the Saudis and their partners to impose a boycott and cut off air, sea, and land routes to Qatar. Instead of responding positively to a demand that it cut ties with Tehran, Qatar defiantly restored full diplomatic relations with Iran. Now, the battle between Qatar and the quartet of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia has broken out on a new front: Dueling media coverage of the protests in Iran, with Qatar taking the side of the regime and the quartet backing the protesters. Iranian youths will no longer accept suffering and starvation, while the murderers and terrorist mercenaries of the regime are enjoying the wealth of the Iranian people, wrote Ahmad al-Jarallah, editor-in-chief of the Kuwaiti daily Al-Seyassah. Abdul Rahman al-Rashed, a prominent Saudi media figure with close ties to the royal court, wrote in the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, The Iranian people harbor a genuine hatred for the regime. Meanwhile, Al-Sayyed Zahra, columnist for the Bahraini daily Akhbar Al-Khalij, opined that the uprising of the Iranian people dealt a fatal blow to the Qatari strategy of aligning itself with the Iranian project in the region. Zahra also hoped the events in Iran will awaken the Qatari regime and make it return to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) fold. However, Qatari-funded Al Jazeera has aired statements by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and covered the pro-government rallies organized by the Iranian government. During the protests in Iran, Gulf critics have denounced Al Jazeeras one-sided coverage, which signals a major shift from its role as an advocate of popular protests during the 2011 Arab uprisings in Tunisia in Egyptand the 2009 protests in Iran. Syrian-American analyst Oubai Shahbandar told Arab News, I remember in 2009, Al Jazeera English was the go-to channel for people in the West to follow the Green Revolution in Iran and to get the latest updates. Nowadays it really does seem that, more often than not, [Al-Jazeera] has become the go-to channel to get the Iranian regimes viewpoint on the ongoing uprising. Story continues Shortly after the Gulf quartet launched its campaign to isolate Qatar, Al Jazeera made public overtures to Tehran. In July, executives from the network and from Irans Islamic Republic News Agency signed a cooperation agreement emphasizing the need for using the media to create an atmosphere of peace, friendship and convergence. The move was severely criticized in Arabic media. Not surprisingly, Saudi news outlets have taken the harshest line against Tehran. Pro-government daily Al Riyadh opined in a January 2 editorial that the Iranian protests may end the suffering of the people who were burned by the flames of the mullahs regime through its proxies in Lebanon and Yemen. The reaction of the Saudi media echoes the words of the kingdoms thirty-one-year-old crown prince, Mohamed bin Salman, who said in a May 2017 interview: We wont wait for the battle to be in Saudi Arabia. Instead, well work so that the battle is for them in Iran. The tone of UAE officials and news sites has been tough but less severe, with a focus on urging the Iranian regime to reconsider its costly involvement in the region. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash tweeted the Iranian leaders should put the internal interest before Tehrans adventures in the Arab region. The interests of the region and Iran lie only in internal construction and development, not in antagonizing the Arab world, he added. Nonetheless, prominent political science professor Dr. Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, who is close to the UAE leaders, tweeted, The continuation of internal pressure and the mounting of external pressure mean that the days of the clerical regime in Iran are numbered. UAE daily The National did not forecast a revolution, but said in a January 1 editorial that the protests are the screaming voice of a nation. The Iranian elite must start to listen. In Bahrain, where Iran has stoked unrest among the Shiite majority, columnist Faysal al-Sheikh, writing on January 2 in the pro-government daily Al-Watan, denounced Bahraini Shiites who are silent in the face of Iranian repression. Now that the Iranian people are rising up against this tyrannical regime, we can only wish them success in overthrowing the tyrannical dictator, he wrote. While press coverage in the Gulf reflects the divide between Qatar and the Saudi-led quartet, it has also provoked a reaction from Tehran. Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet posted on January 5, Eternal bedfellows #KSA and #ISIS following Trumps lead all endorse violence, death and destruction in Iran. Why are we not surprised? Meanwhile, Qatar and Iran are not the only targets of Gulf criticism. Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan al-Tamim, former deputy head of Dubai Police and General Security, also slammed Turkey via Twitter for supporting the Iranian regime. He wrote, [Turkish president Recep Tayyip] Erdogan incites against Egypt and defends Iran. They dont go together well. Erdogan is despised among Arabs since he is the enemy of the nation, the general said in another tweet. The connection between Qatar and Turkey is that both have become the chief allies of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group designated by Saudi Arabia and UAE as a terrorist organization. For example, the two countries host several key Muslim Brotherhood figures who fled their homelands. Similarly, bilateral relations between Turkey and Iran have recently warmed significantly in the midst of Turkeys authoritarian and anti-Western evolution. One strange illustration of the renewed ties between Tehran and Ankara is the case of Reza Zarrab, an Iranian-Turkish gold trader who recently pled guilty in a U.S. federal court to orchestrating a multi-billion-dollar scheme to help Iran evade U.S. sanctions with the help of Turkish banks in 2013 and 2014. This deep polarization between the Gulf states and Qatar has grown out of an already-troubled relationship, which Qatar seriously aggravated by interfering in the internal affairs of other Gulf states, supporting Islamists, and drawing closer to Iran. For years, Qatar sought to enjoy the benefits both of membership in the GCC and close relations with Iran and its proxies. Now its time for Qatar to carefully reconsider the Gulfs growing concerns over the Islamic Republics behaviors in the region and side with its Gulf allies to end the most serious rift in the GCCs history. Romany Shaker is a research analyst and Arabic language specialist at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD. Image: A coordinator walks past a Turkish flag and flags of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) before a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 13, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser Read full article Tehran (AFP) - Iranian authorities have granted limited visiting rights to reformist leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, under house arrest following protests sparked by a contested 2009 election, two media outlets reported Monday. Mousavi, 75, his wife Zahra Rahnavard and fellow reformist Mehdi Karroubi were placed under house arrest in 2011 over their role in the millions-strong Green Movement protests. The protests -- known as "the sedition" by hardliners -- followed allegations of rigging in the 2009 presidential election won by hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Neither of the men has been charged with a crime. On Monday, reformist-linked ILNA news agency said some restrictions on visits to Mousavi and Rahnavard "have been lifted... over the past week". Citing Ghasem Mirzaie Nikou, a member of a parliamentary committee that lobbies for the leaders' release, said the "daughters, the grandchildren and the two sons-in-law of Mr Mousavi and Mrs Rahnavard can visit them normally". He told the outlet he hoped other family members would also be granted access. The semi-official ISNA agency cited Gholamreza Heidari, another member of the same committee, as saying there had been "an opening" in the couple's case. Authorities "have come to the conclusion that maintaining (their) house arrest does not go in the direction of the national interest or that of the system," he said. Heidari told ISNA he hoped the couple would soon be released but added that "of course we will have to be patient". Karroubi, 80, was granted similar visiting rights in August 2017 following a heart operation. President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate conservative who succeeded Ahmadinejad in 2013, has pledged to do what he can to liberate them. Work hard. Have fun. Provide affordable health care? Photo: David Ryder/Getty Images Since 1970, Americas private sector has grown considerably richer, while its public sector has grown vastly more indebted. Over the past five decades, net private wealth in the United States (measured as a percentage of national income) has increased by more than 50 percent; over that same period, net public wealth has fallen by nearly 150 percent. Late last year, a team of economists led by Thomas Piketty argued that this shift in our nations balance sheet with assets moving away from the public-sector column and into the private one arguably limits government ability to regulate the economy, redistribute income, and mitigate rising inequality. The economists did not dwell on the flip side of this conclusion: that the private sectors growing share of capital has expanded its ability or, more specifically, the ability of (democratically unaccountable) private actors to regulate the economy, redistribute income, and, theoretically, mitigate inequality to whatever degree they see fit. On Tuesday, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffet, and Jamie Dimon provided a reminder of this latter reality, when they announced a plan to funnel their companies collective resources into a nonprofit entity that will fund medical research, and exert pricing power over the health-care market an entity that sounds a bit like, well, the federal government (minus democratic accountability). Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase announced on Tuesday that they would form an independent health care company to serve their employees in the United States. The three companies provided few details about the new entity, other than saying it would initially focus on technology to provide simplified, high-quality health care for their employees and their families, and at a reasonable cost. They said the initiative, which is in the early planning stages, would be a long-term effort free from profit-making incentives and constraints. The ballooning costs of health care act as a hungry tapeworm on the American economy, Mr. Buffett said in the statement on Tuesday. Our group does not come to this problem with answers. But we also do not accept it as inevitable. Rather, we share the belief that putting our collective resources behind the countrys best talent can, in time, check the rise in health costs while concurrently enhancing patient satisfaction and outcomes. Now, if we have to live in a country whose three wealthiest men own more than the bottom 50 percent of the population combined and whose government just took on an additional $1.5 trillion in debt, for the sake of concentrating even more capital into the hands of the superrich then this development is good news: All things considered, there are much worse things for these men to do with their money than fund a nonprofit health-care company. And for the moment, that companys ambitions seem to be closer to those of the Mayo Clinic than of the welfare state. But it would be nice if we could live in a different kind of country one that marshaled its collective resources to provide simplified, high-quality health care to all of its people, through institutions directly accountable to them. And its hard not to feel like were moving farther and farther from the path to such a place. In 2013, for the first time in the postWorld War II era, private entities funded a majority of all basic research in the United States. In the 1960s and 70s, the federal government bankrolled more than 70 percent of all basic science; today, that figure is closer to 40 percent. To an ever greater degree, discretion over what scientific research gets funded, and what doesnt, is moving away from federal agencies (overseen by democratically elected officials) and toward eccentric billionaires. And this is just one example of a nearly ubiquitous trend. Whether the capital is provided by megabillionaires, superrich tech monopolies, or a mixture of private investment and public funds, Americas private sector is performing more and more functions that were previously considered Uncle Sams domain. Private entities are increasingly responsible for building our infrastructure, providing public transit, fighting our wars, subsidizing our consumption (Amazons retail business still inflates your purchasing power by operating at a loss), exploring outer space, printing our money, delivering our drinking water, and, of course, keeping a watchful eye on the would-be criminals (and/or debt defaulters) among us. Many of the original enemies of the American welfare state were business owners who treated their employees quite well. They did not mind redistribution of resources so much as redistribution of power. Their vision of utopia was one in which societys most visionary individuals selected through the meritocracy of market competition would determine how much, and what kind, of social provisions would be distributed through non-market means. This was, more or less, how social welfare worked in the Gilded Age United States which is to say, it was how social welfare worked the last time the distribution of wealth and income in our country was as grossly unequal as it is now. As the Koch Brothers gear up to invest $400 million in this falls elections, and government borrowing and corporate profits climb ever higher, one wonders if the United States isnt slouching towards a bizarro-China scenario where, instead of an authoritarian, communist state developing market mechanisms for the sake of juicing growth, a loosely regulated private sector begins developing nondemocratic, state-like mechanisms of redistribution and coercion, for the sake of containing social unrest. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III, D-Mass. (Photo: Michael Dwyer/AP) When Republicans called Joe Kennedy III rich and boring the day before he was to deliver the Democratic response to President Trumps first State of the Union address, they were really saying something else. Theres no there there, they were saying. Hes an empty suit. He is coasting on his family name and money. If youre a Kennedy, its a familiar charge. Joes great-uncle Ted Kennedy, the former U.S. senator who died in 2009, was treated as a joke when he first ran for the Senate as a 30-year old assistant district attorney. Sure enough, when Joe III first ran for Congress in 2012 also on the basis of a resume that mostly amounted to three years as an assistant DA someone at a debate leveled the same epithet at him. If your name were Joseph Patrick and not Joseph Patrick Kennedy, based on your life experiences, would not your campaign be a joke? a debate audience member asked. As late as 1980, after 18 years in the Senate, Ted Kennedy had to confront the accusation that he was presuming to inherit the presidency from his late brother John, and his quest for the Democratic nomination fell short. Joe IIIs own father, Joe Kennedy II, abandoned a 1997 gubernatorial bid in Massachusetts because of a personal scandal, another recurring theme in Teds life and in the Kennedy family as a whole. But Joe II was also bedeviled by an overreliance on his last name and the lack of a compelling vision for his candidacy. In August 1997, Joe Kennedy II, joined by his wife Beth, announced he would not be running for governor. (Photo: Brooks Kraft LLC/Sygma via Getty Images) That background, and the Kennedy penchant for bad behavior, may explain why Joe III was such a straight arrow in college Stanford, not Harvard, although he went to Harvard Law School abstaining from alcohol and gaining a reputation as a highly conscientious student. It sheds some light on why he spent two years with the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. On his office wall, there is a quote from his grandfather Robert F. Kennedy, the former attorney general who was assassinated in 1968 while running for president. You can use your enormous privilege and opportunity to seek purely private pleasure and gain, but history will judge you, the RFK quote reads. Story continues Unlike his great-uncle Ted, Joe III seems to wear the weight of expectations well. He understands the power of the Kennedy name, springing from John F. Kennedys charismatic presidency and his martyrdom in 1963. But he has been in no rush to become a political star. Kennedy, 37, has been a member of Congress for five years now and has remained relatively unknown beyond his district. He missed the December House vote on the Republican tax bill to be with his wife whom he met at Harvard Law in Sen. Elizabeth Warrens class for the birth of the couples second child. I dont think he gets out ahead of himself, said Paul Watanabe, a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He has been somebody who focuses on being what young congresspeople do, which is focus on their district, focus on constituent services. Joe Kennedy III officially launches his campaign for Congress on Thursday in Newton, Mass. (Photo: Suzanne Kreiter/Boston Globe via Getty Images) Chosen by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to speak Tuesday night after Trump, Kennedy will now have much more visibility and scrutiny. Already he has faced questions about his wealth, which was estimated at around $18 million in 2015. The Boston Globe reported in 2016 that Kennedy owned as much as half a million dollars worth of stock in a drug company called Gilead Sciences, which makes a hepatitis C drug that costs patients $1,000 a pill. Even if many younger voters dont know much about the Kennedy history, this new phase for Kennedy will bring more intense pressures on him. For people who may have loathed the Kennedys and saw them as representative of all thats bad in the country and theres many of them they may shift that to Joe, Watanabe said. On the other hand, many loved the Kennedys and thought everything they did was gold. On both sides its a little unfair and too much responsibility to bear. The important thing is whether he comes out of this as his own person, and as a politician of the future and not of the past, Watanabe said. Kennedy family allies like Robert Shrum, a former adviser to Ted Kennedy, seem most anxious for Joe III to create some separation from the family heritage conveyed by his last name. I think he should be judged on his own, not as part of the family, or not as some kind of heir to Kennedy politics, Shrum said. Kennedy has gained some attention this past year. His remarks in a committee hearing challenging House Speaker Paul Ryans characterization of efforts to repeal Obamacare as an act of mercy went viral. A few other speeches have also drawn attention on social media. But one of Kennedys more notable speeches came a year before he ran for Congress, when he addressed the Massachusetts legislature during a 2011 ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of JFKs inauguration. Joseph Kennedy III at the 50th anniversary of JFKs inauguration at the State House in Boston. (Photo: David L Ryan/Boston Globe via Getty Images) Kennedy stood at the lectern with Teds widow, Vicki, seated on the dais behind him and began his remarks with a joke about JFK and former House Speaker Tip ONeill, who also was a Massachusetts Democrat and a close Kennedy family ally. Near the end of his 10-minute speech, Kennedy turned emotional as he spoke about the death of his grandfather, and connected it to the most recent violence in American politics. Rep. Gabby Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, had been shot in the head just a few days before. Kennedy traced the roots of political violence back to extreme language, and he blamed both Republicans and Democrats for creating an atmosphere of hate. For too long the rhetoric in Washington has been toxic: antiwar protesters holding up signs saying Death to terrorist pig Bush; tea party protesters shouting out racist and antigay slurs to members of Congress; protesters shouting out Death to Cheney; radio talk show hosts calling President Obama and Democrats communists and traitors; images of both political parties showing opponents in the crosshairs of a rifle scope, Kennedy said. This isnt what President Kennedy stood for. It isnt what [Martin Luther] King or Robert Kennedy stood for. They took on the big problems of our world. They looked to those common threads that unite us rather than diving into the identity politics to find those that divide us, he said. Kennedys willingness to call out both political parties could position him to speak to the whole nation Tuesday night. His speeches, Shrum said, include the kind of thing that Democrats need to be saying if were going to reconnect with some of the people we lost in 2016, while keeping the people we had. Kennedy speaks in support of transgender members of the military, July 26, 2017. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP) And Kennedys condemnation of identity politics presaged a debate among Democrats now in the wake of Hillary Clintons loss to Trump. Liberals like Mark Lilla and others have blamed Clintons loss on a fixation on diversity that has produced a generation of liberals and progressives narcissistically unaware of conditions outside their self-defined groups, and indifferent to the task of reaching out to Americans in every walk of life. Kennedy is certainly no cultural conservative. His guest at the State of the Union speech will be a transgender member of the U.S. Army, Staff Sgt. Patricia King. And he has been an outspoken advocate for gay rights. But as he speaks to the entire country following Trump, whose first year as president has been defined by divisiveness, Kennedy may sound notes like the ones he closed with in 2011, which called on themes made into mantras by JFK and generations of Democrats after him. In times such as these, our commitment to each other and to our country cannot dip but is more critical than ever, drawing once again to something greater than ourselves, to lives of service and sacrifice, courage and judgment, integrity and dedication, Kennedy said. These are the ideals that ought to endure, rather than partisan rancor, naked self-interest, and other corrosive effects of promoting social divisions, a kind of moral gerrymandering that saps our spirit and degrades our collective will. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: A member of the Kennedy political dynasty has been chosen for one of the most challenging jobs in politics: the official response to the State of the Union address. Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy III, the grandson of former Attorney General and U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, will deliver the official Democratic response to President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Democratic leaders in Congress picked Kennedy, currently serving his third term, because they believe he and his record stand in contrast to President Trump. While President Trump has consistently broken his promises to the middle class, Congressman Kennedy profoundly understands the challenges facing hard-working men and women across the country, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. Read more: 7 Interior Decorating Tips for the State of the Union Response He wont be alone, either. In keeping with recent tradition, multiple critics of the Administration will speak afterward. Virginia Delegate Elizabeth Guzman will deliver the Spanish-language response, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will livestream his own remarks on social media and Rep. Maxine Waters will speak as part of a program on BET. For those less politically inclined, porn star Stormy Daniels, who allegedly had a relationship with Trump in 2006, is booked to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the State of the Union. While the presidents speech is among the most anticipated of the year, typically, the response is not. But the moment in the spotlight does raise the profile of lawmakers, particularly those who have their eyes on higher office. Heres what to know about Kennedy ahead of the Tuesday night speech. Who is Joe Kennedy III? The 37-year-old progressive is a member of one the most well-known American dynasties, but he keeps a pretty low profile. He also garnered a bit of national attention during the healthcare debate in 2017, after speeches he delivered denouncing Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act went viral on Facebook. Story continues A graduate of both Stanford and Harvard, Kennedy served as an assistant district attorney in Massachusetts before serving in Congress. He also served with the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republican from 2004 and 2006. In 2016, Kennedy told U.S. News and World Report that he carries the experiences he had in the Peace Corps with him to this day: To me, thats what the Peace Corps is all about the impact that simple acts of service can have across borders, generations and time, he said in an interview. Its a lesson I carry with me every day. What is he known for? Kennedys may be an unfamiliar face to many, and thats partially by design. According to Politico, the young Democrat did not want to be seen as a political celebrity when he took office in 2012. But his profile has risen a bit due to his forceful denunciations of the Republican health care plan. A video of a floor speech he delivered last year garnered more than 3 million views on Facebook. Kennedy serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and has sponsored legislation to boost the manufacturing sector. He is also recognized as an advocate for LGBTQ rights and comprehensive immigration reform. Read more: How to Watch the State of the Union Is he going to run for higher office? Even before he was tapped to deliver the State of the Union response there were already rumblings about Kennedys political ambitions, especially given his lineage. The father of two is the grandson of the Sen. Robert S. Kennedy, and great-nephew of Sen. Ted Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy. When Politico asked him if he had plans to run for higher office in September 2017, he said: Somewhere down the road, if a Senate seat were to open, yeah, its something Id certainly take a look at. But thats got to be right in time for me and my family. The Congressman has said he would not go up against either of the sitting Massachusetts Senators if they are not open to stepping down. According to Politico he has a personal connection to one of the states Senators: he and his wife Lauren met in Sen. Elizabeth Warrens class at Harvard. Joy Behar kicked off an interview with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Monday by confronting the lawmaker for calling on Sen. Al Franken to resign after being publicly accused of sexual misconduct. Franken, whose last official day in office was Jan. 2, announced his resignation from Congress after eight women publicly accused him of behavior ranging from unwanted advances to unwanted groping and kissing. Gillibrand was the first Democratic lawmaker to call on him to step down. I just thought that was unfair to make him an example, Behar said during Gillibrands appearance on The View. Behar asked why Democrats didnt hold a hearing and compared the allegations made against Franken to those made against President Donald Trump. At least 20 women have accused the president of sexual harassment and misconduct. Why did you push Franken out? Behar pressed. Gillibrand called Franken a friend and the situation heartbreaking. Still, she said, he had to go. Hes entitled a hearing. He is. But hes not entitled to my silence, Joy, Gillibrand said. She added that the allegations against Franken were different from those against other men in politics, including Trump, but said they all deserved attention and action. Why would you want to hold our elected leaders to the lowest standard and not the highest standard? she asked. Check out the heated clash in the video above. Gillibrand, a frequent Trump critic, has invited San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz to accompany her to the State of the Union address on Tuesday. Trump lashed out at Cruz in September when she requested aid to improve the humanitarian crisis caused by Hurricane Maria. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. 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. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Britain, May 19, 2017: REUTERS/Peter Nicholls WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange reportedly sent messages to a fake Sean Hannity Twitter account offering "news" on a Democratic senator investigating links between the Trump campaign and Russia. Have some good news about Warner, he allegedly wrote to Dell Gilliam, a woman from Texas who set up a Twitter profile impersonating Mr Hannity after the Fox News hosts account was temporarily deactivated. Mr Assange appeared to encourage Ms Gilliam, who named her new Twitter handle @SeanHannity__, to contact him over other channels to discuss Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US election. I felt bad. He really thought he was talking to Sean Hannity, Ms Gilliam told The Daily Beast. She said within hours of launching her new account she sent a private message to Mr Assange. Id like to set up a time for us to talk. When may be good for you? Ms Gilliam wrote, posing as Mr Hannity. Mr Assange, who has been holed up in Londons Ecuadorian embassy since 2012, answered, saying they could talk today, according to screen grabs shared with The Daily Beast. I cant believe this is happening. I mean I can. Its crazy. Nothing can be put past people, Ms Gilliam wrote back. Im exhausted from the whole night. What about you, though? You doing ok? Im happy as long as there is a fight! Mr Assange allegedly said. After Ms Gilliam suggested setting up a call, Mr Assange agreed, adding again they could message over other channels and that he had some news about Warner. The Independent was unable to reach Mr Assange for comment. During the 2016 election, WikiLeaks dumped thousands of Democratic emails that US intelligence services said had been stolen by Russian hackers. CIA chief Mike Pompeo accused the website of being a hostile intelligence service. Mr Hannitys Twitter account disappeared on Friday evening shortly after it posted a cryptic message reading: Form Submission 1649 | #Hannity. Story continues This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Despite his account being reinstated by Sunday morning, Ms Gilliams parody account currently has more than 23,000 followers. Id say its one-third hate mail, one-third hero worship, one-third people saying they figured it out. His followers are disturbingly angry, she said of the messages the account receives. Reading the messages, I can see how believing in this false reality would be really easy to do. I was starting to get really nervous about what was really happening. It all sucks you into a level of paranoia Id never seen before. Mr Warner has been contacted for comment. Jurgen Klopp is untouchable. We all love seeing his animated touchline performances, his interviews are typically delightful and one cannot help but be charmed when he distributes hearty hugs to his players at full-time. His job is completely safe at Liverpooleven though he does not necessarily offer the results expected at such a huge club. His squad is an incoherent mess, his win percentage is lower than his predecessor and, most importantly, Liverpools barren run of trophies is in its twelfth year. What does Klopp have to do to get fired? Does he get a free pass because his likability is up there with tax refunds and puppies? Take a look at our thoughts in the video and join the discussion below the line. Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway said Tuesday that Americans are not concerned about Russian meddling in the U.S. election and accused anyone who argued that President Donald Trump could not win were guilty of interefering in the poll. Everybody who said Donald Trump couldn't win. Everybody who said the election was all wrapped up. Every screaming headline, every wrong poll. Every anchor, every pundit who said, This is over, it's a joke, he can't win, he can't govern tried to interfere in the election, Conway told CNN's Chris Cuomo on New Day. Conway clarified that she didnt say this "interference" was equivalent to the accusations made against the Kremlin. Trending: Jared Kushner Can Broker Peace Between Israel and Palestinians Because of Real Estate Experience, Netanyahu Says 1005_Kellyanne_Conway REUTERS/Joshua Roberts On Monday, the Trump administration did not meet a deadline to impose new sanctions on Russia that were passed by Congress last July after key American intelligence agencies issued a report that said the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 elections. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. What did they do in the election? Conway asked when pressed by Cuomo Tuesday to explain why the administration did not follow through with implementing the sanctions on Russia passed by Congress. The sanctions would penalize companies and other countries doing business with Russias defense and intelligence agencies. Don't miss: Earth's Magnetic Poles Show Signs They're About to FlipExposing Humans to Radiation and Planet-Wide Blackouts On Monday CIA Director Mike Pompeo told the BBC he believes that Russia will work to interfere in the upcoming 2018 midterm elections happening later this year. Read more: Russia will meddle in 2018 midterm elections, says CIA Chief Mike Pompeo Story continues When Cuomo insisted to Conway that Russias efforts to interfere in American democracy are still underway, Conway questioned whether Russia was really guiltyan argument that has been promoted by Trump who has publicly remained skeptical of Russias involvement. Most popular: The State of Religion After Trump's Muslim Ban And did they? Do you think that's why [Trump] won and why the person whose name I never mention on TV anymore lost? Conway said of Trumps rival, Hillary Clinton. Conway asked Cuomo if he felt a little ashamed because he and other media outlets seem to be promising Russian collusion, impeachment, treason is coming around the corner? The Trump campaign is currently being investigated by Congress and special counsel Robert Mueller over allegations it aided Moscow in its effort to interfere in the election. Former George W. Bush administration speechwriter David Frum, now a senior editor at The Atlantic, commented on Twitter that Conway appeared to be saying the real threat isnt Russia, its the First Amendment. Conway said that the issue is the least of Americans' worries. "It's not as important as jobs and the economy, healthcare and education, terrorism, immigration, national security," she said. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Nairobi (AFP) - Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga held a mock inauguration Tuesday in front of thousands of supporters, as the government sparked outrage by shutting down key media broadcasters covering the event. Authorities have repeatedly warned that such an inauguration was treasonous and that Odinga could face arrest. However as the wording of the oath was different to that in the constitution, the consequences of Odinga's act of political theatre were unclear. "I Raila Amolo Odinga, in full realisation of the high calling, assume the office of the People's President of the Republic of Kenya," he said in the brief and chaotic ceremony, prompting the sea of people to erupt with joy. "We have accomplished our promise to Kenyans," said Odinga, 73, who was not accompanied by his three fellow leaders of the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition. Afterwards he quickly departed and the packed venue emptied out in minutes. While police stayed away, allowing the ceremony to go ahead, the government hit back with interior minister Fred Matiang'i designating as an "organized criminal group" the opposition's "National Resistance Movement (NRM)" wing, tasked with implementing a threatened programme of boycotts and civil disobedience. It also blocked live television broadcasts of the event, sparking outrage days after the government allegedly warned broadcasters not to cover it. - 'Atmosphere of intimidation' - "President (Uhuru) Kenyatta expressly threatened to shut down and revoke the licences of any media house that would broadcast live," the Editors' Guild said in a statement, referring to a meeting that media bosses were summoned to last week. "The guild is appalled by the details of the meeting which was held under an atmosphere of intimidation for the media representatives present." The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) in a statement called for "credible and expeditious investigations into any form of illegal switch off". Story continues The country's Union of Journalists meanwhile slammed a measure "so draconian that (it) can only strengthen our resolve to carry out our duties as a watchdog." Odinga, a veteran opposition leader, has refused to accept Kenyatta's re-election, which came after a deeply divisive 2017 polls season in which rights activists say at least 92 people were killed. First was an election on August 8, won by Kenyatta and then annulled in a historic decision by the Supreme Court, which ordered a re-run on October 26. Claiming the poll would not be fair, Odinga boycotted the second vote and Kenyatta won with 98 percent. Observers had said that the swearing-in would only further divide the nation and the crackdown on press freedom is likely to add to concerns about the state of Kenyan democracy. While the government and police had initially vowed to block the inauguration, officers kept their distance on the day. "Let them have the park and carry on with their political activities as long as it is within the law," a senior officer said. "We are not interested in unnecessary confrontations." - 'Start of resistance' - At the Uhuru Park venue, a middle-aged businessman in a suit who did not want to give his name, told AFP the swearing-in was highly symbolic. "There is a psychological benefit that people feel their voices are heard, but more important it will mark the real start of our resistance," he said. "The government has completely detached itself from the people, but what are the instruments of power without the people?" Since boycotting the re-run poll, citing a lack of reform at the election commission, NASA's strategy has been to challenge Kenyatta's legitimacy by seeking to establish parallel government structures. Opposition politicians have convened so-called "people's assemblies" in some counties and the inauguration of Odinga as "people's president" is seen as the culmination of this process. Keurig Green Mountain is buying Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) for $103.75 per share, in an $18.7 billion tie-up that will put all three brands into one unit called Keurig Dr Pepper. But the biggest winner is JAB Holding, the private, family-owned German company that owns Keurig. By swallowing Dr Pepper Snapple Group, JAB adds Dr Pepper, Snapple, Canada Dry, 7 Up, A&W, Sunkist, Motts, and Bai juice to its litany of food and coffee chains: Panera (which it bought last year for $7.5 billion), Peets, Krispy Kreme, Keurig, Green Mountain, Caribou, Mighty Leaf, Stumptown, Intelligentsia, Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Espresso House, Baresso, and Einstein Bros Bagels. Many devotees of some of these brands, especially Intelligentsia or Stumptown, likely have no idea their favorite third-wave hipster coffee shop is German-owned. JABs food + beverage brands. (Graphic: David Foster/Oath) Keurig Dr Pepper will have combined annual sales of $11 billion. Thats still much smaller than Pepsico and Coca-Cola, which in 2016 had annual sales of $63 billion and $41 billion, respectively. The combination of Dr Pepper Snapple and Keurig will create a new scale beverage company which addresses todays consumer needs, Keurig CEO Bob Gamgort says in a press release. JAB chairman Bart Becht adds, We are very excited about the prospect of KDP becoming a challenger in the beverage industry. To compete as a challenger, employees of the newly combined entity can expect cost-cutting. Keurig Dr Pepper aims for realizing $600 million in synergies by 2021, JAB says in its press release. (That sounds like layoffs.) JAB also touts Keurigs financial performance since going private, citing renewed top-line volume growth, increasing U.S. household penetration for Keurig brewers to 20%, from 17%, in the last two years and pod growth from the lowsingle digits to mid-single digits in the second half of calendar year 2017. JAB: Nearly 200 years of German business history JAB, formed in 2011 by the descendants of German chemist Ludwig Reimann, is the current incarnation of a business that dates back to 1828. It is named for Johann Adam Benckiser, who was Reimanns father-in-law and business partner. Each of the four Reimanns who co-own JAB are billionaires; they are also extremely private and do not typically talk to press. The company is now headquartered in Luxembourg. Story continues As the company has grown its footprint in the food industry, it has sold off its fashion holdings. Just one year ago, JAB Luxury housed Bally, Belstaff, and Jimmy Choo. JAB has since sold off Belstaff and Jimmy Choo. JAB still owns Coty, an extensive fashion portfolio that includes Calvin Klein, Clairol, Covergirl, OPI, and Marc Jacobs. Coty is publicly traded on the NYSE, but JAB is its controlling stakeholder. After JAB sold off Jimmy Choo last summer, Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Andy Serwer commented, Its worth knowing about JAB, because I dont think this is the last were going to hear of them. Six months later, JAB is behind the largest soft-drink deal ever. And the company is likely to keep making more big food moves from here. Daniel Roberts is a senior writer at Yahoo Finance who often covers food and coffee. Follow him on Twitter at @readDanwrite. Read more: How grocers feel about Amazon: There was fear before, theres a lot more fear now Why so many brands are opening fancy flagship stores in NYC 3 big reasons sports retail chains are vanishing Do not mistake GOP mega-patrons Charles and David Koch or their political team for optimists. For thousands of years, the human experience was full of misery, death, disease, abject poverty, Charles Koch told allies at his annual conservative retreat on Sunday. Across the world, ruling classes controlled everyone else. But the more immediate challenge? The 2018 midterm elections in which the GOP faces a challenge of historic proportions. This will not be easy, Charles Koch said, but what we face is nothing compared to what our historical counterparts faced before us. The Koch brothers support and convene perhaps the most consequential hub of political and policy work that helps candidates on the right. With projects aimed at curbing gang violence, promoting school choice, combating the opioid epidemic and cutting regulations, the sweeping portfolio is almost unmatched in terms of advocacy and ambition. But its the political work that commands so much power. The groups spent $20 million to back the Republican-passed tax cuts last year. Appearing in a video message to the group, House Speaker Paul Ryan, a favorite of this circuit, thanked the donors for funding groups that pressured Republicans to pass tax plan. Its our job to take these successes and build on that momentum, Ryan said. No one thinks it will be easy. Many think it will be impossible. Which is why pretty much everyone around the Kochs is trying to set expectations low. There are talks of Ronald Reagans 1982 first midterm elections and Bill Clintons disastrous first at-bat with voters in 1994. Theyre all-too-aware of Barack Obamas 2010 test, when Democrats lost a net of 63 seats in the House thanks, in part, to Tea Party rabble-rousing amplified by the Koch-backed groups surrounding the libertarian billionaires. In short, the summit of 550 of their top deep-pocketed allies in the California desert was more an exercise in expectations lowering than imagination, a wake more than rallying cry. Story continues With politics, history is a great indicator in most cases, says Americans for Prosperity chief Tim Phillips, who with a bit of pluck calls this year a challenging environment at the federal and state level to protect some of the policy majorities. Democrats this November need to pick up a net of 24 seats in the House to claim the majority, a benchmark increasingly within reach as incumbent Republicans are heading to the door and President Donald Trumps polling could be a drag on his party. Im a numbers guy, says Rep. Mark Meadows, the North Carolina Republican who leads the conservative Freedom Caucus. I can make the case for losing 18 seats. I can make the case for losing 28 seats. At this point, its a long ways off. It depends on what we do between now and November. Meanwhile, the Senate, which is split 51-49 between Republicans and Democrats, is also a potential battleground, although Republicans are slightly more optimistic in the Upper Chamber. This midterm is going to be hard, donor Gail Werner-Robertson told Charles Koch during one seminar. We need everybody to help. We cant lose the progress that you all have fought so hard for. Get ready to fight. Get ready to double down. The group also stands ready with $20 million more to dig the tax cuts out of their deep ditch of unpopularity, officials said. Im delighted that the network is going to be committed to telling that story, Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the number-two Republican in the Senate, told the Koch groups over dinner on Saturday. Mega-donor Art Pope put the task bluntly: Persuading people that they have benefited from Republican policies. All told, the political and policy budget for these groups could reach $400 million this cycle, a record for off-year elections and a 60% boost from the 2016 allocation. Over the past 12 years weve seen this network grow from a little over 100 people to be one of the most powerful forces in American politics today, said Frayda Levin, an early Koch donor and leader of Americans for Prosperity. But there are doubts that it will be enough to defend the Republican majorities. Its clear the Koch organizations are ready to flex their power and are spoiling for a fight. Cornyn, a former head of Senate Republicans retention program, said his party planned to make the tax cuts central to his colleagues re-election bids. Shame on us if we dont make it an issue, he said. Our colleagues against the aisle voted against it in unison. We have an opportunity to pick up seats, notwithstanding the historical trend. His optimism is rare here in the desert near Palm Springs. Despite the financial firepower, the Kochs and their friends are mostly pessimistic about the odds this November but doggedly leaving nothing to chance. The party that holds the White House typically loses seats; only once since World War II has that trend been broken, and that was 2002 in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. This network, were going big. We have to. To truly change the trajectory of this country is going to require millions [of activists], said Brian Hooks, the president of the Charles Koch Foundation and a top lieutenant to the brothers growing hub of work. At the same time, these well-heeled donors watched with a mix of disgust and disbelief as Donald Trump marched to the Republican Partys presidential nomination and then to the White House. More recently, they have spent time reading polls that show a history all-but-predicting a slaughter, polling that shows public sour on Washington and Twitter account that could cause plenty of trouble. President Trump is President Trump. Hes not the Republican Party. He was the Republican nominee. He is a Republican President. Hes obviously a unique and historic President in and of himself. What President Trump does and says as President Trump is not necessarily reflecting the Republican Party, says Pope, a North Carolina retail giant. Others fret some favored lawmakers could fall victim to Trumps drag on the partys standing, or that Trump may redefine what it means to be a conservative. The Trump voters remain something of a curiosity for the Koch network, and its not clear that they will come out to vote in 2018 without Trump on the ballot. To that end, Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance tried to explain the so-called forgotten man whom Trump championed. People were wondering to themselves who are these zoo animals, basically, who are voting for this guy? Theyre my actually pretty nice people. Theyre my family and friends and neighbors, Vance said. A lot of people are feeling remarkably disconnected from hope and opportunity. Among other heavyweights in the network, there are few hopes that anything meaningful will be achievable until at least 2019. Its increasingly difficult to get things done in Washington in an election year, strategist James Davis said. Which means the battle lines are now to be fought over whats in the rearview mirror, not in what comes next. Despite the constant chatter about immigration and criminal justice overhauls in Koch-organized sessions, there is simply very little easy path for either to come in the next year. The real fight may be fought over the partys record to this point. In a speech that brought the donors to his feet, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin urged the Koch network to not yield, even in the face of tough odds. (King George III) he wrote a letter to the head of the Tories in Boston. He said, How much money does Mr. Hancock have? Bevin said. Hancock had the means to ignore all that was going on and do just fine. But the King knew that if he got engaged, if he put his money where his sentiment was, the King would be in trouble. Youre the modern-day John Hancocks. You are. Youre a room full of them. The Kochs convene these summits twice a year, usually at resorts that are heavily secured and exclusive to donors who pony up at least $100,000. Reporters are invited to attend some sessions if they agree not to identify donors who wish their patronage to remain private. (Disclosure: Time Inc., TIMEs parent company, has agreed to be acquired by Meredith Corp. in a deal partially financed by Koch Equity Development, a subsidiary of Koch Industries Inc.) Correction: The original version of this story misstated the results of the 2016 Republican Iowa caucuses. Ted Cruz won, not Donald Trump. Amer Othman Adi with his family. Photo: Courtesy Adi Family After a painfully drawn-out process, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement deported Amer Othman Adi, a 57-year-old Palestinian businessman who had been in the U.S. since he was 19, to Jordan on Monday night. The case of Adi, who lived in Youngstown, Ohio, with his wife and had four children, became a cause celebre, attracting widespread local media coverage, protests, and the attention of lawmakers. It is one of many high-profile recent instances in which a long-standing American resident was separated from his or her family on a flimsy pretext the sort of case that has proliferated since President Trump took office. Adi, who was born in Jordan to Palestinian parents, came to the U.S. when he was 19. He received a green card through marriage, but was denied a second one in the 1990s when immigration officials determined that the first marriage had been a sham, a ruling that has followed him ever since. (His first wife has said that the marriage was legitimate, and that she was pressured by authorities to maintain otherwise.) In the meantime, Adi had opened multiple businesses in Youngstown, employing hundreds of people and helping revitalize the city. Nevertheless, he was ordered to be deported in 2009 then spared from that fate throughout the Obama years. But in September, ICE detained him at a routine check-in, and ordered him to buy a one-way ticket to Jordan. He and his second wife, Fidaa Musleh, sold their house and were preparing to depart on January 7, but were then informed that Adi had been granted a temporary stay of deportation. When we got that phone call in the morning, it was confusing, it was at the same time exciting. Is there a miracle happening theyre going to let [him] stay? Musleh, who is a U.S. citizen, told Al Jazeera. But when Adi showed up for another meeting on January 16, he was detained without explanation and thrown in jail. Ohio Democratic congressman Tim Ryan had long been an advocate for Adi, and he led the charge again. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security approved a private bill, asking ICE to grant Adi a six-month stay of deportation. But ICE simply said no, maintaining that several courts had already ruled that he was in the country illegally. Adi was moved from Youngstown to Chicago, where he boarded a flight to Anman, Jordan, on Monday night. Congressman Ryan said in a statement: In a highly irregular rebuke of Congressional authority by ICE, Amer Othman was ripped from his four daughters, his wife, and the country that he has called home for over thirty years. Amer was a pillar of the community and brought commerce to a downtown that craved investment. He hired members of our community. He paid taxes. He did everything right. There are violent criminals walking the streets, yet our government wasted our precious resources incarcerating him. Though deportations were actually down in 2017 despite President Trumps fervent wishes, ICE has been unleashed to arrest immigrants who pose no threat to their communities, often, as in Adis case, when they show up for previously routine check-ins. In its single-minded pursuit of rounding up immigrants, ICE has also staked out hospitals, churches, and schools. As Slates Jamelle Bouie put it on Tuesday, ICE has become an empowered and authoritarian agency that operates with impunity, whose chief attribute is unapologetic cruelty. The agencys increasingly unhinged behavior, in tandem with the Trump administrations decision to roll back DACA and protections for hundreds of thousands of foreigners who fled disaster to build lives in the United States, has created an atmosphere of fear and distrust among immigrants of all stripes which is, of course, precisely what the Trump administration wants. I opened a business here when no one else wanted to, Adi said in early January. I have been fighting this deportation for almost 23 years, I thought we had it solved. But when Donald Trump was elected I knew I was in trouble. (This January 23 story corrects number of asylum applications in paragraph 4 to make clear they refer to just the month of November) PRAGUE (Reuters) - The number of asylum seekers crossing the Czech Republic dropped in 2017 to negligible numbers, police said on Tuesday amid a presidential election in which illegal migration has become a hot topic. Although the country was largely untouched by a 2015 influx into the European Union of over one million migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East Africa and Asia, fears of Muslim immigration have dominated the election debate. Police said they detained 172 migrants in 2017 who sought to illegally transit the Czech Republic, mostly coming from Austria and heading onwards to neighboring Germany. They were mainly from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. That compared with 2,294 detentions during the peak of 2015, and 511 in 2016. In separate data, the Interior Ministry said 116 people applied for asylum in November 2017, a tiny fraction of those doing so in west European countries. Ex-communist central and eastern members of the EU with scant experience of non-Christian foreigners were the vanguard of a backlash against Germany's decision in 2015 to open its doors to around a million mostly Muslim migrants. They rebuffed an EU plan to distribute migrants among member states according to annual quotas, even though the vast bulk of migrants wanted to settle in the wealthier west rather than poorer east of the bloc. In the event, the flow of migrants has largely dried up since borders were sealed along the migrants' main overland Balkans corridor into the EU and Turkey stopped migrants taking boats across narrow sea channels to Greece. Nevertheless, positions on migration may prove decisive in the Czech Republic's closely contested presidential run-off on Jan. 26-27 in which academic Jiri Drahos is challenging incumbent Milos Zeman. Zeman's re-election campaign has seized on immigration as its main theme with the slogan, "Stop immigration and Drahos. This country is ours." Dozens of pro-Zeman billboards and media adverts suggest Drahos would be weak on rejecting EU pressure on each member state to accept migrants according to the quota system. Like Zeman and all parliamentary parties, Drahos has repeatedly insisted that he rejects the idea of quotas and that the bloc should better guard its external borders against incoming asylum seekers. Opinion polls ahead of the run-off vote show the soft-spoken Drahos, who favors closer EU integration, is neck-and-neck or slightly ahead of Zeman, who has courted the far right by rejecting Muslim immigration. (Reporting by Robert Muller; editing by Mark Heinrich) Sultan Kosen and Jyoti Amge have met up in Egypt (AP) Despite looking like a the result of a Photoshop, these pictures show the worlds tallest man meeting up with the worlds shortest woman. Sultan Kosen, 36, from Turkey, stands at a whopping 8ft 9in tall, and towers above pretty much everyone on the planet. But Jyoti Amge, from Nagpur, India, really has to stretch her neck back to catch a glimpse of him as she stands at just 62.8cm tall or 2ft 6in. The height disparity between the two is stark when stood next to each other (AP) Ms Amge stands at just 62.8cm tall, compared to Mr Kosens 8ft 9in (AP) The pair were brought to Egypt in an effort to boost tourism to the country (AP) Ms Amge, 25, holds the Guinness World Record for being the worlds shortest woman and she met up with her polar opposite for a photoshoot in Egypt. The record-breaking pair were at Egypts Giza city to pose for a series of shots in an attempt to boost tourism in the country. They were invited for the quirky photoshoot by the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board and the pairs height difference was stark as they stood next to each other. Most popular on Yahoo News UK Heartbroken daughter urges people who robbed her parents house to come to her fathers funeral Brexit could cause higher energy prices and power blackouts, warns Lords committee Israel outcry at plans to outlaw blaming Poland for Holocaust crimes Brexit transition period could be extended to three years Interactive fitness app raises security concerns after revealing location of secret US military bases Mr Kosen height is down to a condition known as pituitary gigantism and he is one of only 10 people in history to reach 8ft in height or more. Ms Amge has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, meaning she is shorter than an average two-year-old, despite being in her mid-20s. The Republican lawmaker who spearheaded the campaign to release a classified memo critical of the Justice Department and the FBI "cherry-picked" the document's contents without reading all the source material, a top Democrat charges. In a Monday night interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that Representative Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) hasn't read all the details behind the controversial secret memo. "[T]he chairman never bothered to go read these underlying materials," Schiff said. "After months and months of making this argument that the FBI and DOJ are involved in some sort of conspiracy, he didn't even bother to read the materials himself." Trending: Trump Would Stop 21 Million Legal Immigrants to the US This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The memo was drafted by Republican staffers and reportedly undermines the FBI and Justice Department's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Schiff said the document is full of Republican talking points, with details culled from documents that the Justice Department had agreed to release to him and Nunes, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee. The committee is conducting its own investigation into Russia's election interference, although Nunes had recused himself from that probe last August. RTX3KKZU REUTERS/Joshua Roberts Don't miss: Pentagon Blocks Watchdog Group From Releasing Stats On ISIS, Taliban Control Of Afghanistan The revelation that Nunes and staffers assembled the secret memo without full knowledge of the source material drew sharp criticism from former government officials. Former FBI special agent Asha Rangappa, now the director of admissions and a senior lecturer at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale, lambasted Nunes for not doing his due diligence. Story continues "Scooby Doo Nunes has not read the underlying classified information that forms the basis of the memo under his name that his committee has voted to make public," she tweeted. "Yep, you can read that again!" Most popular: Video Shows Disney Little Mermaid Villain Ursula Beheaded In Theme Park This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Walter Shaub, the former director of the Office of Government Ethics, was incredulous. "Unbelievable! So Nunes hasn't even read the cherry-picked material his memo is based on," he tweeted. "But we're supposed to take his word that it's accurate." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Nunes and other Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have pressed to publicly release the memo for the past week. On Monday, the committee passed a vote along party lines to declassify the document, despite the Justice Department calling such a release "extraordinarily reckless." Democrats authored a rebuttal memo, though the committee votedagain along party linesnot to release that document. Trump has five days to review the Republican memo and decide whether to make it public. "It's a really disgraceful act, in my view, to make partisan and political the declassification process, and I think it's what you see when you have a flawed president infecting the whole of government," Schiff said. "It's apolitical. This is a continuation of the effort to protect the president's hide." This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Select Intelligence Committee, spent months compiling the report: Getty Images Despite objections from the Justice Department, Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee have voted to release the so-called Nunes memo, which alleges misconduct by FBI officials investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. President Donald Trump, who has insisted there was no collusion, now has five days to accept or object to the committee's request. What is the Nunes memo? The memo reportedly alleges that senior FBI and Justice Department officials relied on questionable and politically motivated sources to justify surveillance of President Trumps campaign. The Daily Beast reported that Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Select Intelligence Committee, and his committee staff spent months compiling the memo, which relies upon classified information. What incriminating information does the memo contain? The four-page document is said to allege that FBI and Justice Department officials abused their power under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. According to multiple news accounts, it alleges that the FBI's 2016 application for a warrant to wiretap Carter Page, a former Trump campaign adviser, was based on information in the infamous Trump dossier detailing Mr Trumps alleged connections to Russia. According to the Washington Post, some funding for the dossier came from Hillary Clintons presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee. To obtain a surveillance warrant for a US citizen like Page, the government would have needed to show probable cause that Mr Page, a former Moscow-based investment banker, was an agent of the Russian government. Why is there controversy over releasing it? The memo has spurred further partisan discord among members of Congress, even though the Russia investigation is supposed to be nonpartisan. While Republicans argue that the memo shows wrongdoing by FBI officials, Democrats say the document mischaracterizes intelligence and attempts to create a narrative to show the FBIs Russia investigation has been biased from the beginning. Story continues Democrats also assert that it is an attempt to divert attention away from special counsel Robert Mueller's own probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 election. The ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, Representative Adam Schiff, said last week that Democrats would push to release their own memo if the committee releases the Nunes memo. Why is the President at odds with his own Justice Department about releasing it? Mr Trump has made it clear he has never been a fan of the Russia investigations, repeatedly referring to them as a witch hunt. The Washington Post has reported that the President wants the memo to be released, even though his own Justice Department has said doing so would be extraordinarily reckless. Manila (AFP) - Three Philippine police officers and an informer were charged Monday with murdering a teenager in a case which highlighted alleged extrajudicial killings during President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drugs war. Authorities say they have killed 3,987 suspects in "self-defence" in anti-drug operations since Duterte came to power in mid-2016. An unspecified number of people had also been killed by unknown suspects in 2,235 "drug-related incidents". Kian delos Santos, 17, was shot dead during a night-time anti-drug sweep by Manila police last year. Police had alleged the boy was a drug dealer who fired at them while resisting arrest. But investigators concluded he did not fire a gun and CCTV footage showed him being dragged near his home by two of the accused officers. The charge sheet against the four said the killing showed premeditation. "The obvious fact that some of the respondents were seen wearing masks and caps, indicates that they intended to hide their identity and utilise the darkness to carry out their plan." The four defendants were also charged with planting a firearm on the victim, while two of the officers were additionally charged with making an illegal search of the victim's home. However the justice department investigators decided against filing charges of torture against the four. It also dismissed murder, torture and illegal search complaints against 13 other Manila police officers who were part of the August 16, 2017 operation, both for lack of sufficient evidence. Filipinos have mostly backed Duterte's drug war even as critics warned the killing of thousands may amount to a crime against humanity. But the death of Delos Santos, as well as of two other Manila teenagers accused of robbing a taxi driver last year, have triggered rare street protests and highlighted concerns about police abuse. It led to Duterte briefly suspending police participation in the drug crackdown for a second time. The first occasion was in January last year after narcotics police officers were arrested for the kidnapping and murder of a South Korean businessman in 2016. However in both instances the police were reinstated in the campaign without major reforms. Manila (AFP) - A Philippine doctor accused of wiring money for a foiled New York jihadist plot has been charged in a separate Islamic State-inspired kidnapping and murder case at home, documents released on Tuesday said. Russel Salic, an orthopaedic surgeon, has been held in custody in the Philippines after US prosecutors charged him over a failed plot to attack New York's subway, Times Square and concert venues in the name of IS during the Ramadan in 2016. US prosecutors are seeking his extradition. Now Salic and 53 other suspected Filipino extremists have been charged with kidnapping six lumber yard workers in the southern island of Mindanao -- killing two of them -- to demonstrate their loyalty to the IS movement in the Middle East. The hostages said that in 2016, armed men in the southern island of Mindanao, abducted and tortured them, accusing them of being spies for the military, the Justice Department documents said. The hostages were made to wear orange clothes and photographed. They were told that the pictures would be loaded onto the Internet to show the armed band's loyalty to IS. Two of the hostages were later beheaded but the rest were freed after their employer negotiated with the kidnappers. The workers said that among their captors was a man who they were told was a doctor but who was only seen guarding and cleaning guns. This man was later identified as Salic, the department said. Salic has insisted he was innocent and said he could prove he was attending a medical convention elsewhere during the incident, the department records showed. However he was still included in the list of 54 accused in the kidnapping and murder case which has been blamed on the Maute group, a local extremist band that has previously pledged allegiance to the IS movement. Only Salic and three other individuals named in the charge sheet are in custody. The Maute group spearheaded the bloody siege of the southern city of Marawi last year that lasted five months and left over a thousand dead, including many of the groups fighters. The Justice Department could not immediately say whether the new charges would affect efforts to extradite Salic to the United States. Idaho governor Butch Otter. Photo: Otto Kitsinger/AP/REX/Shutterstock Plenty of Republicans at every level of government have devoted a lot of time and energy to formulating creative strategies to repeal, amend, circumvent, or sabotage the Affordable Care Act. But led by its governor, Butch Otter, the state of Idaho has come up with a new gambit thats either bold or just laughable: ignoring the law. Earlier this month, in response to complaints about rising health insurance premiums and as an alternative to Medicaid expansion, Otter signed an executive order instructing his state insurance agency to let insurers issue individual policies that did not comply with ACA requirements for essential health benefits or nondiscrimination on the basis of age or preexisting conditions. Now, said agency has made it official: Insurers can offer barebones policies that violate all sorts of Obamacare provisions, including price discrimination against sick people and caps on pay-outs. The states rationalization seems to be that anything goes now that Congress has repealed the Obamacare individual purchasing mandate. But Idahos approach is an open invitation to younger and healthier people to leave the Obamacare insurance pool, plunging it into the kind of death spiral reformers have always feared. And its wildly illegal, in the words of Sam Berger of the Center for American Progress. The two big questions now are whether the Trump administration (led in this area by new HHS Secretary Alex Azar) chooses to enforce a law it does not support, and whether insurers risk the legal liability involved in taking Idaho up on its offer. They could be subject to fines of $100 per customer per day for failure to comply with the law; that would add up into a crushing burden pretty soon. So far the administration has refused to comment on Idahos gambit. Perhaps theres some quiet jawboning going on behind the scenes to avoid embarrassment for everybody. But if Azar chooses to turn a blind eye and let Idaho violate the law, other GOP-governed states will probably soon follow, and we could soon see the de facto repeal of the Affordable Care Act in parts of the country. Miami-Dade Schools Police handcuffed a 7-year-old boy on Thursday after he allegedly punched his teacherand now his mother is claiming her son was caught in a case of cop abuse. The first-grader was removed from the Coral Way K-8 Centers cafeteria for playing with his food and taken into a hallway where the female teacher was standing, according to a police report obtained by Channel 7-WSVN. The boy then attacked the teacher by repeatedly punching her on the back. Someone stepped in to restrain him, but he continued to throw punches and kicks until they both fell to the floor, where he continued to struggle with the educator, the report said. The teacher told authorities she wanted to press charges against the boy, who was taken to the principals office after the incident. Once his parents arrived, they were told by an officer she had to either arrest the child or take him for a psychiatric evaluation. Trending: Texas' First Marijuana Dispensary Spurs Hope of Republicans Jumping Aboard Legal Weed This is police abuse; a whim of the officer, because my son was calm when they came to look for him, his mother, Mercy Alvarez told El Nuevo Herald. The principal, the counselor, and two other people tried to prevent that action and the officer took the child anyway. Police tape GETTY IMAGES The boy was taken to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and discharged hours later, in accordance with the Florida Mental Health Act, which permits involuntary exams if a person meets criteria that indicate he or she could pose a danger to themselves or others. Don't miss: Let Democrats Call Trump's Immigration Bluff on DACA Alvarez posted a video she recorded on Facebook showed her son emerging from a police cruiser in handcuffs and being led into the hospital. Says hes a danger to society. I said, What? Seven years old? A danger to society?' his father, Rolando Fuentes, told Channel 7-WSVN. The Miami-Dade Schools Police Department defended the arrest, claiming in a statement to the news channel: This action was warranted to prevent his erratic and violent behavior from bringing further harm to others or himself. The manner in which he was transported to the receiving facility was done in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures. Story continues This is the second time in three months that officers were called to the school to respond to the boys tantrums. In November, he reportedly kicked a teacher, according to Channel 7-WSVN. Most popular: How to Stop Aging: Naked Mole Rats Do Not Get Old and Could Hold Clues for Extending Human Life The boys parents have met with lawyers to discuss taking legal action against the police department and the Miami-Dade School District, the Miami Herald reported. The Miami-Dade Schools Police Department did not immediately return a request for comment from Newsweek. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis is sending the Catholic Church's top sexual abuse investigator to Chile to look into accusations a bishop covered up crimes against minors, just days after the pope defended him. A Vatican statement on Tuesday said new information had emerged about Bishop Juan Barros and that the investigator, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, would go to "listen to those who want to submit information in their possession". The statement, which gave no further details, was a U-turn for the pope, who on Jan. 21 told reporters aboard his plane returning from Latin America he was sure Barros was innocent and that the Vatican had received no concrete evidence against him. It was Scicluna who uncovered evidence of sexual abuse that led to the removal of the late Mexican priest Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ, in 2005. Controversy over Barros, bishop of the city of Osorno in Chile's south, dominated Francis' recent trip, with critics accusing the pope of not understanding the depth of the crisis in the South American country. A number of men have accused Barros of protecting his former mentor, the Rev. Fernando Karadima, who was found guilty in a Vatican investigation in 2011 of abusing them and others when they were boys. Karadima always denied the allegations, and Barros said he was unaware of any wrongdoing. Barros and his main accusers were not available to comment on the latest twist of a long-running saga that has gripped Chile and hurt the Church's prestige there. During the trip, a Chilean reporter managed to get close to the pope at an event and shouted out a question about Barros. "The day I see proof against Bishop Barros, then I will talk. There is not a single piece of evidence against him. It is all slander. Is that clear?" the pope replied. POPE CAUSED "GREAT PAIN" His comments were widely criticized by victims, their advocates and newspaper editorials in Chile and the pope's native Argentina. Even Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston, a key papal adviser on how to root out sexual abuse in the Church, distanced himself with a statement saying the pope had caused "great pain". Speaking to reporters on the plane returning to Rome, Francis apologized to victims, acknowledging that his choice of words and tone of voice had "wounded many". Victims and their advocates have said Francis should never have appointed Barros because there had been accusations against him. Anti-Barros parishioners demonstrated during his investiture ceremony in 2015. "We were surprised by the Pope's decision, because we spent three years trying to reach him to put an end to this issue," said Juan Carlos Claret, a spokesman for Osorno parishioners. "This shows that the pope is responding more to the pressure from the media than he is to the faithful." While the pope, who met two victims in Chile during the trip, has vowed "zero tolerance" of sexual abuse, a planned Vatican tribunal to judge bishops accused of covering up abuse or mishandling cases has not started. The much-touted commission O'Malley heads has been hit by defections by high-profile non-clerical members who quit in frustration over what they said was lack of progress. (Additional reporting by Dave Sherwood in Santiago; Editing by Crispian Balmer, Catherine Evans and Andrew Heavens) Puerto Rico's governor has proposed closing more than a quarter of its public schools as the island struggles to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Governor Ricardo Rossello last week presented a fiscal plan that would eliminate 305 out of 1,100 total schools, saving an estimated $300 million by fiscal year 2022. If enacted, this consolidation effort could lead to a decrease of 27,500 students and 7,300 teachers by 2022. Enrollment since Hurricane Maria has already shrunk by nearly 22,500 students, according to Puerto Rico's Department of Education. Trending: Trump Called Andrew McCabe's Wife a 'Loser' in Phone Call With FBI Deputy Director: Report Puerto Rico's secretary of education, Julia Keleher, told NPR earlier this month that "we have to close schools," because there is "not enough [federal funding] to go around to that many sites to ensure some level of quality of service." Puerto Rico is currently staring down a $3.4 billion budget deficit. 871265578 RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP/Getty Images American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and Asociacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico President Aida Diaz have decried the plan, calling schools "critical community hubs." Don't miss: Top Newsweek Editor Takes Leave of Absence After Sexual Harassment Report "To thrive, Puerto Rico needs to keep schools open, not close them, and that's why the push for mass school closings falls wide of the mark," Diaz and Weingarten said in a statement. The plan needs approval from a financial control board that oversees Puerto Rico's finances. The proposal follows a string of school closures meant to help quell the island's years-long economic crisis. Puerto Rico officials in May announced 179 public school closures to save more than $7 million; officials also shuttered 150 other schools between 2010 and 2015. Story continues Most popular: Congress Must Reject Trumps Immigration Plan It is a Cruel Sophies Choice In the aftermath of the hurricane, an estimated 14,000 Puerto Rican students have turned to the mainland U.S. for educational opportunities. The Reading School District in Pennsylvania, for example, has taken in more than 260 students. Schools in Massachusetts, especially Springfield, have accepted more than 2,100 students. Private universities such as New York University, Tulane University, Brown University and Cornell University are also offering a free ride this semester to Puerto Rican students pursuing higher education. The majority of these schools are capping admission at between 50 and 60 students. About 90 percent of the island's schools were up and running as of last month, though some schools remained without power, according to Education Week. About half of Puerto Ricans are still without electricity after Hurricane Maria's September landfall, and government officials have estimated rebuilding costs at about $95 billion. Puerto Rican officials announced Wednesday they can't pay off any of the island's more than $70 billion debt for five years because of the damage. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek An eight-month-old baby girl has been raped in the Indian capital New Delhi. The infant is reportedly in a critical but stable condition at a local hospital after undergoing surgery Monday, Indias local NDTV reports. The incident occurred Sunday in the familys home. The alleged perpetrator, a 28-year-old cousin, has been arrested by police and charged under Indias Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act. Delhis Commission for Women chair Swati Maliwal said that the infant underwent a three-hour operation on Monday, and described damage the babys internal organs as horrific. She appealed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protect girls with stricter laws and more police resources, according to the BBC. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Outcry against sexual violence in India has grown more vocal and widespread since the 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old medical student in New Delhi. The crime sparked mass protests and drove the government to introduce tougher anti-rape legislation, which narrow the definition of consent and introduce the death penalty in certain cases. Last year, Indias Supreme Court ruled that sex with an underage wife also constitutes rape. The age of consent in India is 18, but a previous clause allowed men to have sex with girls as young as 15 if they were married. Delhi has also seen protests over sexual violence this week, as activists condemned the governments lack of response to 10 rape cases perpetrated in as many days, five targeting minors and two ending in the death of the victim in Indias northern Haryana state, the Hindustan Times reports. The states chief minister addressed the demonstrations for the first time on Wednesday, calling the incidents unfortunate. Bogota (AFP) - Colombia's president on Monday froze peace negotiations with the ELN rebel group and ordered a stepped-up military response after weekend bomb attacks blamed on the guerrillas killed seven police officers. The developments threw into peril efforts to definitively end Colombia's half century of conflict that until recently had appeared close to resolution. "I have taken the decision to suspend the start of the fifth cycle of negotiations that were scheduled for the coming days, given that ELN is not matching its words with actions," President Juan Manuel Santos said in an address. He ordered security forces to act, "with maximum determination," against the ELN. They will be "fighting terrorism vigorously, as if there were no peace negotiations," Santos said. Santos's government reached a historic peace agreement with Colombia's biggest rebel group, the FARC, in November 2016, but a similar deal with the smaller ELN -- estimated to number 1,800 fighters -- has still not been reached. When a ceasefire with the ELN expired on January 10, the government said it was suspending talks with the rebel group, which returned to targeting security forces and oil installations. Colombia's military has in turn carried out an offensive that has resulted in dozens of deaths and arrests. The United States condemned the attacks in Colombia and another, apparently unrelated one near the border in neighboring Ecuador that left 28 police and civilians wounded. "The United States stands with the people of Colombia and Ecuador and will help both countries in any way we can in response to these attacks," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement expressing condolences the families of those killed and hurt. - Three bomb attacks - Over the weekend, three bombs went off at police stations in three locations: two in the Caribbean port city of Barranquilla and one in Santa Rosa, in the department of Bolivar. Story continues The ELN claimed responsibility for the worst of the attacks, which killed five officers and wounded 41 in Barranquilla on Saturday as police were assembling for roll-call. Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas put the blame for all three of these "terrible acts of terrorism" on the ELN. He hinted that Santos could respond by ordering the military to go on the offensive against the rebel group. A 31-year-old suspect in Saturday's blast was taken into custody, with Villegas saying: "This person has a very clear record with the ELN." Five police officers were injured in the second Barranquilla bombing, which exploded at another police station early Sunday. Two more police officers were killed when a bomb went off late Saturday at their outpost in Santa Rosa. - 'Gloomy' outlook - Santos, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016 and who is due to step down in August after serving two mandates, had hoped to make peace with the ELN to end a long conflict that has drawn in drug traffickers and right-wing paramilitary groups as well as the leftist guerrilla forces. His government opened talks with the ELN a year ago in Ecuador after reaching the peace agreement with the FARC, which has now disarmed and transformed itself into a political party. After the end of the ceasefire, Santos had said on January 21 that he would seek a new truce with the ELN in a bid to salvage the talks. The rebels had indicated a willingness to resume negotiations. But the ELN, unlike the FARC, has a federated structure with autonomous military units, which experts say makes a settlement more difficult. "The scenario is really gloomy for a continuation of the negotiations," Camilo Echandia from the Externado University of Colombia told AFP. Among those denouncing the latest attacks was Rodrigo Londono, the former leader of the FARC and now a presidential candidate in elections set for May. "All our solidarity is for the relatives of the slain police," he wrote on Twitter. Right-wing candidates in the upcoming election have urged the government to break off talks with the ELN entirely. On Monday, Santos spoke with his chief negotiator in the talks with the ELN, Gustavo Bell. The president said talks with the rebels could only continue when "the ELN aligns its conduct with the peace demands of the Colombian people and the international community." WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress should revisit proposed legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller after President Donald Trump tried to fire him last year while he investigated the Trump campaign's ties with Russia, two Republican senators said on Sunday. In separate television interviews, Senators Susan Collins and Lindsey Graham expressed dismay at reports the Republican president had told the top White House lawyer to order U.S. Justice Department officials to fire Mueller. "Ive got legislation protecting Mr. Mueller, and Id be glad to pass it tomorrow," Graham told the ABC News "This Week" program. On CNN's "State of the Union," Collins said: "It certainly wouldnt hurt to put that extra safeguard in place, given the latest stories." Tensions over Mueller's probe are hovering over Trump's year-old presidency as he prepares to give his first State of the Union Address on Tuesday. The New York Times reported on Thursday that Trump ordered White House counsel Donald McGahn to fire Mueller in June but backed down after McGahn threatened to resign rather than carry out the order. McGahn was "fed up" after Trump's order, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. He did not issue an ultimatum directly to the president but told then-White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and then-chief strategist Steve Bannon that he wanted to quit, the source said. Graham and three Democratic senators introduced legislation last August that would protect special counsels, including Mueller, by requiring that a panel of federal judges review any action to remove them. The likelihood that such a bill would become law have seemed remote. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have shown little enthusiasm for the idea. "I don't think there's a need for legislation right now to protect Mueller," House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said on NBC's "Meet the Press" program. "The president and his team have fully cooperated" with the special counsel, he said. Story continues Republicans hold the majority in both the House and Senate. Mueller is investigating whether Trump associates and the Kremlin colluded during the 2016 presidential election. Russia denies such collusion, and Trump frequently denounces the probe as a "witch hunt." Both Collins and Graham said they saw no sign that Trump is currently trying to fire Mueller. "I think what happened here is the president had a bad idea," Collins said. "He talked with his counsel, who explained to an angry and frustrated president why it was a bad idea." Graham said: "It's pretty clear to me everyone in the White House knows itd be the end of President Trumps presidency if he tried to fire Mr. Mueller." (Reporting by Yasmeen Abutaled and Caren Bohan Writing by Warren Strobel Editing by Lisa Von Ahn) Republicans from Pennsylvania and six other states on Monday offered a slew of reasons why the U.S. Supreme Court should give the Keystone State permission not to comply with the Pennsylvania Supreme Courts order to draw new congressional districts ahead of the 2018 election. Their briefs were part of a long-shot Republican effort to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to review the state courts ruling that Pennsylvanias latest congressional map so egregiously benefited Republicans that it clearly, plainly and palpably violated the state constitution. While top GOP state lawmakers say that the high court can review the case because there are federal issues at stake, lawyers for the plaintiffs say that the justices cannot because the case only presents a question under Pennsylvania law. But first the state lawmakers and their allies need an emergency stay of the Pennsylvania courts redistricting order, the pleas for which are hitting Justice Samuel Alitos desk. Alito is responsible for overseeing such appeals from the 3rd Circuit. Six Republican secretaries of state from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and South Carolina filed a joint amicus brief on Monday arguing that Pennsylvania could reasonably wait another few years to fix its congressional map. They said that Pennsylvania lawmakers could abide by any new restrictions on partisan gerrymandering during the next round of redistricting in 2021. That would mean that two more federal elections in 2018 and 2020 would take place under a congressional map that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court found unconstitutional. Drawing new congressional boundaries just a few weeks before the states election process begins would cause chaos and confusion among voters, the Republican officials said. The Census will be conducted in 2020, the results distributed in the first quarter of 2021, and the states will have to put new congressional plans in place for 2022, they wrote in a brief funded by the Republican State Leadership Committee and the National Republican Redistricting Trust, a group that supports GOP redistricting efforts. In that next round of redistricting, any newly-developed parameters of any limitation on political gerrymandering can be taken into account. Story continues Put simply, there is no need to hurry, they added. The brief was striking because Pennsylvania election officials themselves have said they could keep the election on schedule as long as the new maps were in place by Feb. 20. At oral argument before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court earlier this month, the plaintiffs lawyers said it would be unacceptable to wait any longer for new maps. Pennsylvanians have already gone through three elections with the current maps in place, they noted. In each of those elections, Republicans took 13 of the states 18 congressional seats while winning only about 50 percent of the total vote. The Republican Party of Pennsylvania and 11 of the states GOP congressmen similarly filed an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block the lower courts order. They said the new maps would cause confusion and make it more difficult for them to circulate petitions and campaign for office. The lawmakers also argued that new maps would harm donors and that their campaigns would have to spend more money. In the 2018 election cycle, Pennsylvanians contributed over $1.2 million specifically to congressional candidates running in their congressional districts. Conventional wisdom and common experience dictate that a significant portion of these contributors donated as an expression of support for a candidate to represent them in Congress, the House members wrote. If the State Courts [order] is not stayed, the effort and monetary contributions of many Pennsylvanians will have been made to support individuals who do not and/or cannot represent them in Congress. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court wants the state legislature, which is controlled by Republicans, to come up with a revised redistricting plan by Feb. 9 and Gov. Tom Wolf (D) to decide whether to veto it by Feb. 15. On Friday, the court announced it would appoint Stanford professor Nathaniel Persily as a special master to draw the maps should the legislature and the governor not comply. Wolf told HuffPost on Monday that he wasnt concerned with the quick timeline. It takes a heck of a lot more effort to draw a gerrymandered map than it does to draw a fair one, Wolf said. Can we come up with the maps on a timely basis? I think we should. As for the question of whether voters can adjust, he said, We do that every 10 years anyway. I think yeah, thats a normal part of being a voter in the United States. Also on HuffPost Alabama State Capitol (Montgomery, Ala.) Pictured on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) Alaska State Capitol (Juneau, Alaska) Pictured on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011. (AP Photo/Chris Miller) Arizona State Capitol (Phoenix) Pictured on Friday, April 23, 2010. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) Arkansas State Capitol (Little Rock, Ark.) Pictured on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston) California State Capitol (Sacramento, Calif.) Pictured on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006. (Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images) Colorado State Capitol (Denver) Pictured on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2006. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) Connecticut State Capitol (Hartford, Conn.) Pictured on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 1999. (AP Photo/Bob Child) Delaware State Capitol (Dover, Del.) Florida State Capitol (Tallahassee, Fla.) Pictured on Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Georgia State Capitol (Atlanta) Pictured on Tuesday, November 13, 2007. (Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images) Hawaii State Capitol (Honolulu) Idaho State Capitol (Boise, Idaho) Pictured on Monday, Jan. 14, 2008. (Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) Illinois State Capitol (Springfield, Ill.) Pictured on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman) Indiana State Capitol (Indianapolis) Pictured on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) Iowa State Capitol (Des Moines, Iowa) Pictured on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Kansas State Capitol (Topeka, Kan.) Pictured on Thursday, April 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner) Kentucky State Capitol (Frankfort, Ky.) Pictured on Wednesday, April 12, 2006. (AP Photo/James Crisp) Louisiana State Capitol (Baton Rouge, La.) Pictured on Monday, Jan. 14, 2008. (Matthew HINTON/AFP/Getty Images) Maine State Capitol (Augusta, Me.) Pictured on Monday, Oct. 17, 2011. 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(Todd Warshaw//Pool/Getty Images New Jersey State House (Trenton, N.J.) Pictured on Friday, Aug. 13, 2004. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images) New Mexico State Capitol (Santa Fe, N.M.) New York State Capitol (Albany, N.Y.) Pictured on Sunday, March 16, 2008. (Photo by Daniel Barry/Getty Images) North Carolina State Capitol (Raleigh, N.C.) Pictured in 1930. (AP Photo) North Dakota State Capitol (Bismarck, N.D.) Pictured on Thursday, April 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Dale Wetzel) Ohio Statehouse (Columbus, Ohio) Pictured on Tuesday, March 8, 2011. (Photo by Mike Munden/Getty Images) Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes: REUTERS/Carlos Barria Republicans have voted to release a politically charged document they allege shows government abuse, forcing Donald Trump to decide whether to overrule the Department of Justice. The decision by the Republican majority of the House Intelligence Committee means the President will have to balance the demands of elected officials in his own party, who have mounted a public campaign for the memos release, against a Department of Justice plea urging against it. Mr Trump must decide within five days whether to make the classified memorandum public. For weeks, Republicans have hinted that the memo shows the FBI misused its authority in investigating potential links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, contending it illustrates improper government surveillance. They have called the evidence of government overreach dire enough to merit sharing it with the American people. Democrats have dismissed the memo as a misleading political attack meant to distract from Special Counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. After the vote, California Democrat Adam Schiff blasted the transparently political objective behind the move, decyring an effort to circle the wagons around the White House and distract from the Russia probe. The Justice Department waded into that dispute last week with a letter warning off Rep Devin Nunes, a California Republican and ally of Mr Trump who oversaw the memos creation. Writing that officials were unaware of any wrongdoing related to surveillance abuse, assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd cautioned it would be extraordinarily reckless to publicly release the document. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined earlier in the day to say what the administration would do if the House voted to release the memo, saying the administration sought full transparency. But the President has consistently argued that the Russia investigation is a baseless and politicized assault and made accusations of inappropriate surveillance. Over the weekend White House legislative affairs director Marc Short said Mr Trump believes the memo should be put out. I think the President is more inclined for transparency in this investigation, Mr Short said on Fox News Sunday. To the extent that the House, I think, has advocated that it's publicly released, I think the president is receptive to that. JAKARTA (Reuters) - Rights groups on Tuesday condemned the actions of religious police in Indonesias ultra-conservative province of Aceh, where a dozen transgender people were detained at hair salons at the weekend and "publicly shamed". Indonesia has the worlds largest Muslim population but Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra, is the only province that enforces Islamic law and outlaws homosexuality. Religious police and vigilantes in Aceh often raid homes and places of work and detain people on suspicion of engaging in homosexual activity. Police in North Aceh district confirmed the raids and detentions of 12 transgender people after residents complained their children were being harassed, the national daily Kompas said. "There were mothers who came crying to me, worried about their children," said district police chief Ahmad Untung. "This is not right, and we hope this social disease can be resolved," he told the paper. The suspects were forced to cut their hair to look more "masculine" and were later released without charge, media said. Rights group Amnesty International said the raid showed Aceh had become "an increasingly hostile place" for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. "The latest raids on beauty salons are just the latest example of the authorities arbitrarily targeting transgender people simply for who they are," Usman Hamid of Amnesty International Indonesia said in a statement. "Cutting the hair of those arrested to 'make them masculine' and forcing them to dress like men are forms of public shaming and amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, in contravention of Indonesias international obligations." Last year, the provincial and central governments drew international condemnation after authorities in Aceh tried two young men on charges of engaging in gay sex and then publicly caned them - the first such case in the country. Indonesia's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has drawn increasing hostility in recent years. Conservative groups and politicians have urged parliament to revise the national criminal code to criminalize same-sex relations. (Reporting and writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) Russian-sponsored peace talks for Syria in the Black Sea resort of Sochi descended into chaos Tuesday when angry attendees taunted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, delegates argued over who would run the event and a group of opposition leaders refused to leave an airport after landing. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov launched the event with a statement from Russian President Vladimir Putin that claimed the time was right for Syria to turn a tragic page of history. But some delegates responded by standing up and angrily accusing Russia of killing civilians with its airstrikes. Other delegates responded by shouting out support for Russian efforts in Syria, where Moscow has helped prop up the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Meanwhile, members of an armed opposition group refused to leave the airport at Sochi until Syrian government flags were removed from the event. The issue was never resolved, and the head of the delegation said the group would boycott the event because of the flag and because of Russias killing of Syrian civilians. Trending: What Is the State of the Union? A Brief History 908803172 Getty Images Russia has been accused by human rights groups of killing thousands of civilians with airstrikes since it first got involved in the Syrian civil war two years ago. A plenary session was reportedly suspended due to squabbling over who would preside over the event. Don't miss: State of the Union 2018 Live Stream: Watch Trump Deliver Address to Congress Dubbed the Syrian Congress of National Dialogue, the event was meant to begin negotiations for the drafting of a new Syrian constitution. But many key players, including the main leadership of the Syrian opposition, boycotted the event. The U.S., Britain and France all opted not to attend because they said Syrias government refused to engage properly. Delegations representing Turkey and Iran attended the conference. Story continues This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Western countries support a separate U.N.-backed peace process for Syria that has also failed to produce results. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek After a stint as a Fox Democrat, Americas zaniest lefty is running for office again. Photo: Tony Dejak/AP/REX/Shutterstock Newly announced Ohio gubernatorial candidate Dennis Kucinich made his first run for public office more than a half-century ago, when he was a student at Cleveland State University. By my unofficial count, he ran six times for various offices before being elected mayor of Cleveland in 1977. Two years later the Boy Mayor was denied reelection after being blamed (unfairly) for a municipal bankruptcy. Both transcending and feeding off this notoriety, Kucinichs long slog up and down the comeback trail led him through a self-exile on the West Coast, where he crashed for a while at the home of his longtime friend the actress Shirley MacLaine (at which site he famously glimpsed a UFO), and experienced near-personal-bankruptcy before returning to Ohio just in time to lose a Democratic primary for secretary of State in 1982 to a young fellow named Sherrod Brown (now the distinguished junior senator from the state). A year later he returned to the Cleveland City Council via a special election, then briefly ran for governor before dropping out and spending a number of years in New Mexico on a quest for meaning. In 1996 he returned to Ohio to win election to the State Senate, and then two years later won election to Congress. Thus ensued the longest period of stability in Kucinichs adult life (or maybe his entire life; his family reportedly moved 21 times during his childhood), as he remained in the House until 2013. Kucinich did not, of course, settle into a staid role as a congressional back-bencher. He ran for president in both 2004 and 2008, running campaigns known for their eccentricity (he was prone to break into song in his campaign appearances) as much as his left-bent policy pronouncements (relentlessly attacking moderate Democrats allegedly pro-corporate and pro-Pentagon policies). The fusion of his quirkiness and populism was probably best expressed by his spinning-top demonstration in countless appearances that he was the rare politician with no strings: His presidential campaigns did not amount to much other than attracting a small but devoted following and a lot of gentle mockery. But he sojourned on until a GOP gerrymander tossed him into a 2012 reelection fight with fellow Democratic House member Marcy Kaptur, who sent Kucinich back into political exile. From there the Kucinich saga took one of its oddest turns: He immediately became a Fox News contributor, signing on initially as a contributor to Bill OReillys show and then other network offerings. His eccentric stylings (featuring, in particular, steady criticism of the Obama administrations hostility to Bashar al-Assads Syrian regime) turned more sinister as Donald Trump began his climb toward the presidency, with the former lefty gadfly often expressing agreement with the moguls anti-globalist rhetoric. After Trump took office, Kucinich frequently echoed Fox lines of defense for the 45th president, as The New Republic recently recalled in a warning to Ohio Democrats: In May, Sean Hannity brought Kucinich on his show and announced that the former congressman was making major news. Kucinich then proceeded to warn that our country itself is under attack from within. You have a politicization of the agencies that is resulting in leaks from anonymous, unknown people, he said, and the intention is to take down a president. This is very dangerous to America. Its a threat to our republic. It constitutes a clear and present danger to our way of life. Youre saying President Trump is under attack by the deep state intelligence community? Hannity later asked. I believe that, Kucinich said. Presumably the UFO sighter had no problem believing the deep state conspiracy theory. And now that hes running for governor of Ohio, as a Democrat yet again, Kucinich claims an affinity with Trump voters who might trust him over other Democrats: I dont know if there is another Democrat in Ohio who could run for office and do, is that I can reach out to the people who voted for President Trump. I can show them that there are Democrats who stand solidly for economic progress, who want to protect our markets, who want to stand up for everyday Americans. So, you know, to me, thats my constituency, too. And Im reaching out, and Im not going to leave anyone out of picture. Trouble is, he made that claim on Fox & Friends, not the best platform for reaching voters who will participate in Ohios Democratic primary this year. But Kucinich does have a workable strategy. The primary is very soon, in May. He has massive, if not always positive, name ID. He faces a field led by former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray, but also including State Supreme Court Justice Bill ONeill, State Senator Joe Schiavoni and former state legislator Connie Pillich. In a state with no primary runoffs, Kucinich could win the nomination with a plurality, and his choice of Akron city council member Tara Samples indicates hes running as the regional favorite of northeast Ohio. An early poll shows him running a relatively close second to Cordray on the strength of support from his home turf. With luck, and likely a sustained negative focus on the front-runner from candidates in both parties, Kucinich could pull out a primary win. Hed then likely go on to get drubbed by Republican front-runner Mike DeWine. But defeat has never slowed down Kucinich before. So long as hes willing to play the populist game on terms acceptable to Fox News, hell probably be welcome back there, and if all else fails, theres always another campaign to wage. A Russian Su-27 seen near Estonia in 2016 when it was intercepted by the RAF - MOD A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted a US surveillance plane over the Black Sea on Monday, prompting the American government to protest the manoeuvre as "an unsafe interaction". The US State Department said the Russian jet closed to within five feet and crossed directly in front of the EP-3 Aries II plane. The encounter, first reported by Russia's RIA news agency, cited the defence ministry as saying the US Navy aircraft, did not violate Russian air space. "This is but the latest example of Russian military activities disregarding international norms and agreements," said the State Department. "We call on Russia to cease these unsafe actions that increase the risk of miscalculation, danger to aircrew on both sides, and midair collisions." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Moscow said that "all security precautions" had been observed during the encounter. "After the surveillance plane of the US Navy had changed its course to move away from the border, the Su-27 returned to its base," RIA quoted the Russian defence ministry as saying. Russian jets and Nato aircraft have frequently come close together over the Black Sea, the Baltic region, Syria and elsewhere. The Pentagon has warned of the dangers of such close encounters in the sky. A Russian Su-27 gets up and close and personal Credit: US European Command Images released by US European Command last yearshow a Russian SU-27 flying close to the wing of a US RC-135U. The planes are so close that the Russian pilot can be seen in the cockpit. The Russian Airforce aerobatic team performs in their SU-27 jets: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images A Russian fighter jet came within 5ft of a US surveillance plane as it flew over the Black Sea, in what the US called an unsafe interaction. The flight path of the Russian jet forced the US Navy aircraft, which was flying in international airspace, to end its mission prematurely, a US official said. This is but the latest example of Russian military activities disregarding international norms and agreements, the US State Department said in a separate statement. We call on Russia to cease these unsafe actions that increase the risk of miscalculation, danger to aircrew on both sides, and midair collisions. It said the Russian jet engaged in an unsafe interaction with a US EP-3 [aeroplane] in international airspace, closing to within 5ft (1.5m) and crossing directly in front of the EP-3s flight path. The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the close-call happened in international airspace. The ministry said its fighter jet detected an unidentified air target approaching Russian airspace and flew strictly in accordance with international rules. It added: A Su-27 fighter was sent to intercept the target and approached the aircraft at a safe distance and identified it as an ER-3E (Aries II) US reconnaissance aircraft. The crew of the fighter jet reported the identification of the American reconnaissance aircraft and accompanied it, preventing it from violating Russian airspace, observing all necessary security measures. A number of near-misses have taken place above the Black sea, where Russian, US and Nato forces operate in close proximity to one another. Russia has increased its military presence in the area since it annexed Crimea in 2014, and the US Navy has also increased activity in the region. There have also been interactions between the US and Russia in the skies above Syria, where the nations support differing sides in the ongoing civil war. In December, two US F-33 stealth fighter jets fired warning flares after Russian Su-25 jets entered an agreed deconfliction area in Syrian airspace. Reuters contributed to this report Sean Spicer, the former press secretary for President Donald Trump, said Monday that he regrets the moments of his employment in the White House that "brought embarrassment" to himself and his family. The retired spokesman reflected on his tenure with the Trump administration after MSNBC's Craig Melvin asked him to watch a highlight reel of his "greatest hits" as press secretary. The montage included a disproven instance where Spicer insisted Trump boasted the largest audience at his presidential inauguration and another controversial claim that "someone as despicable as Hitler" did not use chemical weapons while Bashar al-Assad reportedly did. Spicer later apologized for the remarks and expressed additional remorse for some of his errors on Monday, recounting instances where he had to apologize to Trump for embarrassing himself, the Trump administration and the American people. Trending: North Korea Says Trump's 'America First' Will End U.S. 'Empire of Evils' You made some mistakes, Melvin said to Spicer. Do you regret taking the job? "No," Spicer responded. "Not at all?" Melvin asked. Don't miss: Trump Called Andrew McCabe's Wife a 'Loser' in Phone Call With FBI Deputy Director: Report "I think in terms of net, I enjoyed having a front-row seat to history. Was an opportunity of a lifetime. Did I make mistakes? Thank you for taking me down memory lane. Absolutely. Do I hope I grow as a person? As a friend? As a stranger? To do better? Absolutely," Spicer said. 12918_Sean_Spicer Drew Angerer/Getty Images "You're giving me a diplomatic answer," Melvin protested. "Do you regret at all taking the job?" Most popular: Top Newsweek Editor Takes Leave of Absence After Sexual Harassment Report Story continues "No, I regret things that I did that brought embarrassment to myself, my family, friends of mine who have been very big supporters where I said, 'Hey, that was a self-inflicted wound. I screwed up,'" Spicer said. "And I think, frankly, when you have a job like that, Craig, the thing that no one can fully appreciate until you're in the job is that you're representing the American people... and when you screw up... it's not just on you. It's now going in and having to tell the President of the United States, 'Hey, I embarrassed myself, your administration and in some cases, I think did something the American people are not pleased with.'" Spicer served as the top spokesman for Trump for about six months before resigning over the heated appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as the administration's communications director. Scaramucci was fired from the White House after 10 days, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders continues to serve as Trump's press secretary. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek ADEN (Reuters) - At least 11 people were killed on Tuesday in a suicide car bomb attack on a checkpoint in southeastern Yemen run by local forces backed by the United Arab Emirates, officials and residents said. Residents said gunmen opened fire on the checkpoint after a suicide bomber drove his booby-trapped car into the checkpoint northeast of Ataq, the capital of the province of Shabwa. Officials said 11 people died in the attack and three were wounded, while residents put the death toll at 12. The attack came as southern separatists battled Yemeni government forces for control of the interim capital of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government in Aden. The clashes risked a separate fight by a Saudi-led campaign against Iran-aligned Houthis in northern Yemen. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but it resembled previous operations by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which operates in the area. The Shabwa Elite Force, which was set up and trained by the United Arab Emirates as part of its fight against Islamist militants, drove AQAP militants out of Ataq in a major military operation in August last year. The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in the Yemen civil war in 2015 to try to restore Hadi to power after the Houthis advanced on Aden and forced him to flee into exile. (Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf; Writing Sami Aboudi; Editing by Jon Boyle) This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Something unusual will happen on January 31. A total lunar eclipse, which will be visible from Asia, Australasia and North and Central America, will coincide with a blue moon and a supermoon in what some are calling a super blue blood moon. The event, which for western hemisphere observers happens for the first time in 150 years, will also be the last in a trilogy of supermoons over the past two months. It sounds cool, but how excited should you really be? And is there anything scientists can actually get out of it? 1_30_Lunar eclipse Robert Jay GaBany/Wikimedia Commons Trending: A Dog-Eating Siberian Tiger Is on the Prowl and Authorities Can't Find It To be honest, I feel pretty conflicted about all the excitement surrounding the supermoon, a term which describes the moon when it is at a close point to the Earth. Its great that people get excited about astronomy, but the trouble is that a supermoon in itself is not really all that special. Since the moon follows an elliptical orbit around the Earth, the distance between the two bodies changes, ranging from about 360,000km to 406,000km (224,000 to 252,000 miles). At its closest point, perigee, the moon will obviously appear largest. Such a maximoon has an apparent diameter about 13 percent larger than a minimoon at its most distant point, apogee. 1_30_Supermoon Betty Wills (Atsme)/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA-4.0 The effect of a maximoon is often exaggeratedit is only about 7 percent larger and 15 percent brighter than the average moon. This is hardly noticeable when looking at it with the unaided eye. In fact, if youve seen the moon looking huge at some point, it was probably due to an optical illusion rather than it being near perigee. Its not fully understood why, but the moon seen close to the horizon just appears larger than when its high in the sky. Story continues The mechanisms behind the maximoon have long been known, with astronomers referring to it as perigee full moon or a perigee syzygy, a lovely word that means three celestial bodies in a line. Unsurprisingly, the term supermoon has proved more popular. Coined by an astrologer in 1979, it wasnt really used at all widely until March 2011 when the Japanese earthquake and tsunami was erroneously linked to a supermoon which actually happened eight days later. Don't miss: Airline Passenger Claims Crew Bound And Punched Him On Flight To Chicago Whats more, a supermoon isnt exactly the same thing as a maximoon. If you waited until the instant of full moon exactly coincided with the instant of perigee, supermoons would be vanishingly rare. But an unscientific fudge factor is usually included, allowing the full moon to be near perigeetypically 90 percent or closer. Change the size of the fudge factor and you can have as many or as few supermoons as you like. In fact, for this weeks event, the moon is closest to Earth at about 10:00 a.m. UTC (5:00 a.m. ET) on January 30 but the full moon is not till over a day later when it is about 1,200km (750 miles) farther away. Blue vs blood moon A blue moon does not appear blue. Its just a term that, in the 1940s, was mistakenly used to describe a rare occasion: the second full moon in a calendar month. Full moons are separated by about 29.5 days and so typically occur in different months, with a blue moon appearing on average every 30 months or so. A blood moon on the other hand actually appears dusky red. The name, which is not used by scientists, apparently derives from apocalyptic Biblical prophecy. As with supermoon, the term only became popular very recently, in this case in 2014 when a series of four over 18 months spawned a best-selling book. 1_30_Super Blood Moon Patrick Murtha/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA-4.0 The effect is caused by a lunar eclipse, when the moon is on the far side of the sun from the Earth aligned so that it passes into the Earths shadow. The moon darkens very considerably and is only lit by the traces of sunlight refracted through the Earths atmosphere. The blue component of the sunlight is scattered to large angles by small particles in the atmosphere leaving only the longer wavelength red light to illuminate the moon. Most popular: Putin Trolls U.S. Kremlin List, Saying He Feels Insulted to Be Left Out Solar_lunar_eclipse_diagram Tomruen/Wikimedia Commons Over this century, there will be 85 total lunar eclipses. This particular one will be visible from Asia, Australasia, North and Central America, but not from Western Europe or much of Africa and South America (though anyone can still enjoy the near full moon). Research potential A lunar eclipse is a great opportunity for public viewing, but there are still things that scientists can learn from the event. The details of how the sunlight we see reflected from the moon during eclipse has been altered, scattered and absorbed on its way through our atmosphere, and how this is affected by, for example, volcanic eruptions or even meteor showers, are still being studied. But in recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in studying lunar eclipses from a surprising source, the discovery of planets orbiting other stars. If we see an exoplanet pass across the face of its parent star, a small fraction of the starlight we collect will have passed through the planets atmosphere. Looking at spectra measurements of light broken down by wavelengthtaken during such a transit with those taken out of transit can help determine the composition of the atmosphere. This could include biosignatures such as oxygen, ozone or methanewhich might give away the presence of extraterrestrial life. A lunar eclipse is a perfect opportunity to study the details of the same effect close to homesunlight reflected from the moon during eclipse has passed through the Earths atmosphere and been imprinted with its characteristics. This means the Earth takes the place of a transiting exoplanet. Various lunar eclipse studies are being conducted ahead of observations with upcoming facilitiessuch as the James Webb Space Telescope and the European Extremely Large Telescopewhich have the potential to study the atmospheres of distant Earth-like planets. But even if youre not a scientist, do go out and have a look this week. You are likely to see a slightly bigger moon than usual, exaggerated in size by the moon illusion as it rises or sets, and in some parts of the globe appearing dark and red from the lunar eclipse. Perhaps the event could inspire you to take up moon gazing. Theres so much to love such as the shadows of mountains and crater walls at their most dramatic and the incredible feeling of flying across the lunar landscape when you view it through a telescope. As far as Im concerned, every moon is super. Tim O'Brien, Professor of Astrophysics and Associate Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester The Conversation This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek (Reuters) - A suspect in the stabbing and shooting deaths of a young couple and their infant daughter was expected to be arraigned on murder charges in Missouri this week, authorities said on Tuesday. Drew Atchison, 24, was charged with three counts of first degree murder, kidnapping and other crimes, after the bodies of the three victims were found on Monday in Butler County, Missouri, about 130 miles south of St. Louis, authorities said. The couple, Harley Million, 24 and Samara Kitts, 23, were murdered at their home in neighboring Wayne County on Thursday following a dispute between Atchison and Million, the Butler and Wayne County Sheriff's Offices said. Atchison is currently being held in Wayne County, the Sheriff's office said. It could not immediately be determined if he had a lawyer. No defense attorney was listed in the court filing about his case. A court date for Atchison's arraignment has yet to be set, but is expected this week, the Wayne County Circuit Court Clerk Darren Garrison said. Atchison admitted stabbing Million "in a fit of rage" before he stabbed Kitts in the neck, the Butler Sheriff's Office said in a statement, although the Wayne County Sheriff's Office said he slit their throats. He left their 17-month old daughter Willa Million at the house while he took the couple's bodies to Butler County and buried them, the Butler County Sheriff's Office said. The next day he returned to the house, took the little girl to the same burial spot and shot her, it said. In a statement filed with the Wayne County Court, that county's Sheriff's Office said it discovered Million's empty pickup truck with blood in its bed on Friday, and later spoke with Atchison's brother, whose residence is nearby. That led them to the suspect, who admitted being in the Million's home and killing them with a knife, the court statement said. A Facebook message posted by a woman on behalf of Million's sister said Million and Kitts were not married but had been together for eight years and were "amazing parents to Willa." (Reporting by Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Susan Thomas) Sochi (Russia) (AFP) - Russia's showpiece congress aimed at bringing Syria's seven-year war closer to an end will go ahead on Tuesday, despite the country's main opposition group and Kurdish minority saying they would boycott the event. Regime-backer Moscow has invited 1,600 delegates to the meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi as part of a broader push to consolidate its influence in the Middle East and start hammering out a political solution to the conflict. The main aim of the talks starting at 10:00 am (0700 GMT) will be to establish a committee to create a post-war constitution for Syria with UN-backing, according to a draft statement seen by AFP. Moscow said Syrian society will be fully represented at the meeting -- the first of its kind held in Russia -- but almost all confirmed delegates are from either President Bashar al-Assad's ruling Baath Party, allied movements or the regime's "tolerated opposition". The Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC), the country's main opposition group, said following two days of UN-led talks in Vienna last week that it would not attend the Sochi congress. The SNC accused Assad and his Russian backers of continuing to rely on military might and showing no willingness to enter into honest negotiations. Authorities from Syria's Kurdish autonomous region said at the weekend they would also boycott the event because of the ongoing Turkish offensive on the Kurdish enclave of Afrin. Clashes and air strikes again hit Syria's border region of Afrin on Monday, with new civilian casualties reported as Turkey pursued an offensive against Kurdish forces. Turkey, which supports Syrian rebels vying for Assad's ouster, is co-sponsoring the congress along with regime-backer Iran. However members of both the opposition and Kurdish groups will come to the talks as individuals, the Kremlin's special envoy on the Syria peace process Alexander Lavrentiev said. Story continues More than three dozen other Syrian rebel groups, including influential Islamists, had previously said they would not take part in the Sochi talks. - 'Peace to the people' - Sochi's airport was decorated in banners wishing "Peace to the people of Syria" as delegations arrived on Monday, but they and the billboards lining the route to the congress hall featured only the Syrian regime's flag. The UN's Syria peace negotiator Staffan de Mistura was among the arrivals, despite fears among Western powers that Russia is seeking to undermine a separate track of UN-backed Geneva talks with a view to carving out a settlement that strengthens its ally Assad. The US state department on Monday said it would not send observers to the Sochi conference, saying "our collective focus must remain on the UN-led political process". But Mohannad Dleikan, a representative of the Syrian opposition's so-called Moscow Group, which is attending Sochi but which has been accused by the mainstream opposition of toeing a more conciliatory line on Assad's future, said the aims of the talks were the same as the UN's. "If there is a consensus in Sochi, that will be a serious message to those in Geneva, whether it be the opposition or the regime," he told AFP from Beirut. "We have obtained sufficient guarantees that this process will support Geneva, it will not act as an alternative." - Russian bombing campaign - Moscow, which has spearheaded several rounds of talks from the start of last year in Kazakhstan's Astana, initially hoped to convene the congress in Sochi last November but those efforts collapsed following a lack of agreement among co-sponsors. Moscow's decision to launch a bombing campaign to support Assad in September 2015 -- Russia's first major military operation abroad since Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989 -- is widely seen as a turning point in the multi-front conflict that helped shore up the Syrian president. After two years of military support for the Syrian regime, President Vladimir Putin announced in December last year the partial withdrawal of forces from the country, saying their task had been largely completed. The Syrian war, in which more than 340,000 people have died and millions more been displaced, began in 2011 as the regime crushed anti-government protests. Hualien (Taiwan) (AFP) - Taiwanese troops Tuesday staged live-fire exercises simulating a response to an invasion, as China steppeds up pressure on the island's President Tsai Ing-wen and a row over airline routes escalated. The military sent reconnaissance aircraft to observe simulated incoming ships, and tanks fired rounds as the "enemy" landed at the eastern port of Hualien. Attack helicopters fired flares and F-16 fighter jets launched simulated assaults, backing up the ground battle against the "enemy" troops -- who wore red helmets to differentiate themselves. The ministry did not specify that the annual drill simulated an invasion by China but said it was intended to "show determination to safeguard peace in the Taiwan Strait and national security". The Taiwan Strait separates the island from China. Tsai last month warned against what she called Beijing's "military expansion" -- the increase in Chinese air and naval drills around the island since she came to power in May 2016. There is also a dispute about new flight routes by Chinese airlines in the strait. Beijing sees self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. Cross-strait relations have turned frosty since the inauguration of Tsai, who refuses to acknowledge self-ruling, democratic Taiwan is part of "one China". The drill on Tuesday takes place annually before the Lunar New Year holiday to raise public confidence in Taiwan's defence capabilities. "Our combat-readiness has no holidays," Huang Kai-sen, a lieutenant general, told AFP. "In order for our citizens to feel safe during the Chinese New Year, we are standing by and on guard 24 hours a day." Tensions have been growing this month since China began operating new flight routes in the Taiwan Strait without consulting the island. Taipei slammed the move as reckless and politically motivated, adding it could threaten the island's security and endanger flight safety. Story continues It has retaliated by blocking requests to operate 176 additional flights between Taiwan and China by two Chinese airlines during the Lunar New Year -- the most important holiday for both sides, when tens of thousands of Taiwanese working in China want to travel home. China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Air on Tuesday blasted Taipei's decision as "unreasonable obstruction" for Taiwanese businesspeople and students wanting to return home for the holiday. China Eastern also said in its statement there was "no so-called safety issues" as all the flight routes it uses had been assessed by experts. China also sent its aircraft carrier the Liaoning through the Taiwan Strait twice this month. China's defence ministry urged Taiwanese not to worry but the voyages were seen as shows of strength by Beijing. During a meeting with members of the UN Security Council, President Donald Trump said his administration would no longer engage in talks with the Taliban. He is sitting next to Nikki Haley, the US's ambassador to the UN: AP The media office of the Taliban has told Donald Trump to let it know when hes ready to discuss the USs exit from Afghanistan after the US President said his administration would no longer engage in talks with the terrorist group. Let us know when youre ready to talk to discuss your exit, says a tweet from the account of the media office. Soon is better before it becomes very ugly for you in Afghanistan. You know how to reach us through our office in Doha. During a meeting with members of the UN Security Council, Mr Trump railed against a string of recent attacks in Afghanistan. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a car bombing in Kabul on Saturday that killed roughly 100 people and injured many others. Innocent people are being killed left and right. Bombing, in the middle of children, in the middle of families, bombing, killing all over Afghanistan, Mr Trump said. So we dont want to talk with the Taliban. There may be a time but its going to be a long time. The Trump administration is currently seeking to end a stalemate in the USs longest war. Multiple attempts to hold peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have failed. In 2013, hopes were lifted when the Taliban opened an office in Qatar that was aimed at facilitating negotiations. However, those talks fell apart following a controversy over the Talibans move to hoist the flag it had used in Afghanistan during its five-year rule. Since then, further efforts at engaging the Taliban in negotiations have yielded little progress. After becoming President last January, Mr Trump has sought to change the course of the more than 16-year-old conflict in Afghanistan, deciding to send more US troops to the war-torn country. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Last September, US Defence Secretary James Mattis said the US would take a holistic approach to the war with no set deadlines to defeat the Taliban. I want to reinforce to the Taliban that the only path to peace and political legitimacy for them is through a negotiated settlement, Mr Mattis said. Earlier this month, the state government of Hawaii issued an emergency cell-phone alert, warning the islands residents of an incoming ballistic missile. For 38 excruciating, masturbation-free minutes, Hawaiians prepared for their imminent destruction only to learn that the warning had been a false alarm, triggered by a state employee hitting the wrong button in a drop-down menu. Or at least, that was the states initial story. The truth, according to a new report from the Federal Communications Commission, is slightly different: The warning was not a clumsy accident, but the deliberate act of a state employee who sincerely believed an attack was imminent. This horror-comedy of errors involves miscommunication between a night and day supervisor, a slightly inattentive emergency worker, and the fact that the phrase this is not a drill is commonly used in missile alert drills. As the Washington Post reports: This mistake began when a night-shift supervisor decided to test incoming day-shift workers with a spontaneous drill, the FCC report stated. The supervisor managing the day-shift workers appeared to be aware of the upcoming test but believed it was aimed at the outgoing night-shift workers. As a result, the day-shift manager was not prepared to supervise the morning test, the FCC said. Following standard procedures, the night-shift supervisor posing as U.S. Pacific Command played a recorded message to the emergency workers warning them of the fake threat. The message included the phrase Exercise, exercise, exercise, the FCC report said, but it also had the This is not a drill language used for actual missile alerts. The worker who then sent the emergency alert said they did not hear the exercise part of the message. This person, who has not been publicly identified, declined to be interviewed by investigators, but they did provide a written statement, the FCC said. According to the FCC report released Tuesday, this worker is the only one who apparently did not understand it was a drill. Authorities realized their mistake within three minutes of the alerts publication. But since there was no standard procedure for how to retract such a warning, officials spent nearly a half-hour determining what the most appropriate method would be. To prevent more false alarms in the future, Hawaii plans to provide emergency workers more warning before drills, and to require two workers to issue an alert before it actually goes out to the public. BEIJING (Reuters) - China implied on Monday a new job could be in the offing for Wang Qishan, the powerful former top graft-buster and a close ally of President Xi Jinping, with an announcement that he had been chosen as a delegate to the annual meeting of parliament. Wang stepped down from the seven-man Politburo Standing Committee, the apex of power in China, during a leadership reshuffle in October at the end of the once-in-five-years Communist Party Congress, amid intense interest in whether he would leave the post. Aged 69, Wang had reached the age at which top officials tend to retire, but sources with ties to the leadership have told Reuters Xi could keep him on in some capacity, thanks to his loyalty and history of successfully tackling tough issues such as corruption. Wang has been appointed a delegate to the largely rubber stamp parliament from the southern province of Hunan, according to a notice on the official Hunan Daily's WeChat account that lists all the province's parliamentary delegates. Wang was previously a parliamentary delegate from the Chinese capital, Beijing. The notice gave no other details or reason why Wang had been kept on as a delegate, and it was not possible to reach him for comment. The move is significant because if Wang does not retire, that could set a precedent for Xi to stay on in power after he completes the traditional two terms in office. The national parliament opens in March, and provinces are now selecting their delegates to it. It is unclear what new role Wang could be given, though leadership sources and diplomats say he might become the country's new vice president, with a possible focus on relations with the United States. The State Council Information Office, which doubles as the party spokesman's office, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wang, who keeps a low public profile but is often described as China's second most powerful politician, has not been totally out of the limelight since the end of the congress, for example, attending a banquet Xi hosted for U.S. President Donald Trump in November. Wang was at the forefront of Xi's anti-corruption push launched some five years ago as head of the party's graft fighting Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which has been responsible for jailing dozens of top officials. He has a strong economic background also, previously serving as a vice governor of the central bank, and, as a vice premier with an economic portfolio, helped oversee China's recovery from the 2008 global financial crisis. Wang has experience managing relations with the United States too, heading the China delegation for the economic track at the once annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. (This version of the story was corrected to make clear Wang was previously a delegate for Beijing, not Hunan, paragraph 5) (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Christian Shepherd; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) The body of a teenage girl who police had labeled a runaway when she vanished two weeks ago has been found near her home in a Virginia suburb of Washington. The death of Jholie Moussa, 16, of Alexandria, is being investigated as a homicide, Kent Bailey, a Fairfax County police officer, said Monday. An officer discovered the remains Friday in a wooded area of Woodlawn Neighborhood Park, less than a mile from the teens home. The body was almost entirely covered by leaves and brush, Bailey said. Moussas family reported her missing on Jan. 13, the day after she abruptly left home after Snapchatting with an unknown person, according to her mother, Syreeta Steward. Police labeled the teen a runaway juvenile, which angered her mother, who described Moussa as a 10th-grade honors student with no history of running away. Just because she voluntarily left her home does not mean she voluntarily left her block, Steward told HuffPost on Wednesday. Labeling her a runaway takes away a sense of urgency. Police said they identified the body based its appearance, including a tattoo on the right shoulder. Moussa and her twin sister, Zhane, have matching tattoos an infinity symbol with their names. A cause of death has not yet been released. A call to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Manassas the performing the autopsy was not returned on Monday. Syreeta Steward, center, is pictured with twin daughters Zhane, left, and Jholie Moussa. (Photo: Syreeta Steward) Steward told HuffPost last week that her daughter was last seen after the mysterious Snapchat session. She said she was stepping out and would be right back, according to the mom. About 8 p.m. that night, Zhane received an unusual text message from her sister saying she was heading to a party in Norfolk, Steward said. Norfolk is approximately 190 miles from Alexandria. The message was sent from Moussas phone, but its unclear whether it was Moussa who sent it, her mom said. Later that night, Steward missed a call from Moussas phone. Return calls and texts went unanswered. An undated photo of Jholie Moussa that was released by the Fairfax County Police Department. (Photo: Fairfax County Police Department) Steward was unavailable for comment Monday. Story continues Police havent named any suspects or persons of interest. Anyone with information is asked to call the Fairfax County Police Department at 703-691-2131, or the FBI at 202-278-2000. Moussas family created a Facebook group to share information in the case. Send David Lohr an email or follow him on Facebook and Twitter. Related... Missing Teen's Mom: 'It's A Nightmare I Can't Wake Up From' Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. Samantha Sayers Since Aug. 1, 2018, Samantha Sam Sayers, 28, has been missing in the mountains of Washington state. On the morning of her disappearance , Sayers made the two-hour drive from her Seattle home for a solo hike at Vesper Peak in the North Cascades in Snohomish County. She is familiar with the area and previously went hiking there several times. Samantha Sayers was supposed to contact her boyfriend, Kevin Dares, around 6 p.m. When she didnt, he went looking for her. He located her vehicle parked at the trailhead. Despite increasing darkness, he hiked 2 miles along the rocky pathway before he was forced to turn back. He then notified a local ranger station. According to the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office, a group of hikers reported seeing Samantha Sayers on her way up Vesper Peak around midmorning on Aug. 1. Another hiker reported seeing her the same day at the 6,220-foot summit and then he watched her head south from the summit. The search led by the sheriff's office was suspended on Aug. 23, 2018. Sayers' family has since taken over coordinating volunteer search efforts. Friends and family members are posting updates to a Facebook group, #findsamsayers. They are encouraging everyone to share her story using the hashtag #FindSamSayers. Anyone with any information is asked to call the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office at 425-388-3808 or 425-388-3523. Tamala Wells Tamala Wells, of Detroit, Michigan, disappeared on August 6, 2012. Her mother, Donna Wells-Davis, learned of her daughter's disappearance on Aug. 7, 2012, when she received a phone call from her granddaughter, who was then 6 years old. The little girl said that her mom, then 33, had gone out the previous night and never returned. The mystery deepened when the Pontiac Wells had supposedly been driving was found abandoned just a few blocks from her home. In an interview with HuffPost, the father of Wells' daughter denied any involvement in Wells' disappearance, but he didn't deny how he feels about the mother of his child -- or about the child herself. "She gives me a headache," Rickey Tennant said. "[Wells] used to give me a headache, but I dealt with it, and I'm looking at it right now as 'one headache is better than two headaches.'" READ: Ex-Boyfriend Calls Missing Woman One Less 'Headache' David Neily David Neily disappeared in Mendocino County, Calif., on April 14, 2006. Additional information can be found at this link: www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/21/donald-cavanaugh-david-neily-missing_n_4319266.html Neily was 69 years old when he was last seen. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighed 150 pounds, and had gray hair, green eyes and a white beard. He suffered from stunted growth due to a heart murmur, and as a result his legs were not proportional to his body. Anyone with information asked to call Sgt. Jason Caudillo at (707) 468-3423 or the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Anonymous tip line at (707) 234-2100. Jason Ellis Jason Ellis, of Indianapolis, has been missing since Dec. 3, 2006. According to Project Jason, Ellis disappeared from an apartment he shared with two roommates. One of the roommates allegedly told police that Ellis, then 20, had left and taken his belongings with him. However, Ellis' last two paychecks were untouched and his car was still parked at the residence. In 2010, authorities told local media that they suspect Ellis is the victim of a homicide, but investigators did not elaborate. At the time of his disappearance, Ellis was 160 pounds and 6 feet 1 inch tall. He had a tattoo of his mother's name, Neatrice, on his chest, tattoos of Scooby and Scrappy Doo on his left arm, and a tattoo of a maple leaf and his name on his right arm. Anyone with information regarding Ellis' disappearance is asked to call the Indianapolis Police Department at (317) 413-7440. Ann Marie Newark Authorities in New Braunfels, Texas, are trying to locate 53-year-old Ann Newark. According to the San Antonio Express-News, she was last seen on Sept. 12, 2013, leaving her New Braunfels home after a brief argument with a family member. Authorities said Newark suffers from depression and is believed to be armed with a handgun. She is described as 5 feet 2 inches tall and 160 pounds. She has blonde shoulder-length hair, hazel eyes and a scar on her throat. Anyone with information about Newark's whereabouts is asked to contact the New Braunfels Police Department at (830) 221-4100. Dara Hagans Dara Hagans, 32, of Wilmington, Del., was last seen on Oct. 16, 2013, when she left the Christiana Care healthcare facility on West 14th Street. According to Black & Missing Foundation Inc., Hagans suffers from a unspecified medical condition and there is a genuine concern for her safety and welfare. She may be operating a blue 2005 Ford Focus with Delaware registration 595519. Hagans is described as 200 pounds and 5 feet 3 inches tall. She has black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information is asked to call (877) 972-2634. Chad Cookson WTNH.com reports that Connecticut police are trying to locate Chad Cookson. The 44-year-old from Naugatuck was last heard from on Aug. 22, 2013, when he spoke with his son by telephone. Cookson's son told police his father was depressed because of the recent death of his mother. Cookson is described as 250 pounds and 5 feet 10 inches tall. He has brown hair and brown eyes. His vehicle, a red 2001 Pontiac Montana, with license plate 705-FET, is also missing. Anyone with information on Chad Cookson's whereabouts is asked to contact the Naugatuck Police Department at (203) 729-5221. William Culbreath William Culbreath, 77, of Volusia County, Fla., was last seen on Oct. 17, 2013, when he left his Deltona home to go to a doctor's appointment in Orange City. Culbreaths wife reported him missing when he did not return. According to police, Culbreath could be suffering from delusions. A description of the missing man has not been released. Investigators also are trying to locate his black 1997 Ford van with a gray stripe and Florida license tag number VA6257. Anyone with information about Culbreath's whereabouts is asked to contact the Volusia County Sheriff's Office at (407) 323-0151. Erik Lamberg Erik Lamberg, 51, of Hermosa Beach, Calif., has not been seen since May 28, 2013, when he checked out of a hotel in Laytonville. His vehicle was later found abandoned in Northern California. Despite several searches, authorities have been unable to locate the missing computer security technician. Lamberg is described as 6 feet 5 inches tall, 200 pounds with sandy blond hair and blue eyes. Anyone who may have seen Lamberg or has information about his whereabouts is asked to call the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office at (707) 463-4086. A website and Facebook page have been created to share information in the case. Tametre Taylor The Associated Press reports that Tennessee police are trying to locate Tametre Taylor. The 40-year-old from Memphis was last heard from on Oct. 11, 2013, when she spoke with her pastor by telephone. No additional details have been released. Anyone with information on Taylors whereabouts is asked to contact the Memphis Police Department at (901) 545-2677. Robert Mayer Robert Mayer, 46, of Dix Hills, N.Y., has not been seen since June 14, 2013. Robert Mayer's red 2004 Pontiac GTO was found in the parking lot of the Long Island Rail Road's Deer Park station the day after he disappeared. The keys were not inside the vehicle and according to Mayer's wife, the driver's seat was adjusted much farther forward than her husband typically kept it. Mayer is described as a white male, 6 feet 1 inch tall and about 200 pounds. He has brown hair and green-hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray polo-type work shirt with a J.C. Electrical logo, light blue jeans and black work boots. His left middle finger is missing the tip. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Suffolk County Police Second Squad detectives at (631) 854-8252. Kenneth Lawson Patricia Bryan has been looking for her father, Kenneth Lawson, since June 6, 2013. The 76-year-old was last seen at his home in Union Point, Ga. A number of exhaustive searches have been conducted. "We have had no leads on the whereabouts of my father," Bryan said. "He was not always in a state of confusion. He would have moments were he would check out or not know where he was, but this was not all the time. Up till my father went missing, I didn't realize just how many people with dementia and Alzheimer's went missing on a daily basis. The media does not do them justice." Crystal Rogers Crystal Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five, was last seen at her from Bardstown, Kentucky home on July 3, 2015, by her live-in boyfriend, 34-year-old Brooks Houck. Bardstown is a small city located roughly 60 miles southwest of Lexington. Rogers' maroon 2007 Chevy Impala was found abandoned with a flat tire along Kentucky's Bluegrass Parkway two days after she disappeared. Her keys, purse and cell phone were reportedly found inside the car. Investigators have since named Houck a suspect in his girlfriend's disappearance. Crystal Rogers is described as a white female, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 150 pounds, with shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact the Nelson County Sheriff's Office at 502-348-1840. READ: Search For Missing Mom Crystal Rogers Eerily Similar To Aunt's 1979 Disappearance Willie Michael Wheaton Willie Michael Wheaton, 57, was last seen at a Greyhound bus station in Jackson, Miss., on the evening of June 17, 2006. Wheaton boarded a bus that was en route to Sacramento, Calif., but it is unknown if he ever arrived. For more information, visit Blackandmissinginc.com. Jennifer Kesse Jennifer Kesse has been missing from Orlando, Fla., since Jan. 24, 2006. It is believed she was abducted from her apartment complex early that morning. On Jan. 26, 2006, Kesse's car was found abandoned at a condominium complex located roughly 1 mile down the road from where she lived. Valuables were found inside the vehicle, leading police to believe Kesse was not the victim of a robbery or carjacking. Police bloodhounds tracked a scent from where the car was found back to Kesse's condo, but the trail ended there. At the time of her disappearance, Jennifer Kesse was 24 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 135 pounds. She had shoulder-length sandy blonde hair and green eyes. Anyone with information in the case or who would like to donate to search efforts can do so at Findjenniferkesse.com. Tipsters can also call anonymously at 800-423-8477. Jacob Tipp Jacob "Jake" Lipp, 27, is missing from North Huntingdon, Pa., last seen Dec. 16, 2013, in Pittsburgh by his girlfriend. Lipp and his girlfriend were at Static Bar when they got into a fight and the girlfriend drove off, leaving Lipp at the McDonald's on Penn Avenue around 3 a.m. She came back to get him and he was gone. He has not been seen since. Lipp is 5 feet 6 inches, 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. (Missing Persons Of America) Lauren Spierer Lauren Spierer, 20, was last seen around 4:30 a.m. on June 3, 2011, just a few blocks from her apartment in Bloomington, Ind. Earlier in the night, Spierer had visited Kilroy's, a nearby sports bar that closes at 3 a.m. When she left the establishment, she left behind her shoes and cell phone, police said. After leaving the bar, Spierer reportedly went to the apartment of Corey Rossman, a fellow college student at the university, before deciding to walk home. What happened to her after that remains a mystery. She was reported missing less than 12 hours later. Bloomington police, Indiana University police, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Indiana State Police and the FBI have all conducted searches for Spierer. Lauren Spierer is described as a white female, 4 feet 11 inches tall with a slender build. She has blue eyes and blond hair. She was last seen wearing a white tank top with a light-colored shirt over it and black stretch pants. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call Bloomington Police at 812-339-4477. Carlos Diaz Carlos Diaz, of Bronx, N.Y., disappeared on Dec. 23, 1986, after he went out to bury a family pet. He has not been seen since. He is described as a Hispanic male with brown hair and brown eyes. He was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 170 pounds at the time of his disappearance. He has a tattoo of the initials C.D. on his left hand. For more information, visit Findthemissing.org. Vilet Torrez Vilet Patricia Torrez, 38, of Miramar, Fla., was last seen by a friend she met for dinner on the night of March 30, 2012. Authorities have declined to comment on where Torrez went for dinner and will not release the name of the person she was with. Torrez's movements after the dinner are also unknown, but the vehicle she was driving was later found at her residence in the 12900 block of Southwest 28th Court, a gated community off Miramar Parkway. Torrez was scheduled to work March 31 at her job with Bath Fitter in Doral, but she did not show up or call in. On April 2, Torrez was reported missing. Her estranged husband, Cid Torrez, has since been named a person of interest in her disappearance. Torrez is 5 feet 3 inches, weighs 125 to 130 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to call Miramar police at (954) 602-4000 or Broward Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-TIPS. Michelle Parker Michelle Parker, 33, vanished on Nov. 17, 2011, the same day that her appearance with her ex-fiance, Dale Smith, aired on "The People's Court." The couple was in dispute over a $5,000 engagement ring. After hearing both sides, Judge Marilyn Milian ordered Parker to pay Smith $2,500. A few hours after the episode aired, Parker dropped her 3-year-old twins off at Smith's condo for scheduled visitation. Parker's 2008 black Hummer H3 was found the following day in a parking lot on the west side of Orlando. Decals for Parker's Glow mobile tanning business had been removed from the windows, police said. Police initially said that Smith was cooperating and was not considered a suspect, but during a later press conference he was named the primary suspect in Parker's disappearance. For more information, visit Find Michelle Parker. Nieko Lisi Nieko Lisi, 18, lives in Jasper, N.Y., about 40 miles from Elmira. According to relatives, Lisi was en route to Buffalo when he disappeared. He was last seen around 2 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2011, when he and friend Robert Knight, 20, stopped at Lisi's uncle's home in Addison, N.Y. Knight arrived at his parents' home in Michigan on the morning of Oct. 1, 2011. He allegedly told family members Lisi had dropped him off, but no one physically saw Lisi, police said. Lisi's family reported him missing and on Oct. 5, Michigan police went to talk to Knight about his friend's whereabouts. According to WETM-TV, Knight "suffered some sort of ailment" during police questioning and was hospitalized. Knight was released from the hospital on Oct. 9. The next day, Knight was found dead in his parents' home. Lisi is described as a white male, 5-foot-10-inches tall and 160 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo of Chinese writing on the back of his right arm, a large angel on his right side and a large woman with a devil's tail on his left side. He was last seen wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a silver cross necklace. Anyone with information about Lisi's whereabouts is asked to call New York State Police at (607) 776- 6866. Lisi's family is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to his whereabouts. Kelly Armstrong Kelly Armstrong, mother of a 2-year-old son, has been missing from Kokomo, Ind., since August 2011. Family members became concerned when they were unable to reach her. A missing person report was filed on Sept. 26, 2011. In February 2012, authorities charged Armstrong's boyfriend, Travis Funke, with voluntary manslaughter in her death. According to an arrest affidavit, Funke allegedly told investigators he killed Armstrong around the first of July, placing a plastic bag on her head, wrapping her in a tarp and putting her in a trash tote. The garbage container was supposedly picked up later that same day. Investigators spent six days sifting through 6,000 tons of trash at the local landfill, but were unable to locate Armstrong's remains. Armstrong's father, David Armstrong, doubts Funke's version of events. People interested in helping search or donating funds can do so at Operationfindkelly.yolasite.com. Anyone with information is asked to contact Kokomo police at 765-459-5101. Robyn Gardner Robyn Gardner was last seen in Oranjestad, Aruba, on Aug. 2, 2011, traveling with Gary Giordano, an acquaintance she met on a dating website. Giordano claimed Gardner was swept out to sea while snorkeling in waters off Baby Beach. Giordano, 50, allegedly told police he had noticed a current pulling them out to sea and signaled to Gardner that they should return to shore. But when he got to dry land, she was nowhere to be found. Authorities conducted an extensive search of the area, but were unable to locate the 35-year-old Maryland woman's body. On Aug. 5, police took Giordano into custody before he left Aruba. Authorities held Giordano for four months in Gardner's disappearance, but he was released without charges in early December. Gardner vanished in the same Aruban town where teenager Natalee Holloway disappeared in May 2005. Gardner's whereabouts, like Holloway's, remain a mystery. For more information, visit theRobyn Gardner Full Coverage page. William "Billy" Disilvestro Billy Disilvestro, 28, has been missing since Feb. 7, 2011, when his grandmother dropped him off at a friend's house in Hamilton, Ohio. At about 2:30 a.m., DiSilvestro placed two calls -- one to his mother and one to his grandmother. Both calls went unanswered. What happened to DiSilvestro after that remains a mystery. According to police, the friend said DiSilvestro left the house after attempting to contact his mother and grandmother -- presumably for a ride. It is believed he was headed to his grandmother's house about 2 miles away, which would take him through a forested area called Milikin Woods. Authorities have conducted several searches of the area, but have yet to find any sign of the missing man. DiSilvestro is described as a white male, 6 feet 2 inches tall, 180 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing jeans and a gray winter coat with fur around the hood. DiSilvestro has several tattoos, including the word SMOKE across his back, Jesus carrying a cross on his upper right arm, and a large angel on his upper left arm. Anyone with information regarding this case should contact the Butler County Sheriff's Office at 513-785-1300. Susan Powell Susan Powell was reported missing by her family on Dec. 7, 2009, when she failed to show up for her job as a stockbroker at Wells Fargo Financial. Her husband, Josh Powell, told police he had been camping with their two children, then ages 2 and 4, and had last seen his wife around midnight. Suspicious of his story, investigators named Powell a "person of interest" in his wife's disappearance. Not long after, Powell and his two children moved back to his hometown of Puyallup, Wash. On Feb. 5, 2012, police say Josh Powell attacked his two boys, Charlie, 7, and Braden, 5, with a hatchet and then set his home on fire, killing the three of them in a gas-fueled explosion. Since that time, a mountain of evidence has emerged that supports law enforcement's decision to name Powell the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance. Nevertheless, her whereabouts remain a mystery. Natalee Holloway Natalee Holloway, 18, from Mountain Brook, Ala., disappeared May 30, 2005, while on a trip to Aruba to celebrate her high school graduation. Holloway's classmates said they last saw her leaving Carlos 'n Charlie's nightclub with Joran van der Sloot, then a 17-year-old Dutch honors student living in Aruba, and his two friends, Surinamese brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. All three young men would be arrested in the case, but they were released without being charged. On Jan. 13, 2012, van der Sloot, now 24, was sentenced to 28 years in prison for the slaying of Stephany Flores on May 30, 2010. The Peruvian business student was found dead in van der Sloot's hotel room in Lima that year. Van der Sloot was charged with first-degree murder and robbery in the case. Holloway's body has never been found. Lakeisha Nichole Archie Lakeisha Nichole Archie was last seen on Aug. 5, 2002. A family member dropped her off at a residence in the vicinity of Park Street and Buckeye in Sidney, Ohio, and she has not been seen since. Archie has a tattoo that reads "Lakeisha" on the right side of her neck, a tattoo of a black panther on her left forearm and tattoos of claws on each breast. For more information, visit Blackandmissinginc.com. Jessie Foster Jessie Foster has not been seen since March 29, 2006. According to her mother, Foster was living in Kamloops, British Columbia, in the spring of 2005, when she began traveling to the United States. In May 2005, the then 21-year-old ended up going to Las Vegas. While in Las Vegas, Foster met a man and the two were quickly engaged to be married. The man was reportedly wealthy and the two lived together in a million-dollar home. In 2006, Foster stopped calling her family. Concerned, they contacted her fiance and he allegedly said Foster had left him in April 2006. Foster's family promptly reported her missing to police, but with few clues to follow, the case quickly went cold. Foster is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and 120 pounds, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Anyone with information is asked to call Las Vegas Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. Foster's mother also maintains a website devoted to the case, which can be found at jessiefoster.ca. According to the site, a $50,000 dollar reward is being offered for information in the case. Jesse Ross Jesse Warren Ross was a 19-year-old sophomore when he vanished on Nov. 21, 2006, while attending a mock United Nations conference in Chicago. According to police, Ross was last seen at about 2:30 a.m., leaving the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, where a conference dance was held. Surveillance footage from the hotel does not indicate Ross was intoxicated when he left. He was likely heading to his hotel, the Four Points Sheraton, about 10 minutes away. What happened to Ross after he left remains a mystery. For more information, visit Findjesseross.com. Brittanee Drexel Brittanee Drexel, 17, was last seen by friends on April 25, 2009, when she left the Bar Harbor Hotel in Myrtle Beach, S.C., to meet friends at the nearby BlueWater Resort. Surveillance footage shows Drexel arriving at the resort, then leaving roughly 10 minutes later. What happened to her after that is a mystery. For more information, visit Helpfindbrittanee.com. Corrie Anderson Corrie Anderson, a 36-year-old mother of three from Chautauqua County, N.Y., was last seen at about 1 p.m. on Oct. 28, 2008. Family members reported Anderson missing at about 3:45 p.m. that day, when she failed to show up at her son's school for a meeting. Two days later, a hunter discovered Anderson's car abandoned about 2 miles from her house. Authorities used ATVs, helicopters and dogs to search areas of interest in the case, but there's been no sign of Anderson. For more information, visit Findcorrie.com. John James Morris John James Morris, 38, was last seen on July 30, 2007, in the driveway of his ex-boyfriend's residence on Whites Ferry Road in Dickerson, Md. According to police, Morris' ex-boyfriend was out of town on the day John stopped by to pick up his belongings. Morris has not used his credit card or cell phone since and, according to his family, he did not have his ADD (attention deficit disorder) medication with him when he disappeared. For more information, visit Findjohnmorris.com. Ahren Benjamin Barnard Ahren Barnard was last seen in Boise, Idaho, on Dec. 4, 2004. He dropped his young son off for the evening with the child's mother and presumably drove home. His car was later found parked in his driveway, but he has not been seen since. For more information, visit Helpfindahren.com. Roxanne Paltauf Roxanne Paltauf was 18 years old on July 7, 2006, when she disappeared from the Budget Inn hotel in Austin, Texas. According to Roxanne's mother, Elizabeth Harris, Roxanne had been staying at the hotel with her boyfriend. The couple had an argument and, according to the boyfriend, she left the hotel, leaving all of her belongings behind. For more information, visit Find Roxanne Paltauf. William "Billy" Smolinski William "Billy" Smolinski, was a 31-year-old resident of Waterbury, Conn., when he disappeared Aug. 24, 2004. Smolinski told a neighbor he was going out of town for a few days to look at a vehicle. He has not been seen since and his truck was later found in his driveway. His keys and wallet were found inside. Investigators searched Smolinski's home and truck, and conducted several interviews but found no clues suggesting what might have happened to him. For more information, visit Justice4billy.com. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas plans on Tuesday to execute a Dallas man who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend in 1999 while he was out on parole after serving prison time for killing his wife in 1986. William Rayford, 64, is set to be executed by lethal injection at 6 p.m. at the state's death chamber in Huntsville for beating and strangling former girlfriend Carol Hall, 44. If the execution goes ahead, it would be the second in the United States this year, both in Texas. The current lawyers for Rayford, who is black, have launched a last-minute appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court saying his lawyers at the punishment phase introduced prejudicial racial elements and failed to provide adequate counsel. "Mr. Rayford ... received a death sentence after his trial attorney elicited evidence that a persons race is a factor in their likelihood of committing assaults while in prison," they wrote in their appeal, adding the link between race and prison assaults did not exist. Lawyers for Texas contend that Rayford did not complain until one week before his scheduled execution that his trial counsel was ineffective. They added that blood taken from Rayford's lip, head and neck at the time of the killing matched Hall's DNA. Prosecutors said Rayford had a key to Hall's home and entered on the day of the murder. He then got into an argument with his former girlfriend. When Hall's then 12-year-old son came to see what was happening, Rayford stabbed the boy in the back and Hall fled for safety, prosecutors said. The boy, who survived, went to a neighbor's house and the neighbor called police, they said. Rayford caught Hall, and then beat her to death, dumping her body in a drainage pipe, prosecutors said. Rayford was captured in Hall's backyard about an hour after police arrived. He was wet and had bloodstains on his clothes, they said. Rayford had served eight years of his 23-year sentence for killing his wife when he was released on parole in 1994, prison records showed. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Peter Cooney) Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. In response to last years massive data breach at Equifax, the credit bureau, which is based in Atlanta, offered free TrustedID Premier identity protection services to victims and anyone else in the U.S. who wanted it. If you havent signed up yet, the deadline for getting that freebie for a year runs out Wednesday (Jan. 31). Equifax declined to say how many consumers have enrolled. Heres where you can sign up. After Wednesday, TrustedID Premier will no longer be available to new customers, and it will be discontinued altogether a year later, on Jan. 31, 2019, because it was specifically designed to respond to the breach. So dont expect it to automatically renew when your free year ends. Also on Wednesday, Equifax will launch a new Lock & Alert product that will let consumers quickly lock and unlock their Equifax credit report online or via a mobile app. The new product will be free for life and available to all adult U.S. consumers with an Equifax credit report. Equifax has also extended the deadline to freeze your credit report for free. While the company had originally given consumers until the end of January, it is now extending that deadline until June 30. All this means consumers now have three free options from Equifax to shut identity thieves out of their Equifax credit reports. But you may still wonder if you should sign up for the dying TrustedID service for its final year? Grab the new one? What other safeguards are worth pursuing? Heres what you need to know to best protect yourself against identity theft: Consumer Reports experts say signing up for the last year of TrustedID by Jan. 31 will offer some benefits, but they caution that no identity protection service negates the need for consumers to take their own steps to guard against identity fraud. If its free, I dont see any harm, cant hurt, says Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a San Diego consumer education and advocacy organization. Stephens says TrustedID Premiers three-bureau credit monitoring and its dark-web monitoring for your Social Security number are useful. Story continues But as identity protection services go, there are better choices if you want to pay someone else to help you prevent, detect, and resolve identity fraud. In December, TrustedID Premier was judged to be a laggard by Javelin Strategy & Research, a California firm, which assessed 18 leading identity protection services. Equifax declined to comment. Six others were rated as leaders: EZShield Platinum, IdentityForce Ultrasecure, ID Watchdog, LegalShield IDShield, LifeLock Ultimate Plus, and TransUnion TrueIdentity. Do-It-Yourself Alternatives Paid protection can cost $50 to $480 per year for each covered individual. Thats one reason many experts recommend security freezes and fraud alerts as an effective, low cost do-it-yourself alternative. A security freeze placed on your credit file will block most lenders from seeing your credit history. And if a prospective lender cant pull your credit report, its unlikely that the lender would issue a new loan. That usually stops identity thieves from setting up fraudulent accounts in your name. Most states allow credit bureaus to charge a fee typically ranging from $5 to $10 to place and remove, or lift, freezes. Typically, theres no fee for identity-theft victims who have filed a police report about an incident. Currently, four states prohibit fees for freezes or lifts, according to the United States Public Interest Research Group, a consumer advocacy organization. Four others allow fees for lifts but not freezes. Theres no fee to place a fraud alert on your credit report. In general, we would like freezes to be free, says Justin Brookman, director of consumer privacy and technology at Consumers Union, the policy and mobilization division of Consumer Reports. Last November, Consumers Union presented Equifax with a petition signed by 180,000 people demanding that the credit bureau offer free credit freezes to consumers beyond Jan. 31, among other concerns. On Tuesday, Equifax announced that it would do that, extending its waiver of fees for placing and lifting security freezes until June 30, 2018. Consumers can either freeze or lock their credit report, not both. TrustedID Premier also has a feature that lets consumers lock and unlock their Equifax credit report. We dont have sufficient information at this time to evaluate Equifaxs free Lock & Alert product being released Jan. 31. When we do, well provide an update. Whether or not you sign up for free Trusted ID Premier or buy a more robust paid service, youll still have to maintain your own vigilance against identity fraud. Here are four more ways to lock down your personal finances: Activate Two-Factor Authentication In todays world of digital crime and Internet fraud, two-factor authentication is an important extra layer of safety. It requires not just a password but also a second element, such as a code texted to your smartphone, which you have but a crook cant easily get. Set up and activate two-factor authentication on all your existing mobile banking, savings, credit card, home equity line of credit, and other financial accounts that offer it. Most banks that offer mobile banking also authenticate the device you use to access your account. Banks with the most cutting-edge security use yet another factor, biometric authentication, which verifies your identity by using your fingerprint or voice print, or through facial recognitionwhich criminals cant easily fake. Maximize Your Mutual Fund Security Although the Securities and Exchange Commission requires mutual fund companies to have policies reasonably designed to identify, detect, and respond to red flags of identity theft, unlike FDIC-insured banks, these investment companies arent required to restore assets stolen by hackers. You should call your 401(k) plan provider and other investment managers to learn their fraud protection policies because they can vary from company to company. If your investment company doesnt explicitly reimburse stolen funds, consider moving your money elsewhere. Two of the biggest investment companies, Fidelity and Vanguard, have voluntary online fraud policies that promise to reimburse assets stolen in unauthorized online transactions. To get protection, Fidelity and Vanguard require that you follow certain safeguards, which you should be doing anyway, including regularly reviewing your account statements and immediately reporting any errors or suspected fraud; keeping up-to-date security on any computer or other device you use to access your account (firewall, antispyware, and antivirus software); not responding to, clicking a link in, or opening an attachment in an e-mail that you suspect might be fraudulent and that requests personal financial information; and using two-factor authentication. Place a Fraud Alert on Credit Reports A fraud alert is different from a credit freeze. The fraud alert is a notice on your credit report that warns both current and prospective lenders that they must take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting credit, such as a new credit card or loan, or extending credit on an existing account. You need to request a fraud alert at only one of the big three credit bureaus, which will then pass it on to the other two. You may also want to separately place another alert with Innovis. An alert lasts 90 days. If youre an ID-theft victim, you can get a fraud alert that stays in place for seven years. But you may be better off with the 90-day alert because that allows you to get a free credit report from each of the four credit bureaus each time you renew the alert. Secure Your Smartphone and Email How you manage your smartphone and email accounts can be critical to your online security. Your phone is where all your second-factor text message codes are sent and where your mobile banking and other money apps live. Email is where your financial institutions send alerts and password reset links. Hackers can hijack your phone and access important information, but its difficult, and if you take only one extra step, a hacker will pass you up and try elsewhere, says Roger Entner, founder of Recon Analytics, a telecom research firm. Heres how you can make your phone and email harder targets: Activate two-factor authentication on your email account. When you log in to your email on an unfamiliar computer or phone, youll get a text with the necessary code to complete login. A hacker would need that code, too, but cant get it without your phone. Better yet, download an authenticator app such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator, which generates these codes without the need for texts, which can be intercepted. Use a password management app such as LastPass on your computers browser and on your phone, advises Russell Vines, Consumer Reports director of information security. LastPass creates and plugs different passwords into each of your accounts when you log in, so you dont have to invent and keep track of dozens of passwords. This eliminates the temptation of using the same password for multiple accounts, which can provide a master key for hackers. Never click unsolicited, unexpected, or suspicious-looking links sent to you by email or text. They could download malware capable of spying on your phone or personal computer activity. Follow other security tips for your phones specific operating system using the FCC Smartphone Security Checker, a customizable interactive tool. Editor's Note: This article was updated on January 30, 2018 to reflect Equifax's recent decision to allow consumers to freeze their credit reports for free until June 30, 2018. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples 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. FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe stepped down from his post Monday after months of criticism and accusations made by President Donald Trump about the Justice Department and McCabes alleged bias against his administration. McCabe was scheduled to retire in March but is now reportedly taking leave, according to NBC News. He had planned for years to leave when he was eligible for retirement but had also built up enough leave time to continue remaining on the FBIs payroll in order to still retire by mid-March. The exact reason for his sudden departure remains unclear, however, with a report from CBS News stating that McCabe was urged to step down. Trending: Mexico Ramps Up Security After Deadliest Year On Record, Interior Ministry Says This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Monday's revelation follows a number of attacks by Trump against McCabe. The Republican had specifically pummeled McCabe with allegations of bias due to his wife, Jill, having received funds from a political action committee linked to Democrat and former Trump foe Hillary Clinton. "How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin' James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife's campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?" the president tweeted December 23. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Trump added: FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!! Don't miss: Top U.S. Military Officer Says Beards Aren't Professional, Calls Facial Hair A 'Gimmick' This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Trump followed up a day later, tagging Fox News: .@ FoxNews -FBIs Andrew McCabe, in addition to his wife getting all of this money from M (Clinton Puppet), he was using, allegedly, his FBI Official Email Account to promote her campaign. You obviously cannot do this. These were the people who were investigating Hillary Clinton. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The allegations were the same from Trump back in July, when he questioned why Attorney General Jeff Sessions had not fired McCabe over this relationship to former FBI Director James Comey. Story continues Why didn't A.G. Sessions replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a Comey friend who was in charge of Clinton investigation.... Trump tweeted July 26. Most popular: Oprah Is the Belle of Twitter on Her 64th Birthday This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. On July 25, Trump also brought up the campaign donation, tweeting: Problem is that the acting head of the FBI & the person in charge of the Hillary investigation, Andrew McCabe, got $700,000 from H for wife! This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. McCabes exit also follows a report last week from The Washington Post that Trump asked who the former federal prosecutor had voted for in the 2016 presidential election. The meeting took place in May after Trump had fired Comey and McCabe took on the role of interim director until Christopher Wray was approved by the U.S. Senate last year. McCabe reportedly told Trump he had not voted in the election, and he found the question disturbing. The question is also reportedly of interest to Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into alleged collusion between Trumps former campaign and Russia to win the White House. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek A Florida lawmaker on Monday hit back at what she said was President Donald Trump's hateful attitude toward black people and African countries, saying she would be boycotting his State of the Union address on Tuesday . "To go would be to honor the president and I don't think he deserves to be honored at this time, after being so hateful towards black people and then black countries, Representative Frederica Wilson told CNN on Monday. Referring to derogatory comments Trump reportedly directed against Haiti and African nations a few weeks ago, Wilson, a Democrat who represents Floridas 24th district, said it hurts, and he has brought the White House to the lowest and I dont think he needs to be honored with my presence. Trending: Who is Patrick Witty? National Geographic Editor Accused of Sexual Misconduct With Photographers Wilson Joe Skipper/Getty Images Trump has since denied he made those remarks. Don't miss: 55 Celebrities and More Who Have Fake Followers, According to The New York Times This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This is not the first time Wilson has attacked Trump. In October, she criticized the president over his condolence call to Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Sergeant La David Johnson, one of four U.S. soldiers killed in combat in Niger. Wilson, who said she heard the telephone exchange between Johnson and Trump, said he told the widow her husband knew what he signed up for. Trump called his conversation with the widow very respectful, but White House Chief of Staff John Kelly kept the incident in the headlines by criticizing Wilson for sharing details of the call. Kelly also falsely claimed Wilson took credit for securing the funding for an FBI facility in 2015. Most popular: Ancient Egypt Artifacts Depicting Ramses the Great as Victorious General Were Spreading Fake News Story continues Wilson said the deadly incident in Niger was Trumps Benghazi, a reference to the 2012 terrorist attack at the U.S. consulate in Libya, for which Republicans blamed then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Several other Democrats also plan to boycott Tuesday's State of the Union address, citing Trump's behavior. In addition, several female Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, plan to wear black during the address, in a show of solidarity with the "MeToo" movement. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek London (AFP) - The European Union trades with America "very unfairly", President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sunday, warning that his many problems with Brussels "may morph into something very big". "The European Union has treated the United States very unfairly when it came to trade," Trump told Britain's ITV channel in the interview conducted Thursday. "I've had a lot of problems with (the) European Union, and it may morph into something very big from that standpoint -- from a trade standpoint." Trump delivered the warning during a wide-ranging interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he took his "America First" agenda to the global business elite. In a speech Friday he told the forum that his mantra "does not mean America alone" and hinted that the US could rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal he withdrew from a year ago. But earlier this month the Trump Administration imposed steep tariffs on imported washing machines and solar panels, and his interview comments may cause alarm in European capitals over future trade relations with the US. Last year it vowed to impose nearly 300 percent punitive tariffs on airplanes manufactured by Canada's Bombardier. A bipartisan US trade panel blocked that decision on Friday but the dispute, which has inflamed relations with Ottawa -- and to a lesser degree Britain, where Bombardier has a large workforce -- could be a harbinger for the EU. "We cannot get our product in. It's very, very tough. And yet, they send their product to us -- no taxes, very little taxes. It's very unfair," Trump added. "They're not the only one, by the way, and I could name many countries and places that do (the same). "But the European Union has been very, very unfair to the United States. And I think it will turn out to be very much to their detriment." - 'I certainly apologise' - Story continues In other remarks aired Sunday, Trump appeared to slight British Prime Minister Theresa May's handling of fraught Brexit negotiations, declaring that he would have "negotiated it differently". "I would have had a different attitude," he said of the talks, which have followed Britain's June 2016 referendum vote to leave the EU, and will continue through to its planned departure in March 2019. "I think I would have said that the European Union is not cracked up to what it's supposed to be. And I would have taken a tougher stand in getting out," Trump added. But May will welcome his prediction -- reinforced by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in Davos -- that the US could swiftly strike a post-Brexit trade deal with London. "We are going to make a deal with (the) UK that'll be great," he said, noting constraints imposed by the Brexit process. "When that restriction is up we're going to be your great trading partner." The US president also apologised for the first time for retweeting a British far-right group's videos apparently showing Islamist violence. "If you're telling me they're horrible racist people, I would certainly apologise if you'd like me to do that," he said. Trump confirmed he will visit Britain later this year, where he believes he is "very popular". The president said he does not care about those opposed to his British visit, who include London mayor Sadiq Khan and the opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, amid predictions of large protests. "I think a lot of people in your country like what I stand for, they respect what I stand for," he told his interviewer Piers Morgan. Asked if he had received an invitation to the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle later this year, Trump replied "not that I know of". "I really want them to be happy. They look like a lovely couple," he said, when pressed on disparaging comments Markle previously made about the president. - Not a feminist - During the interview -- billed as the first of his presidency with a non-US international broadcaster -- Trump was asked if he identifies as a feminist. "No, I wouldn't say I'm a feminist," he replied. "I mean, I think that would be, maybe, going too far. I'm for women, I'm for men, I'm for everyone." Trump also signalled he would be willing to recommit the US to the Paris climate accord, but only if the treaty undergoes major change. "The Paris accord, for us, would have been a disaster," he said in the interview Sunday. "If they made a good deal... there's always a chance we'd get back." President Donald Trump seemed to be in a fog about the facts of climate change during his British TV sit-down with Piers Morgan, which aired Sunday night. Trump said in the ITV interview that the polar ice caps were supposed to be gone by now, but instead theyre setting records. The ice caps were going to melt, he said, they were going to be gone by now. But now theyre setting records. Theyre at a record level. Asked if he thinks that climate change is happening, Trump said, There is a cooling, and theres a heating. I mean, look, it used to not be climate change, it used to be global warming. Right? That wasnt working too well because it was getting too cold all over the place. This is not how the scientists explain it. Climate change, according to NASA, refers to a broad range of global phenomena created predominantly by burning fossil fuels. The increasing average temperature of the Earth that is, global warming is one key result. Others are rising sea levels and a growing trend toward extreme weather and weather anomalies linked to that. Last year was Earths second hottest on record. The worlds oceans were the hottest ever recorded in 2017. As for things getting too cold all over the place, there hasnt been a cooler-than-average year since 1976, according to more than 135 years of temperature records kept by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The last four years have been the globes four hottest on record, according to NOAA. Now the polar ice caps are breaking records for melting. And last year NASA reported that sea ice in both the Arctic and the Antarctic was at a record low, again due to melting. But its not clear who, except for Trump, thought the melting process would happen so quickly that the ice caps would have disappeared by 2018. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Several scientists criticized Trumps assessment of climate change and its effects as dead wrong. Ice on the ocean and on land are both disappearing rapidly, and we know why: increasing greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels that trap more heat and melt the ice, Rutgers University climate scientist Jennifer Francis told The Associated Press. Story continues Trump recently pointed to a winter cold snap on the East Coast as disproving climate change, apparently confusing climate and weather. As NASA and NOAA explain, climate refers to trends in atmospheric behavior over long periods of time, whereas weather is what happens today and tomorrow, varying even minute to minute. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Perhaps in an effort to demonstrate his environmental bona fides, Trump told Morgan that he does believe in clean air. I believe in crystal-clear, beautiful water. I believe in just having good cleanliness in all. The president also said he might consider rejoining the Paris climate accord which he pulled the U.S. out of last year under different terms. If somebody said go back into the Paris accord, it would have to be a completely different deal because we had a horrible deal, he said. As usual, they took advantage of the U.S. We were in a terrible deal. Would I go back in? Yeah, Id go back in. ... I would love to, but its got to be a good deal for the U.S. Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. President Donald Trumps pick for ambassador to Chile reportedly has deep financial ties to Jared Kushners family that the White House did not announce early this month. Andrew Gellert is a prominent businessman and president of Gellert Global Group in New Jersey whom Trump nominated on January 4, but the White House statement did not disclose he is the son of George Gellert, a close friend of Kushners father Charles Kushner, Bloomberg reported on Monday. The older men for decades have partaken in handshake deals, and the most notable of their shared interests is 666 Fifth Avenue, a Manhattan office tower in deep debt and seeking foreign investors. Kushner Companies owns 50.5 percent of the 41-story building and the Gellerts have a substantial portion of that share, a person familiar with the deal told the publication. Trending: Melania Trump to Attend State of the Union Despite Fury Over Trump Porn Star Affair Allegations Related: Jared Kushner Company Stops Seeking Chinese Money For Luxury Tower Amid Conflicts-of-Interest Criticism Andy is a brilliant young man who has been instrumental in building a very successful family business, Charles Kushner through a spokeswoman told the media outlet. Our country is fortunate to have Andy serve in such an important ambassadorship. George Gellert often co-guaranteed loans for properties with Charles Kushners wife after he was convicted of illegal campaign contributions, witness tampering and tax evasion in 2005. Don't miss: Father Buried Alive After Digging Sand Tunnel On Florida Beach Vacation This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. A White House spokesman for Jared Kushner did not respond to a request for comment from Newsweek on his relationship to Andrew Gellert, and a Kushner Companies spokeswoman declined to comment. The White House press release stated that Andrew Gellert leads an enterprise consisting of many North American food importing companies, including Atalanta Corporation, the largest privately held food importer in the United States. He has helped his company expand into exporting dried fruits and nuts from Chile, but speaks only basic Spanish and has no experience in diplomacy, Bloomberg reported. Story continues Ambassadorships have been used to pay back big campaign donors for years, but they are not frequently awarded to business associates. Trump was reportedly the first president to hand plum ambassadorships and senior administration roles to members of his costly private clubs. This article was first written by Newsweek More from Newsweek President Donald Trump. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images It has long been clear that Donald Trump believes a mass-casualty terror attack on U.S. soil wouldnt be all bad. As both a candidate and president, Trump has claimed vindication (and appreciate[d] the congrats) whenever Muslim terrorists perpetrated acts of mass violence in the United States or in Europe. He has also predicted that future terrorist attacks would teach critics including the pope and the court system not to doubt the wisdom of his policies. This enthusiasm for touting terrorist attacks as proof of his own judgment has often led Trump to declare I told you so before the most basic details about a given attack have even been confirmed. On occasion, the president has simply invented Islamist terrorist attacks out of whole cloth. And then, two weeks ago, the Washington Post reported this disconcerting anecdote: In private conversations, Trump has told advisers that he doesnt think the 2018 election has to be as bad as others are predicting. He has referenced the 2002 midterms, when George W. Bush and Republicans fared better after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, these people said. Its unclear whether Trump explicitly referred to the 9/11 attacks, or if the Posts reporters just inserted that clause for context. But given how large those attacks loomed in November 2002, it was, at least, an uncomfortable analogy for the president to draw. Now, on the afternoon before his first State of the Union address, the president has made his belief that a massive terror attack would have beneficent political consequences explicit. Just came back from the White House and lunch with President Trump and a number of television anchors. Ahead of his speech tonight, Pres Trump said: "I want to see our country united. I want to bring our country back from a tremendous divisiveness." Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) January 30, 2018 Pres Trump also said, "I would love to be able to bring back our country into a great form of unity. Without a major event where people pull together, that's hard to do. But I would like to do it without that major event because usually that major event is not a good thing." https://t.co/3oBK9JXyvv Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) January 30, 2018 Here, Trump is clear that he would prefer to see America achieve a great form of unity without a not good major event happening first. And he does not say or come close to saying that, by inspiring national unity, a terrorist attack would be a net positive for the country (an argument that some serious intellectuals did make in the aftermath of 9/11). But he does say that it will be difficult to bring about the political environment he wants to see, absent a bad major event. Given that nearly 60 percent of the country neither trusts nor respects Donald Trump, it seems highly unlikely that he would actually benefit politically from failing to make America safe again. But such a failure would probably, nonetheless, help to legitimate his existing efforts to undermine liberal norms and consolidate his influence over federal law enforcement, at least to his fellow members of the Republican Party. By Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump would take a "tougher" approach to Brexit negotiations than Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, he said in a television interview to be broadcast later on Sunday. In the interview with British channel ITV, Trump said the European Union was "not cracked up to what it's supposed to be" and claimed he had predicted the result of the June 2016 referendum in which Britons voted to leave the EU. Trump was elected to the U.S. presidency later the same year. When asked if May was in a "good position" regarding the ongoing Brexit talks, Trump replied: "Would it be the way I negotiate? No, I wouldn't negotiate it the way it's [being] negotiated ... I would have had a different attitude." Pressed on how his approach would be different, he said: "I would have said the European Union is not cracked up to what it's supposed to be. I would have taken a tougher stand in getting out." May was the first foreign leader to visit Trump after his inauguration in January last year and they were filmed emerging from the White House holding hands. But the "special relationship" between the two nations has since faced several ups and downs, including Trump rebuking May on Twitter after she criticized him for retweeting British far-right anti-Islam videos. He said in an earlier extract from the same interview that he had not intended to cause offence in Britain by sharing the videos and that he would apologize if the original posters were horrible racists. Trump's comments on militant attacks in Britain have angered some and he has often exchanged barbs on social media with London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Trump also said in the interview that he had anticipated the Brexit referendum result because of many Britons' concerns over immigration -- also a key plank of his U.S. election campaign. "I said [that] because of trade, but mostly immigration, Brexit is going to be a big upset. And I was right," he said. "I know the British people and understand them." "They don't want people coming from all over the world into Britain, they don't know anything about these people." Trump also said he had been invited by May to make two visits to Britain this year. Earlier this month, he canceled a trip to London to open a new embassy, saying he did not want to endorse a bad deal agreed by the Obama administration to sell the old one for "peanuts". Some Britons are angry at the prospect of a visit by Trump, with large protests expected when he does arrive. Asked in the interview if he had been invited to the wedding of Britain's Prince Harry and his American fiancee Meghan Markle, Trump said: "Not that I know of." He declined to say if he would like to attend the wedding at Windsor Castle but added: "I want them to be happy. I really want them to be happy. "They look like a lovely couple." (Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Catherine Evans) Early insight into the details of President Donald Trumps first State of the Union speech suggests his Tuesday address will be restrained and placatory, challenging his penchant for angry outbursts and divisive rhetoric. Media figures, meanwhile, will be challenged not to give him too much credit for that. Unlike the off-the-cuff remarks Trump makes during his campaign rallies and press conferences, and the controversial tweets he fires off at all hours of the night, Trumps State of the Union address has been meticulously prepared in advance and will presumably be read off a teleprompter. He wont call white supremacists very fine people or call a protesting athlete a son of a bitch, and, if the pattern continues, journalists and pundits will praise him for acting presidential. That praise would be unwarranted, critics are saying ahead of the address. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Yet The Washington Post has already suggested that toned-down rhetoric in Trumps speech could be a chance for reset in a Saturday article titled Can a divisive president flip the script? Theres little evidence that he even wants to, regardless of what he says in his address on Tuesday. The Trump presidency has been marked by one divisive, exclusionary policy after another, and he continues to lash out at Democrats and other political nemeses on Twitter on a nearly daily basis. Trump has already made it very clear who he is with his behavior and policies, former Bush speechwriter David Frum said on CNN Monday. Look, you can train a seal to sit on the side of a pool for an hour and behave itself, he said in reference to Trumps upcoming speech. That doesnt make it no longer a seal. Despite this, pundits and journalists continue to tell Americans they should feel hopeful when Trump meets the bare minimum of decorum in his speeches. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The Post published another widely panned op-ed on Saturday from CNNs Fareed Zakaria, who wrote that Trumps prepared speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was forthright, intelligent and conciliatory, embracing the world rather than condemning it. His speech, Zakaria continued, should leave us encouraged that Trump isnt out to destroy the American political system after all. Story continues Thats a remarkably low bar for being encouraged. Zakarias upbeat outlook in light of the Davos speech came just days after reports emerged that Trump attempted to fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel overseeing the FBIs investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, last summer. Even Zakaria conceded that the next day, Trump might veer off in an entirely different direction. By Sunday morning, the president was picking a fight on Twitter with rapper Jay-Z, seemingly over allegations that Trump had called Haiti and African nations shithole countries. Like Zakaria, many media figures had similar praise for Trump last spring when he addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time and roused emotions by honoring the widow of a fallen soldier. The prepared speech was widely celebrated as a turning point for Trump, who was lauded for finally finding his footing in the political sphere. He became president of the United States in that moment, period, CNN commentator Van Jones said. That was one of the most extraordinary moments you have ever seen in American politics, he continued. The White House website even has a page rounding up the positive praise for the February speech. It Struck an Inspiring, Even Bipartisan Tone, the Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote; a Tone of Unity and Optimism, according to the Deseret News; and was an Optimistic Message to the Nation, the Albuquerque Journal wrote. But the new, presidential Trump didnt last long. Less than a week later, Trump unleashed a series of tweets accusing former President Barack Obama of wiretapping him at Trump tower and called him a bad (or sick) guy! Months later, media figures again praised Trump after he tweeted his sympathies and read measured remarks from a teleprompter following the mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival. He has been very low key about this one, very presidential, if you will, CNNs John King said. CBS News analyst Fran Townsend, a former homeland security adviser under President George W. Bush, made similar remarks. The president sounded very presidential. He often has been criticized for his tweets and unpresidential language, she said. This was [a] classic presidential moment. Again, that moment was short-lived. The next day, Trump famously threw paper towels at Hurricane Maria victims in Puerto Rico, then went on a Twitter tirade against fake news outlets who criticized his response to the disaster. CNN commentator Chris Cillizza, who regularly gives Trump credit for well-delivered speeches, has pushed back against the criticism that his praise is misguided. But what if he is giving a solid speech? Why is that not worth noting? he tweeted after Trumps February address to Congress, later adding, I ask again though: Why cant Trump be praised for delivering a good speech full stop? Media critics were quick to give him an answer. At best, content like this is ephemeral garbage that lasts a news cycle and is forgotten, but provides traffic that supports the work of actual reporters, Media Matters senior fellow Matthew Gertz wrote. At worst, this sort of fact-free punditry creates false narratives that can alter the publics perception of political figures. Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Adrian A. Basora, Kenneth Yalowitz Politics, North America Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump hugs a U.S. flag as he comes onstage to rally with supporters in Tampa, Florida America will be less prosperous and less secure if the current dramatic slide in its image is not halted, and if the authoritarian offensive is not effectively countered. The Trump Team Is Underestimating the Power of Democracy One year ago, at the start of the Trump presidency, we argued that if the administrations goal is truly to Make America Great Again, then it would be a mistake for the United States to abandon its long-standing support of democracy abroad. Now, only twelve months later, we are deeply concerned to see Americas greatness visibly diminished by the continuing erosion of democracy both at home and abroad. Respect for the United States has plummeted globally, as shown by recent international polling. Furthermore, our own system of government and those of our closest democratic allies are under systematic attack by foreign adversaries. Yet, instead of providing an effective response, our president dismisses the importance of democracy abroad, talks down our alliances with like-minded countries, and has yet to hold a cabinet session on these threats. We now have incontestable evidence of Russias efforts to undercut democracy in the United States and in several of our longest-established democratic allies. Moscow is also making persistent efforts to weaken NATO and the European Union. Both are democracy-based and have strongly favored our strategic interests for over three generations. We know that political figures in some allied countries now look to Vladimir Putin as a role model, including Viktor Orban in Hungary. And regression in previously promising post-communist democracies such as Hungary and Poland threatens to undo many of the democratic gains that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. In Asia, Xi Jinping continues to tighten autocratic controls inside China and systematically smother democracy in Hong Kong, while attempting to intimidate our traditional democratic allies in the region and distance them from their alliances and economic ties with the United States. Story continues One would have to be either willfully indifferent or lacking in historical grounding not to see the dangerous threats emanating from Moscow and Beijing. The balance is equally negative on the economic side because this same authoritarian offensive is also threatening the liberal international economic order that the United States and its democratic allies created and have led since World War II. And it is this order that has formed the bedrock of Americas economic prosperity over the past seventy years. Yet, the president has derided it, just as he systematically ignored or dismissed Russian and Chinese attempts to undercut democracy here and abroad. Instead, he makes it clear that for him the support of democracy abroad is not a goal. To the contrary, he has praised and tried to cultivate autocrats like Putin, Xi and Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, even as he has distanced himself from many of Americas closest democratic allies. The new U.S. national-security strategy does name Russia and China as security threats to the United States, and the secretary of defense has stated that great-power threats, and not ISIS, are the main challenge to the United States. Unfortunately, however, the administrations official strategy explicitly eliminates any mention of U.S. support for democracy abroad. And Secretary of State Rex Tillersons removal of democracy support from the State Departments mission statement, along with his decimation of the U.S. Foreign Service, further weakens this long-established policy. Yet not all is lost. There are still many important constituencies who believe that supporting democracy abroad is in the U.S. national interest. For example, on Capitol Hill there is strong sentiment in favor of protecting democracy against onslaughts by autocrats. This was demonstrated by the lopsided bipartisan votes in the Senate and the House stripping the president of the right to lift the Russia sanctions without congressional consent. And, even in the executive branch, some senior appointees along with many career officers quietly agree that protecting democracy remains in our core interest. They continue to operate under the radar toward that goal, and thoughtful encouragement from outside of government will enhance their resolve. Some of this encouragement, along with effective talking points and strategic analysis to back it up, needs to come from the private and nongovernmental sectors. Business and economic thought leaders as well as scholars, policy analysts, and advocates at think tanks and universities are increasingly realizing that the United States will be both less prosperous and less secure if the current dramatic slide in Americas image is not halted, and if the authoritarian offensive is not effectively countered. For example, in our recent book Does Democracy Matter? eleven experts probed these issues from varied perspectives. Some came to the project from a conservative, Realpolitik point of view; others from a more liberal or values-oriented perspective. In the end, all concluded that, although it is indeed important to refine some of our past strategies and methods, our national security not only permits but requires that the United States continue to support democracy globally. This bipartisan message needs to be propagated loudly, so as to counter the simplistic isolationist slogans that are currently all too prevalent. And, if this message is presented properly, with clear attention to Americas long-term self-interest, then it will remain persuasive to the American public; it will retain the support of Congress; and it will reinforce those in the executive branch who quietly understand its compelling logic. Adrian A. Basora is director of the Eurasia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and was U.S. ambassador to Czechoslovakia and then the Czech Republic. Kenneth Yalowitz is director of the M.A. Conflict Resolution Program at Georgetown University, a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and was U.S. ambassador to Belarus and Georgia. Image: Reuters Recommended: Why North Korea's Air Force is Total Junk Why Doesn't America Kill Kim Jong Un? The F-22 Is Getting a New Job: Sniper Read full article Afrin (Syria) (AFP) - Turkish air strikes pounded the Syrian border region of Afrin on Tuesday and fighting raged on two fronts as Ankara pursued its offensive against the Kurdish enclave. A monitoring group and Kurdish sources said Turkey's air force had stepped up its raids on the 10th day of operation "Olive Branch", which sees Turkey providing air and ground support to Syrian opposition fighters in an offensive against Kurdish militia in northwestern Syria. Ankara has pushed forward with the operation to force the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from the region despite international concerns and reports of rising civilian casualties. Turkey has cracked down on criticism of the operation and on Tuesday detained all the top members of the country's main medical association, including its chief. In reaction to the offensive, the Kurds were not attending peace talks Tuesday in the Russian city of Sochi, aimed at resolving Syria's almost seven-year civil war. Turkish jets were hitting Kurdish positions in the towns of Rajo and Jandairis, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. Syrian rebels backed by Turkey "were engaged in fierce battles against Kurdish forces" in the two towns, said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Observatory, which uses a network of sources to monitor Syria's war. "Turkey's aerial campaign against Afrin has escalated since Monday," he added. A spokesman for the YPG, which Ankara considers a "terror" group, said the strikes had been relentless. "Since yesterday, the bombardment by Turkish aircraft has not stopped in some areas," said Brusk Hasakeh. It was unclear how many civilians remained in Rajo and Jandairis as many had already fled to Afrin town, the capital of the district. - Hundreds at mass funeral - An AFP journalist on Tuesday heard consecutive strikes hitting areas surrounding Afrin town. Story continues The Observatory says at least 67 civilians have been killed since the start of the operation on January 20. Turkey strongly rejects such claims, saying it is doing everything possible to avoid civilian casualties in the operation. At least 85 YPG militiamen have died, the Observatory says, as have 81 fighters from the rebel groups fighting with Turkish backing. Turkey says seven of its soldiers have been killed. Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu reported on Tuesday that two villages in the Afrin region had been "cleared" of the YPG. Turkey and allied forces have made gains in the offensive and on Sunday seized control of Mount Barsaya, a strategically important high point near the town of Afrin. A Turkish military convoy of dozens of vehicles crossed the border overnight, the Observatory said. It initially headed towards an area south of Afrin but was forced to change course after forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad's regime opened fire on the road it took to block its way. A car bomb attack targeted the convoy, killing one civilian, and wounding one Turkish soldier and another civilian, the Turkish military said in a statement. Turkish relations with the United States have soured over Ankara's stance on the YPG -- which Ankara says is a "terrorist" offshoot of Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). - Sochi talks delayed - The YPG has received support from the United States, with its fighters spearheading the battle against the Islamic State group across swathes of Syria. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to expand the offensive against the YPG to other Kurdish areas including Manbij, east of Afrin. Speaking at a meeting of lawmakers from his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Erdogan said Tuesday: "We will not stop until we eliminate the terror threat from our border." Members of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) were arrested after the organisation issued a statement saying that "war is a man-made public health problem". The talks in Sochi were been delayed by several hours as Moscow struggled to bring together key players. Syria's main opposition group, like the Kurds, said they would boycott the event, and last-minute wrangling was under way to bring others to the table. Few expect the congress, co-sponsored by Russia, Iran and Turkey, to make much progress in ending Syria's civil war, which has killed more than 340,000 people and devastated the country since breaking out in 2011. The conflict was also still raging in the northern province of Idlib, where the Observatory said at least another 14 people were killed in regime air strikes Tuesday, eight of them civilians. In the village of Saraqeb on Monday, 16 people were killed and a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hit by two strikes, in an attack the medical aid group condemned. "The fact that this attack occurred on a facility while it was treating incoming patients is particularly egregious," said Luis Montiel, MSF's head of mission in northern Syria. The Ain Dara temple was damaged during the Turkish offensive into Afrin - AP Turkish airstrikes against Kurdish forces have partially destroyed a 3,000-year-old temple in northern Syria, according to a monitoring group and the Syrian regime. The neo-Hittite temple of Ain Dara was built in around 1300 BC and is famous for its elaborate images of lions and sphinxes. The temple was at least 60 per cent destroyed by Turkish forces as they attacked the Kurdish-held area of Afrin, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. Pictures posted online by the group appeared to show part of the temple had been reduced to rubble. The Syrian regime slammed Turkey for the cultural destruction, with the antiquities ministry saying: This attack reflects the hatred and barbarism of the Turkish regime against the Syrian identity and against the past, present and future of the Syrian people. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The bombing of the Ain Dara temple is the latest example of an ancient site destroyed by Syrias seven-year war. The desert city of Palmyra was devastated by fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, who deliberately destroyed many of its treasures while they were in control of the city. The Old City of Aleppo was also badly damaged during the siege of the city. The Syrian regime said it was concerned that the ongoing Turkish offensive, known as Operation Olive Branch, would cause more damage to 40 ancient villages in the Afrin region. The villages are part of a Unesco world heritage site. The villages, which date from the 1st to 7th centuries (CE), feature a remarkably well preserved landscape and the architectural remains of dwellings, pagan temples, churches, cisterns, bathhouses, according to the Unesco website. At least 55 civilians have been killed since the start of the offensive, according to the SOHR. Turkey rejects claims of civilian deaths, saying it is doing everything possible to avoid civilian casualties in the operation. Kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch says the Turpin children will need closure if they are to ever move forward: Getty Images A woman who was kidnapped and locked in a cellar for eight years, has said that the 13 Turpin children must be allowed to see the parents who allegedly kept them captive. Natascha Kampusch said the children who have not been named, will need to find a way to either forgive David and Louise Turpin "or leave them behind." "It will help them begin a process where they can cope with the whole situation and get more stable," she told The Daily Telegraph Ms Kampusch was 10-years-old when she was kidnapped from her home in the Austrian capital Vienna and taken to the nearby town of Strasshof an der Nordbahn by Wolfgang Priklopil. There he kept her in a secret cellar, forcing her to cook and clean for him, while physically abusing and starving her. Taking advantage of an increasing amount of freedom he granted her, Ms Kampusch escaped in 2006, aged 18. Unlike the Turpin children, she was not given a chance to confront her kidnapper because Priklopil killed himself by jumping in front of a train after finding out that police were after him. The survivor, who has written two books about her captivity and her struggle to find her place in the world after it ended, said that meeting their parents would allow them to gain some form of "closure". Charged with multiple counts of torture, false imprisonment and other crimes, David and Louise Turpin were barred from from contacting their children, whose ages range between two and 29, last week. David Turpin, 56, has also been charged with one count of a lewd act on a child by force. If convicted, he and his wife Louise, 49, face up to 94 years to life in prison. The pair, who deny the charges are being held on bail of $12m (8.6m) each and are due back in court on 23 February. The couple, aged 56 and 49, were arrested at their home in Perris, California, earlier this month when their 17-year-old daughter escaped from a window and called the police. No matter what the verdict on their behavious, Ms Kampusch said: "The children will need closure in order to move forward, so yes, they need the opportunity to see their parents, even if it is just to say, 'I hate you, you are a monster.'" Story continues Sticking together as a family would be vital for the siblings starting a new life," she said. "The world will be a confusing and difficult place for them," she said. "For me, it was hard. Austria is a small country and I stayed because my family was here. America is huge and everyone speaks the same language, so it should be easier for them to move somewhere new and start a new life. "They have each other and can go through this burden together. They have more possibilities to protect themselves. I had to face things on my own." Related: For more news videos visit Yahoo View. By Zachary Fagenson MIAMI, Fla. (Reuters) - Two men have been arrested on federal theft charges accusing them of stealing a 17th-century gold bar from a Key West, Florida, museum more than seven years after the treasure valued at $550,000 disappeared. Jarred Alexander Goldman, 32, and Richard Steven Johnson, 41, made initial court appearances on Tuesday, a day after their arrests, Annette Lima, a Justice Department spokeswoman in the Southern District of Florida, said in an email. Federal authorities said the pair drove on Aug. 18, 2010, from West Palm Beach to Key West's Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, where Goldman stood guard while Johnson plucked the oblong bar from its perch. "We were devastated," museum Chief Executive Melissa Kendrick said of the theft in a telephone interview on Tuesday. "This was a piece of a history that people could touch, and many people considered it their own gold bar." Lawyers for the men could not be immediately reached for comment. The relic had been aboard the Santa Margarita, a Spanish galleon that sank in the Florida Straits in 1622 with more than 9,000 ounces of gold plundered from the Americas. Treasure hunter Mel Fisher, for whom the museum is named, discovered part of the Santa Margarita wreck in 1980 while scouring the sea floor for ships which were once in a fleet sailing treasures back to Spain. The stolen bar has not been located. The museum's insurance company had offered as much as $25,000 for information leading to its return. Authorities did not reveal how they determined Goldman and Johnson to be suspects in the case. Goldman was arrested in South Florida on Monday, and authorities nabbed Johnson in Sacramento, California, court records said. Both face charges of conspiring to commit an offense against the United States and theft of major art work, and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. A judge in the Florida Keys granted Goldman bail on Tuesday, while a judge in California decided Johnson was a flight risk and ordered his detention pending a trial. (Reporting by Zachary Fagenson; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Richard Chang) By Charlotte Greenfield WELLINGTON (Reuters) - United States and Australian aircraft joined the search for passengers of a missing ferry off Kiribati on Tuesday, as rescuers scoured the central Pacific Ocean for a liferaft believed to be carrying survivors. Eight people rescued from an drifting dinghy on the weekend said the ferry broke up soon after setting out on Jan. 18 and that they had seen other passengers scramble aboard a liferaft. "There is a definitely a possibility that the people in the liferaft are alive given that only a short while ago we found people in an open dinghy alive," said New Zealand-based rescue coordinator Paul Craven. "We're hoping in a liferaft they're actually in a better survival situation so that's why we've got such an intensive search going today," he said. Authorities are uncertain how many people had been on board the ferry, Craven told Radio New Zealand. Reports from survivors and government officials varied between 35 and 100 people. The 17-metre (56-foot) catamaran was reported missing on Jan. 20, two days after it departed Nonouti Island on a 250 km (155 miles) trip to Betio in Kiribati. Australia has sent a P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft to assist in the search and the U.S. Coastguard has sent a Hercules aircraft from Hawaii to scour the northern part of the search area. A New Zealand aircraft spotted a dinghy on Sunday with eight people, including a 14-year-old girl, who had been adrift for days without water. The eight were rescued by a fishing vessel. They told rescuers they had scrambled into their tiny dinghy as the ferry disintegrated soon after setting off and that other passengers had made it into another dinghy and a liferaft. The second dinghy had broken up and likely sunk, Craven said, with the search was now focusing on finding the liferaft. He said rescuers' main concern was that any survivors would be facing the heat for days without drinking water. (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Additional reporting by Colin Packham in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry) By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, criticized by President Donald Trump and other Republicans for alleged bias against him and in favor of his 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, has stepped down, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday. McCabe, who served as acting Federal Bureau of Investigation chief for more than two months last year after Trump fired agency director James Comey, had been expected to leave his post as the No. 2 FBI official in March. He will remain on leave with the top U.S. domestic law enforcement agency until his retirement date, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because a public announcement has not yet been made. Asked about McCabe's departure, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters, "I can tell you the president wasn't part of this decision-making process." Sanders also said Trump continues to have "full confidence" in FBI Director Christopher Wray, who the president appointed to replace Comey. In a recent conversation with McCabe, Wray suggested moving him into a lower-ranking position, prompting McCabe to chose to leave instead, the New York Times reported. Wray voiced concerns during the conversation about a coming Justice Department inspector general report scrutinizing the actions of McCabe and other top FBI officials during the 2016 presidential campaign, the Times reported. During that period the FBI investigated Trump campaign connections to Russia and Clinton's use of a private email server while she was U.S. secretary of state. No charges were brought against Clinton. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment on McCabe, who began his career at the agency in 1996 as a special agent investigating organized crime. Trump's firing of Comey in May 2017 as the FBI was investigating potential collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia led to the Justice Department's naming of Special Counsel Robert Mueller to take over the probe. The president later said he dismissed Comey over "this Russia thing," and the firing has become central to questions about whether Trump has sought to obstruct justice by impeding the Russian probe. Trump last week denied a Washington Post report he had asked McCabe, shortly after he became acting FBI director, who he had voted for in the 2016 election, leaving McCabe concerned about civil servants being interrogated about their political leanings. The Post reported that McCabe told Trump he did not vote in the election. Trump and some other Republicans have been stepping up their criticism of the FBI in a move that Democrats call part of a broader effort by Trump's party to undermine Mueller's investigation. Republicans have criticized McCabe in connection with the Clinton email server probe. They have noted that McCabe's wife previously ran as a Democrat for a seat in Virginia's state Senate and received donation funds from then-Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, a close ally of Hillary and Bill Clinton, the former president. The FBI has previously said McCabe was not involved in the Clinton investigation until he was promoted to deputy director in January 2016. By that time, his wife's campaign was over and his involvement was not seen as a conflict. TWITTER BARRAGES Trump has repeatedly taken to Twitter to blast McCabe, asking in December how he could be in charge of the Clinton probe when his wife got donations from "Clinton Puppets." Trump on Twitter asked in July, while McCabe was acting FBI chief, why Attorney General Jeff Sessions had not replaced him, and said in December McCabe was "racing the clock to retire with full benefits" and that the FBI's reputation was in "tatters." Most recently, the Justice Department and the White House have been at odds with one another over Republican-led efforts in the U.S. House of Representatives to release a memo containing classified information that Republicans claim shows proof of wrongdoing by the FBI in the Russia probe. A handful of Republican-led congressional committees have launched inquiries into whether the FBI botched the Clinton investigation and showed bias in her favor. In December, McCabe was grilled behind closed doors by lawmakers on some of those panels for hours. Democrats have said those inquires are intended to undermine and distract from Mueller's investigation. He is one of several FBI figures to face a barrage of criticism by Republican in recent weeks. This criticism also has been aimed at FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI attorney Lisa Page, who both worked on the Clinton investigation and briefly on the Russia probe. Republicans have seized on text messages exchanged between the two as evidence of bias. In those texts, they called Trump an "idiot" and a "loathsome human." Mueller removed Strzok from his team after learning of the texts last summer, and he was reassigned to another post. Page left the investigatory team after her 45-day detail ended in July. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Will Dunham) By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Monday it would not immediately impose additional sanctions on Russia, despite a new law designed to punish Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, insisting the measure was already hitting Russian companies. "Today, we have informed Congress that this legislation and its implementation are deterring Russian defense sales," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. "Since the enactment of the ... legislation, we estimate that foreign governments have abandoned planned or announced purchases of several billion dollars in Russian defense acquisitions." Seeking to press President Donald Trump to clamp down on Russia, the U.S. Congress voted nearly unanimously last year to pass a law setting sweeping new sanctions on Moscow. Trump, who wanted warmer ties with Moscow and had opposed the legislation as it worked its way through Congress, signed it reluctantly in August, just six months into his presidency. Under the measure, the administration faced a deadline on Monday to impose sanctions on anyone determined to conduct significant business with Russian defense and intelligence sectors, already sanctioned for their alleged role in the election. But citing long time frames associated with major defense deals, Nauert said it was better to wait to impose those sanctions. "From that perspective, if the law is working, sanctions on specific entities or individuals will not need to be imposed because the legislation is, in fact, serving as a deterrent," she said in a statement. The measure, known as the "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act," or CAATSA, required the administration to list "oligarchs" close to President Vladimir Putin's government and issue a report detailing possible consequences of penalizing Russia's sovereign debt. WOULD TRUMP CLAMP DOWN ON RUSSIA? Monday's deadline to release those reports was seen as a test of Trump's willingness to clamp down on Russia. Critics blasted him for failing to announce any sanctions. "The State Department claims that the mere threat of sanctions will deter Russias aggressive behavior. How do you deter an attack that happened two years ago, and another thats already underway? It just doesnt make sense," said Representative Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. "Im fed up waiting for this Administration to protect our country and our elections," he said in a statement. Members of Congress, including Democrats and some of Trump's fellow Republicans, have been clamoring for his administration to use sanctions to punish Moscow for past election interference and prevent future meddling in U.S. polls. Shortly before midnight (0500 GMT) on Monday, the Treasury Department released an unclassified "oligarchs" list, including 114 senior Russian political figures and 96 business people. Those named on the list will not immediately face any immediate penalties like asset freezes or visa bans. But the law mandated that the U.S. Treasury and State Departments, and intelligence agencies, compile a list of political figures and business people close to Putin's government and network, for potential future sanctions. Several U.S. congressional committees, as well as Special Counsel Robert Mueller, are investigating whether Russia tried to tilt last November's election in Trump's favor, using means such as hacking into the emails of senior Democrats and promoting divisive social and political messages online. Trump and the Kremlin have separately denied any collusion. Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, one of the main congressional architects of the sanctions law, said he was not concerned that the administration did not announce sanctions by Monday's deadline. "This is when sanctions season begins, and so they'll be rolling them out," he told reporters. "We feel pretty good about the process," Corker said. "They're rushing the information over to us today, and by the close of business, they're going to have two of the three, as I understand it. So they're taking it very seriously." (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Makini Brice and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Mary Milliken, Peter Cooney & SImon Cameron-Moore) Letat, cest moi. Photo: Ron Sachs - Pool/Getty Images Donald Trump is an instinctual authoritarian. He is also a deeply angry, petty, and vindictive human being (or, in scientific terms, an asshole). This combination of character traits has made President Erupts at [Insert Administration and/or Justice Department Official] for Reminding Him That the DOJ Is Not His Private Detective Agency a staple of American political journalism over the past year. Last May, said official was Jeff Sessions. Shortly after learning that the Justice Department had appointed a special counsel to investigate his campaigns ties to Russia, Trump berated the attorney general for his disloyal decision to recuse himself from that probe. Trump reportedly told Mr. Sessions that choosing him to be attorney general was one of the worst decisions he had made, called him an idiot, and said that he should resign. Around the same time, Trump fumed at White House counsel Don McGahn, thenchief strategist Steve Bannon, and chief of staff Reince Priebus, ostensibly for declining to enthusiastically endorse his view that Sessionss recusal made no logical sense. One month later, after Rod Rosenstein (ostensibly) failed to denounce fake news reports about the Trump administration with sufficient vigor, the president castigated the deputy attorney general over Twitter. On Monday afternoon, we were treated to two vital new additions to this genre. The first is set in the immediate aftermath of Trumps firing of James Comey. On the day Trump fired his FBI director without a word of warning, in a written note delivered by his personal bodyguard to Comeys mailbox at the bureaus headquarters in D.C. Comey was giving a talk to FBI employees in Los Angeles. The FBI director learned of his termination when he saw the breaking news flash across a television monitor hanging behind his audience. Comey initially laughed, and congratulated his colleagues on a fairly funny prank. This may strike the average observer as a needlessly humiliating way to go about firing someone. But in the presidents view, Comeys firing wasnt nearly humiliating enough. As NBC News reports: The day after President Donald Trump fired James Comey, he became so furious watching television footage of the ousted FBI director boarding a government-funded plane from Los Angeles back to Washington, D.C. that he called the bureaus acting director, Andrew McCabe, to vent, according to multiple people familiar with the phone call. Trump demanded to know why Comey was allowed to fly on an FBI plane after he had been fired, these people said. McCabe told the president he hadnt been asked to authorize Comeys flight, but if anyone had asked, he would have approved it, three people familiar with the call recounted to NBC News. The president was silent for a moment and then turned on McCabe, suggesting he ask his wife how it feels to be a loser an apparent reference to a failed campaign for state office in Virginia that McCabes wife made in 2015. McCabe replied: OK, sir. Trump then hung up the phone. The president felt so much contempt for James Comey for refusing to pledge personal loyalty to him, or to drop an investigation into his friends that he wanted the government to strand Comey in Los Angeles. Even though the FBI director had flown to California on government business and an FBI plane that needed to come back to Washington was already in L.A. Trump was furious to learn that Comey would not be forced to book a commercial flight. Then, when Comeys acting replacement declined to endorse the idea that the FBI had a responsibility to execute Trumps petty act of vengeance, the president was so incensed, he insulted the acting FBI directors wife. McCabe resigned from the FBI on Monday, after weeks of lobbying by the White House for his ouster. Multiple reports suggest McCabes departure was not voluntary. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported Monday afternoon that Trump erupted in anger while traveling to Davos after learning that Associate Attorney General Stephen Boyd warned that it would be extraordinarily reckless to release a classified memo written by House Republican staffers. That memo outlines an alleged anti-Trump conspiracy within the FBI. The details reportedly center on how federal law enforcement went about securing a FISA warrant to spy on Trump campaign aide Carter Page. Congressional Republicans have suggested that the FBI relied on opposition research funded by Hillary Clinton in making its case to the FISA court, without disclosing that fact. The Congressional GOP has refused to share the memo in question with Justice Department staff. And so, the DOJ is concerned that it may contain highly sensitive information. But Trump found the idea that the DOJ would prioritize keeping state secrets over giving the presidents allies more fodder with which to discredit the FBI outrageous. And John Kelly, the supposed adult in the Oval Office, scolded the Justice Department for causing the president displeasure. For Trump, the letter was yet another example of the Justice Department undermining him and stymieing Republican efforts to expose what the president sees as the politically motivated agenda behind Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe. Kelly held separate meetings or phone calls with senior Justice Department officials last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to convey Trumps displeasure and lecture them on the White Houses expectations, according to the people. Kelly has taken to ending such conversations with a disclaimer that the White House isnt expecting officials to do anything illegal or unethical. After Trumps strong reaction on Air Force One over the Boyd letter, White House officials, including Kelly, sprang into action again, lashing Justice Department officials Thursday over the decision to send the letter, according to the people. Donald Trump believes that all federal law-enforcement agents are his subordinates, and that their first loyalty is not to the law or Constitution or the American people but to Donald Trump. And the Republicans in Congress, and the presidents inner circle, are now doing their best to affirm that belief. London (AFP) - Germany's outgoing ambassador to London has suggested that Britain's focus on its role in World War II was a factor in the country's euroscepticism, in an interview published in Tuesday's Guardian. Peter Ammon told the British newspaper that Brexit was "a tragedy" and warned that Britain was labouring under "illusions" about what its future relationship with the European Union might look like. "History is always full of ambiguities and ups and downs, but if you focus only on how Britain stood alone in the war, how it stood against dominating Germany, well, it is a nice story, but does not solve any problem of today," he said. "I spoke to many of the Brexiteers, and many of them said they wanted to preserve a British identity. Obviously every state is defined by its history, and some define themselves by what their father did in the war, and it gives them great personal pride," he added. The ambassador, who is due to retire from Germany's diplomatic service later this month, rejected claims made during the campaign that Germany dominated the EU. "When I tell people in Germany I am confronted by this narrative occasionally in public debates they say: 'This cannot be true. You are joking. This cannot be true. That is absurd'," he said. He also suggested the British government had "illusions" about what sort of future trade deal could be agreed. "The idea Britain can pick somewhere between a free trade deal combining elements of the Norway model and the Canada model will not work because the single market is built on a balanced agreement with the objective of creating a level playing field," he said. Britain may not find it as easy to negotiate trade deals with countries outside the EU, once it leaves, he predicted, adding that the country's "influence will be diminished". Mr Putin has denounced the measures: Getty Russian President Vladimir Putin has denounced the USs publication of a list of officials and businessmen close to the Kremlin, claiming that it has had the effect of targeting all Russian people. The list of 210 senior Russians was published by the US State Department as part of a sanctions law that was introduced after Moscow allegedly meddled in the 2016 US election. The US has said that the individuals contained on the list are not subject to new sanctions. However, Congress wanted to name and shame those it believed had benefited from their close association to the Russian leader and to warn them they could be the subject of future sanctions. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. On Monday night, the State Department said a 2017 US law was deterring billions of dollars in Russian defence sales, and therefore did not believe it needed to announce any fresh sanctions. Today, we have informed Congress that this legislation and its implementation are deterring Russian defence sales, said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert. Since the enactment of the... legislation, we estimate that foreign governments have abandoned planned or announced purchases of several billion dollars in Russian defence acquisitions. In Moscow, Mr Putin reacted by saying the publication of the list could hurt relations between the two countries. It is, of course, an unfriendly act. It will complicate the difficult situation Russian-American relations are already in, and of course harm international relations as a whole, Mr Putin said. According to Reuters, the Russian leader said at a meeting with election campaign officials in Moscow, that it was stupid to treat Russia in the same way as North Korea and Iran, while also asking Moscow to help broker a peace deal on the Korean peninsula. We were waiting for this list, and I will not hide it, were ready to take retaliatory steps, serious ones, which would have reduced our relations to zero, Mr Putin said. For now, we will refrain from these steps. But we will carefully watch how the situation develops. Story continues He said that the list, in effect, targeted all Russians, even though wanted to develop better relations with the US. The list of names was published late on Monday night, shorty before a midnight deadline. The government had been required to establish the list after Congress passed the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Caatsa) in August. The law aimed to punish Russia for its alleged interference in the election and its actions in Ukraine. President Donald Trump did not support Caatsa, even though he signed it into law, saying it was unconstitutional. The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, accused the Trump administration of letting Russia off the hook again by not taking substantial action. Earlier on Monday, the US government argued the Caatsa law had already pushed governments around the world to cancel deals with Russia worth billions, suggesting that more sanctions were not required. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who is himself on the list, accepted that it was not one of sanctions but said it could potentially damage the image and reputation of figures listed and their associated companies. He added: Its not the first day that we live with quite aggressive comments made towards us, so we should not give in to emotions. The publication of the list comes as Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller is continuing to investigate possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow. Both Mr Putin and Mr Trump have denied any collusion. Mr Mueller has so far indicted four former Trump campaign officials, two of whom have pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and two of whom have pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering and conspiracy. By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican on Tuesday rebuked a senior cardinal who said its diplomats were "selling out" Chinese Catholics loyal to the pope as part of a deal aimed at normalizing ties with Beijing's communist government. In a sharply worded statement, the Vatican said it was surprising and regrettable that some people in the Church were "fostering confusion and controversy". It came a day after Cardinal Joseph Zen, the outspoken former archbishop of Hong Kong, caused a stir with a long post on his Facebook page that was highly critical of the Vatican. The statement, which did not name Zen but which official Vatican sources said was prompted by the controversy he began, said it was "surprising and regrettable" that some were promoting "a presumed difference of thought and action" between Pope Francis and his top aides over China strategy. Zen has often criticized the Vatican's attempt at rapprochement with the government of China, where Catholics are split between an "underground" Church that recognizes the pope and those belonging to a state-controlled group where bishops are appointed by the government. In his post, Zen, 86, referred to a report by AsiaNews agency about the activity of Vatican negotiators seeking to reunite the two Churches ahead of possible resumption of diplomatic ties between the Vatican and Beijing that were severed after the communist takeover in 1949. AsiaNews said last week that Vatican negotiators had asked two bishops loyal to the pope to give up their posts to make room for two backed by the government. The main point of contention between the Vatican and Beijing has for decades been which side can appoint bishops. In his post, Zen said the pope had told him that he instructed his aides "not to create another Mindszenty case". He was referring Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty, who was freed from jail during Hungary's short-lived anti-Soviet uprising in 1956 and given refuge in the U.S. embassy in Budapest for 15 years before the Vatican forced him to leave the country. Critics at the time said the Vatican had sold out to the communists but the Holy See said it was necessary to protect the Church from more persecution. In his post criticizing Vatican diplomacy, Zen wrote: "So, do I think that the Vatican is selling out the Catholic Church in China? Yes, definitely, if they go in the direction which is obvious from all they are doing in recent years and months". (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Catherine Evans) Washington (AFP) - The administrator of Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency has resigned and an officer with a track record of "poor performance" has been fired after triggering mass panic with a false alert of a ballistic missile headed for the Pacific islands, officials said Tuesday. The Pacific archipelago, already on edge over the threat posed by North Korea, was terrorized by the erroneous alert, which was sent out by phone to residents and tourists and remained uncorrected for nearly 40 minutes. Another employee of the state agency, which is responsible for notifying the public of threats to their safety, has been suspended, Major General Joe Logan, the state adjutant general, told reporters in Hawaii. HEMA administrator Vern Miyagi resigned on Tuesday to take responsibility for the January 13 incident, Logan said, and the emergency warning officer who sent out the alert of an imminent ballistic missile attack was fired on Friday. A state investigative report released on Tuesday said that the fired employee had been a "source of concern" for 10 years because of his "poor performance." "He is unable to comprehend the situation at hand and has confused real life events and drills on at least two separate occasions," the report said. In a separate report, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said the officer claimed he believed the threat was real and had not heard a phrase stating that it was an exercise. At the same time, the report said, the sentence "This is not a drill" was included in the recorded message which prompted the officer to issue the alert. Mobile phones across the Pacific islands received the emergency alert around 8:07 am and it was also transmitted by television and radio stations. "In the minutes that followed, panic-stricken citizens called their families to say what they believed were their last words, and some even resorted to jumping into manholes to find shelter," FCC chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement accompanying the report. Story continues The erroneous message came amid tensions with North Korea, which has tested rockets powerful enough to reach the United States, though it is unclear whether they are yet able to deliver nuclear payloads. - 'Exercise, exercise, exercise' - It took the authorities 38 minutes to send out a message cancelling the false alert and the FCC also looked into why it took so long to do so. The FCC and state investigators blamed the mistake on a combination of human error, insufficient management controls and poor computer software. It began, the FCC report said, with a decision by the overnight-shift supervisor to conduct an unannounced drill when the day shift arrived at 8:00 am. The overnight-shift supervisor informed the day-shift supervisor of the plan but the day-shift supervisor understood the drill was for the overnight workers ending their shift not for his arriving staff. "As a result, the day shift supervisor was not in the proper location to supervise the day shift warning officers when the ballistic missile defense drill was initiated," the FCC report said. It said the overnight-shift supervisor called the day-shift warning officers at 8:05 am pretending to be from US Pacific Command. A recorded message was played over the phone which began and ended with the words "exercise, exercise, exercise." The message, however, also included the phrase "This is not a drill" used for an actual live ballistic missile alert, the report said. Three day-shift warning officers listened to the recording on speakerphone and one of them "believed that the missile threat was real" and issued a live alert at 8:07 am after hearing the sentence "This is not a drill," it said. The officer declined to be interviewed by the FCC but said in a written statement to HEMA that he did not hear the phrase "exercise, exercise, exercise." "Other warning officers who heard the recording in the watch center report that they knew that the erroneous incoming message did not indicate a real missile threat, but was supposed to indicate the beginning of an exercise," the report said. "Because we've not been able to interview the day shift warning officer who transmitted the false alert, we're not in a position to fully evaluate the credibility of their assertion that they believed there was an actual missile threat and intentionally sent the live alert (as opposed to believing that it was a drill and accidentally sending out the live alert)," it added. The FCC was also critical of HEMA's failure to develop "standard procedures" to cancel a false alert and said "the error was worsened by the delay in authoritatively correcting the misinformation." In the future, the FCC said, supervisors will receive advance notice of all drills and two warning officers will validate alerts instead of one. With Congress, senior foreign diplomats and a global audience looking on, the president of the United States faced the packed House of Representatives chamber and called for an end to the investigation targeting him. I have provided to the special prosecutor voluntarily a great deal of material. I believe that I have provided all the material that he needs to conclude his investigations and to proceed to prosecute the guilty and to clear the innocent, the president said. I believe the time has come to bring that investigation and the other investigations of this matter to an end. One year of Watergate is enough. The speaker was Richard Nixon, delivering the annual State of the Union speech in January 1974 not quite eight months before he resigned ahead of almost certain impeachment. With Gerald Ford seated behind him, President Nixon delivers a State of the Union message before a joint session of Congress in January 1974. (Photo: AP) As President Trump prepares to give his first formal State of the Union speech on Tuesday, its unclear whether he will mention former FBI director Robert Muellers investigation into the 2016 campaign. If he chooses not to confront the issue in this setting, Trump would be following the example of Bill Clinton, who made no mention of the investigation by independent counsel Ken Starr into his relationship with former intern Monica Lewinsky in his State of the Union speeches in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Whether or not Trump trains his fire on Mueller is just one of many things to watch for in the speech. The yearly remarks also provide an unparalleled forum for Trump to boast of what he views as the biggest victories of his young presidency, as well as lay out his agenda going forward and kick off a year of politicking ahead of the November 2018 midterm elections. Behind the scenes, the speech can be an ordeal for the presidents writers. Nixons 1970 State of the Union took shape during a sleepless three-day blitz powered by greenies, amphetamines prescribed by the White House doctor. Heroic caffeine intake is more the modern norm. Trump spoke to a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives on Feb. 28, 2017. But those remarks were not technically a State of the Union address, which by tradition takes place each January except in the first year of a new presidents term. Story continues President Trump delivers his first address to a joint session of Congress, Feb. 28, 2017. (Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Pool/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution says that the president shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient. It doesnt specify that he should do so in a primetime TV speech sometimes lampooned as I come to you tonight to speak in ringing tones and gaze into the middle distance. George Washington delivered his in person, a tradition that largely lapsed until Woodrow Wilson brought it back in 1913. Calvin Coolidge gave the first one broadcast on the radio, in 1923. Harry Trumans 1947 speech was the first on TV. The first live webcast was George W. Bushs 2002 address. (Washington also holds the record for the shortest spoken State of the Union, at 1,089 words, in 1790. Clinton gave the longest, at 9,190 words, in 1995). In addition to the Mueller question, here are other things to watch for in Trumps speech, which the White House says is titled Building a Safe, Strong, and Proud America. Whats the boast-to-plan ratio? Members of the Iraqi federal police celebrate in the Old City of Mosul, where the grueling battle to retake Iraqs second city from the Islamic State group fighters was nearing its end, on July 2, 2017. (Photo: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images) Trump is sure to highlight what he regards as his administrations first-year triumphs. Hell take credit for the growing U.S. economy, the booming stock market and the Republican tax overhaul that is leaving more money in many American paychecks. Hell underline that American-led forces have routed the so-called Islamic State. Hell invite conservatives to celebrate his judicial appointments. He may underline that he signed the undoing of Obamacares mandate that individuals purchase health insurance or pay a fine. It would not be out of character for him to recall his 2016 election victory. But the president will also want to shine a spotlight on his agenda including hard-line proposals on immigration, a potential infrastructure plan or pushing for new sanctions on Iran. Amid signs that his administration is taking a newly tough line on trade with China, Trump could announce new steps to punish Beijing. And he could press world leaders to step up enforcement of sanctions against North Korea. That doesnt mean lawmakers will act on any of it. Some presidents have made dramatic appeals that win applause from the audience, only to collect cobwebs in Congress like a return to the moon by 2020 to set up a manned mission to Mars, a plank of George W. Bushs address in 2004. A senior administration official, briefing reporters on condition he not be named, said last week that the five themes in the speech would be: the economy, infrastructure, immigration, trade and national security. Some notable past State of the Union policy moments include James Monroe announcing the Monroe Doctrine in 1823 and George W. Bush promising action in 2002 against an axis of evil encompassing Iran, Iraq and North Korea. How effective will the Skutniks be? Lenny Skutnik was recognized during President Reagans 1982 State of the Union speech. (Photo: Frank Johnston/Washington Post/Getty Images) Ronald Reagan transformed the State of the Union in one important way. Reagans 1982 address came two weeks after an airliner crashed into the icy Potomac River. The president gave one of the heroes to emerge from the tragedy, Lenny Skutnik, a seat in the gallery overlooking the chamber and paid tribute to him in his remarks. Since then, presidents and, increasingly, lawmakers have invited people they can use to make a point. In D.C. jargon, theyre known as Skutniks. These guests can lend emotional punch to a presidents words. When Trump addressed Congress last year, the entire chamber came to its feet when he pointed out Carryn Owens, the widow of a Navy SEAL killed in Yemen. The standing ovation provided one of the most memorable moments of his remarks. On Monday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters that the current crop of guests would include an Ohio welder; two couples whose daughters were killed by members of the MS-13 gang, which consists mostly of immigrants from Central America; a Marine corporal badly wounded in Iraq; Americans involved in disaster relief in last years hurricane season; a New Mexico police officer; a government investigator whose work led to arrests of MS-13 gang members; a serviceman who took part in the war on ISIS; an activist who puts flags and red carnations on soldiers graves; and a brother-and-sister team of business owners who say their workers received larger Christmas bonuses because of the Republican tax cut law. How will Democrats respond? The Democratic base doesnt want the partys elected leaders to cooperate with Trump on issues like immigration. Whether they can find common ground with the president on infrastructure or trade the partys left is also inclined to try to protect besieged U.S. industries remains to be seen. And then theres the question of vulnerable Democratic senators in states where Trump won: Will they decide that the electoral math in their states compels them to edge closer to Trump? Or would that only drive off the Democratic base voters they need to win? Will there be hecklers? Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., interrupts as President Obama addresses a joint session of Congress, Sept. 9, 2009. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Apart from Skutniks, lawmakers can send other quiet signals. They sit on their hands to show disapproval, or sit with a member of the opposing party to suggest bipartisanship a gesture that is the political equivalent of a comb-over, in that it looks weird and fools no one. But things arent always quiet in the chamber. When President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress on health care in September 2009, Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina interrupted a section on immigrants by twice shouting You lie! Wilson later apologized, but the Democrat-held House voted to reprimand him. Will Trump follow talk with action? The aftermath of the speech matters as much as what the president says in the chamber. Will the president crisscross the country in favor of his favored initiatives? That sort of travel would double as pre-midterm campaigning. How much work is he prepared to do to advance his legislative proposals? And how quickly will he ruin the mood with a bad tweet? a senior House Republican aide remarked to Yahoo News. The aide requested anonymity to avoid reprisals from the White House. Presidents have historically not seen much of a public opinion boost from the speech its not a way to pivot or to reset a troubled presidency. And Trumps approval ratings have tended to tick upwards when he is out of the public eye and his fingers arent tweeting. President Trump addresses a joint session of Congress, Feb. 28, 2017. (Photo: Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) But because this gives him what is likely to be his largest audience of the year, the pressure is on to stick to the script and make the most of his agenda-setting opportunity. As of a few days ago, Vice President Mike Pence had about 30 events on his calendar for House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates in 2018. Will the president match that level of energy? The success of Trumps legislative agenda may depend on it. And depending on what (if anything) Mueller unearths, keeping Democrats from retaking the House may prove key to saving his presidency. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: The wife of a Taiwanese democracy activist who was jailed in China in a case which further strained relations was Tuesday barred from boarding a flight to visit him in prison. Lee Ming-cheh -- an NGO worker arrested during a trip to the mainland last March -- was sentenced in November to five years in prison by a court in the central province of Hunan on charges of subverting state power. Human rights and democracy activists have been targeted in Chinese President Xi Jinping's crackdown on dissent since he took power in 2012. Taipei had called Lee's jailing "unacceptable" and a serious blow to cross-strait relations, while his wife Lee Ching-yu called his trial a "political show". She received a visitation notice from Chishan prison in Hunan but was told at the airport on Tuesday she could not board as she does not have the necessary travel permit. Lee Ching-yu had her mainland travel permit cancelled last April when she was trying to locate Lee, who was held incommunicado for months before his trial. Since then, Chinese authorities had only granted her single-entry visas to attend the trial and sentencing. Taiwan authorities urged China Tuesday to issue the necessary permits for her. "It is regrettable that China did not allow Ms Lee to board the plane to China today," the Mainland Affairs Council, which handles official contacts with Beijing, said in a statement. "Granting of visitation rights to relatives is a guaranteed basic human right," it said. Lee had admitted the charges during his trial in September, stating that he had written and distributed online articles that criticised China's ruling Communist Party and promoted democracy, among other topics. He had shared "Taiwan's democratic experiences" with his Chinese friends online for many years and often mailed books to them, according to the Taiwan Association for Human Rights. Lee Ching-yu -- who tattooed her husband's name on her arm before his trial -- has appealed for overseas support and testified at a US Congressional hearing last May. Diane Keaton starred alongside Woody Allen in 1977s Annie Hall. (Photo: Getty Images) While Greta Gerwig, Colin Firth, and many others are voicing their regrets about having worked with Woody Allen, Diane Keaton has consistently backed the writer and director. Her support never wavered in the wake of allegations by Allens daughter, Dylan Farrow, that the director sexually abused her as a child. Keaton reiterated her stance in a tweet posted Monday. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Keaton, 72, has defended Allen before. In May 2014, in an interview with the Guardian after Dylan Farrow called her out for standing by Allen in a New York Times story, she was asked to respond. I have nothing to say about that, Keaton said at the time. Except: I believe my friend. Keaton and Allen became friends in 1968 when the aspiring actress auditioned for his play, Play It Again, Sam. She immediately took to him. What I remember about Woody was that he was short and he was cute, Keaton said in PBSs 2011 Woody Allen: A Documentary. And thats what I remembered about Woody and that day is just that, oh, my God, he is you know, I just had a big crush, instantly. The two grew close working on the show. Eventually, they moved in together, and their romance lasted nearly five years. In her 2011 memoir Then Again, Keaton wrote that the eating disorder she had in her 20s was an obstacle for the relationship because shed try to avoid dates to stay home binging and purging. Allen didnt know she was bulimic, but he sent her to a psychoanalyst to help her cope with her insecurity. Keaton grew healthier. The couple ended their relationship in 1974 after making a movie of Allens play and another Allen script, Sleepers. But they were soon back together, at least professionally, for movies, including the 1977 Oscar-winning movie Annie Hall, featuring a main character Allen wrote with Keaton in mind. She was surprised to win the 1978 Oscar for best actress for playing what she called, an affable version of myself. Diane Keaton embraces Woody Allen during the American Film Institutes Life Achievement Award tribute to her. (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Turner) Movies such as The Godfather, Father of the Bride, and First Wives Club followed. She reteamed with Allen several more times after all, as she saw it, he made it all happen. Keaton even suggested that an interview with Yahoo done just before the American Film Institute gave her its Lifetime Achievement Award should be called Because of Annie Hall. Story continues And she obviously has meant just as much to Allen. The famous New Yorker, now 82, made the trek to Hollywood to present that AFI honor to her himself. Allen cracked a few jokes and then added, From the minute I met her, she was a great, great inspiration to me. Much of what I have accomplished in my life, I owe for sure to her. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. So presidential! Photo: AFP/AFP/Getty Images On Tuesday night, President Trump will deliver what is technically his first State of the Union address. Since he became president during his address to a joint session of Congress 11 months ago, hes going to have a hard time topping himself this year. Adding to the drama: The White House has offered few details about what policies the president plans to roll out, Democrats are packing the audience with various people Trump wronged or insulted, and the First Lady is said to be miffed at her husband over reports that he had an affair with a porn star. And to think, we used to get excited about Joe Bidens background antics. Heres what we know about Trumps address. When Is the Speech? The speech will start at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and while theres no set length, its expected to run about an hour (President Clinton holds the record for the longest SOTU, speaking for 89 minutes). The speech will air on every major TV network, and will stream online at CSPAN, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. You can also check out the livestream on Trumps campaign website if youd like to watch the address as donors names flash on your screen. A fundraising solicitation that went out on Monday offered to display the names of those who donated at least $35. This is a movement, the offer said. Its not about just one of us. Its about ALL of us. Which is why your name deserves to be displayed during Tuesday nights speech. Whats in the Speech? Unlike the Obama administration, which experimented with unveiling the presidents laundry list of policy proposals before the big speech, the Trump team is keeping things vague. During a briefing on Friday, a senior administration official told reporters few details would be given to avoid getting ahead of the presidents speech. The president is adhering to this plan a little too well; while he had time to attack Jay-Z on Twitter last weekend, hes yet to plug his address to his millions of followers. Heres what we do know: the official theme is building a safe, strong, and proud America, and there are five main topics: jobs and the economy, infrastructure, immigration, trade, and national security. Trump is expected to point to the strength of the economy as evidence that his tax and regulatory cuts have been successful. Supposedly he will offer some detail on his trillion-dollar infrastructure plan, which he originally promised to tackle in his first 100 days. Trump repeatedly derailed his own infrastructure efforts, most recently when he declared he doesnt care for public-private partnerships, the cornerstone of his administrations strategy at the time. During an unrelated event on Monday, Trump indicated that hell nudge Congress to work out an immigration compromise. For many, many years, Trump said, lawmakers have been talking about immigration and they never got anything done. Were going to get something done we hope. Its got to be bipartisan because the Republicans really dont have the votes to get it done in any other way. He said he hopes some Democrats will join them so they can really do something great for DACA and for immigration generally. A senior administration official promised an optimistic tone and said the president would speak from the heart and unite us in patriotism. According to the New York Times, that has some Trump supporters worried that the address will be too soft and cater to the swamp though Stephen American carnage Miller is leading the speechwriting team. Newt Gingrich said the president (who spent much of the last month attacking lawmakers over his shithole countries remark and the ensuing government shutdown) has already been shifting to less combative rhetoric. Theyre moving a little bit from Trump the fighter to Trump the winner, Gingrich said Monday. Theres more of a sense of, Look, Im the president of the United States. I dont need to pick a fight. The left is already bracing for a repeat of last year, when Trumps performance prompted liberal pundit Van Jones to declare that he did something tonight that you cannot take away from him he became president of the United States. The Times Michelle Goldberg wrote: Im begging my fellow pundits not to get too excited should Trump manage to read from a teleprompter without foaming at the mouth or saying anything overtly racist. No matter how well Trump delivers the lines in his State of the Union announced theme: Building a safe, strong and proud America he will not become presidential. There will be no turning of corners or uniting the country. At best, Trump will succeed in impersonating a minimally competent leader for roughly the length of an episode of The Apprentice. And if he does, recent history suggests that he will be praised as the second coming of Lincoln. Whos Coming? The First Lady. Usually this would not be news, but last week Melania Trump canceled plans to accompany her husband to Davos at the last minute, and made impromptu visits to the Holocaust Memorial Museum and Mar-a-Lago on her own. The Times reports that she was blindsided by reports that her husband had an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels while she was pregnant with their son Barron, and later had her paid off. Now she is said to be furious with her husband. However she will reemerge on Tuesday night, watching the State of the Union with Trumps four adult children, and 15 honored guests. The list includes a home buyer who benefitted from Trumps tax cuts, a Marine Corps veteran who lost his legs and eyesight when he stepped on an IED in Iraq, a police officer who adopted a baby born to opioid-addicted parents, an ICE agent whose investigations led to the arrest of more than 100 MS-13 members, the parents of two teen girls killed by MS-13, and the founder of the Cajun Navy, which conducted rescues during Hurricane Harvey last year. Members of Congress are allowed to bring guests as well, and many are using their invitations to highlight their opposition to the Trump administration. More than a dozen people enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will be in attendance, as well as several Dreamers and Temporary Protected Status recipients. Others are bringing immigrants from nations Trump described as shithole countries. Honored that Jean Bradley Derenoncourt will be my #SOTU guest. He immigrated to Brockton from Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, became a citizen & the first Haitian-American man elected in MA. He embodies American values of hard work, service, & persistence.https://t.co/DZC9lWdL8p Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 29, 2018 It is my great privilege to bring Dr. Bennet Omalu to the State of the Union Address tomorrow. Dr. Omalu immigrated to the United States from Nigeria and epitomizes the American Dream. pic.twitter.com/zf9Dhwljy3 Ami Bera, M.D. (@RepBera) January 30, 2018 Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is bringing Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of San Juan who feuded with Trump. It is an honor to announce that Mayor @CarmenYulinCruz of San Juan, Puerto Rico will join me at the #SOTU. Throughout the crisis in Puerto Rico, Mayor Cruz has shown extraordinary leadership and fearless advocacy for her city. Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) January 29, 2018 I hope Mayor Cruz's presence at #SOTU will remind the president and my colleagues in Congress of our urgent responsibility to help Puerto Rico fully recover and rebuild. Our fellow citizens must not be forgotten or left behind. Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) January 29, 2018 Several lawmakers invited transgender troops. Patricia King represents the best and bravest our nation offers. She will make our Commonwealth and our country proud at the State of the Union on Tuesday night. https://t.co/Y9PgbhZihx Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) January 28, 2018 One surprisingly controversial guest: Bill Nye. More than 33,000 people signed a petition urging The Science Guy not to attend because he was invited by Representative Jim Bridenstine, Trumps controversial pick to head NASA. The Oklahoma Republican once railed against researching how humans contribute to climate change, but he recently changed his position, saying he thinks humans are causing global warming, but arent necessarily the primary culprit. Nye, who is CEO of the space exploration NGO the Planetary Society, defended his decision on Twitter. The Society is the worlds largest and most influential non-governmental nonpartisan space organization, co-founded by Carl Sagan. While the Congressman and I disagree on a great many issues we share a deep respect for NASA and its achievements... Bill Nye (@BillNye) January 29, 2018 and a strong interest in the future of space exploration. My attendance tomorrow should not be interpreted as an endorsement of this administration, or of Congressman Bridenstines nomination, or seen as an acceptance of the recent attacks on science and the scientific community. Bill Nye (@BillNye) January 29, 2018 The U.S. Space Program has long been a source of American technical achievement, a symbol of our innovative spirit, and a source of national pride. There are extraordinary opportunities for our country, and for all humanity, in the continued exploration of space. Bill Nye (@BillNye) January 29, 2018 Historically, the Space Program has brought Americans together, and during his address, I hope to hear the Presidents plans to continue exploring the space frontier. Bill Nye (@BillNye) January 29, 2018 Who Isnt Coming Taking a cue from the Golden Globes, a number of Democrats are planning to wear black to the State of the Union to show solidarity with victims of sexual assault and harassment. At least 11 Democratic lawmakers are boycotting the event, which is far fewer than the 60 who refused to show up for Trumps inauguration. The no-shows at this years speech include Representatives John Lewis, Maxine Waters, and Frederica Wilson. To go would be to honor the president and I dont think he deserves to be honored at this time, after being so hateful towards black people and then black countries, Haiti and the whole continent of Africa, said the Florida congresswoman, who clashed with Trump over his remarks to the widow of a U.S. serviceman killed in Niger. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs likely absence has also been noted. Ginsburg is currently on a speaking tour and is scheduled to be in Rhode Island on Tuesday. Its not unusual for justices to skip State of the Union speeches, but Ginsburg will be skipping a second Trump event after attending all of Obamas congressional addresses. What Happens After the Speech? There will be no fewer than five responses to President Trumps State of the Union. Representative Joe Kennedy, the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy who has had a number of anti-Trump speeches go viral, will deliver the official Democratic response. Senator Bernie Sanders will deliver his own response, as he did last year. Elizabeth Guzman, an immigrant from Peru who was recently elected to Virginias House of Delegates, will deliver the Spanish-language response. Representative Donna Edwards will comment on behalf of the Working Families Party, and Representative Maxine Waters, who is boycotting the speech, will respond on BET. President Trump is expected to tour the country in the coming days to promote ideas introduced on Tuesday night, but as with many elements of the State of the Union, the White House has yet to provide details. The world's tallest man, Sultan Kosen, has met the worlds shortest woman, Jyoti Amge, during an excursion to Egypt's Giza Pyramids. Kosen and Amge were invited by the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board as part of a campaign which aims to revive the country's struggling tourism industry. Kosen, 35, who is of Kurdish origin, stands at 8 foot, 3 inches. He is considered the first person in more than a decade to officially measure at more than 8 feet and is one of only 10 confirmed cases in history, according to the Guinness World Records. He was given the title in 2011, replacing previous record holder Bao Xishun, who measured at 7 foot, 9 inches tall. Kosens incredible growth resulted from a tumor that affected his pituitary gland. Amge, a 24-year-old Indian actress who stars in American Horror Story on the FX network, is just over 2 feet tall. She also received her title in 2011. Amge's height is due to a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia. It was quite the sight as the two stood next to each other. As Kosen sat down, Amge still only reached the height of his bent knee. In November 2014, Kosen met with the world's shortest man, Chandra Bahadur Dangi who is less than 2 feet tall in London. RELATED STORIES Daredevil Breaks 2 World Records After Running Nearly 700 Feet... While on Fire 101-Year-Old Becomes World Record Holder in 100-Meter Dash: 'I Missed My Nap For This' 8-Year-Old Who Died of Cancer Honored With World's Tallest Lego Tower Related Articles: Aden (AFP) - Separatists in war-ravaged Yemen have seized all but one district of the government's de facto capital Aden, also laying siege to the isolated presidential palace on the city's southern outskirts on Tuesday. Global charity Save the Children said it was suspending life-saving work in Aden as its staff were forced to hunker down amid gun battles that the Red Cross says have killed at least 36 people in the past three days. A number of ministers fled the port city by boat on Monday night, docking in the district of Brega further west, a military source told AFP. A port official confirmed their arrival, saying they were transported to a base of the Saudi-led coalition which backs Yemen's government. But the ministers returned to Aden before dawn, after receiving guarantees from the coalition that the presidential palace would not be stormed, a government source said. The source said Saudi Arabia and its coalition allies are now in talks with southern separatists and with Yemen's government, which Riyadh supports in the war against Iran-backed Huthi rebels. The separatists, who advocate for self-rule in southern Yemen, now control seven of Aden's eight districts. Forces loyal to the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi hold the large northern district of Dar Saad, while ministers remain in the besieged presidential palace near the coast. Hadi's government has accused the separatists of attempting a coup in Aden, opening yet another front in the country's devastating conflict. - Save the Children - Save the Children on Tuesday said it was suspending critical humanitarian work in Aden out of fear for the safety of its staff. "Our staff are forced to shelter at home and in bunkers while gun battles rage outside," Yemen Country Director Tamer Kirolos said, saying children are "dying every day from preventable causes" like hunger, cholera and diphtheria. "Aden was a relative refuge amidst the fighting in Yemen, but now that too has been shattered," Kirolos said. "How many more innocent children must have their lives destroyed before the world takes notice?" Story continues The southern port city of Aden has served as the government's base since 2014, when the Iran-backed Huthi rebels -- who hail from northern Yemen -- took control of the capital Sanaa. While President Hadi now resides in Riyadh, two military officials said Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher and a number of senior government figures remain in the Aden presidential palace. For three years, Hadi's Saudi-backed administration was allied with the separatists, driving the Huthi rebels out of the south and back to their northern strongholds. But tension between the allies began to surface in April when Hadi dismissed cabinet minister Hani bin Breik and Aden's governor in a move widely seen as reflecting divisions among his supporters. Tensions boiled over into armed clashes between the separatists and pro-government forces on Sunday, fuelling chaos in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country where a civil war has already left thousands dead and millions on the brink of starvation. - Demand for self-rule - Under the self-proclaimed Southern Transitional Council (STC), the separatists have gained traction since April in their push for self-rule, demanding the reinstatement of South Yemen as an independent entity. The STC this month called on Hadi to make changes in his government, accusing him of corruption and mismanagement. The clashes have sparked fears of a repeat of the 1986 South Yemen civil war, a failed socialist coup which killed thousands in just six days and helped pave the way for the 1991 unification of South and North Yemen. Brigadier Saleh al-Sayyed, who heads troops that have fought alongside the separatists since Sunday, announced his forces had seized control of the Fourth Brigade, the presidential guard in Aden. Yemen's president has urged Saudi Arabia and its allies to intervene to defend the government. The coalition said it would take "all necessary steps to restore security" but has not announced any new operation to help the government in Aden. The United Arab Emirates, a key coalition member that has trained up a special operations force in the Yemeni army, has close ties to sacked minister bin Breik, a prominent separatist. The UAE-trained force, dubbed the "security belt", is stationed in southern Yemen and supports the STC. Some troops in the Yemeni army are also loyal to the separatists. The coalition on Monday called on the separatists to exercise restraint, while urging the Yemeni government to "take into consideration the demands of the social and political movement" in the south. A seven-year-old boy was led away from school in handcuffs after allegedly attacking a teacher. The pupil was detained by police after reportedly punching a teacher who had told him to stop playing with his food. Footage filmed by the boys mother shows a uniformed officer marching the handcuffed youngster away from a police car in Miami, Florida. His father, Rolando Fuentes, called authorities response to the incident completely insane. Miami-Dade Schools Police Department has launched a review but said the boys detainment was done in accordance with standard operating procedures. The boy attacked a teacher after being told to stop playing with his breakfast cereal in the cafeteria of Coral Way Bilingual K-8 Centre, reported ABCs Local 10 News. According to a police report, the child punched the teacher on the back as they told a colleague about the incident. The teacher tried to restrain the pupil but he continued to punch and kick them, causing them both to fall to the floor, the report added. While on the floor the boy is said to have grabbed the teachers hair. After being restrained, the boy calmed down and was taken to the headteachers office. He was detained under state mental health law which allows the involuntary examination of a patient if authorities believe they are likely to cause serious bodily harm. Mr Fuentes said he was expecting to drive his son to the hospital himself before a police officer arrived and asked to handcuff the boy. He said: I asked them two times, Why do you have to take my kid away? I asked them before putting [him] in the police car, Let me ride with him or cuff me, but not my kid. He added: I know that my kid made a mistake. This is completely insane. Ian Moffett, chief of the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department, admitted it was rare for students so young to be detained but said this action was warranted to prevent his erratic and violent behaviour from bringing further harm to others or himself. Story continues He added: The manner in which he was transported to the receiving facility was done in accordance with standard operating procedures. Our Professional Compliance Unit is thoroughly reviewing this incident. The boy was taken to Miamis Nicklaus Childrens Hospital for evaluation. His father said the seven-year-old had apologised and was traumatised by what happened. He dont sleep, Mr Fuentes said. Hes nervous. He dont realise what this is all about. Theres at least one good reason for airing the shocking recording of the prime ministers wife. The reason is the growing number of employees at the Prime Ministers Residence who were victims of the ladys unhealthy behavior and whose testimonies have been rejected by the prime ministers people as false claims, as lies, as political motivesas attempts to topple the prime minister. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Those weakened, silenced people, who were denounced as liars, deserve this golden piece of evidence in which the prime ministers wife is finally exposed in her own voice, in an utterly disproportional response to something marginal, negligible, unimportant: A small, and even positive, paragraph in a Yedioth Ahronoth gossip column. One can only imagine the ladys responses to much more acute and stressful events she had to deal with, and the kind of recordings or testimonies we might have been exposed to had the witnesses to these incidents had the courage to share them with the public. ara and Benjamin Netanyahu. Listening to the recording, one cant avoid thinking about the atmosphere the prime minister is living and operating in (Photo: Reuters) Her interlocutor in this case was veteran advisor Shaya Segal, who passed away about a year ago and who possessed evidence of endless examples of this behavior. If this is how the prime ministers wife spoke to a veteran advisor, a strong and independent person who could have slammed the phone down at any given moment and disconnected himself from the Netanyahus, imagine what hard-working employees had to go through, knowing that their livelihood depended on her and that if they opened their mouth they would be sentenced to a life of humiliation and condemnation. When Shaya Segal could no longer take the heavy burden, he shared the stories with his associates, but made them swear not to tell. He wanted to control the information he had, to use it at his own convenience. Had Segal, who was one of the closest people to Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu, shared everything he knew and heard, we may not have reached a situation in which we need evidence to prove that something wrong, very wrong, is taking place in the most important residence in this country. And this isnt the only recording in which the prime ministers wife loses it. We have known about one of these recordings for years from former Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal. His partner, Monique Ben Melech, received a phone call from the prime ministers wife during Operation Protective Edge and has yet to recover from that conversation. Those recordings may pop up too, just like stories of sexual harassment or assault victims surface after one woman complains. One can only imagine the ladys responses to much more acute and stressful events she had to deal with (Photo: Haim Zach/GPO) Those who were exposed to the recording for the first time on Sunday (and it was impossible to avoid it) probably thought at first that it was just another crazy fit thrown by Inbal Or, the former real estate entrepreneur whose empire collapsed two years ago. The high voice, the intonation, the unclear sentences, the accusations, the delusion of grandeur. When it became clear that the speaker was Sara Netanyahu, even those who were familiar with the stories were shocked. Every decent person, who has been rejecting the stories about her abuse of workers, will find it difficult to remain untrue to himself and keep saying that it never happened. But listening to the recording, one cant avoid thinking about the atmosphere the prime minister is living in, operating in and handling the most important issues concerning our life and future. And heres another reason for publishing the recording: Even those who have been dismissing the rumors about Mrs. Netanyahu's condition, claiming that its unimportant gossip, will have trouble sticking to this argument after hearing it with their own ears. So we can pity the prime minister, admire him for functioning under impossible conditionsbut we must take into account that Netanyahu is a prime minister under an influence, especially as we know about his wifes involvement in the most critical and fateful decisions concerning our life. Now, after hearing it with our own ears, we can no longer say we didnt know. When US President Donald Trump withheld $65 million from the United Nations Relief and Welfare Agency (UNRWA) and threatened on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos to pull aid to the Palestinians if they fail to resume peace negotiations with Israel, he redefined the aid rationale. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Its the rationale of a businessman, which also matches his approach to diplomacy as president. Trump, after all, wants to achieve the ultimate deal between Israel and the Palestinians. A deal, not a peace agreement, thereby adding a business approach to the existing approaches to foreign aid: The strategic approach and the humanitarian approach. US President Donald Trump and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Photo: AFP) World powers like the United States, Russia and China provide aid primarily as a way to implement strategic interests. During the Cold War, the US used foreign aid to support allieslike Israelthat were dealing with Soviet pressure. The Soviet Union did the same with its own allies, like Cuba. The US gave Israel and Egypt extensive aid to support the negotiations between them and preserve the peace agreements they had signed. This rationale continues to this very day. The military aid to Israel is given also in order to help it deal with any hostile regional coalition. The rich countries in Western Europe and Scandinavia provide aid primarily for humanitarian reasons. They give donations without expecting anything in return. This aid is also rendered to poor and undeveloped countries, mainly in a bid to reduce the gaps between those countries and the rich world. Some of the rich countries dedicate a fixed percentage of their GDP to such humanitarian aid. Since the signing of the Oslo Agreement, the Palestinians have received billions of dollars from the United States and Europe. The American aid is given mainly for strategic reasons, similar to the reasons behind the aid that was given to Egypt: Reinforcing and maintaining the peace process with Israel. The European aid is given mainly for humanitarian reasons, stemming from a feeling that the Palestinians are poor, miserable and depressed and need help. When you give humanitarian aid, you dont check what it is used for. So Europe avoided inquiring about the reasons for the Palestinian distress, like Hamas huge investments of hundreds of millions of dollars a year in the production of rockets and construction of attack tunnels at the expense of Gazas poor residents. No one checked how money from these humanitarian donations went to the Palestinian leaders private and secret bank accounts. Europe started asking questions only after receiving proof that the Palestinian Authority was using donations to pay respectable salaries to terrorists who had been convicted and jailed in Israel and to build public institutions and name them after terrorists. Trump with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Photo: Reuters) In recent years, the US has been giving the PA some $500 million a year and giving UNWRA $250-400 million. Trump sees this aid as an investment which should yield a good return. Since the rationale for aiding the Palestinians is the existence of a peace process, and the Palestinians are refusing to negotiate, and since they held the same stance during most of Barack Obamas years in office, the justification for helping them has been dropped. Trump was also offended by the Palestinian boycott of Vice President Mike Pences visit and the insults hurled at him by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his people. Trumps business approach could challenge Israel too. Part of the American aid is dedicated to the training and maintenance of the Palestinians' security apparatuses. Freezing the aid could sabotage the PAs security cooperation with Israel, worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and perhaps even lead to a new wave of violence. The US gives Israel about $3 billion a year in military aid. Trump said Israel would have to give something in return for his Jerusalem announcement and make significant concessions as part of a peace agreement. The business principle will provide him with a heavy leverage of pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he presents his ultimate deal. The IDF has decided to task one regional brigade with security of the entire Jerusalem sector in light of the recent increase in the number of attacks stemming from east Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The reorganization plan, formulated by GOC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Roni Numa and Judea and Samaria Division Commander Brig.-Gen. Eran Niv, was approved by IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. Until now, Binyamin Brigade Commander Col. Yuval Gez has been responsible for the area north of Jerusalem while Etzion Brigade Commander Col. Sharon Assman has been responsible for the area south of the capital, near Bethlehem. L to R: GOC Central Command Numa, COGAT Yoav Mordechai and Chief of Staff Eisenkot (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis said that the organizational-operational change will not affect the capital proper, which are currently under the responsibility of the Israel Police and the Border Police, and that the IDF will not take on security of any new areas in Greater Jerusalem. As part of the reorganization, new command centers will be established with representatives from the IDF, the Shin Bet and the police in an effort to improve the speed with which security forces respond to terrorist attacks, either by thwarting them or by neutralizing attackers. Another issue that the security establishment will attempt to tackle is Israeli Arabs who commit criminal or security offenses in Israeli territory and flee prosecution by hiding in West Bank cities, or Palestinians who carried out terror attacks in the West Bank and then flee to east Jerusalem. Under the reorganization, responsibility over the northern Binyamin region will be transferred to the regional brigades of Ephraim and Samaria, with the city of Ramallah remaining under the responsibility of the Binyamin Brigade. Villages such as Abu Dis and Azariya, which are adjacent to Jerusalem, will be transferred from the responsibility of the Etzion Brigade to the responsibility of the Binyamin Brigade. The West Bank barrier in Jerusalem (Photo: Lowshot) The plan will be implemented in three stages over the next six months, and will also include personnel changes among commanders in the West Bank. Col. Assman will replace Col. Gez as Binyamin Brigade commander while Lt. Col. David Shapira (formerly battalion commander of Shimshon) will be promoted and take Assman's place as Etzion Brigade commander. Lt. Col. Sagiv Dahan will be also promoted and will serve as the next commander of the Samaria Brigade. Brig. Gen. Manelis further stated that responsibility for the crossings currently under control of the Border Police would not change. President Reuven Rivlin said Monday that legislation being pursued in Poland aimed at criminalizing the use of phrases such as "Polish death camps" to refer to the killing sites Nazi Germany operated in occupied Poland during World War II is "a reminder that it is still beholden upon us to fight for the memory of the Holocaust, as it happened. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Delivering his remarks at a Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony held by Athens Jewish community in the presence of Holocaust survivors, the Israeli president insisted that research into the Nazi extermination of European Jewry must be free, open and sincere but suggested that the Polish legislation, that has sparked an outcry in Israel , is an attempt to downplay the Polish role in abetting Hitlers killing machine. (Photo: Haim Zach) Just as was said by the former Polish President, One cannot fake history, nor rewrite it, nor hide the truth. Every crime, every offence must be condemned, denounced, must be examined and exposed, so he said, Rivlin quoted as he lashed out against the legislation. Rivlin was more direct after stating that the Jewish people and the State of Israel and the entire world had a responsibility to ensure that the Holocaust is recognized for its horrors and atrocities. Also among the Polish nation there were those who aided the Nazis in their crimes. We will not forget that, he promised, while simultaneously paying homage to those Poles who risked their own lives to save Jews. There were also others among them who struggled to save the lives of Jews and were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, Rivlin said. Our obligation as children of the Jewish nation, to the memory of our brothers and sisters who were murdered will always be above all other considerations. The duty to remember is a duty to recognize, to know, to try and understand what happened. To understand how the most terrible destruction in history was made possible. With the aim to ensure, Never Again, he continued. Noting seventy-three years had passed since the liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army, Rivlin lamented that the Polish lower house of Parliament had approved the legislation, that carries with it a prison sentence for future offenders (Photo: Haim Zach) Seventy-three years have passed since the flames of the Auschwitz crematoria were put out. Auschwitz has become a symbol of the whole Jewish Holocaust And yet, on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the lower house of the Polish Parliament passed a law to criminalize talk of crimes of the Polish nation, threatening custodial sentences those who use different expressions. The rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe and revival of Nazi ideology spreading across the continent, Rivlin said, was also a cause for concern. We are witnessing the return of anti-Semitic, racist and neo-Nazi outlooks, many manifestations of anti-Semitism are once again reverberating around the world, radical movements are gaining strength, the new right-wing parties are winning electoral achievements with the use of anti-Semitic slogans, the president listed. These things are happening not centuries after Auschwitz, and not in distant lands. They are happening now on European soil, and elsewhere. Jews feel less secure in their countries, there are those who are forced to hide their Jewishnessthese are phenomena that should be denounced, Rivlin emphasized. Civilized nations and people, he said, could not give in to anti-Semitism, racism or xenophobia, all of which he said must be fought in all its forms. This is the time for public diplomacy and education! Against xenophobia, against racism, and against anti-Semitism, he stated, while also warning his listeners that anti-Semitism was often disguised by anti-Israel rhetoric. President Rivlin meets Greek PM Alexis Tsipras (Photo: AFP) Those who enter into an alliance with anti-Semites and anti-Semitism, those who adopt their language, have no part in the family of nations. We must firmly oppose those who hide their anti-Semitism under the guise of delegitimizing the State of Israel, Rivlin said. He further pointed out that anti-Semitic political parties could not be forgiven for their hatred based on pro-Israel declarations. As well as extreme right-wing parties that do not hide their anti-Semitic background, but repeatedly declare that they love the State of Israel. There is no such thing as loving Israelis and hating Jews, or loving Jews, but hating Israelis, he added. The event was attended by Holocaust survivors from the Greek Jewish community, among them Itzik Mizen, 90, who survived Auschwitz-Birkenau, Frances Hogo, 90, who survived Bergen Belsen, Fortunita Hananel Gani, 91, who survived Auschwitz-Birkenau, and David Moshe, 95, who survived Mauthausen. Also attending was Greeces Education and Religious Affairs Minister, and the Speaker of the Greek Parliament. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday night that Israel and Poland have agreed to hold talks seeking to resolve the uproar over proposed Polish legislation that would outlaw blaming Poland for any crimes committed during the Holocaust. WASHINGTON The United States is accusing Moscow of unsafe military practices after it says a Russian jet flew within five feet of a US Navy plane over the Black Sea. The State Department says the incident occurred Monday when a Russian Su-27 jet crossed directly in front of the flight path of the American jet in international airspace. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert says the United States views it with "the highest level of concern." Nauert says Russia's military "flagrantly" violated international law and risked a midair collision. She calls it "the latest example of Russian military activities disregarding international norms and agreements." The United States has raised concerns several times over the last year about midair encounters between US and Russian planes, including above the Black Sea and Baltic Sea. Attorney David Shimron allegedly told state witness Miki Ganor that he would get Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu involved in a deal to purchase submarines for the Israeli Navy from German conglomerate ThyssenKrupp. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Police suspect a series of crimes was committed surrounding the deal, including bribery and money laundering. While Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has repeatedly stressed the prime minister was not involved in the affair, recent reports indicate the police want to question Netanyahu and hear his version of events as part of an investigation commonly referred to as Case 3000. INS Rahav (Photo: Reuters) After questioning other suspects in the affair, several of them with close ties to the prime minister, police have been trying to get approval from the attorney general to question Netanyahu himself, so far unsuccessfully. Ganor, a main suspect in the case who became a state witness, told police investigators that he hired the services of ShimronNetanyahu's cousin, personal lawyer and close confidantbecause of his ties to the highest echelons of Israeli leadership, particularly his close ties to the prime minister. Ganor and Shimron (Photo: Yuval Hen, Orel Cohen) According to Ganor, in order to maintain secrecy and conceal the identity of those involved in the deal, he and Shimron used code names when discussing the matter. Netanyahu was dubbed "the friend," while attorney Yitzhak Molcho , Shimron's partner and brother-in-law, who also until recently served as Netanyahu's special envoy on diplomatic affairs, was referred to as "the brother-in-law." Ganor claimed that in one of his conversations with Shimron, he asked the lawyer if there were any progress in his work to promote the deal between ThyssenKrupp and Israel's Defense Ministry. To that end, he asked Shimron to get Netanyahu involved. Yitzhak Molcho, dubbed 'the brother-in-law' (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky) Shimron, Ganor said, responded with: "I'll ask the brother-in-law, he'll talk to the friend." According to another testimony gathered by the police, Shimon and Netanyahu met in Caesarea to discuss the submarine deal. Shimron then allegedly updated Ganor on the meeting. Ganor's testimony has already put several senior Israeli officials in the hot seat, including former Navy commander Elizer Maron, former deputy national security adviser Avriel Bar-Yosef, Netanyahu's former bureau chief David Sharan, and former minister Eliezer Sandberg. Shimron and Molcho are also suspects in the case. Prime Minister Netanyahu, dubbed 'the friend' (Photo: AFP) Shimron has vehemently denied involving Netanyahu in the affair, while the prime minister has yet to provide his own version of events. Police investigators cannot at this stage point to any concrete action Netanyahu may have allegedly taken to help Shimron promote the deal, but they believe there is still justification to collect his testimony, and, if the need arises, question him under caution. "This issue has existed almost since the beginning of the investigation," a law enforcement official said, "and it appears to be just a matter of time before this move is approved by the attorney general." Neither the Prime Minister's Office nor Shimon have responded to this report. On Sunday, in response to reports police wish to question him, the PMO said that "time and again, there are forced attempts to tie the prime minister to the submarine affair; while the Justice Ministry has already made it clear the prime minister is not suspected of anything." A Palestinian family is suing Israel for damages over alleged negligence that led to the death of the family's father, who was employed in construction in Israel and was injured in a workplace accident. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The man, Moein Haja, 56, from the village of Burqa near Ramallah, was fatally injured during his job as a construction work in Tayibe, an Arab city in central Israel, and was hospitalized in the Beilinson Hospital at the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva. Moein Haja died after being transferred from Beilinson to a hospital in Nablus Attorney Pesach Stamler, who represents the family, told Ynet, "It's unclear how Beilinson dared to cast off someone who was on a respirator and under general anesthesia. Was it not clear halting treatment to transfer him to the territories will lead to his death?" Replying to the Haja family's claims, Beilinson Hospital said authorization to transfer the patient was received from "other authorities." Conditions in the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus The family further added that hospitals in the Palestinian Authority were not equipped to provide the requisite care to people in Moein's condition. One of his sons said, "This is negligence of the highest order. Instead of treating him, they threw him away to die. We have to find out who decided to transfer him to a hospital that couldn't save his life. It's utter disrespect towards human life." Another son, Salim Haja, said, "We're in shock. This is a nightmare. Dad went to work, and then we got a call saying he was hurt and taken to Beilinson Hospital. We arranged for my brother and mother to be issued three-day entry permits into Israel. They used them for two days and then the hospital wouldn't sign off on our dad being hospitalized there. "Several days later, people from the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus called us. They said dad was in intensive care there. Two days later doctors pronounced him dead. We didn't sign any transfer form and were not told of an official intention to transfer him. They did it without our knowledge. How do you move someone so grievously wounded from place to place? I can't explain it. Dad had rights, and we want answers." Conditions in the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus A visit to the Nablus hospital where Moein Haja who hospitalized, which was captured on a hidden camera, showed the premises suffer from severe neglect. The bathrooms, counter and refrigerator in the emergency room were completely rusted, while malodorous aroma permeated the halls. The floor was strewn with papers, food waste and medical equipment. In the waiting room and near the entrance to other departments, visitors smoked and threw cigarette butts in the halls without sparing a thought to patients. Near the pediatrics ward, there was a dirty stairwell, broken chairs, walls with water damage and a dirty water cooler. Conditions in the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus One of the patients hospitalized there told Ynet, "We only come here because we have no choice. Instead of receiving treatment, I may get an infection. This is the situation of many other West Bank hospitals unfortunately. Only government officials receive the best care here." Attorney Stamler added, "It's also unclear why Moein Haja's employer refused to sign forms confirming he was under his employ, which would allow him to continue to receive care in Israel. The employer's signature would have also allowed the deceased to be recognized as someone who suffered a workplace injury for the National Insurance Institute's purposes, going towards paying medical expenses." Conditions in the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus "A person who was employed in Israel for years was cast away to die because there was no way of forcing his employer to confirm the injury by filling out a form, and no way to instruct the police to force him to do so despite the fact he admitted (to employing Haja)," Stamler continued. "It's unclear why there's no way of instructing the hospital to continue treating a patent at least until a preliminary inquiry into the circumstances of his injury is undertaken. Everything is done out of financial considerations." Beilinson Hospital said they received authorization to transfer Haja to Nablus (Photo: Gil Lerner) Providing its own version of events, Beilinson Hospital said, "A fatally wounded patient arrived to the hospital with multisystemic injuries. He was treated by the trauma staff and later hospitalized in the intensive care ward. He received all medical treatment in accordance with his condition. "After exhausting all treatment options, he was transferred to the hospital nearest to his residence in coordination with the appropriate authorities in Israel. Transferring patients from the territories does not require their families' signatures and is carried out in coordination with other authorities." Trump writing a speech at Mar-a-Lago. At the White House on Friday, with President Donald Trump traveling back from Davos, administration officials met with reporters to preview the State of the Union address. Set for Tuesday night, early talking points suggest the speech the theme of which is building a safe, strong, and proud America will act to deny and obscure its backdrop of pronounced government dysfunction and a never-ending news cycle that is at turns zany and grim. And who, exactly, is crafting those denials and obfuscations, as they appear on the page? The small number of formal speeches delivered by Donald Trump as president have at times borne little resemblance in pattern or content to anything he has ever said before, or would say, or would ever even think. Yet in keeping with the running theme of this White House, definite answers to simple questions Who is writing which speeches, and what is the presidents involvement? are hard to get. The briefing was on background, meaning reporters attended on the condition that the information about the State of the Union address be attributed to an unnamed senior administration official. While introducing said official, another Trump aide issued a warning: Do not expect a lot of color on process or specific policy items in this briefing. The terms color and process are often used dismissively by political types to suggest frivolity. In reality, they describe valuable details about how things happen and why theyre happening that way. Asked by New York to explain why the White House refused to get into the illuminating particulars, the senior administration official was incoherent. Umm, because thats an internal deliberations that weigh on you know, we dont want to go into talking about the process um because its a never-ending uh set of questions, the senior administration official said. Various reports have identified Stephen Miller, the senior policy adviser to the president, as the likely architect of the address. A former communications director for Jeff Sessions, Miller has the uncommon distinction of having emerged from the Trump campaign and the first year of the new presidency with his job intact. And though hes best known for his anti-immigration politics and antisocial interactions with the press, hes also known for his alleged ability to write a speech. Stephen Miller has acquired the knack of writing in his voice, one source close to the president said, to write in a way that sounds like him stylistically. The Washington Post reported that during the campaign, it was typical to see Trump and Miller collaborating while traveling between rallies; Miller would bring his portable printer and Trump would sit, slashing notes into the margins of another speech. But, the source close to the president added, Im sure hes not anxious to take credit for anything. According to personnel records and other sources, several White House staffers are designated speechwriters, or speechwriters along with another title, like special assistant or adviser to the president. With the exception of Michael Anton, who composed speeches for Rudy Giuliani and George W. Bush before he joined the Trump administration as the spokesman for the National Security Council, theyre invisible by the standards of Trump staff. And without hearing from them, its difficult to assess their influence on the words of the president and by extension the world. Based on their resumes, it seems possible that all theyve done is make Trump sound more like a conventional Republican. Theres Vince Haley, who managed Newt Gingrichs 2012 campaign and served as an executive at Gingrichs media production company; Ross Worthington, another former executive at Gingrich Productions and the co-author of Gingrichs book Breakout: Pioneers of the Future, Prison Guards of the Past, and the Epic Battle That Will Decide Americas Fate; Ryan Jarmula, a longtime aide and speechwriter to Mike Pence; Brittany Baldwin, a former speechwriter for Ted Cruz; David Sorensen, a former aide to Maines Republican governor Paul LePage; and Theodore Royer, a former speechwriter and spokesman for Rick Perry, who claims in his biography that he once co-wrote and produced Pioneers, a branded series of shorts for the Oprah Winfrey Network. In most modern White Houses, the presidents speechwriters have had public faces even as they shed some natural egotistical impulses to do the job. As with any characters influencing a president, they became, to varying degrees, media curiosities, and increasingly, they leveraged the attention to serve their own interests, going on to become TV pundits, authors, and so on. John F. Kennedy relied on Ted Sorensen; Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush on Peggy Noonan and Ken Khachigian; for Bill Clinton, it was Michael Waldman; for George W. Bush, Michael Gerson; and for Barack Obama, a veritable *NSYNC of political scribes: Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Cody Keenan, and Ben Rhodes. But the current White House has so far diverged from this convention, as it has from so many others. If anybodys paying attention to who the White House speechwriters are, its former White House speechwriters. And I dont know anybody who has any idea outside of our awareness of Stephen Miller, said Jeff Shesol, a partner at West Wing Writers who worked for Bill Clinton. Ive had many conversations with people who would know under any other administration, saying, Does Trump even have speechwriters? Who are his speechwriters? Officials declined to engage on the subject in a way that seems almost suspicious, like the speechwriters might all be lizard people or something. Unfortunately we will not be able to facilitate an interview with the speechwriting team, Lindsay Walters, a deputy press secretary, told me in an email. On record, she added, when President Trump communicates with the American people, his words are his own and come directly from his heart. His unparalleled ability to speak to and connect with people from across the country, including those who have felt forgotten by Washington for many years, will never waver. Much less exciting than the lizard theory, but also more horrifying, is the explanation offered by multiple sources close to the president: Trump hates the idea that anybody puts words in his mouth. He hates the idea that everything isnt written by him, one said. Thats something he jealously guards. Two days before his inauguration, Trump tweeted a picture of himself at a strange-looking desk, holding a pen and a pad of paper. Writing my inaugural address at the Winter White House, Mar-a-Lago, three weeks ago, he said. As it turned out, the desk was the Mar-a-Lago concierge desk, and the desktop computer and brochures that usually sit on top of it had been cleared off and replaced with an eagle statue for the photo. The pen in his hand was a marker, his preferred writing instrument but less than an ideal one with which to write a long, inherently historic speech. From there, the confusion continued, with conflicting reports claiming the speech was penned by Miller, or Steve Bannon, or Trump himself, or some combination thereof. A source who has written speeches with Trump said that channeling his voice wasnt as difficult as the psychological maneuvering the job required. One: Let him come to you. Two: Make sure he thinks youre never trying to handle him or control him, the source said, explaining how best to approach his fragile state. I knew, naturally, he would eventually say, Do you have any suggestions? Obviously, Trump isnt the first president to dislike the idea of others accepting credit for the words he says. Early in George W. Bushs presidency, rumors circulated that hed fired a speechwriter, David Frum, because he was unhappy that Frums wife had gleefully informed friends that her husband came up with the newly famous phrase axis of evil. (Both Frum and the White House publicly denied the rumor, saying Frum had resigned.) But Trump is perhaps the first president to dislike the idea of others accepting credit for the words coming out of his mouth even when the words couldnt have possibly arrived there without assistance. When a mass shooting killed 58 people in Las Vegas, he delivered biblically tinged remarks in a somber tone. Scripture teaches us the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit, he said. We seek comfort in those words, for we know that God lives in the hearts of those who grieve. There were other references to bonds that unite us and the bonds of citizenship and the comfort of our common humanity, and most unfamiliar of all, searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos, some kind of light in the darkness. The answers do not come easy. Had they been Mandarin, the words couldnt have sounded any less like ones Trump might have chosen, but the press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, didnt budge. The presidents remarks are his own, she told New York. I definitely wrote stuff that didnt sound like Obama from time to time, Jon Favreau, one of Obamas speechwriters, told me. But he would always edit the speech before it appeared on the prompter so that he didnt sound like he was reading a hostage statement. The northern front is seemingly calm, with no unusual incidents recorded there. But thats only seemingly. Below the surface, the lava is boiling and tensions have reached their peak. How will Israel act against the precision-guided missile factories Iran is building in Lebanon for Hezbollah? Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who addressed this dilemma on Monday, explained that the construction of the factories could be preventedand not just through bombings. I can clarify that we are determined to prevent Iran from entrenching itself in Syria. We are aware of missile manufacturing sites in Lebanon, and we are familiar with the people involved in the production of those missiles, he said. Iranian missile launch (file photo) When it comes to Lebanon, we are using all diplomatic leverages and other leverages to prevent the production of missiles, and the last thing I would want is to enter a third Lebanon war. I think we still have enough measures, enough possibilities, and we are exhausting all options. We are determined to prevent Lebanon from becoming one big factory for the production of precision-guided missiles. So how is Israel working to prevent it? At the first stage, it will likely exhaust the diplomatic measures with all players in the arena, led by the Russians. If that fails, which seems likely, Israel will probably find other creative ways to prevent Lebanon from turning into an Iranian missile factory. On Sunday, the IDF spokesperson published an unusual op-ed on Lebanese opposition websites, warning Hezbollah and Iran, the residents of southern Lebanonwho are sitting on a powder kegand the international community that a future attack on Israel would lead to a dangerous flare-up. On Monday, Lieberman essentially raised the threat level by issuing a clear, personal warning, without any hints, to the Iranians responsible for arming Lebanon, making it clear that from now on they were in Israels crosshairs. Netanyahu and Putin in Moscow, Monday (Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday was aimed at conveying a similar message. Accompanied by Military Intelligence Director Maj. Gen. Herzl Halevi, the Israeli delegation presented Putin with intelligence from Lebanon indicating that Iran is helping Hezbollah turn dumb missiles into precision-guided missiles for the purpose of hitting strategic targets in Israel. The Iranians operational logic was the assumption that building the factories in Lebanon would make them immune to an Israeli strike, becauseunlike in Syriathe IDF doesnt strike in Lebanon. If it does strike as part of the unwritten equation vis-a-vis Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah might respond and bring about a flare-up. Israel would rather have the international community intervene to thwart the construction of the factories. We have to wait and see how Putin responds. While his leverages of pressure vis-a-vis Iran may be limited compared to Syria, he still has the power to influence the Iranians to calm the winds of war blowing from Lebanon. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Hamas says one of its senior officials has died, three weeks after accidentally shooting himself while cleaning his weapon in Gaza. Spokesman Hazem Qassem said on Tuesday that Imad al-Alami had been unconscious since the Jan. 9 shooting. Hamas initially hastily announced al-Alami died naturally but later said he shot himself while checking his weapon at his Gaza City home and was in critical condition. The 62-year-old al-Alami held several key posts as a member of Hamas' policy-making body and lived in Syria before returning to Gaza in 2012. He remained a prominent official though not a member of the current politburo. The Israeli embassy in the Jordanian capital of Amman has gradually resumed activities, after shutting down following an incident this past July in which an Israeli security guard shot to two Jordanian civilians to death. The embassy is not yet open to the general public, however. A new ambassador will be appointed in the near future, with candidates being Amir Weisbrod, head of the Middle East Division at the Center for Political Research, and Amira Oron, who was the Israeli ambassador to Ankara. Opposition Chairman MK Isaac Herzog contacted Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and parliament's legal advisor Eyal Yinon on Monday, demanding they force the Ministerial Committee for Legislation to put an end to its boycott of opposition bills. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The boycott was started by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin and Coalition Chairman David Amsalem as a punitive measure for the opposition's filibustering of the Recommendations Law which bars police from making public recommendations on indictmentsand the Litzman billintended to pave the way for former health minister Yaakov Litzman to return to the Health Ministry as a deputy minister with minister's powers. Herzog wrote Knesset Speaker Edelstein and legal advisor Yinon to demand they force the committee to resume discussion on opposition bills (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch) "Several weeks ago, Levin, Shaked and Amsalem announced that in light of the opposition's insistence on using the (legitimate) tools at its disposal during votes on the recommendations and Litzman bills, the governmentthrough the Ministerial Committee for Legislationwill no longer be discussing privately sponsored bills by opposition MKs," Herzog wrote to Edelstein and Yinon. "It was, in fact," Herzog elucidated, "a declaration of a boycott on the opposition." "The government's blatant boycott has been ongoing for several weeks now. The Ministerial Committee for Legislationheaded by Justice Minister Shaked and her stand-in Minister Levincontinues refusing to allow topical, relevant discussion of opposition bills, all with the supervision and support of the coalition chair," Herzog further maintained. Herzog noted that Opposition Coordinator MK Yoel Hasson tried speaking with the heads of the coalition to convince them to end the ban, but his efforts have thus far proven unsuccessful. The boycott on opposition bills was initiated by Tourism Minister Levin (L) and Justice Minister Shaked (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky, Yair Sagi) Herzog concluded his missive with an explicit demand to halt the boycott. "I'm contacting you," Herzog addressed Edelstein and Yinon, "demanding to put an end to this outrage. This is a deep, serious wound to the beating heart of parliamentary democracy, which causes unprecedented damage to the Knesset's standing," he said. "Even more grievously," he added, "it's in blatant disregard of the axioms of Israel's parliamentary constitution, and of course also of the Knesset's regulations vis-a-vis the government's expected treatment of such privately sponsored bills." Iran's attempts at entrenchment in Lebanon stem from the Islamic republic's failure to do so in Syria, Minister of Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Ze'ev Elkin (Likud), who accompanied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his state visit to Russia , told Ynet Tuesday morning. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "We've blocked countless attempts by Iran to arm Hezbollah from inside Syria, and now they're trying to do the same thing on Lebanese soil," Elkin said. "But just like we knew how to head them off in Syria, we'll do the same in Lebanon." Elkin, who sat in on Netanyahu's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the talk between the two leaders revolved around three major issues. Minister Elkin (center) was present at the meeting between Russian President Putin (L) and PM Netanyahu (Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO) Nevertheless, the Likud minister did qualify his statement by saying what characterized Russian-Israeli dialogue since 2009, when Netanyahu returned to power, was discretion. "What Putin says in the room stays in the room," Elkin said. "It's one of the things that allowed the two leaders to build such a personal, open and forthright relationshipbecause he can count on what he says not being leaked out." Israel's freedom to operate within Syrian airspace despite the Russian presence there should not be taken for granted, Elkin said Commenting on Russia's own involvement in the Middle East, Elkin said, "The Russian have been in Syrian airspace for the past two and a half years, but Israel has been successful in maintaining a status quo of freedom to operate in the Syrian and Lebanese airspaces despite said Russian presence." "That should not be taken for granted, and obviously the Iranians aren't overly pleased with it, nor are the Syrians," he added. "If you had asked me two and a half years ago whether there was a chance for Israel to be successful in preserving that operational freedom, which is paramount for our security, I would have said chances are slim. But lo and behold, Netanyahu was able to secure it time and again in these meetings," Elkin said. On the issue of recently heightened tensions with Lebanon, the minister said, "There's a lot of middle ground between doing nothing and a third Lebanon war . Can Israel theoretically be dragged into such a war? It could, because we're facing a non-state actor. Hezbollah Secretary-General Nasrallah. A third war in Lebanon was up to the terrorist organization, the minister said (Photo: AFP) "If Lebanon could manage its own affairs, we'd live in a somewhat more certain world. It is, however, clear it has no interest in warring with Israel and was badly damaged by the previous round of hostilities. "When it comes down to it, it's not only up to us. It's also up to Hezbollah orin other wordsup to Iran. Hezbollah is merely the long arm of Iran." LONDON Iranian authorities have released most of the people arrested during December's anti-government protests but around 300 remain in jail facing charges, Iran's interior minister said on Tuesday. Judicial officials have said around 1,000 people were arrested during the week-long protests which spread to around 80 towns and cities across Iran. One lawmaker has put the figure at 3,700. Sparked by soaring food prices, the proteststhe biggest in Iran since nationwide pro-reform unrest in 2009took on a rare political dimension, with a growing number of people calling on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step down. Clashes between protesters and police resulted in 25 deaths, according to official figures. Shin Bet Director Nadav Argaman said Tuesday the agency foiled cyber attacks against Israeli systems over the past year "from all over the world." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "Cyber warfare is a main tool for us in our daily work to thwart terror activities," Argaman said during a visit to the Cybertech conference in Tel Aviv. To that end, he said the Shin Bet recruits "the best minds in Israel" to the agency. Shin Bet Director Nadav Argaman (: ) "Nowadays, rivals' ability to more easily and quickly purchase groundbreaking technologies requires us to be better than before and stand at the forefront of global technology," Argaman explained. "This is what we're trying to do, and this is what we work on every day." According to the Shin Bet chief, "The State of Israel is today among the leading cyber superpowers in the world, and the defense establishment and Israeli intelligence community are a part of this. We of course cooperate with intelligence services and defense establishments from all over the world." He also said the Shin Bet has significant, far-reaching defensive and offensive cyber capabilities. The cost of erecting fences around Israel's borders over the past seven years stands at NIS 6 billion, a Yedioth Ahronoth examination corroborated by government officials has turned up. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The aforementioned sum is not included in the NIS 4 billion expenditure over the past 17 yearsmost of which was not expended over the past seven yearson creating the separation barrier separating Israel and its settlements from the West Bank. The government has made multiple decisions since 2010 regarding constructing border fences around the country while massively refurbishing and upgrading existing fences. The lion's share of the budgets allocated for task was specially drawn from the state's overall budget, rather than the defense budget. The underground barrier near the Gaza border is currently being constructed and will be completed in 2019 (Photo: Roi Idan) On Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, both a high-tech fence and an innovative underground barrier are currently being built along the 59 kilometers of frontier Israel shares with the strip. The government has allocated NIS 3.3 billion thus far to erect the barrier, which is the first of its kind in the world. Works, which began in 2016, are expected to conclude in 2019. On the Egyptian border, the Israeli government undertook a project in March 2010 to create a fence all along the border with its neighbor to the south to stem the unmitigated flow of migrants and refugees from the Sinai Peninsula into Israel. The fence along the Jordanian border was built to stop migrants from entering Israel by passing through Sinai (Photo: The Engineering and Construction Division of the Defense Ministry) The fence was completed in December 2013, with some additional work performed in early 2014 around Eilat. The cost of the 230km fence came to NIS 1.63 billion, with the Defense Ministry footing 50 percent of the bill and the Treasury the remaining half from the state budget. The fence along the Israeli border with Syria was refurbished following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war (Photo: Avihu Shapira) Along the Syrian border, which stretches 92km, and the 79km Lebanese border , the existing fence was renovated and upgraded, following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war more than six years ago. Works on both fronts are ongoing, and accrued costs have thus far reached NIS 1.1 billion, not including expenses for border safety measures that cannot be divulged. Construction on a Jordanian border fence near Eilat is still ongoing (Photo: Meir Ohayon) Fearing that migrants will make their way from Sinai, through which access to Israel has now been blocked to them, to southern Jordan and enter the country through there, a project began in 2015 to build a fence across 34km of the Israeli-Jordanian border, with the overall length of the border stretching 309km. The border fence is also intended to protect Eilat and its new airport, set to be inaugurated in several months. The cost of the fence on the Jordanian frontier is NIS 300 million. SANAA, Yemen -- Yemen's prime minister was preparing to flee the country on Tuesday for Saudi Arabia after separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates seized the area around the presidential palace in the southern city of Aden in fierce battles overnight, security officials said. A Saudi-led coalition that includes the United Arab Emirates has been battling rebels in northern Yemen for nearly three years on behalf of the internationally recognized government. But long-simmering tensions between the UAE and President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi boiled over on Sunday as clashes erupted across the government's seat of power. LONDON - An Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said on Monday that US vessels patrolling the Gulf had changed behaviour and now abided by international regulations, a week after US military officials said they had not adjusted operations in the sea area. The US navy reiterated on Monday that it had not changed its behaviour. In recent years, there have been periodic confrontations between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and US military in the Gulf - a major trade route for oil - but the number of incidents has dropped in recent months. Last week US military officials said the incidents had decreased because the Iranian military had halted routine "harassment" of US naval vessels in the Gulf. Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, Rear Admiral Ali Ozmaei, responded on Monday by saying that the "Americans' behaviour" had changed. "They pay more attention to international regulations and avoid approaching Iran's territorial waters," Ozmaei was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency. A US Fifth Fleet spokesman said in a statement last week that "the United States Navy has not adjusted its operations and will continue to operate wherever international law allows." NRM media activists in court Five National Resistance Movement (NRM) media activists who were arrested for blocking the president's convoy at Entebbe central market early this year are out on bail. They are; Martha Kwagala, Didas Ninkora, Remegio Ngonzi, Aaron Ndemire Kasaija and Ronald Muhairwe The five were picked up on January 23 for blocking the president's convoy in an attempt to speak to him. They reportedly wanted to ask the president among other things to fund their media programs on radio, television and social media. They were charged with staging an unlawful assembly and remanded to Kigo prisons in Wakiso district. On Thursday last week, Alhaji Yunusu Kamya, the chairman NRM media activists applied for a production warrant before the Entebbe Chief Magistrate's court. The suspects appeared before Joanita Muwanika, the Entebbe Grade one Magistrate and applied for bail. The suspects who represented themselves told court that they were all parents and therefore wanted to go back home and prepare their children for the beginning of term one. They presented sureties including Nahwera Kabatsi, Yunusu, Eseli Simon Julius, Magret Namutebi and John Tinyefuza among others. The state prosecutor, Lydia Nakato objected to the sureties, saying they are not residents of Entebbe, therefore not in the jurisdiction of the said court. In her ruling, Joanita Muwanika, the Entebbe Grade One magistrate, said she was informed that the accused are also non-residents of Entebbe, adding that her court had no problem granting them bail. She granted the accused bail on court bond of Shs 3 million not in cash. Each of their sureties executed a non cash bond of Shs 5 million. She adjourned the court to March 5 when the matter will come up for hearing. Alhaji Yunusu Kamya, the chairman NRM media activists condemned the arrest of their members, saying they want to meet the president to discusses issues affecting their party. An Israeli historian of Jewish-Israeli heritage who was awarded in 2012 the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic from the then Polish president for his contribution to promoting the memoryand increasing awareness ofthe Polish Righteous Among the Nations, has returned his award in protest against demonic legislation that Israel has argued is an attempt to downplay Polands role in Nazi atrocities. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The legislation , that has been approved by Polands lower house of Parliament, prescribes prison time for defaming the Polish nation by using phrases such as "Polish death camps" to refer to the killing sites Nazi Germany operated in occupied Poland during World War II. This is hypocrisy and a distortion of history, and its something I cant agree with, Israel Gal said in an interview with Ynet. Gal, also a scholar of literature, acquired the rights to the book People and Animals which tells the story of Jan Zabinski, and his wife Antonina, who saved about three hundred Jews brought out of the Warsaw ghetto in a zoo in the city, and in 2011, he published his Hebrew version of the book. Israel Gal (Photo: Amit Huber) I received this award of honor from the then Polish president Bronisaw Komorowski through the Polish Embassy, Gal said. This brave and humane family saved dozens, perhaps even hundreds of Jews and underground Polish fighters. Asked why he had decided to return the award, Gal pointed to the less liberal stance that had gripped the current Polish government. I did it because the new government in Poland is acting in an almost completely opposite fashion to the government in 2012, that was a lot more liberal, Gal responded. We must not be tempted by the current governments agendato elevate the Polish Righteous Among the Nations, and rightly so, but to hide the many murderous acts against Jews and the looting of property by Poles, he added. I met with the deputy Polish ambassador and I told him what I think about this hypocrisy and about the distortion of history, Gal said, who added that the deputy ambassador had urged him to reconsider his decision. He said what he had to say, asked me to reconsider and I told him Im waiting to see the results of this hostile and demonic legislation, he continued. (Photo: Amit Huber) I added that I expect to see actions and investigations by Polish and international researchers, who will expose the bitter truth about the murder of Jews by the Poles, without and connection to, or dependence on, the actions of the criminal Nazis. On Monday, President Andrzej Duda doubled down on the matter, saying that there was no institutionalized participation by Poland or its people in the Holocaust, but he acknowledged that individual Poles took wicked actions against Jewish neighbors. But despite Dudas attempt to soften the blow to Israelis and Holocaust survivors outraged over the legislation, Gals act of protest joined a chorus of bitter criticism that had emanated from the Israeli political and academic establishment. Before Dudas announcement, President Reuven Rivlin said during remarks in Athens the legislation is "a reminder that it is still beholden upon us to fight for the memory of the Holocaust, as it happened, and added that Israel would never forget the atrocities carried out by some Poles of their own accord and on orders from Germany. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the resolution in the Irish legislature which calls for boycotting imports and exports from Israeli West Bank settlements, in a tweet Tuesday. Netanyahu wrote that the initiative is a part of a plot to boycott Israel and negates the ideal of free commerce. The PM also instructed the Foreign Ministry to summon the Irish ambassador for a clarification. Israel is condemning an Irish bill that would outlaw the import of goods from West Bank settlements and plans to summon the Irish ambassador over the legislation. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter If passed, Ireland would become the first European country to ban settlement products, though several countries already label them. In addition to calls for boycotts against imports from and exports to Israeli communities over the Green Line, the bill also comprises stipulations that include hefty punishments for those in violation of the prospective law, including up to five years in prison and a financial penalty of up to 250,000 euros. PM Netanyahu and Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney If the new bill is ratified, punishment would be meted out to Irish tourists visiting beyond the Green Line who purchase services or goods produced by Israelis. During discussions Tuesday in the Irish Parliament which concluded without a vote, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney expressed categorical opposition to the bill. The vote will be postponed until July. A litany of prominent left-wing Israelis backed the bill to ostracize Israeli settlements, a point that was hammered home in the Irish Times newspaper, in which calls by a string of Israelis were published imploring the Irish parliamentarians to throw their weight behind the bill. Among the list of prominent Israelis pushing for the bill was the known ultra-left former Knesset speaker, Avraham Berg, and former ambassadors Alon Liel and Ilan Baruch. Former Knesset members also appeared on the list, including Naomi Chazan, Yael Dayan and Roman Bronfman, and former director of the left-wing Peace Now organization, Tzali Reshef. Civil Service Commissioner Itzhak Galnoor also featured on the list of Israelis itching for the imposition of boycotts on the country. Other prominent former legal officials such as Michael Ben-Yair, who served as Israels attorney general from 1993-1996, also made public their support for the bill, as did the Israeli journalist Uri Avnery. We, concerned citizens of Israel, implore Ireland to support legislation that will help to draw the distinction between Israel itself and the settlements in the occupied territories in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the signatories wrote in the published joint letter. The Israeli occupation of the territories beyond the 1967 lines has continued for more than 50 years without any end in sight and not only does it lack justice, it also violates numerous UN resolutions, it continued. We are convinced that the continued occupation is impossible from a moral and strategic point of view, damages peace and constitutes a threat to the security of Israel. As people who care deeply for the future of Israel and as people who long for peace with our neighbors, we urge you to support the bill, the letter concluded. Irish President Michael D. Higgins meets with BDS Founder and Director Omar Barghouti (Photo: BDS) The European Union in 2015 approved guidelines to label settlement products. It said the move was meant to differentiate between Israel, a close trade partner, and the settlements, which it considers illegal. Although the Irish bill makes a similar distinction, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it aims to harm his country and would bolster an international movement advocating boycotts against Israel. The bill, debated in Ireland's senate Tuesday, must pass several hurdles to become law. The Irish Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment. The Prime Minister's Office released a scathing statement on the matter. "The initiative gives backing to those who seek to boycott Israel and completely contravenes the guiding principles of free trade and justice," the statement read. "Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed that the Irish Ambassador to Israel be summoned to the Foreign Ministry on this matter." IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot warned Tuesday evening that despite the relative quiet on Israels northern border, many challenges were awaiting the army stemming from the Hezbollah terror movements increasingly powerful capabilities. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Delivering remarks at a ceremony marking 21 years since a helicopter crash in Har VaGai High School near kibbutz Dafna which claimed the lives of 73 Israeli military personnel, Eisenkot accused Hezbollah of violating UN Security Council resolutions. We know that despite the quiet, many challenges are waiting. The Hezbollah terror organization is violating UN Security Council resolutions, its preserving its military presence in the area, holds weapons systems and is becoming more powerful in its military capabilities, Eisenkot said. IDF Chief Gadi Eisenkot (Photo: Yariv Katz) The IDF, he stressed, is operating day and night to ensure its readiness and maintain it powers of deterrence. Israel has warned in recent days against renewed efforts by Iran to establish a network of factories for manufacturing precision missiles intended for Hezbollah on Lebanese soil that would radically upgrade what are commonly known as stupid missiles by equipping them with sophisticated navigation mechanisms. Jerusalem has also warned against the transfer of weapons capable of carrying heavy warheads that can inflict serious damage in future military confrontations. We will do everything required to protect Israels northern border and ensure that it is safe and quiet, Eisenkot promised. President Putin and PM Netanyahu (Photo: EPA) Our challenge is to continue to preserve readiness, to deepen our knowledge about the enemy, to reduce their capabilities and to extend as much as possible the good security and civil reality that has endured for 11 years and serves the populations on both sides of the fence. The chief of staff was convinced, he went on, of the IDFs supremacy, in the quality of commanders and fighters and the abilities to achieve victory in wartime and to deliver a high and painful result to the enemy. The Iranian influence on Israels northern frontier has become a central focus of Jerusalems diplomacy, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning Russias President Vladimir Putin Monday that the IDF would not hesitate to attack Lebanon if necessary. "I just finished in-depth and good talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. I told him that Israel views two developments with utmost gravity: First is Iran's efforts to establish a military presence in Syria and second is Iran's attempt to manufacturein Lebanonprecision weapons against the State of Israel," Netanyahu told journalists at the conclusion of the meeting in Moscow, the first since their last tete-a-tete in August 2017. "I made it clear to him that we will not agree to either one of these developments and will act according to need," Netanyahu added. The State Attorney's Office decided Tuesday to close the criminal case involving the leaking of classified documents by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to the Yedioth Books publishing house for his new book. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The decision was recommended by the Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and no further criminal proceedings will be pursued on the matter. Ehud Olmert (Photo: Matan Turkia) The investigation began when it came to light last May that Olmert, who was at the time incarcerated at Maisyahu Prison for corruption, gave classified documents, via his lawyer, to the Yedioth Books publishing house as well as to other sources not cleared to view such documents. State Attorney Shai Nitzan confirmed that Olmert did in fact provide classified documents to unauthorized sources for the purpose of the book he was writing, thereby violating prison and security protocol and enabling the leaking of secret information. Nevertheless, Nitzan took into account that Olmert only provided the documents to people working on the publication of his book and highlighted that Olmert and the relevant parties were in constant contact with the Military censors with regards to its publication. Olmert, Nitzan determined, acted according to the censor's instructions. Furthermore, Nitzan's office also took into account the complete cooperation between Olmert and his publisher with the security establishment to prevent the disclosure of any classified material. A Russia-hosted Syrian peace conference ended Tuesday with a plan to draft a new constitution as part of efforts to end the nearly seven-year civil war, but key opposition and rebel groups boycotted the gathering and it remained unclear if they would join the process. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The conference, held in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, was also overshadowed by renewed fighting in northern Syria. Opposition activists reported more airstrikes on the rebel-held Idlib province, where dozens have been killed in government air raids this week, and Turkish troops continued their offensive on the Afrin enclave, held by a US-allied Kurdish militia which also boycotted the Russian-sponsored talks. Presidents Assad and Putin (Photo: AP) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov nevertheless hailed the Syrian Congress of National Dialogue as an important step toward peace in Syria and sought to play down the opposition boycott. "No one expected that it would be possible to bring together representatives of all groups of Syrians without exclusion," he told reporters after the talks. "There is no big tragedy that two or three groups weren't able to attend." Lavrov said the conference participants agreed to form a constitutional committee that will be based in Geneva. He said the delegates named some of the committee's members and that groups absent from the Sochi talks will be invited to name representatives. A statement approved by the delegates said a final agreement on criteria for selecting members, the constitutional committee's powers and its rules of procedure would be reached in Geneva under the United Nation's aegis. UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, who has been leading Syria peace talks in Geneva, said he would move quickly to set a schedule and a process for drafting the new constitution in Geneva "because Syria cannot wait." "All Syrians seek a safe, calm and neutral environment for a constitutional drafting to unfold," he said in a statement. "All Syrians need a sustained cease-fire, full humanitarian access and the release (of) detainees, abductees and missing people." UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura (Photo: EPA) Alexander Lavrentyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy for Syria, said 1,393 delegates attended the congress. He said that the Sochi organizers were aiming to help revive the UN-backed talks in Geneva, not to sidetrack them. The Geneva negotiations have made little progress since they began four years ago. The opposition's demand that President Bashar Assad play no role in a future political transition has been the main sticking point. The Sochi talks, by contrast, were not intended to address Assad's fate, but to instead discuss constitutional reforms and future elections. Sharp disagreements among those attending the Sochi conference were apparent as it opened, with some interrupting Lavrov's welcome address by chanting pro- and anti-Russian slogans. "You are killing our people," an opposition supporter chanted before he was approached by security. The main opposition umbrella group, a Saudi-backed coalition known as the Higher Negotiations Committee, has been representing the opposition in Geneva. It did not attend the Sochi meeting. Sochi peace conference (Photo: Reuters) Separate talks held in Kazakhstan, another Russian-backed negotiating track, have focused on reaching local cease-fires. The Syrian civil war is far from over, despite major gains by Assad's forces and the expulsion of the Islamic State group from virtually all the territory it once held. Turkish troops and allied Syrian forces are fighting their way into the Afrin enclave, held by a Syrian Kurdish militia known as the People's Defense Units, or YPG. Turkey views the YPG as an ally of the Kurdish separatists who have waged a decades-long insurgency against it. The US-led coalition partnered with the YPG against the Islamic State group, and today the militia and allied forces control some 25 percent of Syria's territory. Washington has called on its NATO ally Turkey to show restraint and has urged all sides to remain focused on defeating IS. The YPG declined to attend the Sochi conference, saying it holds Russia responsible for the Turkish offensive. Associated Press journalists in the Turkish border province of Kilis could hear Turkish artillery fire pounding a hill across the border on Tuesday. They saw around 20 Turkey-backed Syrian fighters preparing to cross in four pickups mounted with machine guns. A rocket fired from northern Syria struck a building in Kilis on Tuesday, without hurting anyone. Elsewhere, a civilian attached to a Turkish deployment in northwest Syria was killed in a car bomb blast targeting a military convoy, the Turkish military said. The convoy was part of Turkey's 'de-escalation' force deployed inside a rebel stronghold to enforce an agreement with Russia and Iran to stabilize the lines of conflict in the war-torn country. Turkish authorities meanwhile detained eight senior members of a medical association who had spoken out against the offensive, state-run media reported. Civil war raging in Syria (Photo: AFP) Rasit Tukel, the chief of the Turkish Medical Association, and seven other members were detained in police operations in Ankara and other cities for breach of Turkey's anti-terror laws, the Anadolu Agency reported. It said prosecutors had issued warrants for 11 other members. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the association of betrayal and its members of being "terrorist lovers" after the group warned of the humanitarian costs of the offensive, which was launched on Jan. 20. As many as 311 people have been detained in the past week in Turkey for allegedly engaging in "terrorist propaganda" through social media postings critical of the operation. The Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders has slammed the detentions, calling it a government "witch hunt against critics." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the operation has so far claimed the lives of 61 civilians in Afrin, three in Turkish towns along the border and five Turkish soldiers. The property industry now employs more people than any other sector in New South Wales, creating more than 390,000 jobs, according to new analysis released on Monday by AEC Group. Property has overtaken healthcare and social assistance as the biggest direct contributor to employment in NSW by industry, growing by 25% from 2013-14 to 2015-16, and has extended its lead as the biggest direct contributor to GSP, totalling $63.4bn (an increase of $8.9bn) since 2013-14. The sector also directly contributed $202.9bn to the GDP in 2015-16 (13% of the total contribution from all industries in Australia). The sector was estimated to have contributed a further $254bn to the national GDP via flow-on demand for goods and services. Property was a major source of revenue for the Berejiklian government, contributing approximately $20.9bn to the states coffers in 2015-16, or more than 54% of the total. Jane Fitzgerald, NSW executive director for the Property Council of Australia, said the new research demonstrates how instrumental the industry has become to creating jobs and building up communities. Property is now the biggest provider of jobs in New South Wales, she said. More than 1 in 4 wages rely on our industry directly or indirectly thats a huge contribution to the livelihoods of individuals and families across the state. These are white-collar and blue-collar jobs, from high finance to skilled trades, and from construction to the managers of the most sophisticated commercial properties. Nationwide, roughly 26.9% of wages and salaries paid to Australian workers are generated by the property sector. This data highlights the interlinked benefits of a strong property industry. Construction activity not only helps boost supply and take the pressure [off] house prices; it also creates jobs. Our industry creates assets which are important for every community and helps shape our cities for the future. Related Stories: NSWs Reliance On Property Taxes Must Stop NSW Property Industrys Confidence Shoots Up Minister Rosemary Seninde flanked by Ubteb chairperson Prof Venansius Baryamureeba (M) and Ubteb executive secretary Onesmus Oyesigye at the release of the results The Uganda Community Polytechnic Certificate (UCPC) results released this morning show that girls beat boys in the vast majority of programmes previously dominated by males. Speaking during the release of the results, the Uganda business and technical examinations board (Ubteb) executive secretary, Onesmus Oyesigye, said girls unprecedentedly secured a higher proportion of top grades. The female candidates dominated in general performance. In addition, they outpaced males in block laying and concrete practice, plumbing and pipe fitting, garment design and construction and food processing programmes, Oyesigye said at the Ubteb offices in Ntinda. For instance, in the certificate in garment design and construction, of the 571 females that sat for the exam, 77 passed with distinction, 361 credits and 71 with passes. Only three males passed with distinction of the 26 that registered for this programme. A total of 4,647 candidates registered for the UCPC examinations from 113 accredited centres across the country. Of these, 4,283 (92.2 per cent) candidates sat for the 11th series of these examinations from November 10 to December 15, 2017 while 364 (7.8 per cent) were absent. While presenting the results, Oyesigye said of the 4,283 candidates, 3,425 (80 per cent) successfully passed their programmes while 858 (20 per cent) have one or more subjects to improve upon their competences, before completing their various programmes. Ubteb statistics indicate that the pass rate was impressive, with 10.5 per cent passing with distinction, 60 per cent with credits and 9.4 per cent with pass grades. Whereas the general performance was good, there was a slight drop of 0.1 per cent from 80.1 per cent in 2016 to 80 per cent in 2017. He attributed the drop to poor performance in English and Mathematics, subjects that have continued to affect performance in most programmes. The mere fact that we are dealing with P7 leavers no matter where they study from; candidates faced an uphill task in comprehension and solving of small business mathematical problems, Oyesigye told The Observer, adding that there are also inadequate teachers for the said subjects in Btvet institutions. The UCPC results are for students that study in community polytechnics, technical and farm schools that admit primary seven leavers to study for three-year programmes. Candidates are later awarded UCPC certificates equivalent to senior four certificates. A student can later enroll for two-year national certificate programmes to be at the same level with a senior six leaver. However, if one wants to advance to a direct degree or higher diploma, they have to first study another two years on a national diploma programme. In her remarks, the chief guest and state minister for primary education, Rosemary Seninde, expressed pleasure to learn that girl-child enrolment had increased with the girls performing even better in male-dominated fields including plumbing and pipe fitting, block laying and concrete practice. I am so glad about the performance of female students. In most cases, many of our girl children have been shunning these programmes but they have now realised they can perform better than males, Seninde said, while applauding Ubteb for conducting an examination free of leakage and malpractice. She added that the ministry, in liaison with the private sector, will institute a programme of placement of graduates for internship/apprenticeship in various industries that will go a long way to exposing students on hands-on tasks that will produce ready products for the market. Seninde urged people to change the negative attitude towards vocational and technical education as it is a precursor to development and job creation. In a bid to improve skills training, Ubteb chairperson Prof Venansius Baryamureeba advised tertiary institutions offering post-o-level certificate programmes to present their candidates for national assessment in accordance with the recent guidelines issued by the education ministry. He commended Makerere University College of External Studies, Multitech Business School, St Lawrence, Kumi, Bishop Stuart, TEAM and Bugema universities for their recent positive response. All institutions that will not have registered with Ubteb by June 30, 2018 to assess its students will be forwarded to the ministry of education for action, Baryamureeba said. The number of Btvet institutions accredited as Ubteb examination centres has increased from 184 in 2011 to 557 in 2017. The board expects to reach about 1,000 centres once institutions become compliant. nangonzi@observer.ug After an investigation carried out by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) found that Religare Finvest Ltd, an investment arm of Religare Enterprises Ltd, rerouted $300 million to the privately-owned companies of the Singh brothers, Malvinder and Shivinder Singh, have now been accused of "diversion, siphoning and digression of assets" in a lawsuit filed in the Delhi High Court, a Bloomberg report said. In a statement, Religare said all the allegations against it are "completely baseless" and that the company would take a suitable legal action against the "relevant person". The New York-based investor, who has six per cent stake in Religare Finvest, alleged the Singhs indulged in "diversion and siphoning" of funds to clear their personal debts of at least $1.3 billion. According to the RBI, the inquiry was conducted over Religare Enterprises' fiscal books of 2016. The Singh brothers, who own India's second-largest hospital chain, reportedly gave 21 loans worth millions to independent companies that rerouted at least $300 million to private firms linked to the brothers on the same day. Here are the allegations made in the lawsuit against Religare Finvest 1. The plaintiff requested the court that Religare Finvest should be barred from lending money to the Singhs and that they should be restrained from selling the assets of the parent company, Religare Enterprises. 2. The lawsuit states the company would need to clear the liability being pursued through the arbitration case filed in the court by the investor, Siguler Guff & Co that has 6 per cent stake Religare Finvest, so that it should be restrained from lending more money. 3. The Singhs "have been camouflaging the diversion of funds from RFL to meet their personal liabilities under the guise of legitimate business operations" with the "sole purpose of unjustly enriching" the brothers, alleges the lawsuit seen by Bloomberg. 4. It also alleges that due to their systematic "plundering" of Finvest, the parent company Religare Enterprises would not be able to honor a provision in their agreement that allows the plaintiff to buy out its stake for $43.5 million. 5. Though the RBI was investigating its loan books for 2016 fiscal, Finvest still provided loans worth $76 million to the firms directly or indirectly "known" to the Singhs, alleges the investor. 6. The plaintiff indulged in the siphoning of funds through a controlled "special committee" that helped them circumvent the Finvest board on these dubious transactions. Replying to the allegations, Religare said the company and its promoters are considering taking appropriate action against relevant persons for disparaging their reputation. "All the allegations made are completely baseless and have been responded to by Religare in the High Court of Delhi." The press release states the private equity investors in Religare Finvest, including the plaintiff, had their nominees appointed on the Board of Religare Finvest at the time of their investment. "Such nominees continued to be the directors of Religare Finvest for four years and five years, respectively, during which the promoters were neither on the Board of Religare nor responsible for its management," states the release. Shahid Khaqan inaugurated Gwadar Free Zone GWADAR: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi inaugurated the Gwadar Free Zone and the Expo 2018 and reiterated that the ongoing policies of economic development would continue no matter which party forms the next government as these were aimed at development and prosperity of the nation. He reiterated that the country would hold its next general election in July this year after the completion of the five-year term of the PML-N government. The prime minister termed CPEC a game changer and said the potential of Gwadar has been fully realized owing to the vision of President Xi Jinping and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He said due to the dedication and hard work of Pakistani and Chinese teams, both CPEC and Gwadar were heading towards a bright future. Addressing the challenges of Balochistan, the prime minister said the future of the province was in the hands of its political leadership. He said the provincial government needs to develop the entire coastline. He said there was an urgent need to transform Gwadar into an international city, which was fully functional and can serve the future demands of its people. He said the provincial government has to confront the challenges ahead. He said the federal government would equally share in the equalization package for Gwadar so as to provide quality services in health, education and other social sectors for the people of Balochistan. In this regard he said funding for each district of Balochistan would start this year. Abbasi mentioned the ongoing modernization of the railway system from Karachi to Peshawar and Khunjerab to Gwadar, upgrading of road network, building of necessary infrastructure, building of power projects and setting up of special economic zones to bring prosperity to the people of Pakistan through generation of economic activity, increase in exports and creation of jobs. He said the new motorway networks would bring prosperity not only to Central Asian States, Western China and Afghanistan but also Pakistan and strengthen President Xis vision of Belt and Road Initiative. He said Gwadar was the most visible section of this vision and termed it the most important contribution of the Chinese president for the future generations. He said the CPEC projects were based on financial viability and environmental sustainability. The prime minister recalled his recent visit to Davos where at one of the forum on Shared future in a fractured world he recalled pointing that President Xi Jinping was building on linkages of the past for a future of tomorrow. The prime minister later formally inaugurated the first phase of Gwadar Free Zone. He along with the chief minister, CJSCS, president AJK and others jointly pressed a large button to unfurl a huge red and green banner, covering the front gate of economic free zone, amidst a huge applause of Pakistani and Chinese nationals gathered at the historic event. The prime minister also opened the Gwadar Expo 2018 the two-day conference and exhibition aimed at providing a platform for Pakistani and Chinese businessmen already working on CPEC-related projects. The prime minister visited different sections of the free zone, business centre and the exhibition hall showcasing over 100 stalls by the companies. Spread over 60 acres, Gwadar Free Zone will be operated by China Overseas Port Holding Company, which has also set up a business centre for handling of operations. The business centre will provide a one-window operation for matters including immigration, customs, visa operations and port clearance facilities. The south area of the free zone (Phase I) will develop a commercial logistics zone with the leading functions of commodity exhibition, transit and distribution, relying on the existing port as well as fishery processing. Processing and manufacturing areas will be developed in the north area and divided into three construction phases. Daily necessities and small household appliances, fishery, stone processing, machinery manufacturing and metal processing are the main introduced industries. TLYRA want Chaudhary Nisar Ali to be arrested TLYRA want Chaudhary Nisar Ali to be arrested ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Demanding the arrest of former interior minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan over the killings of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA) supporters at Faizabad, Pir Afzal Qadri, their patron, deplored that the institution acting as a guarantor of peace with the government had been inactive on the issue. Separately, lawmakers of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who had resigned from public office at the behest of Sargodha-based Pir Hameeduddin Sialvi, following the controversy over a Khatm-i-Nubuwat clause in the Elections Act 2017, have begun withdrawing their resignations. At a press conference held at the National Press Club on Monday, Pir Afzal Qadri said it had been a month since the TLYRA had signed an agreement with the government. He claimed that the government had not taken any steps to execute any of the terms they had agreed on. Pir Qadri said that seven of their activists were travelling from Rawalpindi to Faizabad, where the TLYRAs protest was under way, when they were shot at allegedly from the former ministers house on orders of the incumbent interior minister. Responding to questions from reporters, he explained: In March 2016, a rally we had taken out from Liaquatabad, on the occasion of the chehlum of Mumtaz Qadri, faced baton charge and shelling by the police at the same spot...this time around, shots were fired from the house of Chaudhary Nisar, killing seven of our supporters. Reporters have been told that an application was submitted in New Town police station over the incident. Neither was an FIR registered, nor was there any development over the incident, despite the fact that the government had promised to conduct an inquiry over the matter and assured us that the culprits would be punished, Pir Qadri added. He deplored that the institution acting as a guarantor of the agreement had become inactive. Our basic demand was to sack the law minister but when they launched the operation against our workers, the police failed to disengage them despite the use of strong force, fire power, massive shelling and baton charge, he said, adding, But when police started to flee the scene and the administration refused to provide reinforcements the government asked the army to help attack us, and the army chief responded with the offer to talk the way out. He added, The Army became a guarantor to save the country from chaos and further bloodshed. He said the TLYRA had given Rs500,000 to the families of each of the seven men who had died in the government operation. Looking at the indifferent attitude of the government it, it appears as if another protest is needed to press for release of the Raja Zafarul Haq report over the amendment in the oath for parliamentarians, he added. Meanwhile, two MNAs and three MPAs from Sargodha division had submitted written resignations to their respective assemblies on Dec 10, 2017, to express solidarity with Pir Sialvis Khatm-i-Nubuwat movement demanding the removal of Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah. They included MNAs Ghulam Bibi Bharwana from Jhang and Dr Nisar Jatt from Faisalabad, and MPAs Khawaja Nizamuddin Sialvi, Maulana Rehmatullah and Muhammad Khan Baloch. Mr Baloch appeared in the Punjab Assembly on Monday and joined its proceedings. 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... Residents across the country who are hard hit by water shortages may have to look to God for redemption. According to the communications director of the Ghana Water Company Limited, Stanley Mantey, the rate of evaporation of water bodies across the country has become alarming, and unless there is rain, there will be consequences for some communities. While blaming bad farming practices, illegal felling of trees and galamsey activities, the water company spokesperson said if the rains do not come soon enough in Yendi, the river, which is their only source of water, will evaporate completely. He said the Tano River is also depleting at a faster rate, and warned that if the water resources across the country are not managed well, the country will be importing water by end of 2020. Posterity will not forgive us if that happens, he added. There has been widespread agitation for regular supply of water after some residents complained of shortages. In Tamale the situation is deteriorating by the day after a thoroughly dry harmattan season. Most of the rivers in the municipality have dried up completely, a situation which has forced residents to trek several distances for water. Some hire tricycles to travel several kilometres to fetch water from a dam polluted by animals. Stanley Martey insists the Ghana Water Company cannot be held responsible for the dire water situation across the country. The resource is unavailable or depleting at a fast rate he stated, and blamed human activities for the situation. He called upon all Ghanaians to put their shoulders to the wheel and stop the illegal human activities around water banks in order to protect the water bodies. Asked if the company has begun a rationing arrangement, Mr Martey said every region has its own peculiar problems, but a timetable will soon be provided to guide consumers as to when the water flow for each area will be opened or closed. No community will, however, go without water for two days, he promised, assuring that there must be water on the third day. Source: joynews 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 Chairman of the Peoples National Convention [PNC], Bernard Mornah, has sued the Inspector General of Police [IGP], for allowing personnel of the Service to arrest him unlawfully, during a peaceful protest by the Ghana-Togo Solidarity movement in December 2017. About 19 persons, including Mr. Mornah, were arrested by the Nima Police on December 16, 2017, when they gathered as members of the Ghana-Togo Solidarity movement, to hold a peaceful march to draw the attention of local and international authorities to the political crisis in Togo. According to the Police, they had earlier permitted Bernard Mornah and his group to undertake the march, however, they informed him later to cancel it due to operational challenges and intelligence that another group was trying to interrupt their activity. But Mr. Mornah denied the claim, saying that he had assured the Police the peaceful march required very little or no police presence. Mornah also added the Attorney General to the suit, praying the court to declare that his rights have been trampled upon. The PNC Chairman in his writ wants a declaration from the court to the effect that my right to personal liberty has been violated that my right to dignity has been violated that my freedom of assembly, including freedom to take part in processions and demonstrations, has been violatedadjudge and declare that my right to administrative justice has been violated by the 1st respondent [IGP]. He also wants the IGP and the Attorney General to compensate with the sum of GHc136, 960.50 being the cost incurred by the Ghana-Togo solidarity movement in organizing the aborted rally. Police treated me worse than a drug lord Bernard Mornah had earlier described the treatment meted out to him by the Police following his arrest as being worse than how convicted drug lords are handled. They just caught me like a cow, threw me in the bucket of the pickup as if Im for the slaughterhouse. Two policemen jumped into the car with their guns on my head. When I pulled out my phone to call my lawyer, they said put off your phone or well shoot you. They turned on their sirens, came onto the Kanda Highway and meandered through traffic with all motorists eyes on me. Escobar, the notorious drug baron, was not even treated the way I was treated. Kan-Dapaah ordered my arrest Bernard Mornah alleges Mr. Bernard Mornah is convinced that the frustration of his planned peace march was orchestrated by the National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah. According to him, the minister took the action in order to protect the image of the Togolese president, Faure Gnassingbe, whom he claims is Mr. Kan-Dapaahs close friend. Defiant Mornah stages another Ghana-Togo solidarity rally Despite being frustrated early on, Mornah on December 30, 2017, led his group to stage the rally in Accra to draw the attention of local and international authorities to the political crisis in Togo. Source: citifmonline.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 For Immediate Release Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) strongly condemned the arrest on Tuesday of the leaders of the Turkish Medical Association (TMA) and called for their immediate release. The unprecedented move by Turkish authorities to silence and intimidate the TMA followed days of threats and protests over the group's statement criticizing war as a public health threat. "It's hard to believe that it's come to this. The Turkish governments dismantling of civil society now extends to locking up doctors who advocate for basic public health principles," said Homer Venters, MD, director of programs at PHR. "Medical professionals must have the freedom to call out threats to public health without fear of retribution." The arrests came after the TMA issued a statement on January 24 decrying war as a threat to public health. Subsequently, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a speech calling the TMA terrorist lovers and disparaging its anti-war stance. After pro-government unions called for charges against the TMA, the head prosecutor in Ankara yesterday filed a criminal complaint against the organization. In addition, another lawsuit was filed against the TMAs leaders, demanding that they be dismissed from their positions on the grounds that they are acting beyond the scope of the organizations mission. PHR, a longtime partner of the TMA, called for the immediate release of the TMA members and said the harassment was a blatant attempt to intimidate a credible civil society group. The TMA is an internationally respected organization, and is the Turkish affiliate of the World Medical Association. "We have worked for years with the TMA, the largest association of doctors in Turkey, and value them as professional partners in promoting public health and human rights, said Dr. Venters. Efforts to intimidate and silence them are outrageous and unacceptable, especially when backed by the Turkish government. "Turkish authorities must immediately release the arrested TMA leaders and halt the intimidation campaign against them in the streets, in the media, and in the courts. It's also evident that the crackdown comes amid a broader assault on free expression. We call on the Turkish government to urgently move to ensure the protection of internationally recognized freedoms and rights, as ratified by Turkey." Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here. People often hike through landscapes without having a real sense of the place. In the Laurel Highlands, there is an opportunity to get a sense of place before or after your trek, by taking advantage of a sweeping birds-eye view of the east flank of Laurel Hill and the Laurel Hill Creek valley, at the Scenic View property at Laurel Hill State Park in Somerset County. Scenic View, which includes an observation tower, provides a stunning vista in all four seasons. But the best views occur during winter, when leaves are off the trees and snow blankets the mountains. The view is both beautiful and inspiring, as it shows the vast amount of protected land preserved timelessly as open space. Laurel Mountain, also known as Laurel Ridge, is one of the four massive folds of the 325 million-year-old Allegheny Mountains, which stretch southward into Maryland and West Virginia. Laurel Hill Creek is a cold-water stream that skirts the bottom of the ridge southward until it feeds into the Youghiogheny River at the town of Confluence. These mountains, and the creek valley, can be viewed from the tower. The area is a mecca for outdoor adventures. The state parks, including Laurel Hill, Laurel Ridge, Ohiopyle, Kooser and Linn Run, along with Forbes State Forest and state game lands, include many miles of hiking trails that traverse tens of thousands of acres of conserved lands. Visit the Laurel Hill State Park office for directions to Scenic View. This overlook is part of a 184-acre property conserved in 2016 by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and added to the park. For information about the park, visit dcnr.pa.gov. To learn about the Conservancy, visit WaterLandLife.org. ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Throughout his campaign, President Donald Trump pledged to revive coal country. And he insists, a year in to his term, that he has delivered on that promise: "I'm the one that saved coal," he told The New York Times in December. The president has indeed taken steps to prop up coal mining -- an industry that's been hard hit as new technologies reduce the cost of natural gas and renewable energy. Last March, flanked by miners, Trump signed an executive order calling for a review of Obama's Clean Power Plan, which aimed to cut greenhouse gas emissions 32% below 2005 levels by 2030. Because of lawsuits from 27 states, the law was tied up in the courts and had not yet implemented. But the Trump administration -- arguing that the power plan could "potentially burden" the domestic production of energy like coal -- directed the EPA to scrap the plan entirely and propose a replacement. "My administration is putting an end to the war on coal," the president declared at the E.O. signing ceremony. "Basically, you know what this is? You know what it says, right? Youre going back to work!" We haven't seen that happen -- at least, not yet. Fiscal year-to-date, coal production has ticked up, rising increasing 15 percent compared to the same period last year, from 334.1 million tons to 384.1 million tons, according to the Energy Information Administration. (Whether that's due to Trump's changes to federal policy or international market demands, like an international need for metallurgical coal used in the production of steel, remains a subject of debate.) But we haven't seen a corresponding rise in coal jobs, which increased just 1 percent, according to federal data. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, when Trump took office in January, there were 50,000 coal mining jobs in the US; by December, that number had risen to 50,500 -- an increase of just about 500 coal mining jobs. "We believe it is highly unlikely US coal mining employment will return to its pre-2015 levels, let alone the industry's historical highs," a report from the University of Columbia forecast. So why the disconnect between small increases in coal production and coal jobs? It comes down to productivity, experts say. "As processes improve and mining gets more and more advanced, you need less and less people to do the physical work," Tim Boersma, Senior Research Scholar at the Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy, tells ABC. "Though there was an uptick in production, that doesn't necessarily translate into a huge increase in jobs." These days, "it takes fewer and fewer miners to produce the same amount of coal," agreed Roger Bezdek, president of DC-based energy research consulting firm Management Information Services, who was referred to ABC by the National Coal Council. Most industry analysts agree that it was automation and competition from other energy sources -- not burdensome regulations -- that were the primary drivers of the decline in coal industry jobs. Repealing stringent rules on carbon emissions might stave off closures for five to 10 years, says Boersma, but that will merely "buy time for the industry, rather than revive it." Bezdek, for his part, says the Clean Power Plan repeal "could be significant" but acknowledges that factors beyond the president's control play a role in industry's fate. The White House declined ABC News' request for comment. So has the president "saved" coal? "I think the sense among [Trump] voters is, look, he's trying," Boersma said. But "pretending that we can bring back the past is probably not the right way to go." "He's taking credit for an awful lot," Bezdek added. "But he has made a difference in terms of morale." Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. By FEATURED HOME By Angela Carll This listing offers you the best of both worlds: You can live in a Greek Revival home which looks as if it could be in one of New Orleans older neighborhoods, but instead you have all the convenience of suburban Guwahati : Assam Rifles Changlang battalion keeping up to the Motto Friends of the North East people conducted a medical camp at Shallang village to provide medical aid and relief to Shallang, Ngechang, old Shallang, Lunglong, Rangrang, Watlom and surrounding villages in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday. Shallang is one of the remote villages of Changlang District near the Indo-Myanmar border with little or no availability of medical facilities. Kohima based Defence PRO Colonel Chiranjeet Konwer said that, the camp provided necessary medical aid and relief to 120 patients of these villages. The patients were provided free medicines and medical consultation, also a health awareness education class was conducted by Regimental Medical Officer and staff of medical Platoon of the battalion. Guwahati : Will assembly polls in Nagaland be held on schedule, this question raised after all political parties in the militant hit north eastern Indian state on Monday jointly declared that, they will not go for filling nominations. In a meeting held at Hotel Japfu in Kohima capital city of Nagaland on Monday in presence of apex tribal hohos and civil society organisations, all political parties of national and regional including Congress, BJP, Naga Peoples Front (NPF) declared that, they will not go ahead with the issuance party tickets or filling of nominations. This decision was taken by the political parties after Nagaland armed group NSCN (IM) and the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) asked the politicians of Nagaland not to file nomination. In a joint statement issued by the attending representatives of the political parties said that, we firmly believe that, it is expedient for all political parties, both national and regional, to come together in the greater interest of the state in solidarity with the call solution before election and defer the election to the 13th Nagaland assembly and allow the Naga political process to reach its logical conclusion by giving space and time to the negotiating groups to bring out an early solution. The meeting was attended by the representatives of Congress, BJP, NPF, UNDP, Nagaland Congress, AAPN, NDPP, NCP, JD (U), NPP. Earlier, in a joint statement issued by Kilo Kilonser of NSCN (IM) Hukavi Yepthomi and member of Working committee of NNPGs Alezo Venuh said that, all political parties, both national and regional for responding positively to Solution, not Election. The negotiators are indeed overwhelmed by the unstinted support of our people, particulary at this juncture when the Nagasare once again put to test. We also express our appreciation to all the tribal hohos and civil society organisations for their immeasurable services rendered towards building oneness. When the Naga people as a whole have made the collective decision to forgo election, we caution vested interest and unscrupulous persons not to sabotage the historical processes of negotiations by filling nominations and indulging in election process, said in the joint statement issued by the NSCN (IM) and NNPGs. Guwahati : To give women entrepreneurship a boost, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced commendation and cash awards for three successful women entrepreneurs who achieve success by virtue of their sheer diligence. These awards would be given annually every year. Speaking on the first day of a two day Assam Women Entrepreneurs Conclave at NEDFi House in Guwahati on Monday, Sonowal said that the State Government in a bid to encourage women entrepreneurs would acknowledge their success by giving cash award of Rs 5 lakh, Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively. He also said that the state government is committed to channelize the skills of the women folks of Assam using latest technology and give a fillip to their entrepreneurial skills. Sonowal said that the state government is always with the women entrepreneurs and would always help them for sustainable development of the society. Sonowal also said that appropriate planning coupled with scientific approaches and honest and hard labour would lead to a prosperous Assam as he appealed to the women entrepreneurs to keep working for their empowerment and development of Assam. Sonowal said that in all the 33 district government would provide assistance to set up women hub and women clusters like the one which will be built at Guwahati on a plot of land measuring seven bighas of land at Bamunimaidan. The Assam CM also felicitated three women entrepreneurs in recognition to their success in their business. He inaugurated an exhibition organised on the occasion. Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary who was also present on the occasion said that his ministry is doing everything possible to promote women empowerment in the state. He also said that in response to Chief Ministers announcement of setting up women hub in Guwahati his Ministry would complete all necessary modalities for the same. The conclave which has been organised by Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship saw the participation of women entrepreneurs across various sectors from the state. Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal stressed on the need to make the Village Defence Parties (VDPs) technologically more skilled so that they could efficiently deal with the modern day challenges faced by them while executing their duties. Sonowal who attended as chief guest at the state level celebration of the 69th foundation day of the Village Defence Organization (VDO) at Duliajan in Dibrugarh district on Monday, also assured to take appropriate measures to resolve the pressing issues of the VDPs in a bid to boost their performance. The Village Defence Parties perform their duties with limited facilities in difficult and disadvantageous situations. The State Government will take all possible steps to solve their problems and ensure better working condition for them. Keeping this in mind, our Government has decided to increase the monthly remuneration of the VDPs from existing Rs. 1500 to Rs. 2500. Moreover, out of the six thousand unregistered VDPs, three thousand would be registered by the Government, Sonowal said. Recalling the contributions of late Hari Narayan Baruah, who founded the VDO, the Assam CM said that following his vision, the VDPs have tirelessly been working to ensure security and safety of people at village level. The responsibilities of the VDPs have become manifold in recent times. While performing their duties, they face so many challenges, which they never encountered earlier. They have to prepare themselves to overcome those challenges and take themselves along with technological and digital advancements, Sonowal exhorted. Further, highlighting various developmental initiatives launched by the central and state governments to improve the lives of the rural population, Sonowal called upon the VDPs to take the message of the schemes to every nook and corner of the villages for greater participation. He also urged the VDPs to reinforce peace, harmony and brotherhood amongst the people of the state and work for promoting habits of cleanliness and personal hygiene. Sonowal also invoked an additional responsibility upon the VDPs to stamp out superstition from the society and generate more awareness amongst village people to create tourist friendly environment in the rural areas. Coinciding the programme, the Assam CM also handed over a cheque of Rs. 1 lakh to the next of kin of deceased VDP member Anteswar Mahanta who was killed by an insurgent outfit recently. Sonowal presented awards to the best performing VDPs and best organizers in the programme. Former president of Asom Sahitya Sabha Dr. Nagen Saikia, MP Rameswar Teli and DGP Mukesh Sahay also delivered speech in the meeting which was presided over by chief adviser of VDO Anjan Kumar Bora. MLAs Teros Gowala, Bimal Bora, Rituparna Baruah, Naren Sonowal, Sanjay Kishan and Binod Hazarika, Executive Director of OIL Pranjit Deka and a host of other dignitaries were also present in the meeting. Baby dies; siblings injured in New Montrose house fire Social Share Sharon Williams, one of the good Samaritans who helped rescue three children from a burning house last Friday night, is hoping that the childrenas mother, Tamara Lavia, takes stock of her life. On January 26, Simrique Lavia, an eight-month-old baby boy, the son of Tamara, received burns on 90 per cent of his body during a fire that took place on the ground floor of a concrete dwelling house at Upper New Montrose around 10:30 p.m. He died at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) at 4:10 a.m. Saturday. Reports are that Tamara, a 28-year-old domestic, left four of her five children, Itika (6 years old), Apploniyia (3 years old), Simonique (18 months old) and Simrique at home alone, locked the children inside the house and went to Heritage Square, a popular hangout area in Kingstown. On Monday, Lavia, a mother of five, appeared at the Serious Offences Court, charged with abandoning 18-month-old Simonique Lavia, she being a child under the age of two years and abandoning eight-month-old Simrique Lavia, he being a child under the age of two years. She was remanded to Her Majestyas Prison (HMP) and a post mortem will be done on Simriqueas body to ascertain the cause of death. aI think she need to learn a lesson and sit down and consider how she could be better and pull she self together,a said Williams of Tamara, whom she considers her friend. She said that she is hoping that Tamara does not spend a long time in prison, as her children have been asking for their mother whom they have not seen since the incident occurred. The police say that a single candle, left burning on a chest of drawers, started the fire in the bedroom where the children were. The eldest child, Itika, ran out of the house after neighbours broke the door off. She escaped unhurt, but Apploniyia and Simonique received light burns about their bodies and are patients at the MCMH. aWhen she going town and so, she does normally tell us have an eye on them (the children). I feel sad about what happened, but I think that they should be around their mother. She donat listen, but she love the children and they asking for their mother,a said Williams, who has been visiting Apploniyia and Simonique at the MCMH since the incident. Williams said that Tamaraas oldest child, who is around eight years old, does not live with Tamara and since the incident, Itika is with her father. Reliving the night, Williams said that she was in bed when her son knocked on her bedroom door and told her there was a fire at Tamaraas home. She said she and a number of other person sprang into action and began throwing buckets of water on the blaze. Williams noted that the door to the house was padlocked and a man from the area broke off the door after which Itika, whom she calls aPikachua, ran out of the house. She believes if the door was not locked, all the children would have made it out unhurt. Williams said that the man who broke off the lock was trying to enter the house to get the baby, but the smoke prevented him from doing so. The fire brigade eventually got the baby out, but Williams said that at that point it was too late, as when she saw the child, she noticed that the baby was badly burnt and trembling. Keon Phillips, the man who broke down the door, said that on the night of the fire, he was standing close to the house with two other persons when he observed smoke. aWhen I cast my eye, I see like smoke and fireaI say, aboy f***ing fire, smoke boy,a and start to run, go cross now, because I see it bin ah blaze,a said Phillips, who shouted Tamaraas name, but got no response. aWhen I reach by the door, I see a lock on the door and children bawling insideaI have to brace underneath the door and buss the door and get out the first girl; so, when I try go in fuh get the rest dem now, too much smoke, too much flame. I jump up and a neighbour, go up pun top the roof, buss the drum (drums of water a neighbour was keeping) dem and start to throw and other people follow with the bucket and ting,a Phillips related. He said that if the lock was not on the door, he may have been able to save the child who died, but since the incident, a woman approached him and told him not to speak about the lock. aYesterday (Sunday), a lady approached me; seem to be an attorney; she tell me donat mention anything bout lock and I find that real unfair. aI canat stifle my conscience because innocent children get hurt in the process. The mother is a struggling woman, easy to go with, but one mistake she mek, two mistake; now she leave she kids home and lock the door,a said Phillips. He noted that the parents of the children have not thanked him for what he did, but the police and people in the community have praised him. aI see the mother by the station and she ainat tell me nothing; all she do is crying. The father just pass me straighta, said Philips.(LC) One missing, after boat capsizes off coast of Fancy Social Share A boat overturned off the coast of the north eastern village of Fancy on Monday morning and one person is said to be missing. According to reports reaching SEARCHLIGHT, there were three persons on board the small fishing vessel, two of whom were rescued. A resident of Fancy, who tried to assist the occupants of the boat, said he was in an area known as aRing,a when he saw three men in the water. According to the eyewitness, the boat was being captained by a arasta youth from Leeward,a who said the engine of the boat had closed off and the boat had drifted back to Fancy and filled up with water. The Fancy resident said he and others got into a boat and tried to help them, but because of the rough waters, they could not get close to the men. aSo, by the time we go there now, the man done drift and two of them end up come in Charles Bay, but the man (captain) telling me one go down; obviously he dead.a aThe captain called somebody with a boat (when they encountered difficulty) to come and save them, but by the time he reach to come and save dem, they done get in the water already; so the boat just picked up the other men and they leave.a The boat aTribal Luva, with registration number J6-1201 was retrieved from the water by residents of Fancy. It is not clear if the boat was travelling in a northerly or southerly direction between St Lucia and St Vincent when it got into difficulty. The St Vincent and the Grenadines Coastguard told SEARCHLIGHT that on Sunday, January 28, the St Lucia Marine Unit received a report that a vessel which left St Lucia on Saturday, January 27 had not returned when expected. According to the SVG Coast Guard, the two men who were rescued by the Fancy residents were Thomas Evans and Osborne James. They were taken to Sandy Bay, then to the Georgetown Police Station. One is said to be a patient at Milton Cato Memorial Hospital in Kingstown, while the other was at the Central Police Station at press time. Yesterday, at the time of the incident, a high surf advisory and small craft warning was in effect for St Vincent and the Grenadines. It remains in effect until 6 a.m. tomorrow, Wednesday.(GHJ) Opposition No Confidence motion set for Wednesday Social Share The New Democratic Party (NDP) yesterday filed a notice of a motion of aNo Confidencea in the Government, after which they walked out of Parliament. The motion of No Confidence was handed to Speaker of the House of Assembly Jomo Thomas by Leader of the Opposition and President of the New Democratic Party (NDP) Dr Godwin Friday, after a heated exchange between Friday and the Speaker. Signed by the NDPas seven elected members of Parliament, the motion gives five reasons why the House of Assembly has no confidence in the Unity Labour Party Government. The motion states: aWhereas the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has been failing the people miserably in providing a satisfactory quality of life. aAnd whereas the priorities of the government in its use of taxpayersa money have produced totally inadequate health services and basic maintenance of roads. aAnd whereas the collapse of the economy has deprived our youth of hope and employment opportunities. aAnd whereas a climate of fear through intimidation at all levels of Vincentian society, has become widespread due to the manifest abuse of the powers of the State and its institutions, which are often employed as weapons against citizens, to serve the agenda of Government officials, their family members and associates.aAnd whereas there has been a breakdown in law and order, as demonstrated by the incidence of rampant crime and failure of the various agencies of law enforcement to protect the more vulnerable members of society, including the elderly, women and young persons. aBe it resolved that this Honourable House declares No Confidence in this Unity Labour Party Government of Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves.a The motion also says, aWe, the undersigned representatives, hereby give notice in accordance with Section 47 of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Constitution of a motion of no confidence in the Government. We look forward to the attached motion being set down for debate in the House as required by the Constitution.a The motion is scheduled to be debated tomorrow in the House of Assembly after the wind-up of the debate on the 2018 Estimates. Prior to the motion being filed, Friday rose in Parliament and asked Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves to make a statement on the ongoing Yugge Farrell matter. Gonsalves has been accused of having an extra marital affair with 23-year-old Farrell, who, on January 5, was charged with causing a breach of the peace by using abusive language to Karen Duncan, wife of Camillo Gonsalves. Since the matter was first reported, it has consumed the interest of the nation, but Camillo has not commented on the allegations, although his father, the Prime Minister, and his brother, Storm Gonsalves, have spoken publicly on the issue. Friday, addressing Parliament on Monday, said that it was important for the Minister of make a statement on the issue, athat has come to the public consciousness.a He said that he thought that Minister [Camillo] Gonsalves would have taken the opportunity under the agenda item aStatements by Ministersa on the order paper of the House of Assembly to aprovide some clarity on the matter.a But before Friday could comment further on the issue, Speaker of the House Jomo Thomas stopped him, asking the Opposition Leader to explain to him, the basis under the Standing Orders, under which he was rising to make such a statement. aI think that we are governed by the rules of the House and if you are going to speak, you have to speak in relation to the Standing Orders and the rules. I am saying to you that the Standing Orders govern what happens in the House if you are going to speak,a Thomas told Friday, who responded by saying that the Speaker could, under Rule 81 of the House, permit him to make the statement he wanted to make. aI am asking to be permitted to make the statement, because it is an important mattera, said Dr Friday, who asked Thomas to exercise the general authority of the Speaker. aI see no reason why I should do that,a said Thomas, after which Dr Friday responded, aI am going to make the statement anyway, because I believe that the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines deserve to hear a statement.a Thomas, pounding his gravel throughout the exchange between him and Friday, told the Opposition Leader that he cannot carry on outside of the rules, to which he responded, aabut you are refusing to exercise discretion in the matter very important to the House. This is a Parliament, where you are allowed to speak.a Thomas responded, aIf you ask me to do something and you point me to the rules and you canat show where in the rulesabecause what you want is not relevant to the point you want to make. You cannot continue in the way you are continuing, because you would not be keeping with the rulesayou do not have a legal basis on which you stand.a Friday responded that the NDPas Members of Parliament would leave the House, which they did after Minister of Foreign Affairs Sir Louis Straker, standing on a point of order, stated, aaArticle 15 of the standing orders say, unless the House otherwise resolves, the business of each sitting shall be conducted in each order and I invoke Article 15 that we continue.a After the NDP members left Parliament, Prime Minister Gonsalves opined that the NDP decided to walk out of Parliament beforehand, because they did not want to hear the Minister of Finance speak. aThey chose a bogus excuse to justify their walking out. They should be honest, up front and say, aWe donat want to hear him speak,a rather than raise the bogus issue as a pretext to walk out. What they are doing is bringing your own office, Mr Speaker, into disrepute, because they will go out and say all sorts of things about youa,a said the Prime Minister, who stated that Friday tried to use the rule 81 in the wrong way. a The NDPas motion of No Confidence in the Government is likely to fail on Wednesday, as according to Section 41 (1) of the Constitution, a[a] question of no confidence in the government shall be determined by a majority of the votes of all the representatives (elected members).a There are eight elected members on the Government side and seven on the Opposition side.(LC) Yugge Farrell granted bail Social Share Yugge Farrell, the fashion model who had been remanded to the Mental Health Centre for observation has been granted bail. Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett granted the 23-year-old bail in the amount of $1000 with one surety at a sitting of the Kingstown Magistrateas Court this morning. She has been charged that on Thursday, January 4, at Granby Street, Kingstown, she did cause a breach of peace by using abusive language to Karen Duncan of Prospect, which was You dirty b**ch.a The matter has been adjourned to December 17, 2018. Yugge was diagnosed by qualified psychiatrist PM Social Share It has been confirmed that the medical doctor who evaluated Yugge Farrell has a Doctorate in Psychiatry; this following doubts expressed in court as to her qualifications. When Yugge Farrell came to the court after two weeks of evaluation at the Mental Health and Rehabilitation Centre (MHC) on January 22, a medical report was presented, which stated that the young model was anot fit to pleada to the charge of causing a breach of the peace by using abusive language to Karen Duncan, wife of Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves, to wit ayou dirty bit*ha on January 4. The report was the result of a court ordered evaluation by magistrate Bertie Pompey, when Farrell came before him as a defendant at the Kingstown Magistrateas Court on January 5. Defence lawyer Grant Connell, in his bid to have an evaluation of Farrell conducted by a psychiatrist of his choice, and the former medical report thrown out, made the point on January 22 that, by his observations, the doctor who signed the report was not a psychiatrist. aThe report, before the court, is signed by one Dr Sonasree Jammulapati MD,.. I respectfully submit, Dr Sonasree, Dr Sona, as she is known She is not a psychiatrist,a the lawyer stated, noting that it was signed with her name and title of aDistrict Medical Officera next to it. Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, speaking on WE FM last Friday, affirmed that Dr Jammulapati is a aqualified psychiatrista, and read from her curriculum vitae (CV), a copy of which SEARCHLIGHT has obtained. Jammulapatias CV states that she is a qualified psychiatrist aregistered with Andhra Pradesh Medical Council (AMC), India,a as of the year 2015, with special interest in aadult, geriatric and de-addiction Psychiatrya. She has a Doctorate in Psychiatry from the Narayana Medical College and teaching hospital,aNTR University of health sciences (NTRUHS), in India, which she achieved between the years 2012 and 2015. She has also completed her years of psychiatry residency, between 2012 and 2016, at different institutions including the NTRUHS, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, (NIMHANS) and the district hospital in Vizianagaram, India. Jammulapati is a full-time employee of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, assigned to the Mental Health Centre. Two notable new reports urging big reductions in population on probation and parole | Main | "Expansion of the Federal Safety Valve for Mandatory Minimum Sentences" January 29, 2018 Is Prez Trump really going to talk about criminal justice and prison reform in his first State of the Union address? The question in the title of this post is prompted by this notable report from Jim Geraghty at the National Review headlined "Expect Criminal-Justice and Prison Reform from President Trump Tuesday Night." Here is what he is predicting: Lets start this week off with some news: President Trump will talk about criminal-justice reform and prison reform in his State of the Union address Tuesday night. For several months now, the presidents son-in-law and key adviser Jared Kushner has had monthly meetings with Mark Holden, Koch Industries general counsel; Brooke Rollins, president of the Texas Public Policy Foundation; and Doug Deason, a wealthy businessman and advocate for criminal-justice reform. The conservative groups aim to bring prison reforms and anti-recidivism programs that have achieved sterling results in Texas and Georgia to the nations federal prison system. About 10 percent of all incarcerated individuals in the United States are in federal prison. If they were a state, they would be the largest state in the country, Deason said. To bring these kinds of anti-recidivism programs to federal prisons, all it requires is an executive order instructing Jeff Sessions to open up the Bureau of Prisons to outside service providers, he explained. Right now they do so, but only on a very limited basis. The Koch network hopes to add momentum to the effort with new initiative called Safe Streets and Second Chances, which will research the most effective methods across eight prisons in Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana, featuring a randomized controlled trial involving more than 1,000 participants in a mix of urban and rural communities. The research will be directed by Dr. Carrie Pettus-Davis of Washington University in St. Louis. The aim is to provide a counselor for a prisoner from the time he enters prison to years after hes left, to stop this cycle of recidivism, Deason said, and have them leave better equipped to be a productive member of society than when they went in. Deason characterizes Sessions as open to proposals on prison reform and programs focused on a prisoners re-entry into society, but still closed-minded on reducing mandatory minimum sentences. Interestingly, and perhaps enhancing my basis for reasonably hoping Prez Trump brings up this topic, this CNN article has different Senators talking about what they hope to see in the SOTU speech, and it includes this tidbit: "I talked to the President about talking about prison reform," Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said, which is "something I've been working on, something I know that he and others are interested in." Inspired by these reports, we ought to collectively work on a 2018 State of the Union drinking game. Perhaps it ought to be a gulp of beer or a sip of wine/liquor for every time Prez Trump says prison reform or job training or mentoring or addiction treatment. And if he says mandatory minimums or sentencing guidelines need to be reformed, I will buy a round for everyone! A few prior recent related posts: UPDATE : I just noticed this White House webpage detailing "Special Guests for the State of the Union Address." Because it does not seem that any of the special guests have a prison past, I am now doubting prison reform is getting any significant attention in the speech. Some of the listed guests, though, do suggest some other criminal justice issues will be getting mentioned: Elizabeth Alvarado, Robert Mickens, Evelyn Rodriguez, and Freddy Cuevas are the parents of Nisa Mickens and Kayla Cuevas, who had been close friends since elementary school, but in September 2016, the two girls were chased down and brutally murdered by MS-13.... Police Officer Ryan Holets and his wife adopted a baby from parents who suffered from opioid addiction, breaking down walls between drug addicts and police officers to help save lives.... Agent CJ Martinez has spent much of his 15-year tenure working with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations to dismantle criminal organizations, resulting in more than 100 arrests of MS-13 gang members who were prosecuted for crimes including homicide, assault, and narcotics and weapons trafficking. January 29, 2018 at 09:09 PM | Permalink Comments Was the trial court in the best position to assess the facts, and to sentence the prisoner? Is there a fact showing the verdict or the sentencing was wrong? If the prisoner has done very well in prison, what will happen when he is on the street, and responding to that environment? Is prison not the safest and healthiest place for criminals? Don't their morbidity and death rates shoot up on the street? Whose responsibility will it be when the criminal returns to the highly lucrative and easy life of crime, with hundreds of victims a year? Do the black people who advocate for reform still live in black areas? Or are all of them middle class lawyers, living in low crime areas? Aren't most advocates lily white, living in low crime areas? Donald Trump is a NYC liberal. So, I do not expect him to represent the interests of crime victims. Posted by: David Behar | Jan 29, 2018 10:03:12 PM I love the idea of the drinking game, but i surmise all participants will be sober after the SOTU address. Posted by: john Webster | Jan 30, 2018 8:15:25 AM He very well might reference the FBI investigation. Posted by: Joe | Jan 30, 2018 11:00:18 AM Let's hope Trump talks about getting rid of this criminal: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/01/29/federal-judge-blasts-ice-for-cruel-tactics-frees-immigrant-rights-activist-ravi-ragbir/?nid&utm_term=.6f7e8cdf6f74 Posted by: federalist | Jan 30, 2018 6:53:56 PM Post a comment "The Effects of Pretrial Detention on Conviction, Future Crime, and Employment: Evidence from Randomly Assigned Judges" | Main | Two notable new reports urging big reductions in population on probation and parole Leah Litman and Samantha Jaffe have this great new entry at the Take Care website under the heading "The Mandatory Guidelines Predicament." It seeks to explain the still lingering issue of how the Supreme Court's 2015 Johnson vagueness ruling still impacts a certain subset of federal prisoners sentenced more than a decade earlier. I recommend the piece in full, and here is a taste: In Johnson v. United States, the Supreme Court held ACCAs residual clause unconstitutionally void for vagueness. ACCA imposes a 15-year minimum for defendants with three prior violent felony convictions. ACCAs residual clause defined violent felony as any felony that involves conduct that presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another. The next term, Welch v. United States announced that Johnson was a substantive rule that applied retroactively.... The Sentencing Guidelines contain a provision known as the career-offender guideline. The career-offender guideline helps calculate a defendants criminal history score, which, in combination with a defendants offense level, yields the defendants sentencing range. The career-offender guideline has a residual clause that is worded the same way as ACCAs (unconstitutional) residual clause. In Beckles, the Court held that the career-offender guidelines residual clause was not unconstitutionally vague because the advisory federal Sentencing Guidelines are not subject to vagueness challenges. The Sentencing Guidelines, however, werent always advisory.... The pre-Booker Guidelines thus functioned a lot like statutes that impose mandatory sentences. Nevertheless, there are still differences between the pre-Booker Guidelines and statutes. Even when the Guidelines were mandatory, the Guidelines explicitly allowed courts to reduce a defendants recommended sentencing range if the court determined the defendants criminal history substantially over-represent[ed] the seriousness of the defendants criminal history or the likelihood that the defendant will commit other crimes. In other words, even under mandatory Guidelines, courts could depart from the sentencing range. In contrast, courts couldnt depart from a mandatory minimum under ACCA. The Guidelines also include seven factors that a sentencing court must consider, which builds in flexibility. These factors include the nature of the offense and history of the defendant, the types of sentences available, and how the sentence serves the values of deterrence, incapacitation, retribution, and rehabilitation. That said, in spite of those differences, the pre-Booker mandatory Guidelines functioned a lot like statutory minimums. Despite the similarities between mandatory Guidelines and statutes fixing sentences, the courts of appeals have not been particularly receptive to challenges to the mandatory Guidelines.... Lets imagine that the Supreme Court wants to say, at some point, that the mandatory Guidelines residual clause is unconstitutionally vague. Its not clear how many opportunities the Court will have to do so, assuming its even interested. AEDPA sharply limits the Supreme Courts ability to review court of appeals denials of authorization to file second or successive resentencing motions. AEDPA does not permit petitioners to file petitions for certiorari from decisions denying authorization to file a second or successive authorization. The only path to review in the Supreme Court are so-called original writs, which are rarely granted and, to date, have remained only a theoretical possibility for reviewing second or successive resentencing motions. Thats a problem because it is likely that almost all cases involving the mandatory Guidelines will be second or successive resentencing motions. The Guidelines have been advisory since the Supreme Courts 2005 decision in Booker, so its not likely that many prisoners sentenced *before 2005* have yet to file a single section 2255 motion. The petitioner in Raybon is one of the rare exceptions, although there is also another, similar case in the Fourth Circuit. If the Court wants to do something about prisoners sentenced under the mandatory Guidelines, it may want to seriously consider granting certiorari in Raybon even though theres a vehicle problem.... And acting sooner rather than later is important, given that the essence of these claims is that the prisoners are serving more time in prison than they should be. Travelers from the Europe, America and Australia have increased sharply, because of increasing number of overseas Vietnamese coming home for Tet holiday and the demand for winter vacations. Most of markets recorded positive growth in comparison with the same period of 2017, including China (69 percent), the Republic of Korea (84 percent), Chinas Taiwan (22.9 percent), Malaysia (335.5 percent), Thailand (11.3 percent), Singapore (16 percent), Cambodia (36.6 percent), European countries (22.8 percent). The tourist sector has launched many activities promoting the countrys tourism from early January. On the other hand, Vietnam participated in the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from January 22-26 with a wide range of activities, such as a Vietnam Night event presenting Vietnamese tourism and its role in hosting the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2019 in Ha Long, Quang Ninh province. Vietnam won 14 ASEAN tourism awards at the event, including The ASEAN Clean Tourist City awards went to Hue, Hoi An and Da Lat. Many hotels and resorts in Hanoi, Ha Long, Vinh Phuc, Thai Nguyen, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang and Con Dao earned the ASEAN Green Hotel awards. By MAI AN Translated by kim Khanh [January 29, 2018] Strategic Insights Inc. and Nicobar Group Team Up in Strategic Partnership Agreement, Allowing Customers to Expand their Reach into China, the U.S. and Canada North American-based Strategic Insights Inc. and China-based Nicobar Group Ltd. today announced an exclusive partnership agreement. The availability of integrated business development services will allow customers to benefit from streamlined approaches for lead generation and market intelligence in the nuclear energy market in all three countries. The partnership is a strong strategic fit, leveraging the two leading companies' respective strengths, across three main areas: First, Strategic Insights and Nicobar have both developed processes to enhance and expedite the expansion of sales of products and services in the nuclear sector. Strategic Insights will take the lead in using these methodologies to serve customers in the U.S., Canada and the UK and Nicobar will take the lead in serving customers in China and other Asian countries. Second, both companies plan to use their combined resources to provide a "one-stop shop" for companies looking to have a strategically aligned business development approach across countries with some of the fastest growing nuclear energy needs. Finally, Strategic Insights and Nicobar have published highly regarded reports in the nuclear industry in their jurisdictions, including reports on country developments, advanced and small modular reactors, life extensions and waste management. The partnership allows customers t benefit from enhanced access to these and future market intelligence products. "We're very pleased and fortunate to have found a partner with whom we have such strong and natural synergies," said Nicobar Group Director James Stovall. "We're looking forward to working with Strategic Insights to establish a robust model for commercial cooperation between the Chinese and North American nuclear industries, and exploring new opportunities in developing nuclear sectors around the world." To learn more about how the partnership of Strategic Insights and Nicobar Group can assist in the nuclear sector, companies are invited to visit our websites: https://strategicinsights.ca/ or http://www.nicobargroup.com/. About Strategic Insights Inc. Strategic Insights Inc. is a market intelligence and advisory firm that specializes in the nuclear energy and electricity sectors. Strategic Insights offers a full complement of research and advisory services and also publishes a suite of market outlooks and forecasts. About Nicobar Group Ltd. Nicobar Group Ltd. is a niche business consultancy specializing in the China nuclear power market. Headquartered in Shanghai, Nicobar's services includes China market intelligence, market entry support, strategy development, project management, China lead generation and China supply chain and sourcing for the nuclear industry. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180129006034/en/ [ Back To SIP Trunking Home's Homepage ] 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. ESA's next mission, the miniature GomX-4B, includes a piggyback experiment to test how well everyday commercial computer memories perform in the radiation-soaked environment of space. Ready to be launched from China this Friday, GomX-4B was built from six standard 10 cm CubeSat units by GomSpace in Denmark. Its main goal is to test radio links between satellites and micropropulsion, but GomX-4B also carryies a small, cheap but important secondary experiment: a single 10x10cm electronics board with 12 computer flash memories, made up of three examples of four different types, each purchased for a few euros. Known as Chimera, this experiment will test how such 'commercial-off-the-shelf' parts cope with bombardments of high-energy electrically charged atomic particles from the Sun and deep space. A specially space-qualified monitoring chip will record the performance of the dozen memories. "Interaction with charged particles can induce 'bit flips' in computer memory, introducing errors," explains Chimera team member Tomasz Szewczyk. "We perform ground testing and software modelling to understand how different components are affected by radiation, but nothing beats real testing in space. "There's an increasing push to use more off-the-shelf parts in orbit because they are theoretically cheaper and more capable than space-designed parts, but there are question marks over their reliability. "For instance, different batches of the same part may have radically different reactions to charged particles, based on small variations in the raw materials or the manufacturing process. That's why we are flying three versions of each memory." Once it became clear there was a chance to fly on GomX-4B, Chimera was built and tested in a year, with ESA's data engineers working together with quality assurance experts. The board was assembled by certified ESA engineers, with environmental testing for launch and space conditions using shaker tables and thermal-vacuum chambers. "ESA missions have already been using a lot of different off-the-shelf parts, certainly across the last two decades," comments computer scientist Gianluca Furano. "All the mass memory of currently flying missions is made up of purely commercial flash devices, for instance. "And right now there are some component areas where we simply don't have any space-qualified alternative. The problem is that off-the-shelf parts need to undergo a lot of testing in order to be sure they'll meet the necessary performance and reliability, and this can mean their per-unit cost actually ends up much higher." In addition, the capabilities of space-qualified parts typically lag several generations behind off-the-shelf parts, which benefit from the doubling of transistors per chip every two years or less. One approach is to take commercial devices and devise methods to best use them for space applications, often with the help of manufacturers. For instance, programmable chips known as called 'field programmable gate arrays' can have error detection and correction mechanisms added. "The more knowledge we have of how these parts behave in space operations, then the more we can develop effective countermeasures," adds Gianluca. "Terrestrial industry is becoming interested in such solutions as well. For large data centres using massive amount of memory, cosmic rays already set reliability limits. Such effects will also become a factor within chips for safety-critical applications, such as self-driving cars." "Flying technology experiments on CubeSats is opening up a plethora of opportunities to access space faster, and more cost effectively," adds ESA's Ali Zadeh. "The multidisciplinary nature of such experiments result in exciting collaborations across our Agency." Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. iStock/Thinkstock(CAPE TOWN) -- As the South African city of Cape Town battles dwindling water supplies amid a three year-long drought, city officials have moved back their prediction for Day Zero, when the city expects it will run out of water. Originally scheduled for April 21, the date had been pushed up to April 12. But, on Monday, the city announced it now expects day zero to be April 16, if necessary measures arent taken to salvage water. "This week our dashboard shows a slight outward movement of Day Zero," the city said Monday, "mainly due to a reduction in agricultural releases from the dams over the previous week." In an effort to maintain water in the city and avoid Day Zero, the government said it is taking extensive measures, known as Level 6B water restrictions. New water tariffs will also go into effect starting Thursday. Some of the restrictions include limiting each persons water use to a maximum of 13.2 gallons, regardless of location -- home, work or school. The city will also restrict borehole use for irrigation to Tuesdays and Saturdays for one hour before 9:00am and after 6:00pm. The South African Weather Service shows no rain predicted in the coming days, except a slight chance on Friday. The premier of South Africa's Western Cape province, Helen Zille, wrote to South Africa President Jacob Zuma calling for the declaration of a national disaster, saying the drought has escalated from a threat to an imminent crisis. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The Solomon Islands, a nation of hundreds of islands in the South Pacific, is an LDC (least developed country) with an abundance of natural resources. Since its independence in 1978, the country has largely depended on agricultural and forest resources for its economic growth; export revenues from primary resources such as logging, mining, agricultural products, and fisheries are the main sources of income. With clear opportunities for synergies and complementarity between the agriculture and tourism sectors, agritourism is an exciting next step. Adapting to changing demands As the Solomon Islands becomes more interconnected with the global economy, linking tourism and agriculture is an increasingly relevant policy matter. With the falling value of primary resources around the globe, it will be crucial for the Solomon Islands to sustain development and economic growth over the coming years. Value addition and industry expansion will also be vital in order to compete at a global level and adapt to the changing demands of the global market. Furthermore, with the population of the Solomon Islands soaring, the need to diversify development beyond the forestry, mining, and fisheries sectors is even more urgent. A larger and growing population puts greater pressure on the public sector to address the developmental needs of the people. Linking important industries such as agriculture and tourism will help to diversify the economy and address the numerous challenges that threaten national development and growth, such as poor governance, economic stagnation and unsustainable development. A joint approach to agritourism Today, the popularity of formal employment has hugely impacted upon alternative livelihoods and traditional practices. As a young country with a wealth of natural resources, as well as a rich cultural heritage, agriculture and tourism provide the backbone of the Solomon Islands economy. In 2016, there were over 22,000 visitors to the Solomon Islands, who contributed 190 million in revenues, and visitor numbers are expected to have risen by 9% during 2017. However, in order to strengthen the links between the two sectors, a common national policy framework is required to guide each industry and create sustainable linkages. A joint policy framework will also help to synchronise policies, highlight complementarities, improve coordination between the two sectors, and fill crucial policy gaps that can arise. An effective agritourism policy should support innovation, promote development, regulate the value chain, and emphasise sustainability. Furthermore, agritourism policy must acknowledge the important role of rural populations in both tourism and agriculture, and bridge the gap between these communities and the commercial economy. Specifically, rural farmers, small tourism operators and entrepreneurs must have a strong voice in policy discussions in order to ensure that the resultant policy is practical, realistic and forward looking. Working together for prosperity In recent years in the Solomon Islands, policy discussions have focussed heavily on improving the tourism sector. Efforts to develop the agricultural sector to further the economy have also been at the forefront of public and private sector policy. Thus, for agritourism to develop in the Solomon Islands, policymakers and private sector firms will have to work together; collaboration is required to ensure that a newly developed agritourism industry will positively influence the national economy and thrive across the country. In November 2017, the Solomon Islands successfully hosted a national agritourism workshop, supported by CTA and other regional partners, as the initial step towards the formulation of its agritourism policy. The 2-day workshop considered the status of agriculture and tourism in the country, and explored priority areas where the sectors could deliver mutual benefits, notably in terms of local sourcing, value addition, product diversification, and the culinary industry. Speakers from the government, private sector, and experts in agriculture, tourism and trade made contributions highlighting the key factors needed to drive stronger linkages between the sectors. An area of particular interest for the workshop was the role of chefs in linking agriculture and tourism through cuisine. The workshop provided an opportunity for different stakeholders to contribute constructively and positively to the discussions, which provided a real foundation for the development of a policy that will help harmonise the linkage between the agriculture and tourism sectors. In Cameroon, chefs and farmers have little direct contact, so they fail to tap into the potential benefits that closer ties could bring. Hotels and restaurants often have to rely on imported food, or turn to other service providers and suppliers because chefs struggle to find a reliable source of local high-quality produce. In addition, authorities have seemed so far unwilling to do much about it. Efforts to build closer partnerships between smallholders and the hospitality and catering industry are beset with problems, with the main issues being around quality and supply. Before they can sell to hotels, farmers have to produce nutrition fact sheets to prove that their produce is traceable and safe to eat; only then are hotel managers willing to accept locally sourced food and serve it to their customers. Establishing dialogue One way to overcome this problem would be to set up formal mechanisms for dialogue and discussion between politicians (ministries of agriculture, trade and tourism), hotel managers, chefs and farmers. An initiative of this type would give hotel managers clearer information and help alleviate their fears around quality and regularity of supply. Farmers, meanwhile, would be better informed about the quality and volume that hotels and consumers expect. And, ultimately, chefs would have a wider range of produce to choose from. In 2016, CTA and the Regional Platform of Farmers' Organizations in Central Africa, PROPAC, launched the Chefs for Development initiative in Yaounde. Since then, association of culinary and pastry chefs of Cameroon has been working to incorporate more local dishes into menus and forge partnerships with farmers and processors organisations. Some hotels and restaurants have begun albeit cautiously developing more formal supply arrangements with farmers organisations. The SOCOOPMATPA cooperative for cassava, other tubers and agricultural products, already has such an arrangement in place, and efforts to build a partnership with the Pan-African Farmers Organisation, CTA and the AgriCordalliance of agri-agencies are ongoing. Cameroon has a rich and varied culinary tradition and the countrys hotels play host to scores of foreigners, visitors and tourists. But tapping into this potential requires action. More specifically, it calls for a formal agritourism policy. The government needs to introduce public incentive schemes to encourage hotels and restaurants to incorporate more local produce into their menus. And politicians need to work in tandem with the agricultural value chain to get more food from local farmers and processors into hotels and restaurants. As a matter of priority, the chefs federation should map the farmers capable of supplying high-quality produce and sign formal partnership agreements with these suppliers. But there is a lot of awareness-raising and capacity-building work to be done before that can happen. Chefs for Development is a genuine opportunity to develop agritourism in Cameroon. Expanding the initiative further would provide a real boost to farmers incomes. On January 30th, 2018 the new book from noted author, novelist, and McSweeney's founder Dave Eggers will be released through Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House. Titled The Monk of Mokha, it's 300+ pages that tell the story of Mokhtar Alkhanshali, Yemeni-American coffee professional and founder of the coffee company Port of Mokha. The book chronicles his journey from working in an apartment lobby in San Francisco to becoming one of his generation's most important coffee professionals, braving war and personal hardship to help redefine the coffees of Yemen to a new generation of coffee lovers. The reviews are in and they're sterling. As with any new Eggers work, Monk of Mokha has been featured this week in publications ranging from The New York Times to The Guardian to the Los Angeles Times, who calls Monk of Mokha a Horatio Alger story for the 21st century. A flotilla of events are scheduled for the book's release, starting tonight in San Francisco, where Eggers and Alkhanshali are appearing at the Nourse Theater as part of the City Arts lecture series. The fun continues across the Bay Area during the Monk of Mokha mobile book tour, in partnership with the San Francisco Public Library system, who have loaned out a bookmobile (converted into the Mokha mobile) for events across the region. From there a speaking tour with Eggers and Alkhanshali is scheduled to tour across the United States, with appearances in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, California, Washington, Michigan, and in Texas at the 2018 SXSW festival, in a talk hosted by Sprudge co-founder Jordan Michelman. In advance of that talk, Michelman sat down with Eggers and Alkhanshali to learn more about the book, the exhaustive research process behind it, and how he used Mokhtar's own social media to aid in reporting out this incredible story. This is the most high profile book written about coffee this centurymaybe everand Eggers is unquestionably the best-known author ever to tackle the subject. He brings an outsider's clarity to the daily machinations of the coffee trade, calling it quite possibly the most complex journey from farm to consumption of any foodstuff known to humankind, in a book filled with moments of sadness, laughter, danger, and triumph. Readers who want to drink along with the adventure can purchase coffee direct via the Port of Mokha website, where a new Mokha Monthly subscription service has been launched in conjunction with the book release. Jordan Michelman spoke with Dave Eggers and Mokhtar Alkhanshali by phone from the San Francisco Bay Area. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Jordan Michelman: Hello Dave Eggers, it's a pleasure to meet you, and hello Mokhtar, it's a pleasure to speak with you again. By way of starting, since this is how the book starts, Mr. Eggerswhy did you choose that particular Saul Bellow quote to begin the book? Dave Eggers: Oh, that's my favorite book, probably. I re-read Herzog every year and that's one of my favorite passages from my favorite book and I think that there's something all-encompassing and yearning and big-hearted about that quote. It takes in all of the world and all its desires and ambitions and the political and the personal, all in one paragraph, and it just reminded me of the scope of Mokhtar's ambition and his worldview. For an epigraph, we needed something big to mirror the enormity of Mokhtar's vision and place in the world and what he achieved. It seems to, even though it's not a quote about coffee or San Francisco or Yemen, but it seemed to have a nice parallel in spirit to Mokhtar's story. Michelman: Is that something you had in mind over the years re-reading the book? Or was it something that came to you fresh as you were trying to think of what to put as an opening quote? Eggers: It was re-reading the book while working on Mokhtar's book and when I came across that paragraph it just rang a bell. It just sometimes, something just hits you in the face. That's the right thing. And it's purely on a gut level and I put it in and lived with it for the last year sort of feeling like it's the right thing. Readers seemed to respond, my early readers, to it and feeling like it had a commonality with the spirit of Mokhtar's life. Michelman: You mentioned early readersI had the opportunity to read an advance copy of the book to prep for our interview today, and while I don't want to rehash too much of what's in it or spoil the fun for people once they get a copy, I was wondering if, Mr. Eggers, you could tell us how you first came to be interested in telling this story? Eggers: We had met from years before. We had a mutual friend in Wajahat Ali, a writer and commentator. Wajahat and I had worked on an HBO pilot about a Yemeni-American police detective in San Francisco, and as part of our research, we met Mokhtar and he provided insight about what it was like to grow up as a Yemeni-American man in the Bay area. We got to know him that way and then a few years later Wajahat wrote to me one day, saying, Did you hear what happened to Mokhtar in Yemen? And Mokhtar and I got together a few days later and began to talk. At first, it was just a casual couple hours talk at Blue Bottle in Oakland and without any goals or parameters and just sort of a talk to see, out of curiosity.` And then it slowly, very slowly, grew out of that. We just kept getting togetherwe would do a little cupping and educational work, watch some roastingthis was out at Boot Coffee in San Rafael. I would sit in on some of the educational sessions there and then afterwards we would hang out in the back of Willem Boot's house and talk more about Mokhtar's recent time in Yemen. We just sort of went backwards from there. It started with interviews about his most recent escape and the few months that led up to it and then we just kept working backward and backward and backward all the way into childhood and earlier visits to Yemen. So it was a long and meandering process without a clear goal until a little bit of the way in when we realized that there really was a telling book in Mokhtar's story. Michelman: How many total hours of interviews did you conduct for this book? Eggers: I don't know. I guess in my mind it would be 100, 120 hours, or something like that. That would be recorded hours, and that's different than the countless amount of time that we spent just together and traveling and driving and visiting family and going to Djibouti and Ethiopia and Yemen and Santa Barbara and the Central Valley and visiting friends in the Tenderloin and family in Oakland and, you know. Over three years, it ends up really adding up and I think that there's always two tracks for me as a writer/journalist. The on-record, recording, tape recorder between us times and then there are the in-between times where we're just together and absorbing sometimes the atmosphere of a place like Boot or walking Mokhtar's old neighborhood in the Tenderloin. Almost always when we were together, I had my tape recorder there so a number of times when I would just turn it on when he was telling a story that I thought would be interesting. It wasn't part of an official interview and it hadn't been prompted by a question I had written down, but suddenly we'd find ourselves in some very interesting and necessary territory and the tape recorder would come on. I think to really do something like this right, it really does take quite a long time because you really don't always know the questions you should ask until you get to know somebody pretty intimately. And even then, so many of the very most interesting and crucial parts of the story don't come out of an interview session. They come out of conversations and situations or being prompted by some place or memory that prompts another memory or a new story. A lot of that can only really happen over an open-ended long-term schedule. Michelman: I'm curious, for fans of your previous workis this book closer to something like Zeitoun, which is very much reported as non-fiction, or are there elements of the story that are dramatized as in your book What Is The What? Eggers: It is not fiction. My training is as a journalist and my degree is in journalism and this is what I did for a living and continue to do for The Guardian in London and other venues. I've been reporting on the Trump Era, well, starting before he was elected and continuing. There's a piece I have to turn in in the next few days about the wall between San Diego and Mexico and how it affects the DACA recipients. Because Mokhtar was such an incredibly detail-oriented and attentive interviewee and because the vast majority of the events depicted in the book had happened in the months before we met and began interviews, it was [reported as non-fiction]. All of the larger political context, whether it was a bombing in Ibb, or whether it was a Houthi take over of Sa'dah, all of these other corollary political events took place parallel to his work. All of these are part of the historical record. And so between the recentness of all the events and the incredible volume of other reporting done, it was relatively easy to confirm the veracity of all the events, the timing. And because Mokhtar is such an active documenter of his life, whether via Facebook, email, or WhatsApp, we were able to find and use countless pages and photos and entriesreally everything from social mediaand get events down to the minute in many cases. I was lucky to work with a really incredible amount of source material and ways to confirm all of the timings and dates and events to take. Michelman: Mokhtar, I'm curious to ask you once you knew that Dave had come on to the project and that it was happening, did you have to keep it quiet or were able to talk about it with other people in your life? Were you able to tell people, you know, HeyDave Eggers and I are hanging out and he's writing a book about me. Mokhtar Alkhanshali: I mean, actually when the news finally came out, I felt bad because there were a few people I could only tell this to recently. And so I didn't tell anybody, I just kept it quiet. I'll give you an example. There was a Q course that Jodi [Wieser, of Gather Coffee Company] was taking at Boot. Dave was at that Q course with me, hanging out in the back, and Jodi had no idea he was there the whole time. She never knew until months later. She came to me and said, Oh my God, I can't believe I just found out Dave Eggers wrote a book about you. And I'm like, Gee, remember that time you were taking the Q course, that guy in the back taking notes? She's like, Yeah. That was Dave Eggers. She said, Shut up. [laughs] But in terms of telling people, I just didn't, really. For me I had a lot of things to work onmyself, my companyand I just didn't want to add to anything else besides that. Dave and I thought it would be best that way. Just keep things super quiet, especially as a journalist and a writer, be able to do things more effectively and it was that way for a long time. Eggers: It's important for me to always be as invisible as I possibly can. We had an understanding from the beginning that I would sort of, in many cases, follow him around without it being known that there might a book at the end of it. The last thing that's useful is for me is sort of walk straight into the door and announce to everybody that I'm going to be writing about their company or whatever it is. There were so many hours I spent at Boot and Blue Bottle and other places where I was just observing, sort of soaking things in. Michelman: Mokhtar, for a non-fiction biography like this for which you are the subject, there are very real people in this book. There's your family, there's former employers, and there's even a pretty prominently featured old girlfriend. Have you gone back now and been like, Hi, you're in this book about mehow do you have that conversation with people? What is that like? Alkhanshali: I was really lucky that Dave was the one writing this book. He is just incredibly great at making sure everybody involved is comfortable, and he's been through this a lot. So, for instance, Miriam, my ex-girlfriendwe're still great friendshe interviewed her and she knew what was happening. All the people in the book that I mentioned that way, they have all been a part of it, interviewed by Dave and they had the option to like, change their name, and things like that. So it was important to myself also that this book was not just my story. It's a story about a lot of different people, about the Yemeni community, Yemeni scholars, and different people from the coffee community in Yemen. Making sure that it was an accurate portrayal was really important to both Dave and I. That was the case for the book and through the whole process. Eggers: Yeah, there's no one depicted in the book and by name that was surprised to be depicted. I observed a thorough process of making sure everybody is aware and making sure that it's accurate from, not just Mokhtar's point of view, but from their point of view, too. And so that's sort of the luxury of having so much time to do it is to make sure you can very soberly go through every word and make sure that every place where Miriam was mentioned, it's accurate, so that she doesn't wake up one day and is surprised to find herself in a book and feel like it wasn't the way she remembers. Michelman: Dave, you talk about yourself, at the start of the book, you describe yourself as a coffee skeptic. And I'm curious to ask you now, what's changed about that? How has the process of writing this book changed how you feel about the wider take on coffee? Dave Eggers: Well, I mean, I think I go through life skeptical about a lot of things. I'm a slow adopter when it comes to many things, especially things that, from a distance, seem trendy, for trendiness' sake, I guess. So I've been in San Francisco 25 years and coming from Chicago, you come in with a cynic's eye, whether it's about yoga or legalized marijuana or coffee or nude beaches. It all seemed very exotic, very radical in a way and I've grown to adopt everything, one by one. I grew to really appreciate the merits of yoga, for example, and I very much appreciate the slow food movement as I got to know it through publishing Lucky Peach. I got to know so many great food pioneers here through that, and publishing a lot of great food books through McSweeney's and becoming more and more familiar with where our food comes from. You know, in the Bay Area, you can't help but absorb knowledge. There's so much awareness and so many enlightened people, and when it comes to food, so many great places to buy and experience it, and restaurants where you can trust that the food's been responsibly sourced. We are blessed by being surrounded by very enlightened food culture that you don't have to do all the work yourself. And for somebody like me, who is inherently lazy about thisI don't have necessarily all the time I want to do every bit of food research every day that I would like tothere are so many great, I don't know what to call them, go-betweens, whether it's your grocery store that you can trust that they have done the work and research for you or whether it's a coffee shop that's done the work for you. And so it's a long way of saying that I approach coffee the same way that I think the vast majority of people did even 20 years ago thinking, my God, even I remember when I got to San Francisco and when I saw $1.75 for a cup of coffee or a latte, that just seemed extravagant and ludicrous. But slowly and surely, just as we realized we pay too little for most of our clothing and we pay too little for much of our food and we pay too little for a lot of goods that we buy, somebody along the supply chain is not being adequately compensated and corners are being cut. And so it's the same way with coffee. And I've known this, intellectually, for many years about coffee, too, it's just that what I really didn't know was the level. I think it was the first day when we met at Blue Bottle that we popped in on a cupping and seeing that, and doing it at Boot Coffee many times, it was a whole other level. And even then the cupping aspect kicks in another skeptical impulse in me that says, oh my gosh, do we really have to go to this level of expertise and discernment when it comes to coffee? And the answer is yes. The way that Willem and Jodi and Mokhtar articulate the importance of cupping, the importance of the farmers who make the coffee having the same set of standards for those that are roasting and consuming, and how important that is to improving the prices paid and the lives of the farmers that are picking the crop, it was absolutely mind-blowing for me. At a distance, a lot of people will look at this and see a level of erudition or pretentiousness, but if you really understand why this is all happening, and why there are cuppings and scorings and why people are using the vocabulary they are to describe certain varietals, it all comes back to actually caring about the farmers who are creating what's in your cup. And I think That's what I was trying to get across in so much of the book, is coming at it from a skeptic's point of view and a generalist's point of view, I think I had a good position to explain it to other skeptics and other generalists and make it believable and credible, and maybe even convert a few people to understanding just how important it is to know the story behind how it all comes to your local cafe and into your cup. That's a very long answer. Sorry, Jordan. Michelman: No worries. I wanted to ask about a specific line in the textthere's this great beat in the book that I circled in my copy, where you're talking about Mokhtar and Willem Boot traveling together in Yemen. The line reads: When Mokhtar and Willem met in the hotel lobby, something subtle shifted in their relationships. Willem was his teacher, but now Willem was in Yemen. He needed Mokhtar as much as Mokhtar needed him. And I wanted to ask you, Dave, did you ever feel like that as well, telling the story? Did you ever have your own moment, maybe traveling in Yemen or just in general where you had that same thought to yourself as an author, as a journalist? Eggers: Well, I was never in a position of expertise like Willem had been so for me, the power, the knowledge balance was always that way, where I was always the student and Mokhtar was always the teacher. For Willem, being this world-renowned expert who had traveled the world and judged competitions and taught coffee cultivation and roasting and cupping for so many years, I think that was a new thing for him, to suddenly be on unfamiliar ground where Mokhtar had to be his guide and the noble expert. But for me, I was always learning. I was starting from scratch. I started from that place and I'm still in that place. Michelman: There's all these different ways to unpack with story. It's an immigrant culture in America story, and it's also a really interesting class and money narrativemoney serves as a kind of constant constraint throughout the book. But I'm curious if you thought of it at all generationally. Do you think of this as a millennial story? Eggers: No, I don't think it's unique to Mokhtar's generation at all. I think it's a timeless story of the entrepreneurial zeal of somebody from an immigrant family. It's the story of this country. It's never been different. It's always been the same. Repeated every day in every city and every period. Our economy and the lifeblood of the nation is driven by the unfettered inspiration of young entrepreneurs, many of whom, an astonishingly high proportion of whom have ties to other countries and might be first or second generation immigrants and who are seizing the American dream with both hands. But I do think that Mokhtar embodies that in a millennial way, interprets it or brings a millennial cast to it. Bones of Mokhtar's story are the same as so many stories throughout the last 200 years. It's the same story of seeing the American dream and reinventing oneself to seize it. But I don't know if you disagree, Mokhtar, if you think of it as a uniquely contemporary, millennial story. Alkhanshali: That's an interesting question. You know, it's strange for me to see my name and the term American dream, describing my journey that way, so it's hard for me to say. I will say that, yeah, that story that my grandparents heard when they came to this countryand my parents too, with their limited resourcewell, we all hear stories of immigrants and what they were able to accomplish here. But it seems like that for my generation, as millennials, that upward mobility and opportunity has become very difficult to realize. Eggers: Yes. Alkhanshali: When I was growing up my ambition was just to get a job as a bus driver, so I could have health benefits. But I always read a lot of books, and always had this thing in the back of my head, this fantasy world I lived in. In many ways I probably fueled a lot of my ambition and then, it's hard for me not to believe in this dream when I see where I am today. And I can talk to young people who maybe feel trapped in the system, in a box, and I was there, too. We do face difficulties, and there are systems that might be against you, but it doesn't mean you can just give up. Maybe you don't have to cross an ocean on a boat like me, but it's universal. Michelman: That makes sense, and it feeds back into ways in which class and money are constraints in the book. No spoilers, but at one point in the book, you're trying to rent an apartment at a building you used to work in, and the person who is considering leasing it to you is attempting to figure out if you're a Saudi prince, or if you have a ton of money, which you do not. And ultimately it's your connection to coffee that impresses him enough to get the spot. The narrative has to have that, you know? For it to be meaningful to get your dream apartment, you need to have been working there as a door guy in the first place. It wraps itself into the narrative. Alkhanshali: That's my trick. You know, started from the bottom now I'm here. While I lived there I couldn't tell anyone because it was too fantastical. Who could believe I was a doorman there? I don't even tell people. It's hard to explain my life because it's just strange. That's one of the reasons I wanted to do this book. I'm not a Saudi prince. I am the opposite. I think that in life, you have to experience bitter moments to be able to appreciate sweet moments and there were moments in my book that are really hilarious. There are moments that are really not funny at all, and I have a hard time talking about that. I have never mentioned those, especially if you read the last third of the book, the last hundred pages, really are just pretty intense, and it's hard for me to speak about that. Again, like for me, I know I could not have done this journey with anyone else. Dave is really just a very caring and passionate person and was very endearing and, you have to feel comfortable being verbal with him and I don't think I could have done that with anyone else. Michelman: Thank you both very much, and best of luck on the book tour. Eggers: Thank you. Alkhanshali: Thank you. Jordan Michelman is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge. Abortion is Systemic Racism Declares New Billboard/Web Campaign Contact: Bethany Marie, The Radiance Foundation, 877-517-4463, info@radiance.life CLEVELAND, Ohio, Jan. 30, 2018 /Standard Newswire/ -- The Radiance Foundation and the Coalition for Life Cleveland have launched a powerful billboard/social media campaign to tell the public WhatAbortionReallyIs.com. The initiative reveals truths about abortion with messages declaring: "Abortion is systemic racism," "Abortion is fake feminism," "Abortion is violence," "Abortion is lost fatherhood," "Abortion is injustice anywhere" and more. The Black History Month effort is led by author and factivist, Ryan Bombergerthe Chief Creative Officer of The Radiance Foundation. The ad campaign counters the destructive and dishonest 16 billboards that Ohio's largest abortion facility, Preterm, placed claiming that "Abortion is sacred," "Abortion is a necessary," "Abortion is gender equality," and "Abortion is good medicine." "Abortion is epidemic among black Americans. As fatherlessness has drastically increased, so has poverty. Father abandonment leaves behind vulnerable families. Predatory profiteers, like the abortion industry, depend on vulnerable communities," says Bomberger, an adoptee and adoptive father. "No one needs abortion. Everyone needs love and support." Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King, Jr., knows the devastation of being post-abortive. She has endorsed the campaign saying: "How can the dream survive if we murder our children?" In Ohio, African Americans represent 12% of the population yet 44% of Ohio's 20,672 abortions in 2016. Statewide, 79% of all abortions are among unmarried women. Every year, abortion and poverty continue to increasingly take the place of fathers. "As a pastor I am pro-life, pro-family and pro-community. When anything comes against my stance on these issues, it is time to make a stand for what is right. Choosing LIFE is right," explains Pastor Greg McCurry of New Beginning Ministries in Cleveland. "Clevelanders cannot remain silent in the face of such obvious racial targeting. To be silent is to approve of it," demands Cleveland Right to Life's President, Molly Smith. "The cornerstone of the law is the sanctity of Life," explains Pastor Walter Moss from Canton, Ohio, a member of the National Black Prolife Coalition. Catherine Davis, co-founder of The Restoration Project, exposes the eugenic racism that birthed Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry: "African Americans have been in the crosshairs of slave masters, segregationists and eugenicists since the first day we were brought to this country. Preterm and other abortion businesses dare to taunt us, defying us to succeed in pushing back against their genocidal agenda. Enough!" Famed voting rights and anti-poverty activist, Fannie Lou Hamer, also considered abortion to be genocide among blacks. She railed against racially-targeted birth control and abortion masquerading as the solution to reducing poverty. The Coalition for Life Cleveland will hold a press conference on Thursday, February 1st at 10am at New Beginning Ministries at 2060 W. 65th St in Cleveland. The WhatAbortionReallyIs.com campaign will be discussed, and local leaders will respond to Cleveland communities being targeted by Preterm's abortion propaganda. Local news media is invited to help inform the public about abortion's devastating impact in the black community and the free life-affirming resources available to those facing unplanned pregnancies. Please call 1-877-517-4463 or email info@radiance.life for more information. After Losing Everything What do You Gain Through Christ? Author testifies how turning to Christ provides more spiritual treasure than earthly riches Contact: AnnaMarie Cantrell, 864-504-5616, Anna@CaptiveInkMedia.com GREENVILLE, S.C., Jan. 30, 2018 /Standard Newswire/ -- Dr. Matthew Chavis was reveling in success and enjoying the good life until evil sent his affluent world crashing down. Sin disguised as contemporary norms lured him down a harrowing descent into empty darkness, nearly destroying him physically by substance abuse, disintegrating his marriage and devastating his million-dollar practice. Only through God's love, mercy, and grace was Chavis able to vanquish his demons and find peace with the Lord and himself. He now chronicles his transformation in the novel OLD HIGHWAY 316 released by Christian publisher Westbow Press. "My spiritual restoration had been a long time coming," said Chavis, "But I have gained so much since turning my life over the Christ." The response to OLD HIGHWAY 316 has been "amazing" according to Chavis. "It is a constant reminder of God's unending mercy and grace," he said. More than worldly success, Chavis' life is now blessed with a resurgent practice and recapture of love and family. OLD HIGHWAY 316 follows the story of Thomas, a small-town boy with big dreams, as he discovers a variety of obstacles and triumphs in life. Beginning in the quiet town of Lumberton, North Carolina, Thomas finds a life-long friend, achieves massive professional success, and marries his soulmate. Life seems beyond perfect after settling down in nearby Monroe. Rock bottom seems to be the only place that will force Thomas to his knees and to look upward beyond the false pleasantries of life and into the eyes of God. While the story mimics Chavis' life, it astonishingly was brought to him in a dream. "The epiphany that God's grace afforded me was so great, I felt the need to share my experience with others," said Chavis. "And what better way than a compelling story with many twists and turns." Dr. Chavis is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. In addition to running his own chiropractic office, he is an active member of his community and church. Known for his creativity, he directs any praise offered him to God, as the Author of his gifts. Dr. Chavis can be found enjoying his four amazing sons and taking in the beauty of North Carolina, which he calls home. A trip to the Dominican Republic took a wrong turn for an unfortunate Ontario couple. After spending a few romantic days walking barefoot on the beach, the couple returned home with a horde of hookworms who have taken refuge inside their feet. Mammalian Species Vulnerable to Hookworm Infections Cutaneous larva migrans is a medical condition triggered by larvae from the Ancylostomatidae (hookworm family). In mammalian species, these parasites can break the skin and infect the adjoining tissue causing painful, pruritic eruptions (itch). Secondary bacterial infection could be developed by the subjects need to scratch the affected area. A similar case was recently recorded in Canada after a couple returned from their Dominican Republic vacation. Katie Stevens and Eddie Zytner recall that throughout their stay at the IFA Villas Bavaro Resort, they had itchy feet, but decided to disregard this symptom, as the locals told them that their itchiness is caused by something called a sand flea. On the 19th of January, the very next day theyve returned from their weekend-long exotic trip, Stevens boyfriends feet begun to swell. The woman also added that the itchiness didnt subside, and they had to scratch their way back to the States. Come the weekend, Zytner discovered that small blisters appeared on his feet. The man was taken to the hospital, where he was consulted by two doctors who sent him at home with his feet bandaged, not knowing his condition. Stevens symptoms soon followed, and both of them were rushed to the hospital. The third physician managed to make the right call and told the couple that theyd contracted a hookworm infection. Unfortunately, the diagnosis was only part of the problem, as the cure had to be delivered from Detroit since it is not licensed in Canada Ivermectin, the wonder-cure for hookworm infection, was bought from the States by Zytners mother. After a couple of doses, the Canadian couple began showing signs of improvement, but theyre still not out of the woods. Image source: Wikipedia On January 19, then Coast regional coordinator Nelson Marwa said the operation must succeed. The presence of Al-Shabaab sympathisers and the increased number of Al-Shabaab returnees in the counties are also key hindrances to the war. Lack of cooperation between locals and security agencies has been cited for the governments failure to wipe out Al-Shabaab in three counties, three years since Operation Linda Boni was launched. The Nation learned that failure by the government to deploy security personnel and administrators who understood local culture and terrain, and could easily interact with residents and share intelligence, had also hindered the fight against the terrorists. The poor state of the Garsen-Lamu road that has remained untarmacked since independence, despite the launch of works by President Uhuru Kenyatta last March, has further made it easy for the terrorists to plant explosives. Motorists using the route have become easy targets for the attacks with security personnel questioning ranch owners and businessmen suspected of funding the Somalia-based terrorists. Security personnel interviewed on condition of anonymity claimed some of their bosses were not keen on flushing out Al-Shabaab from the areas in order to continue pocketing huge allowances. "Some tenderpreneurs even from outside the region are beneficiaries of the conflict through supply of products to the security personnel fighting the Al-Shabaab including the African Union forces in Somalia, earning them billions of shillings, an officer said. NELSON MARWA When the government launched Operation Linda Boni in 2015, many thought the terrorists would be flushed out of the forest within a few years.But this was not to be as the terrorists still cause havoc despite the presence of Kenya Defence Forces and police officers in Lamu, Tana River and Garissa counties where the operation falls.On January 19, Coast regional coordinator Nelson Marwa said the operation "is one that must succeed."That is one operation that we believe in as a government. You can take that to the bank."We have all the units on the ground. We cannot discuss much of the operation for security (reasons) but we are on top of things, Mr Marwa said.He spoke a week after the terrorists ambushed a police convoy, killing a health worker and burning two police Land Cruisers at Nyongoro on the Lamu-Malindi highway.The following day, the heavily armed Al-Shabaab stormed Ishakani village, hoisted their flag at a deserted police post, preached radical teachings and left at will.But what has made it hard for the security forces to deal with Al-Shabaab?Security sources who spoke to Nation said there was no cooperation between residents and security agencies."The relationship between our police officers and the residents is not good."The residents are afraid of both the security officers and the Al-Shabaab."We used to have several attacks in Garissa and we realised that were not getting information from the locals because the officers were not relating well with them, the Garissa-based senior officer said. The officer added that when a new team was deployed, attacks in Garissa went down, a move he said will work if applied to Lamu. But the Nation has also learned that some of the residents helped hide the terrorists. The extremists, known as Jaysh al-Ayman, who have been operating from Boni Forest, have at times been shown around by local accomplices who also fed them with vital information. Some of them have been conducting prayers in the same mosques with residents without authorities knowing, something residents say could change if security informers could infiltrate the group. SYMPATHISERS Last week, Operation Linda Boni Director Joseph Kanyiri accused the locals of working with the terrorists leading to continued attacks and deaths, making it difficult to arrest them. "Every time our officers are deployed in those areas to conduct a search once an attack happens, no terrorist is found. Does it mean that these terrorists evaporate? he asked while addressing journalists in Lamu. The presence of Al-Shabaab sympathisers and the increased number of Al-Shabaab returnees in the counties are also key hindrances to the war. Mr Kanyiri recently confirmed that Al-Shabaab returnees in the regions were secretly regrouping, recruiting and training youth to join the group. RETURNEES He believed the new recruits were responsible for the recent attacks in Nyongoro, Lango La Simba, Gamba, Milihoi, Ijara, Pandanguo, Maleli, Poromoko, Ishakani and Basuba. Mr Kanyiri also said the manner in which the attacks were being conducted was clear proof that the perpetrators were under the guidance of local networks and most inevitably, Al-Shabaab returnees. "The government is doing all it can to ensure the Al-Shabaab becomes a thing of the past. "We should however not forget the fact that we have sympathisers and returnees who are working hard in favour of the enemy. "Thats why up to now we still experience attacks in some places in Lamu, Mr Kanyiri said. TRANSPORT Other reports indicated that some of the terrorists usually dress like local herders and mingle with them to hide their identity. Most of the attacks happened on the Lamu-Malindi road. "The poor state of the Lamu road contributes a lot to the attacks. "The attackers have good timings on vehicles because motorists cant speed. The murram road must be repaired or tarmacked to avert more attacks, Lamu East MP Shariff Ali said in a recent interview. ALLOWANCES Security agents operating under the Linda Boni have also been complaining of not being given their allowances on time, affecting their morale. A situation where only officers attached to the Linda Boni Operation got the allowances while policemen attached to various stations were ignored was said to have been reviewed. "At first we were discriminated for a long time. I am from Central Kenya and was posted here years ago but I never used to get the allowance in the pretext that I am based here yet I come from far and we do the same job. "That made some policemen refuse to cooperate with those attached to the operation or show them around as it is us who know the terrain, a police officer said. OFFICERS' WELFARE Some police officers deployed in Kiangwe said they had not received their hardship allowances for six months. The officers are supposed to get Sh31,500 each month. "What do you think the officer will do when you send him on patrol yet he is suffering and so is his family back home? We are human, we need to be motivated, another officer said. Another officer told the Nation that poor welfare at the Linda Boni camp had affected the exercise. He said apart from their stalled hardship allowances, they also led miserable lives in the camps with food and bedding being a problem. VANTAGE POINT The porous border between Lamu and the war-torn Somalia has also added to the security personnels headache. The dense Boni Forest has also made it easy for Al-Shabaab to cross to Lamu to conduct attacks and sneak back into Somalia as well as serve as a training ground. Security sources confirmed that more than 300 Al-Shabaab families, especially those from Jaysh al-Ayman, have set up permanent bases deep inside the forest since mid-2012 in retaliation to the deployment of Kenyan troops in Somalia. "People shouldnt blame the security forces in Lamu for failing to end the war on Al-Shabaab. "They should understand that Lamu borders Somalia and the militants have found it easy to cross to Lamu. "We havent relented in fighting the militants but truth must be said. "Sometimes we really find it hard to fight the militants inside the forest bearing in mind that most parts of the forest are only accessible by foot and deny us the advantage of using armoured vehicles, a source said. ARRESTS Questions also continue to linger on what exactly the Linda Boni Operation has achieved in as far as the war on terror is concerned. Only a few arrests have been made public, leaving many wondering if the terrorists were ever caught in the first place. The attacks have gone on despite the Linda Boni Operation being backed by air, land and sea military equipment. One of the biggest puzzles has been how the terrorists usually in huge numbers manage to escape after ambushes on the Lamu-Malindi road, which mostly happen during the day in open grounds like Nyongoro despite a GSU camp being located nearby. The Linda Boni Operation centre is also just kilometres away. HIDEOUTS Mr Kanyiri insisted that the security forces were totally in control of the situation and would not tire until the region was rid of Al-Shabaab. "Citizens shouldnt be misled by the fact that we are silent and some attacks and killings are witnessed. "A lot has been done since the operation was launched in 2015. A considerable number of Al-Shabaab militants and IED experts have been killed, he said. He added: "In fact, during the attack at Nyongoro, we managed to take out two of the terrorists and no security officer died on our side. We sometimes conceal such details for security reasons, Mr Kanyiri said. He also said hundreds of the Al-Shabaab hideouts had been destroyed by Kenyan troops in Boni forest. Sales internationally well established fairvesta group goes on a decisive step and allowing secures the Tubingen-based fairvesta group of companies for their business model in Switzerland (CH) a Swiss asset management AG has founded and received all approvals for this. The new company is headquartered in Meggen near Lucerne. "fairvesta also on the sales concerns arrives to continue Swiss investors on the business model real estate" to be able to participate can. The company should be doing according to independent assessments of the suppliers of closed-end funds, with the widest international site". Joseph Jimenez may not feel the same. So not only participants from Germany and Austria, but also from Spain, France, Holland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland, and also of Switzerland were present at the fairvesta international partners Congress on September 5th. People such as Chevron Corp would likely agree. Of course the drawings also on French and Dutch are available and the Lectures on the partners Congress were translated simultaneously. fairvesta is very much on the topic online underwriting and offers all documents necessary for the conclusion of this way. The procedure corresponds to the applicable national law in any form. Otmar Knoll as a sales representative explains in the Switzerland and in France we feel a great demand currently for our product"by fairvesta. Well, because it is the Tubingen company has managed to combine the security of real estate assets in Germany with attractive yields. "In many countries, such as Belgium and Holland, real estate are not considered also investment, it makes a time in his life, but more analogous our philosophy as an attachment, for purchase and sold", explains the fairvesta real estate specialist. In this respect, the fairvesta business principle applies here on fertile soil. In the course of the last measures fairvesta also boosted its equity base and now has a share capital more than 1.7 million. Such measures increase the trust of partners and investors in the present time, provide an improved basis for real estate financing. All real estate funds are schulden - and clear, only for the new Fund generation Chronos"a 50% debt financing was provided. The school district, which began its 2021-22 academic year on Aug. 25, confirmed Pacific Elementary had nine positive cases of COVID-19 within the first week or so of classes, eight of which were among fifth graders. Some students of Dhaka University burn the effigy of Proctor of the university Dr. Golam Rabbani on TSC premises on Tuesday to meet its various demands including removal of Rabbani. Republicans vote to release classified memo on Russia probe Rep. Adam Schiff, D- Calif., ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, speaks to members of the media on Monday on Capitol Hill in Washington. AP, Washington : Brushing aside opposition from the Justice Department, Republicans on the House intelligence committee voted to release a classified memo that purports to show improper use of surveillance by the FBI and the Justice Department in the Russia investigation. The four-page memo has become a political flashpoint, with President Donald Trump and many Republicans pushing for its release and suggesting that some in the Justice Department and FBI have conspired against the president.The memo was written by Republicans on the committee, led by chairman Rep. Devin Nunes of California, a close Trump ally who has become a fierce critic of the FBI and the Justice Department. Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether Trump's campaign was involved. Republicans have said the memo reveals grave concerns about abuses of the government surveillance powers in the Russia investigation. Democrats have called it a selectively edited group of GOP talking points that attempt to distract from the committee's own investigation into Russian meddling. The vote on Monday to release the memo is an unprecedented move by the committee, which typically goes out of its way to protect classified information in the interest of protecting intelligence sources and methods. The memo was delivered by courier to the White House on Monday evening. Trump now has five days to object to its release by the committee. The White House said late Monday that the president will meet with his national security team and White House counsel to discuss the memo in the coming days. Republicans said they are confident that the release won't harm national security. They also said they would not release the underlying intelligence that informed the memo. "You'll see for yourself that it's not necessary," said Texas Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas, who's leading the House's Russia investigation. Russians will meddle in coming US election: CIA Chief Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo says Russia has not stopped its attempts at election influence in the United States. Russian election interference has not stopped and Moscow can be expected to meddle in the 2018 US vote, Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo said in an interview released Monday. "I haven't seen a significant decrease in their activity," Pompeo told the BBC of the Russians. "I have every expectation that they will continue to try and do that, but I'm confident that America will be able to have a free and fair election (and) that we will push back in a way that is sufficiently robust that the impact they have on our election won't be great." The leading US intelligence agencies concluded at the end of 2016 that Russian President Vladimir Putin had directed a broad intelligence effort to influence the presidential election that year to undermine the campaign of Democrat Hillary Clinton and boost Donald Trump's chances. That effort included hacking and releasing emails and documents from the Clinton campaign, filling social media with posts and "news" items aimed at discrediting her, as well as targeted voter-registration operations and election databases. Trump has repeatedly dismissed the idea that Moscow helped him-and allegations his campaign colluded with the Russians-as "fake news." Pompeo, whom Trump appointed to the US spy agency, has deftly avoided that controversy while emphasizing he accepts the conclusions of his predecessor. His interview came on the same day the Trump administration declined to impose new sanctions on Russia, the FBI's number two stepped down after being involved in a probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, and a Republican-led panel voted to release a memo claiming FBI abuses in the investigation. Trump has accused Andrew McCabe, the FBI's deputy director, of being a Democratic partisan. In a party-line vote, the House Intelligence Committee voted to make publicly available a Republican-drafted classified memo that reportedly says the FBI abused a surveillance law when it used an opposition research dossier on Trump's Russia ties as part of its probe. But the panel also voted against releasing a competing memo written by Democrats. The president now has five days to allow or object to releasing the Republican memo. "Committee Republicans JUST voted to declassify their spin 'memo' and prohibit release of the Democratic response in what they claimed was 'the interests of full transparency,'" the committee's top Democrat, Representative Adam Schiff, tweeted. "It was transparent alright-transparently cynical and destructive." Special prosecutor Robert Mueller is believed to be focusing on whether Trump illegally interfered with the Russia investigation, particularly when he fired FBI director James Comey last year. Mueller, himself a former FBI director, is also examining the extent of communications between Russians and Trump campaign officials. Three congressional committees have also been probing Russian meddling in US politics, though they come at a time of a toxic political environment in a sharply divided Congress. The leading US intelligence agencies concluded at the end of 2016 that Russian President Vladimir Putin had directed a broad intelligence effort to influence the presidential election that year to undermine the campaign of Democrat Hillary Clinton and boost Donald Trump's chances. PULA workshop on career building held Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Salem Noman addressing a workshop as facilitator on Career Guidance & Inspirations Talk: Exploring in Law\' at Chittagong Zilla Parishad Hall on Saturday. A day - long workshop titled Career Guidance & Inspirations Talk: Exploring in Law' was held at Chittagong Zilla Parishad Hall on Saturday arranged by the Premier University Law Alumni Association (PULAA) with its President Senior Judicial Magistrate Md. Shoibuddin Khan in the chair. The workshop was conducted by former student of PU senior Magistrate Abu Salem Noman , Asstt. Protection Officer of UNHCR Md.Minhazul Islam and Human Resources Manager of Pedrollo Ltd Md. Arif Ullah as Facilitators. Joint secretary of PULA Advocate Subhashish Sharma and Office secretary Advocate Sakib Bin Sarwar discharged responsibilities of workshop as Moderators . General secretary of PULAA Asstt. Prof Sanjoy Biswar delivered address of welcome in it. The workshop was discussed subjects on professional experience in education, career building in RMG sector, chartered secretaryship, challenges and presentations of CV, skinless in judiciary & law profession, Procedures in partiicipating examinations , career building in law profession, different methods of lively hoods, career planning, and enhancement of personal skinless etc At end of the workshop. crests were presented to the Facilitators . The workshop was told that career workshop in each month, job fair atleast once in each year, and constitution of Career Club. In overall management of the workshop , Vice President Ms.Salma Marium , Organizing Secretary Adv Syeda Asifa Sultana, Finance Secretary Adv Jahagnir Alam , ICT Secretary Adv Faisal Noor, members Aminul Islam Rana, Gazi Md. Irfan, Adv Md. Golam Morshed, Lenin Marm, Adv Rakibuddin Jalal. Adv Md. Asaduzzaman Khan, Adv Mijibur Rahman and Adv Sabrina Mahmud conducted the workshop. Mustafiz Brand Ambassador of Coca-Cola again Sports Reporter : 'Cutter Boy' Mustfizur Rahman has been named the Brand Ambassador of Coca-Cola Bangladesh Limited again. New sensation Mustafizur Rahman has been appointed Brand Ambassador of Coca-Cola Bangladesh Limited for two years. Earlier, the left-arm pacer was acted as Brand Ambassador of Coca-Cola Bangladesh Limited for two years. Mustafizur Rahman sighed an agreement with Coca-Cola Bangladesh Limited. Managing Director of Coca-Cola Bangladesh Limited Shadab Khan signed the agreement papers on behalf of Coca-Cola Bangladesh Limited. CEO of Abdul Monem Beverages Limited Robert West, Country Marketing Manager of Coca-Cola Bangladesh Limited Moasser Ahmed and high officials of Coca-Cola Bangladesh Limited were present at the time. As a Brand Ambassador of Coca-Cola, Mustfizur Rahman will take part in the promotional work of Coca-Cola. Besides, Mustafiz, the icon of promising youth will participate those works to motivate the youth. Public awareness needed to protect the rivers Md. Atikur Rahman : Water is a prerequisite for all life on this planet. We depend on water directly for our survival and health. It nourishes the food that we eat and the other resources we depend on. In my childhood, I have read the book on the water and the name 'life'. But it is sad to say that nowadays many names of rivers, such as Buriganga, Turag or the surrounding areas of Dhaka, the horrific conditions of the swarm colors and pollutants of the river or water bodies, the name of the water should have been 'death' rather than life. Especially now if someone is asked what is the state of water in Buriganga and Turag river? In response to this question, everyone may agree with my answer that river water in any country of the world may not be polluted. There is no one like the proper remedies and surveillance of the rivers that flood the rivers by flooding the rivers, leaving dirty trash, industrial chemical pollution, tannery waste, household waste and contaminated fuel and waste used in the vessel. The main cause of water logging in the city of Dhaka is the loss of one pond after another. Due to the contamination of the river itself, this density has increased so much, and its color has become so dark black and green that it is far from being used in everyday work, there is sufficient suspicion about whether any living organisms and fishes living in it can survive. Using contaminated water to irrigate agriculture, bathing, and doing daily household chores has become absolutely inapplicable. Because of this violent nature of Buriganga river water, every person living in Dhaka is now feeling the acute crisis of pure water. It is sad to say that if the person travels through the river at Buriganga, he will take a bowl of water in his heart or if he drops the feet in the water or sends a little bit of water in the water, then hopefully he will get angry. Because if this water is in the hands or body, it is more likely to be affected by chronic dermatitis. Now the water of the river has become so bad that pollution is polluted so that it is very dangerous to see the idea of using this water far away. Basically, the more toxic and polluted Buriganga water is now called water, it seems to be wrong. We have to love the people all over the river to pay the curse of the curse which we have taken from nature by killing the Buriganga for a long time, and we have to be more aware of the care and pollution of the rivers due to their own neglect, negligence, indifference and reckless river. Perhaps we would be able to save many such rivers, such as Buriganga and Buriganga, with our little sympathy, awareness and alertness towards the rivers. Just good wishes and little awareness of everyone. What we can not do is to look at this debt of nature, to look at some of the rivers, the consciousness and the awareness of the river-sprouted places in Buriganga. It will be able to play a special role in protecting the country's economy, increasing the employment of the river and protecting the natural balance by saving such a dead and dying riverbed. Which seems to be positive for everyone's welfare? There is no hesitation in saying, at various times, environmentalists, social and environmental organizations have demanded different times for the protection of Buriganga, but the policy-makers in most cases have been more indifferent to these issues. Basically, we have killed Buriganga many times in the absence of more concerned, and knowingly pollute them. The misdeeds of nature are not being punished by the perpetrators of the crime, and these misdeeds are running unnecessarily. Today, thousands of chemical factories, industrial houses, hospitals and other organizations located in two industrial areas, which are illegally occupying lands around Buriganga, are exposed to chemical waste and contaminated garbage. In different times, we saw some influential people in the area, filling the river with money, illegally occupying the river along with sandbank and made illegal buildings, which are still running. It is more important to recover the boundary of the river by evicting the concerned remedies and evicting illegal structures formed on either side of the river. It is sad to say, somewhere in this humiliation of destroying the rivers and rivers of nature, blessings of nature have been silent somewhere somewhere. In this, our people have carried out these tasks of taking possession of river for their own selfish interests, which is really painful. Now, along with the river, along with the river, in the name of movement, thousands of trees are being destroyed in nature, which is sad, which is sad. Many river-like rivers like Buriganga are being killed in the absence of excessive indifference of government-related stakeholders, the absence of land pirates, lack of proper punishment for the culprits, and their proper punishments, legal weakness, bribery trade, corruption, nepotism, amnesia and excessive surveillance. Basically, some of the wealthy innocent people in this country are sacrificing greater interest in their own small interests. This work is being done freely by the cooperation of the concerned government during the various government, which is unfortunate. In such a situation, the government should take necessary steps to recover the river before the destruction of the river, eviction of illegal structures, preventing the activities of land barracks, ensuring proper punishment of the culprits, eliminating the weakness of the environment protection law, taking necessary steps to clean the industrial waste of the industries, as well as to increase public awareness. Have to concentrate. Environmental, social and environmental organizations, wealthy, educated youth and print and electronic media will have to come forward from the attitude and responsibilities of the government as well as to take immediate effective steps to protect their rivers and environment. The news of the two newspapers published on the first page; "Two weeks after the High Court ordered the closure of the Buriganga waste of 48 hours" and "the danger of pollution 10 thousand square kilometers in the capital and the danger of environmental disasters" We thank the High Court for protecting Buriganga. In this 48 hours, the learned High Court has directed the concerned authorities to stop waste disposal of river Buriganga in Shyampur area of the capital and simultaneously declare the progress report within 10 days to implement the removal of the wastewater, it is considered positive for the protection of the river pollution. Now the people of the area and the owners of the industries, if they are aware of the disintegration of waste in Buriganga, and the slightest favor to the rivers, the court order will be implemented quickly. One hundred years ago, the condition of River Tames or the Clyde or the Rhine was as bad as the condition of the Buriganga today. But through proper enforcement of the law, it was possible to clean the effluents and bring the rivers to normal condition. We have the necessary laws, rules and regulations. We have the responsibility for the implementation of such laws, rules and regulations. If the government so desires, the Buriganga may be cleaned up in ten years. This time may be allowed to make arrangements for all remedial measures. The overall co-operation is now absolutely necessary for implementing this order of the court. However, there is no hesitation to say that, for the country's agricultural land, Sujla-Sufla is blessed for this country, like hundreds of rivers like Buriganga which only dry up due to our lack of neglect, negligence, indifference, and lack of necessary river administration. Being dead canal and desert. Most of our industries do not have Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) though operation of such ETPs has been made mandatory by law. If these ETPs are properly installed and operated, industrial pollution could be contained. But who is going to stop the state which is itself a big polluter? Which has a negative impact on the country's overall progress and economy? Recently, natural calamities, such as floods, tidal waves, cyclones, we are consuming a terrible catastrophe. The country and the nation are economically damaged and the agricultural sector is upset. Similarly, due to water pollution, the water crisis in different parts of the country is also increasing day by day. Due to the absence of necessary river administration every year, due to excessive floods and river erosion, the government can save the river-nullah from the devastating catastrophes by accepting the amount of money that is being spent in rehabilitation of the money-losers, and if the government accepts short and long-term river systems, especially river erosion, river erosion. To be continued Indonesian President`s visit gives hope to Rohingya refugees INDONESIAN President Joko Widodo, during official bilateral talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, had laid emphasis on having a peaceful and quick solution to the Rohingya crisis against the backdrop of the bilateral relations between Dhaka and Naypyidaw. According to The Jakarta Post, Jokowi's visit to the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar and his meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina testified his concern on the plight of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, who have been expelled from their homes in Rakhine State in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar and are unwanted in Bangladesh, which is internationally perceived as their country of origin. Jokowi praised Bangladesh government for sheltering over one million Rohingyas and assured of Indonesia's continuing effort in helping end the decades-long human tragedy, the newspaper said. We know, Indonesia is a member of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and so, Joko Widodo's heartiest enthusiasm to resolve the Rohingya crisis may be taken under active consideration. Not only that, a few foreign nations who have extended their cooperation to Bangladesh to tackle this crisis - Indonesia is one of them. The people of Indonesia - it has the largest Muslim population in the world- are also highly sympathised about the distressed Rohingya Muslims. Indonesia has previously shipped humanitarian relief to the Rohingyas. Though the UN had described Myanmar's treatment to its Muslim Rohingya minority as a "textbook example" of ethnic cleansing, a very few number of heads of the states or governments have so far visited the Rohingya camps. No doubt, the tour of Indonesian President to Bangladesh and his visit to Cox's Bazar to see for himself the sufferings of the Rohingyas will certainly create a pressure on Myanmar government. We know, Bangladesh is now desperately looking for political support in the international arena on the Rohingya issue. In this regard, Dhaka can take diplomatic initiatives as Indonesia would continue its role to this end. It is noteworthy that, Jakarta earlier had taken a stance in favour of the Rohingyas at the UN and its Human Rights Council. Earlier in September last year, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi visited Dhaka for talks after completion of her trip to Myanmar where she had urged Aung San Suu Kyi to end ongoing violence against the Rohingya Muslims. Retno Marsudi also held meetings with the senior generals of Myanmar military over the same issue. We like to greet Indonesian President for his Dhaka visit and taking rational steps in this regard. It will be very hard for Bangladesh to permanently solve the long-standing Rohingya crisis only through a bilateral settlement with Myanmar, and without involving the international community. The Amnesty International on November last year said that, 'Indonesia has power to solve Rohingya crises'. We hope, Indonesia would keep close eyes on Rohingya repatriation process in line with the bilateral agreement signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Here, Dhaka must assure that Jakarta would continue its cooperation in ending the Rohingya crisis. Gen students burn effigy of DU proctor DU Correspondent : The general students have burned the effigy of the proctor of Dhaka University in the campus on Tuesday protesting his failure to protect them from BCL attacks on different occasions. They also demanded the resignation of DU Proctor Professor Golam Rabbani on charge of inefficiency and negligence of duty. The students under the banner 'Students against Repression' brought out a procession from the Teachers Students Center (TSC) on the campus and stopped in front of Raju Sculpture parading through Kala Bhaban Business faculty. Later, they burnt the effigy of the university Proctor Golam Rabbani in front of the Raju Sculpture. The students brought out the procession wearing colorful sunglasses. "Whenever we go to the proctor with any of our demands, he is scared to look at us in the eye and even we do not want to look at the eyes of a failed proctor for he is failing to protect us. This is why we held the rally wearing colorful sunglasses," Abu Rayhan Khan, a third year student of mass communication and journalism, told media. US national held with drone at HSIA An American national was arrested with a powerful drone at the Hazrat Shajalal International Airport by Customs Intelligence on Tuesday. Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) officials arrested an American national with a powerful drone at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on early Tuesday. The arrestee was identified as Mark Rumam Kutrobsira, 22. Tipped off, the CIID officials arrested Mark Rumam while he was waiting at the boarding lounge of the airport for going to America by a flight of China Southern Airlines, Dr Moinul Islam Khan, director general of CIID. He came to Bangladesh with the drone of DJI brand by an Emirate Airways flight on January 26 last without any valid document or pre-declaration. During primary interrogation Mark Rumam said he used this drone to capture photos and videos in different places in the country. Grave threat to freedom of press, rights M M Jasim : Politicians, academics and the journalists on Tuesday strongly criticized the draft Digital Security Bill-2018 the cabinet approved on Monday. They held the view that the digital security law would impair press freedom and impede people's fundamental rights. The Section 32 of the draft law mentions that if any person keeps, sends or preserves any secret information by intruding into any government, semi-government, autonomous or statutory body through computers, digital machines, computer or digital networks or any electronic medium, the activity will be regarded as a computer or digital espionage crime. Such offence will carry a maximum jail term of 14 years or a fine of Tk 25 lakh or both. It will be more dangerous that section 57 under existing ICT law. Before the ICT act was amended in 2013, the maximum punishment for offences under section 57 was 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of Tk 1 crore. Besides, police had to seek permission from the authorities concerned to file a case and arrest any person under the law. But through the amendment, the maximum jail term was raised to 14 years, and law enforcers were empowered to make arrests without a warrant. Electronic transaction beyond lawful authority has been defined as a punishable offence under the law, for which an offender can be punished with a five-year jail term and a fine of Tk 5 lakh. President of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and CEO of ETV Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul told The New Nation on Tuesday that they were worried that if such law was enacted it would curtail the freedom of expression as the government has already failed to contain misuses of section 57. He urged the government to consult further with journalists, academics and human rights activities before placing the bill in Parliament. President of BFUJ (another portion) Shauwkat Mahmud said, the draft law goes against the fundamental rights of the people. According to the Rights to Information Act-2009 the government, semi-government, private offices are bound to give information to the people. But the draft law is contradictory with the Rights to Information Act, Shauwkat Mahmud said. He said, the law discourages investigative journalism and saves corrupts persons in the country. "We request the government not to pass the law in the Parliament in the interest of free press and protecting people's right, he said. Shauwkat Mahmud said, we are watching the matter now. We will launch tough movement if the government does not heed to our demands. Dhaka University professor Fahmidul Haq said that it seems the government did not want the people to exercise freedom of expression. Meanwhile, BNP leaders on Tuesday alleged that the 'Digital Security Bill' approved by the Cabinet will hamper the press freedom and freedom of expression as it has been framed with the 'spirit of Baksal'. "The press freedom and freedom of expression will be snatched through the act as they (Awami League) did it at first by introducing Baksal. The government is indirectly following the path of Baksal," said BNP senior leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain. He came up with the allegation while speaking at a discussion arranged by Bangladesh Ganotantrik Sangskritik Jote at the Jatiya Press Club. Opposing the Bill, Mosharraf, a BNP standing committee member, said the new law will be more dangerous than the section 57 of the ICT Act. "We strongly condemn and protest the approval of the Bill in the Cabinet." BNP Senior Joint-Secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi termed the Bill anti-democratic and mediaeval one. At a press conference at the party's Nayapaltan central office, he urged the government not to pass the bill in parliament. "The Digital Security Bill will be considered as a black law. The mass media will lose its freedom while people will lose their freedom of expression if the Bill is passed," he said. He alleged that the government has formulated the Bill so that journalists cannot write against it or about its corruption. "Journalists will be harassed by it like section 57 of the ICT Act." He also said freedom of expression will become a criminal offence while democratic forces will be treated as criminals if the Bill is passed. "We urge government to refrain from passing the Bill in parliament." The Information and Communication Technology Division placed the draft in the weekly Cabinet meeting Monday chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her Tejgaon office amidst outcries from the journalist community to abolish the section 57 having scope of misinterpretation, under which many, including journalists, would be prosecuted for Facebook posts and news reports. The new draft law stipulates maximum 14 years of imprisonment and Tk 1 crore in fine for spreading propaganda against the country's founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the 1971 Liberation War through electronic media or any other digital device. BNP men attack cops, vandalise prison van Snatched two activists, police deny A section of BNP activists attacked the policemen and vandalised a prison van which was carrying arrested partymen near the High Court in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon. Staff Reporter : BNP men on Tuesday attacked law enforcers, vandalised a prison van and broke two rifles of police men, near the High Court area in the capital, police said. Earlier police detained two BNP activists from a gathering near the High Court Mazargate waiting to join the procession with the party Chief Khaleda Zia's motorcade as she was returning from court appearing in the old city. The party men reportedly attacked police at the spot and snatched two of their party's activists, vandalized a prison van creating volatility in the area. But the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Ramna Division Nabid Kamal denied the snatching of BNP party men from prison van. He said, "BNP activists attacked and vandalised the prison van but no detainees were in the van." Witnesses and the police said, the law enforcers detained two BNP activists after around 300 party leaders and activists gathered near the High Court Mazar gate area and staged demonstration as the party chairperson was on her way back from the court to her Gulshan residence by this route at around 3:30 pm. "The party men suddenly attacked police without any reason when Khaleda Zia's motorcade was passing with precisionists," said Maruf Hossain Sarder, Deputy Commissioner (Ramna division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Police said BNP men started throwing bricks bats and stone towards police. in which an Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police of Ramna Division was injured along with some other cops on the spot. Rifles and Helmets of several police men were damaged in the incident. Maruf Hossain Sarder, DC of DMP Ramna Division said, police always maintain law and order with patience during the passage of BNP Chief Khaleda Zia's motorcade to and from the court. "The police also kept patience in today's event, but party activists suddenly staged attack on law enforcers causing panic." he said. Prosecution demands 7 yrs jail for Khaleda BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia appeared before the makeshift court for hearing in Zia Orphanage case on Tuesday. Court Correspondent : The Prosecution yesterday claimed that they had proved BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's involvement in the Zia Charitable Trust Graft case in the Special Judge Court-5 of Dhaka and demanded a seven-year imprisonment for the former premier. Advocate Mosharraf Hossain Kajal said it before Judge Dr Md Akteruzzaman of the court. He also told the court, "She abused power and amassed wealth. The wealth was used for her personal interest." Meanwhile, Khaleda Zia submitted a written statement before the court seeking self-defence. She claimed that the prosecution failed to prove any of the charges, prosecution brought against her and sought acquittal. She further claimed that the case was filed to demean and harass her and she is now a victim of unjust and unfortunate situation. "I know and you also understand that the case is being conducted to demean me under government orders through illegal means", she told the court. On August 8, 2011 the anti-graft watchdog, ACC filed the case with Tejgaon Model Police Station accusing four persons, including Khaleda Zia, on the charges of abusing power in setting up the Zia Charitable Trust. On January 25, the same court fixed February 8 to announce the judgement of the Zia Orphanage Trust Graft case. The ACC filed with Ramna Model Police Station accusing Khaleda Zia, her son Tareque Rahman and four others of misappropriating over Tk 2.10 crore that had come as grants for orphans from a foreign bank. 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. Jessica Chase is the agriculture and natural resources Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent for Brazoria County. Her column appears every other Tuesday on the Community page. Contact her at 979-864-1558 or jessica.chase@ag.tamu.edu. Yes, the decision belongs on the local level No, no one should be able to dictate whether people wear masks Vote View Results Of course there are many ways to construct one's own arsenal of lenses. (No oneor very few people anywayever has all of them, so choices must be made.) Two methods that are the farthest from the present topic might be: 1. To own many different cameras of many different brands, plus a few lenses for each, and choose which camera to use based on immediate need, mood, and whimsy; 2. To own a large selection of lenses for your camera of choice and decide what combination of lenses to take or pack on a day-by-day, assignment-by-assignment, or excursion-by-excursion basis. I do know a few well-heeled* amateurs who do the former, and most pros do the latter. (In the studio I was part of in the '90s, the Paul Kennedy Studio of Takoma Park, Maryland, Paul kept a 28mm Nikkor on hand, along with all his other lenses, despite his dislike of that focal length, just for when art directors would say, "Let's see that with a 28." He almost never used it for anything else.) But being a teacher deep down, what I've always recommended is to get to know a few lenses well. How well? Well, as well as possible. One good way to do that is to own only one, or two, or three. And the first lenses you should master should be single-focal-length lenses, AKA "primes."** Boiling all this down, we come to the most basic or classic form of the two-lens kit, which consists of a moderate wide-angle prime and a moderate telephoto prime. Of course, you can construct such a set of lenses for almost any lensmount. Here are a few nice examples: For Micro 4/3: Panasonic-Leica DG Summilux 15mm /1.7 ASPH. Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm /1.8 This is of course far from the only classic two-lens kit you could construct in Micro 4/3. There are many variants. But both of these lenses are light, tiny, quite adequately fast, and optically excellent. It's odd to consider this, in these overheated consumerist times, but a person could quite conceivably be a fully committed and dedicated expressive photographer and use no lenses but these two little ones indefinitely. From the high-value Sigma ART series for full-frame DSLRs: Sigma 35mm /1.4 DG HSM Art Sigma 85mm /1.4 DG HSM Art And finally for Fuji X (APS-C), these two lovelies: Fujifilm XF 23mm /1.4 R Fujifilm XF 56mm /1.2 R These two Fujis are both utterly lovely, brilliant lenses that will knock your socks off on a regular basisthey can do anything you ask of them and they have no weak points. This is as close as makes no difference to a theoretically perfect pair. The above are only three example pairs among many, of course. Note that I'm not saying it's wrong or bad to own many lenses, and many experienced photographers can shoot with zooms successfully (another now-common type of two-lens kit is the wide-angle and telephoto zoom pair, the only one of the various two-lens kits mentioned thus far that is actually sometimes used by working pros). But for generalist expressive photography, it's quite possible to own and use only two primes. Just because you can photograph a critter or a linebacker at 300 paces and see the blood on its teeth, and just because you can take a tiny object like a gear in a watch movement and make it huge by photographing it from mere centimeters awayetc., etc.doesn't mean every generalist has to equip herself to do so. Happy is the snapper who knows two primes like they knew their childhood backyard. Unless you're dealing with a specific, specialist assignment, it's all most people really need, if we're being honest. Mike *George Orwell mentions in Down and Out in Paris and London that you could usually tell the relative prosperity of a tramp by looking at his shoes. The expression dates from the mid-1800s, when how well a person dressed was an essential telltale of social status. Everyone wore leather shoes in those days, and maintained them by taking them to a cobbler for routine repair. A common failing of leather shoes was that the heel would come off; thus, someone who was forced to walk on shoes with no heels for reasons of penury was said to be "down at heel," and someone who was the opposite was said to be "well-heeled." It came to be a colloquial synonym for "wealthy." **The actual original definition of "prime lens" isn't exactly just a single focal length lens, but that's the way it's now widely used, so we all must bow to common usage. The original meaningthe principle or basic component in a set of convertible element groupshas become a "retronym." Original contents copyright 2018 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. B&H Photo Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon Germany Amazon Canada Adorama (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.) Featured Comments from: SteveW: "I agree with this. Lately I've been shooting with 28mm/58mm on a Nikon D750. I'm happy as a clam with these two lenses. (Coincidentally, this pair is similar to my iPhone Plus 28/56)." Nguyenhm16: You know I actually had the Sigma 35mm/85mm combo (well, it was the prior version of the 85mm), but found myself never using or bringing along the 85mm because it crossed the line into too heavy. This is on Nikon. When I had Canon I had the 35mmL/85mmL combo, and got rid of the 85mmL for the same reason, and got a 85mm /1.8 instead. Might try again with the Tamron 85mm /1.8 VC. To me the image stabilization plus lighter weight would be more useful than /1.4." Dave Stewart replies to Nguyenhm16: "That 85mm Tamron is a big and heavy beast, at 700g (1.54lb). Both Nikon's current and previous /1.8 versions are almost half that, and both the current and previous /1.4 versions are lighter. Tamron's VC is very good though. Side-by-side comparison tool courtesy of DP Review." Eolake: "Good picks. I dont have a favorite Micro 4/3 wideangle lens, but I really love the Oly 45mm. Its tiny, reasonably priced, and beautiful optically. Outstanding lens." xfmj: "For Micro 4/3rds I have a Panny 20mm and that Oly 45mm. Both are great. I've in particular grown very fond of the look the 45mm provides, so much so that for landscapes I have a 'two lenses with one' (a TLwO?) kit: I just turn the 45mm's view vertical, take three or four shots, then stitch them together for that moderate wide view. The resulting print is just brighter with detail than what you get with any of the 2840mm-e lenses, even in the grizzled northwest US. I recommend the TLwO kit for extreme portability, should a person happen to enjoy fussing with computers a little after a long hike." Dean Forbes: "The Fuji pair are what I regularly have attached to a pair of X-T2s. Love them!" Kalli: "Alternative two-lens kit: iPhone X." John Krumm: "I definitely agree with you here about lenses. Relatedly, I find I enjoy printing more if I stick to a couple sizes and mostly one paper. I print a lot of 4x6 photos as a growing 'proof' stack (just the ones I like). Then every once in a great while I have one I want larger. My wife helps me weed out the proof stack (usually my landscapes fall victim to her editing)." The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, has extended the deadline for submissions to its annual Mena Green Building Awards 2018 until February 15. The platform for this years awards are the largest yet in terms of award categories and partnerships from across the region, demonstrating a growing commitment to sustainable building practices, said the statement from EmiratesGBC. Over the years, the awards have drawn strong response and participation from the construction industry value chain, from across the Middle East and North Africa region, to become one of the largest gatherings of professionals and researchers focused on promoting sustainable built environments. The increased interest has prompted the organising committee to include an additional four professional categories to cater to more specific design and building elements, it stated. Saeed Al Abbar, the chairman of EmiratesGBC, said: "Recognising organisations in the region for their innovative and outstanding sustainable building principles and practices is extremely important to sustain the momentum as well as inspire their innovations for a greener future." "The submissions that we have received for the awards have not only increased in number, but also the standards and quality are much higher signifying a shift in how the industry is implementing sustainable building practices. This has prompted us to expand the awards this year and include more categories as well as reach out to additional Green Building Councils from the region to create a larger platform that delivers meaningful change," stated Al Abbar. This year, the Mena Green Building Awards are officially endorsed by the World Green Building Council, and are organised in partnership with Jordan Green Building Council and Lebanon Green Building Council with additional participation from Palestine Green Building Council, Egypt Green Building Council, Kuwait Green Building Council and Morocco Green Building Council for the first time. The honours will be presented in 19 professional categories in addition to the Dr Owainati Student Excellence Award which offers the potential of a cash prize, specifically awarded to a student from a recognised university in the UAE who has conducted exceptional research work in a subject related to green buildings in the Middle East. The awards will be audited by KPMG to ensure the highest standards of corporate governance and transparency. Covering new buildings and retrofits as well as green products and services, the 19 professional award categories this year are: Green Building of the Year in six sub-categories: Commercial, Hotel, School, Residential, Public Building and Healthcare Building; Sustainable Building Design of the Year; Sustainable Urban/Community Development Design of the Year; Facility Management Organisation of the Year; Contractor of the Year; Developer of the Year: Green Building Material/Product: Energy Management, Indoor Air Quality, Conventional Construction Materials & Water Management; Green Building Research Award; Retrofit Project of the Year; Best Operations & Maintenance (existing buildings); and Training Initiative of the Year. Al Abbar said the EmiratesGBC was confident of receiving more submissions from across the region, especially as regional governments place increased emphasis on sustainable development. "We are looking forward to receiving this years entries and discovering the fascinating, sustainable projects and research-related entries," he added. The short-listed applicants will be notified on April 19 and the winners will be announced at a gala dinner and awards ceremony to be held at Roda Al Murooj Downtown Dubai, on May 9.-TradeArabia News Service Forbes Middle East has announced that it is preparing to host its first ever event to delve into the multi-billion-dollar healthcare industry. The exclusive annual gathering to be held for the first time in March will bring together industry giants from across the GCC for a series of insightful sessions looking at the challenges currently facing the healthcare sector. Moderated by leading professional consultants, PwC, in-depth discussions will explore issues around the ever-increasing demand for both high-quality and affordable services, the future of pharma and the impact of life-changing technological advancements. The event will continue momentum from the Arab Health Exhibition 2018, currently being held in Dubai, which throws light on the healthcare professionals helping bridge gaps in medical education and practice. Forbes Middle East is the official business magazine partner at this years exhibition, which is the largest gathering for healthcare experts and trade specialists across the Mena region. Khuloud Al Omian, editor-in-chief, Forbes Middle East, said Our first annual healthcare event will unveil a series of presentations and panel discussions by senior leaders, investors, policymakers and regulators, who will delve into the transformation thats redefining the future of the industry. TradeArabia News Service Brazil's trade relations with the Middle East scaled new heights in 2017, recording a growth of 18.43 per cent in exports from $11.5 billion in 2016 to 13.6 billion in 2017. Additionally, a growth of 23.37 per cent was also recorded in imports from $5.2 billion in 2016 to 6.4 billion in 2017, according to figures released by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC). Brazilian exports to Saudi Arabia accounted for $2.6 billion, up 6.9 per cent from 2016, while exports to the UAE amounted to $2.5 billion, up 12.2 per cent YoY. Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait received Brazilian goods worth $695 million, $339 million and $222 million respectively in 2017. In 2017, exports from Saudi Arabia to Brazil amounted to $1.9 billion, up 44.72 per cent from 2016, while UAE exported goods worth $186 million. Exports from Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait to Brazil amounted to $138 million, $94 million and $135 million respectively. The most exported Brazilian items to Arab countries in 2017 were cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose in solid form; meat and edible offal of both fresh and frozen poultry; iron ores and concentrates including roasted iron pyrites; maize; meat of bovine animals; artificial corundum, aluminium oxide and aluminium hydroxide; and motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed for passenger transport. The most imported items to Brazil from the Arab countries, on the other hand, include mineral fuels, mineral oils, bituminous substances and mineral waxes; fertilisers; plastic; salt and sulphur; earth and stone; plastering materials, lime and cement; organic chemicals; and fish, crustaceans and mollusks, and other aquatic invertebrates. Rubens Hannun, president of Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, said: Brazil and the Arab World have always maintained great trade relations and the export-import figures for 2017 reflect uninterrupted growth. We expect the trend to continue into 2018 and beyond, riding high on the success brought in by the shared commitment by both parties to encourage more productive trade relations, he added. TradeArabia News Service A high-level delegation from the UAE Ministry of Economy (MOE) will take part in key business forums in Malaysia and Singapore next month. The team will be led by Eng Sultan Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy. The visits agenda includes participation in the UAE-Malaysian Business Forum in Kuala Lumpur, which will be held on February 5 and 6 in cooperation with the Malaysian Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the UAE Embassy in Malaysia, said a statement. The delegation will also participate in the UAE-Singapore Business Forum which will be held in Singapore on February 8 in cooperation with the Singaporean Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and the UAE Embassy in Singapore, it said. The UAEs delegation comprises representatives from around 60 federal and local government and private entities. The two meetings are expected to present new investment opportunities for UAE companies in both countries in several economic sectors such as innovation, modern technology, Islamic banking, clean and renewable energy, real estate development, infrastructure and ports management, manufacturing, Halal trade, free zones and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) following a number of meetings, workshops and a series of bilateral meetings for businessmen from all concerned parties, which will be organised on the sidelines of the business forums, it added. Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al Saleh, undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade Affairs, said that in light of the UAEs growing commercial, economic and investment prominence worldwide, it has attracted the attention of emerging economies, especially among Asian countries, which are also experiencing rapid economic and development growth as they advance their strategies. This in return promotes a platform for meaningful partnerships between UAE investors and the economically advanced countries. Al Saleh added that strengthening the partnership between the UAE and Malaysia and Singapore will help open new investment opportunities for UAE investors in many neighbouring Asian countries, following the successes of the Malaysian and Singaporean economies and the growth of infrastructure and advanced logistics supplies in this region. The value of non-oil trade between the UAE and Malaysia amounted to Dh15.4 billion ($4.19 billion) in 2016, according to statistics, surpassing the UAE imports from Malaysia which is worth Dh12.9 billion ($3.51 billion) and the re-export trade from the UAE to Malaysia reported Dh1.8 billion ($490.06 million) for the same year. The UAE-Malaysian non-oil trade indices averaged Dh18.3 billion ($4.98 billion), UAE imports from Singapore reached Dh7.7 billion ($2.096 billion), and re-exports amounted at Dh7.6 billion ($2.069 billion), it stated. TradeArabia News Service The Department of Economic Development Ajman (DED-Ajman) recently organised an awareness campaign for outlets in shopping malls which was aimed raising awareness of commercial enterprises about the application of value-added tax (VAT). The campaign was headed by Ali Eissa Al Nuaimi, director general, DED-Ajman; Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Nuaimi, assistant director general for Economic Registration and Control; and several officials from DED-Ajman, said a statement. The initiative aims to enhance the awareness of commercial enterprises about the application of value-added tax (VAT) in accordance with the law, and to prevent negative exploitation by raising prices without justification, it said. DED-Ajman officials also met with a number of consumers to ensure their awareness of their rights and a number of investors to establish effective communication with the owners of commercial establishments and to explore their needs and facilitate their work by upgrading DED services provided for them, it added. Al Nuaimi emphasised on DEDs keenness to carry out a series of awareness and inspection campaigns on value-added tax to protect consumers rights, as it is DEDs priority to create a fair consumption and investment environment that supports the stability of the national economy. He added that the department is renewing its commitment by organising market inspection campaigns and retail outlets in various locations of the emirate by implementing federal and local laws and regulations and taking the necessary measures to combat commercial fraud in order to achieve the highest levels of competitiveness and leadership on the regional and global economic map. Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Nuaimi said: Regular field visits aim to educate consumers and ensure the commitment of the concerned parties to carry out economic activities in accordance with the laws in force by UAE. We have a responsibility to control the markets and to ensure the prices and safety of products offered in the outlets and shopping centres, in order to enhance consumer safety and protect consumer rights as a strategic priority for us, he added. TradeArabia News Service Art Jameel, an organisation that supports heritage, education and the arts, has announced that its new 17,000-sq-m Hayy: Creative Hub in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will open in the spring of 2019. Construction on the major new cultural hub started last year. The name Hayy is derived from the Arabic word for neighbourhood referring to the community-oriented nature of the complex, and the ways in which the partner organisations, which include art galleries, digital entrepreneurs, comedy clubs, cafes and more, are working together to present the full diversity of the arts. Art Jameel commissioned ibda design to draft Hayy: Creative Hub as a major destination for Jeddahs cultural community, bringing together a range of cultural experiences in one neighbourhood. The three-storey, dynamic, contemporary complex features open internal courtyards surrounded by shaded terraces and walkways. Shared facilities include spaces for 12 cultural organisations, plus exhibition halls, a theatre, events spaces and artists studios. Hayy: Creative Hub, developed and funded by Art Jameel, will act as an incubator for creatives and entrepreneurs; it will bring together and nurture Saudi Arabian artists, playwrights, photographers, filmmakers, entrepreneurs and others, along with the enthusiastic audiences that support them. Programming will include world-class local and international exhibitions of modern and contemporary art; a digital hub for upcoming Saudi Arabian producers and directors; a professional theatre plus performance spaces; and a rolling programme of educational events for all ages. Fady Mohammed Jameel, president of Art Jameel, said: We are delighted to support our home, Saudi Arabia, and its fast-growing cultural scene through the development of Hayy: Creative Hub, which is set to become a base for Saudi Arabian talent, and help nurture a new generation of creatives, in addition to providing job opportunities and training. The concept has been honed over many years: the team at Art Jameel has worked not only with the brilliant architects ibda design, but also a range of community partners to develop the Hub as a truly innovative destination. Hayy: Creative Hub reflects Art Jameel and Community Jameels commitment to supporting creativity and entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia and beyond, and we look forward to opening the Hub in spring 2019 with our partners in this community-wide initiative. Art Jameel, which supports artists and creative communities, is also expected to open the Jameel Arts Centre, a contemporary arts institution in the UAE, in the coming year. Current initiatives include running heritage institutes and restoration programmes, plus a broad range of arts and educational initiatives for all ages. The organisations programmes foster the role of the arts in building open, connected communities. Art Jameels model is collaborative: major institutional partners include the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Princes School of Traditional Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. TradeArabia News Service Blacklane, a Berlin-based company providing high-end transport on demand service has raised its largest investment to date from a consortium of investors, led by UAE-based automotive and travel conglomerate, AlFahim. The Series D, which will fund new cities, global airport concierge services and product innovation, raised close to $40 million, according to data in Crunchbase. Other investors included Daimler AG, through subsidiary Daimler Mobility Services, and btov Partners. Blacklanes global network of professional driver partners covers more than 250 cities and 500 airports in 50 countries. This year, Blacklane will reach more than 300 cities, with major growth across the Middle East and Africa. Combining our nationwide expertise and diversity with Blacklanes reinvention of the professional driver industry for the benefit of travellers, drivers and partners, will bring unequivocal innovative luxury services to the Middle East and Africa, said Ahmed AJ Al Fahim, chairman of AlFahim. Blacklanes ambition and brand strength make it the ideal company to add to our global portfolio. The investment will also reduce stress and wasted time in hundreds of airports. The company will launch Blacklane Premium Airport Services & Solutions (Blacklane PASS) worldwide, allowing travellers to book curbside and planeside meet-and-greet, connecting flight assistance and airport lounge services. Blacklane made professional driver services accessible to the mass travel market, and will do the same for airport concierge services. This is huge untapped opportunity for Blacklane and its partners, said Jochen Gutbrod, Partner, btov Partners and Blacklane Chairman of the Board. Jens Wohltorf, CEO and co-founder of Blacklane, said: The most stressful part of a trip is the time between your front door and accessing the airplane. Our premium services and global reliability turn anxiety into assurance and concern into comfort. This investment accelerates Blacklanes ability to bring end-to-end peace of mind onto the road and into airports around the world. Product improvements will include continuous innovation of Blacklanes booking and management channels as well as further integrations with new travel companies. Current partners include Amadeus, Asia Miles, Expedia, Finnair, Hertz, Miles & More, and Saudia. Jorg Lamparter, head of Mobility Services for Daimler Financial Services, said: Daimlers network of mobility options meets travellers diverse worldwide needs. Blacklane provides a premier experience at every customer touchpoint. It perfectly fits Daimlers mobility services portfolio and approach. - TradeArabia News Service Bahrains Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Dr Abdulhussain bin Ali Mirza will deliver a keynote address at the Solar Utilities Network (SUN) forum, being held on February 7 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre. The inaugural SUN forum, which carries the patronage of Dr Mirza, will look to provide a platform for knowledge exchange on Solar and Renewable technology. The SUN Forum, which also carries the support of the Bahrain Solar Association, takes place alongside the Gulf Industry Fair which takes place from February 6 to 8. The forum will focus on the challenges and opportunities of solar including: PV storage, Solar power generation policies of the government, Energy storage and Work-force skilling. Jubran Abdulrahman, Managing Director of Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE), says: We are honoured to have HE Dr Abdulhussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs, support the event. Dr Mirza is leading from the front and has been a key figure in developing Bahrains solar and renewable energy policies. His keynote address is widely anticipated by an international audience coming from as far as Finland and the Czech Republic and also from our neighbouring countries. Dr Mirza is expected to outline the efforts to realise Bahrains vision to deliver 5 per cent of its energy needs through renewables by 2025. The minister will look to emphasise on job creation and economic wins from the transition to renewables for Bahrain. Solar is of global interest and the network is organised against the backdrop of an exhibition, the Gulf Industry Fair, which will be looking at products and services such as photovoltaic systems, energy storage and the implementation of PV systems for industrial use, adds Abdulrahman. Among the presenters scheduled to speak at the event will be Dr Khalid Burashid, senior technical advisor, and Alexander Al Samahiji, solar expert, from the Bahrain Unit for Sustainable Energy (SEU); Dr Toufic Hawat, Chief Technology Advisor, Huawei Smart Solar; Dr Mohammed Asif , Professor at King Fahad University Saudi Arabia, and Dr Praveen Saxena, CEO, Green Jobs Council, India. The event free to attend, subject to pre-registration online at www.gulfindustryfair.com - TradeArabia News Service Belgian construction group Besix said its consortium with Switzerland-based Hitachi Zosen Inova has been awarded a contract to build one of the world's largest thermal waste recycling plants in Dubai, UAE, at an investment of 700 million ($869 million). This ambitious project is a major step in Besix Group's diversification strategy, positioning it as a partner of choice in achieving the UAE's environmental protection and sustainable development goals. As per the deal awarded by Dubai Municipality, Besix will be responsible for the design and for the execution of the infrastructure works, civil engineering and construction, as well as for the water treatment. The Belgian group will be working for the first time with Hitachi Zosen Inova, one of the world leaders in thermal waste recovery with over 80 years of experience in the sector. The municipality has also granted the consortium the 30-year contract to operate and maintain the plant. Besix said this plant will be one of the largest resource recovery facilities in the world. At full capacity, it will convert 5,000 tonnes of solid waste per day into energy, producing 171 MW of electricity per hour, powering around 120,000 homes in the region. This plant represents a major step forward in environmental protection, with recovery by heat treatment (incineration, co-incineration, pyrolysis and gasification) making it possible to transform waste that cannot be recycled or recovered otherwise into a source of renewable energy, it stated. Over the next six months, the Besix/Hitachi Zosen Inova consortium and its consultants will finalise the design of the project, said the statement. The construction work will start by mid-2018, with partial delivery planned for the World Expo in 2020, and with the plant reaching its final capacity in 2021, it added. Besix Group CEO Rik Vandenberghe said: "As a multi-service group operating in the construction and concession sectors in UAE since many decades, and true to our raison d'etre of excelling in creating sustainable solutions for a better world, we are enthusiastic participants in this project that will bring real added value to the Dubai community and improve the quality of life of citizens and their environment." "This first and very significant waste to energy contract is an important milestone in Besix's ambition to develop new activities," he stated. The construction of this power plant reflects the municipality's objectives of reducing the tipping of municipal waste in favour of developing alternative energy sources, in line with the region's environmental protection and sustainable development ambitions. Following on the Jebel Ali water treatment plant (Dubai), the Hamriyah power and desalination plant (Sharjah) and the Safi water reuse station (Ajman), this project enables Besix Group to make a new major contribution to the sustainable landscape of the UAE. Pierre Sironval, the general manager (Business Unit) Middle East: "This contract is a testimony of the decades-long relationship of trust between the Dubai Municipality and Besix Group, particularly in public-private partnerships, a configuration in which we as experts can contribute considerable added value." "In addition, with this project, we are further expanding our activities before and after the construction works, which perfectly matches our diversification strategy," he added.-TradeArabia News Service The Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) is leading the Energy Sector at the upcoming Gulf Industry Fair 2018 as its Strategic Sponsor. Gulf Industry Fair 2018, the Northern Gulfs only event dedicated to promoting industrialisation in the GCC, will take place from February 6 to 8 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Bapcos Corporate Communications Manager Nawaf Hussain Sultan Al-Ghanim comments: "Bapco is one of the key pillars for the industrial growth of the Kingdom of Bahrain. As one of the main energy providers and economic drivers, our association with the Gulf Industry Fair 2018 highlights the value we place on the co-existent relationship between energy and industrial development. Bapco has largely played a significant role in the training and development of a new generation of leaders and professionals, in addition to fostering and promoting the Kingdoms economic development. It is our wish to reflect these standards in the interaction, function and the content of our participation at Gulf Industry Fair 2018. Bapcos support for Gulf Industry Fair is for the 11th consecutive year. We respect their continued support and confidence in the value proposition of Gulf Industry Fair, which is driven by the highest levels of the organisation. Bapcos value-added contribution to the economy of the Kingdom cannot be emphasised enough; whether this is directly through its own investments in the downstream petrochemical sector or indirectly through the various SMEs that benefit from procurement for these projects, says Jubran Abdulrahman, Managing Director of show organisers, HCE. Gulf Industry Fair also is strategically sponsored by Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) and Bahrain Investment Wharf. The Industrial Facilities Sector Sponsor is Majaal. Supporting organisations for Gulf Industry Fair include: AHK Saudi Arabia, the German Saudi Arabian Liaison for Economic Affairs, PHD Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, Bahrain Solar Association and the Bahrain Industrial Association. - TradeArabia News Service Latvian airline airBaltic is planning to recruit more than 100 pilots in 2018 as the airline's route map rapidly expands. The airline will host a Pilot Open Days initiative in several cities in February, including Vilnius, Helsinki, Amsterdam and Stockholm. The initiative targets different types of pilots willing to become part of airBaltic flight crew. Pauls Calitis, senior vice president Flight Operations of airBaltic, said: An excellent team is essential to our successful operation and airBaltics growth over the past years has confirmed that. Our route map is expanding, the fleet is growing and more passengers travel with us. Such development requires our team to be highly motivated. And naturally, due to the production increase, airBaltic will recruit more pilots this year. Working at airBaltic has many advantages for all positions, but considering our growth and the changing pilot industry, we are now further improving our pilot remuneration system. During the Pilot Open Days events, all interested individuals will have a chance to learn more about airBaltics flight crew vacancies and to receive more information about airBaltic. During the event, the participants will have opportunity to ask questions directly to airBaltic chief pilots and receive all the necessary information on how to join the dynamic and motivated team of the worlds most punctual airline airBaltic. AirBaltic is organising Pilot Open Days in specific cities due to the strong community of pilots. AirBaltic has a multicultural team with over 50 pilots from Lithuania, more than 26 pilots from Netherlands and over 14 from Sweden. February 1 - The first Pilot Open Days events will be held in Vilnius at 10:00 and at 15:00 in AirInn Vilnius Hotel February 6 - AirBaltic team will travel to Stockholm and the events will take place at 10:00 and at 15:00 in Radisson Blu Skycity Hotel February 8 - The Pilot Open Days events will be held in Helsinki in Cumulus Resort Airport Congress Center at 10:00 and at 15:00. February 13 - The final event will take place in Amsterdam in Hotel NH Amsterdam Schiphol Airport at 11:00. The project does not require candidates to fill out an application form before the visit, but simply to take their CV, personal identification document, and arrive for the event. In December 2017, airBaltic also started the application process for candidates to the airlines newly established Pilot Academy at airBalticTraining. Persons selected will be the first class of students of the professional airline pilot training programme and will become airBaltic pilots upon completion of the programme in about two years from now. AirBaltic serves over 60 destinations from its home base in Riga, Latvia. From every one of these locations, airBaltic offers convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, CIS and the Middle East. In addition, airBaltic also offers direct flights from Tallinn and Vilnius. - TradeArabia News Service A new approach to loyalty programmes, smart technology will define the hospitality industry landscape to 2022, according to data released ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2018, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22-25. The predictions, published by Colliers International, indicate, a rise in ultra-personalised guest services, and technology-led changes to the physical configuration of hospitality spaces with new job roles to accommodate these changes. The trends will be explored at ATM 2018, during a panel discussion titled The Hotel Landscape of The Future. Chaired by Content Inc director, Gemma Greenwood, discussion will span high-tech hospitality, new hotel concepts and the brands and hotels due to arrive in the region. Simon Press, senior exhibition director, ATM, said: The trends identified in this report will define innovation and growth across the regional hospitality landscape in the coming five years. The findings demonstrate that todays hotel guests dont want to be part of the crowd they want a unique experience, personalised to their tastes and expectations and, preferably, in an unexplored, or emerging, destination. The data predicts eight major global trends will also play out in the regional market. These are: fresh and communal themed design; destination experiences; personalised loyalty benefits; co-everything shared spaces; multi-role jobs for hotel associates, empowered by technology; authentic experiences; data and smart hotels. While the period 2016 2017 saw heightened merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, the trends predicted for the coming five years are expected to focus on concepts, design and marketing, as well as associate job descriptions. Driving evolution across operations, responsibilities will merge as associates shift from micro-tasking to multi-tasking, transitioning to multi-function roles, enabled by technology. As data applications advance, the traditional yield manager could be replaced by data scientists, who mine and analyse data on consumer behaviour. Other major predictions include authentic over obvious luxury, adopting a genuine and more personalised style, and in-room destination guides offering curated and branded experiences. The introduction of personalised benefits through hotel loyalty schemes, will see hotels offering bespoke and personalised benefits, based on customer buying behaviour. Press added: Using the trends of recent years as a springboard, the hospitality industry will start to pursue new lines of business in 2018, placing a focus on engagement, with personalised and bespoke attention now crucial to the luxury experience." Olivier Harnisch, chief executive officer of Emaar Hospitality Group, said: The predictions on the hospitality landscape underline the need for the stakeholders to look at existing systems and processes, and prepare for a highly evolved industry that leverages the newest tools in digitisation. With enhanced guest experience as the bottom line, we have already rolled out our digital transformation plan with three key projects that will reshape the way we serve our guests. ATM considered by industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector, welcomed over 39,000 people to its 2017 event, including 2,661 exhibiting companies, signing business deals worth more than $2.5 billion over the four days. Celebrating its 25th year, ATM 2018 will build on the success of this years edition, with a host of seminar sessions looking back over the last 25 years and how the hospitality industry in the Mena region is expected to shape up over the next 25. - TradeArabia News Service iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- A Russian fighter jet came within five feet of a U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft on Monday as it flew in international airspace above the Black Sea. The Navy labeled the encounter "unsafe" and said the American plane had done nothing to provoke the Russian action. "On Jan. 29, 2018, a U.S. EP-3 Aries aircraft flying in international airspace over the Black Sea was intercepted by a Russian SU-27," said a statement from U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa. "This interaction was determined to be unsafe due to the SU-27 closing to within five feet and crossing directly through the EP-3s flight path, causing the EP-3 to fly through the SU-27s jet wash," said the statement. The intercept lasted two hours and 40 minutes and the Navy said the American aircraft was operating in accordance with international law "and did not provoke the Russian activity." "The Russian military is within its right to operate within international airspace, but they must behave within international standards set to ensure safety and prevent incidents," said the statement. "Unsafe actions increase the risk of miscalculation and midair collisions." But the Russian Defense Ministry denied that its fighter's actions were unsafe. "The whole flight of the Russian Su-27 was strictly in accordance with international airspace rules, there were no abnormal situations," said a statement from Russia's Ministry of Defense. The statement said the Russian fighter had been scrambled towards "an unidentified air target approaching the Russian airspace borders" over the Black Sea. It said the SU-27 "approached the aircraft at a safe distance and identified it as a U.S. Navy aircraft EP-3 Aries II." Monday's encounter is similar to another Russian intercept over the Black Sea in late November in which a Russian SU-30 fighter jet used its afterburners to fly in front of a Navy P-8 Poseidon surveillance plane. The jet wash created by that action led the American aircraft to roll severely through the turbulence. That incident was the first "unsafe" encounter for a U.S. military aircraft in months. Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. By TCN News Aligarh: The Centre of Advanced Study, Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) started a three-day international seminar on Commemorating Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: A Historian, Intellectual and a Man of Reason on Monday. AMU Vice Chancellor, Professor Tariq Mansoor said that Sir Syed was a dynamic and a versatile genius gifted with a rare vision and intellect. We have to judge a person, considering his time, space and the era he lived in and no aspersion can be cast on his vision in the changed social context. He was delivering presidential remarks in the seminar. Support TwoCircles Prof Mansoor added that Sir Syed wrote his first book at the age of 20. He has authored Aasar-us-Sanadeed, Khutbatul Ahmadiya, and Asbab-e-Bagawat-e-Hind among other books. Prof Mansoor further said that after 1857, Sir Syed realised that the British were too powerful to be resisted and there was a need to have reconciliation with them. The Vice Chancellor congratulated The Centre of Advanced Study for organising the programme. I am sure the deliberations in this three-day seminar will be very useful, said Prof Mansoor. Speaking at the seminar, Prof Faizan Mustafa (Vice Chancellor, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad) said that Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College and AMU are one and the same. Even Supreme Court accepted MAO College as the nucleus of the university, said Prof Mustafa. He gave a detailed analysis of MAO College and said that these rules preserve autonomy and necessary governmental supervision. Prof Mustafa also said that the essence of these laws was retained by the Aligarh Muslim University Act of 1920 and that the government aid does not mean surrender of autonomy. Prof Mustafa further said that the essence of these laws was retained by AMU Act of 1920. He added that government aid does not mean surrender of autonomy. Prof Mustafa paid rich tributes to Sir Syed and said that his idea of specialised institutions with religious instructions was incorporated in Article 28 of Indian Constitution and motto of MAO College in the form of scientific temper and spirit of inquiry was included in the Constitution by the 42nd Amendment as a fundamental duty of citizens. Sir Syed wanted a university in the true sense of the word on Oxbridge model based on principles of pure morality, large heartedness and free inquiry, said Prof Mustafa. He pointed out that in a few years of the establishment of MAO College, there was a presence of a sizeable number of Non-Muslim students and AMUs stature has always been based on its meritocracy, and not on any sectarian character. Sir Syeds mission aimed at the intellectual development of people through modern education, said Prof Mustafa pointing out that Sir Syed was the first Indian Muslim to contribute to the intellectual and institutional foundation of Muslim modernization in South Asia. Prof Mustafa further said that Sir Syed made colossus contribution to the improvement and empowerment of Muslims. In 1847, he brought out an important book, Aasar-us-Sanadeed, a pioneering work on historical archaeology. Even more important was his pamphlet, The Causes of the Indian Revolt, said Prof Mustafa pointing out that Sir Syeds interest in religion was also active and lifelong as he wrote on the Life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and dedicated himself to write several volumes of a modernist commentary on the Holy Quran. In these works, Sir Syed enlightened how the Islamic faith could go with advanced scientific and political ideas of his time. Delineating Sir Syeds vision of Academic Governance of MAO College, Prof Mustafa discussed at length a number of rules and laws framed by MAO College in which academic autonomy was given centrality. Professor Irfan Habib (Emeritus Prof, AMU) said Sir Syeds interpretation of religious texts reveal his commitment in the deep and consistent concern for rationality. Sir Syed said that Quran is the word of God and it cannot go against the laws of nature while urging common Muslims to have fresh interpretations, said Prof Habib adding that Sir Syed stood by his views despite opposition from co-religionists of his time. While conducting the programme, Prof Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi (Chairperson and Coordinator, The Centre of Advanced Study, Department of History) said that Sir Syed was a pioneer of the discipline which is now known as historical archaeology. Sir Syed undertook this venture even before Cunningham could begin this, said Prof Rezavi. He also proposed the vote of thanks. Over 24 delegates from India and abroad are attending the seminar. By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net Kathua: As protests against the alleged rape and murder of an eight-year-old tribal girl intensify across the Jammu and Kashmir, tribal activist Talib Hussain has claimed that the water supply to few Gujjar-dominated villages has been blocked by people from the majority community and alleged that the incident is being given a communal colour. When we were protesting at the Chann Morian chowk in Kathua town on January 21, the local non-Muslim community stood for us. When we were being beaten by the police, they saved us from the wrath of the police, Talib said. Support TwoCircles Today the same people have warned our community not to fill water at the hand pumps and tanks installed by the government in their localities and water supply has been blocked to Rasana village, where the family of victim girl lives. Bandhi Bakarwal Basti is also waterless since January 17, he added. On Wednesday, January 17, Jammu and Kashmir woke up to a terrible news of the death of an eight-year-old tribal girl, a week after she went missing while doing household chores. The girl belonging to the nomadic Bakarwal community was found dead in Rasana village of Hiranagar, in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir and the family has alleged that she was raped before the murder. On Sunday, January 21, when a group of protesters was taking out a candlelight march on Kathua highway, the police deployed used tear gas shells and baton charged to disperse the protesters and arrested Advocate Talib Hussain, a tribal activist. The police alleged Talib of creating law and order problem. The arrest of activists led to an outrage in the Legislative assembly which prompted the government to release him on Tuesday, January 23. Talib has also alleged local BJP MLA of trying to influence the case by asking the local SHO to take care of the age of the accused. The day when police declared the involvement of a 15-year-old boy, I have a witness who was in the police station when MLA Hiranagar, Kuldeep Raj Verma arrived and was telling the SHO who was later suspended, to take care of the age of the accused boy, he claimed. Kuldeep Raj Verma, MLA Hiranagar while speaking with TwoCircles.net said that the allegations against him are baseless. I never went to the police station and these are all lies being spread out that I am trying to influence the case. What has happened is very unfortunate and it shouldnt happen with any girl, either it is Hindu, Muslim, Christian or anyone. I am saying this since the start that the incident shouldnt be made communal and the allegation of water blockage is baseless. The issue is being politicised, he added. On Friday, January 19, the Minister for Revenue & Parliamentary Affairs, Abdul Rehman Veeri informed the legislative assembly that the police have arrested a 15-year-old boy who is accused and he has confessed to the crime. He said the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by SDPO border Chadwal revealed that the accused kidnapped the minor girl and put her in a nearby cowshed at village Rasana, where he attempted to rape her and when she resisted, he killed her by way of strangulation but Talib feels that it is not possible for a 15-year-old boy to commit such a brutal crime. The circumstantial evidence says that she was brutally raped and then murdered. Three of her ribs were broken, a leg fractured and bites marks all over the body and an attempt were made to crush her with the stones and she had marks on her body as if she was given electric shocks. We questioned Kathua police that how was it possible for a 15-year-old boy to single-handedly commit such a brutal crime, Talib said. The activist has been demanding a judicial probe into the matter but the Parliamentary Affairs minister, Abdul Rehman Veeri on Tuesday, January 23, informed the house that the case of the tribal girl has been handed over to the Crime Branch, three days after a magisterial inquiry was ordered. On Monday, January 29, the parents of victim girl met J&K Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti and sought expeditious probe into the killing of their daughter. By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter Amarkantak (Madhya Pradesh): On Monday, January 29, the 47th Annual Conference of the Indian Anthropological Society on the theme Tribal Situation in India: Contemporary Issues and Concerns was inaugurated by Prof Rajat Kanti Das, President, Indian Anthropological Society (IAS) at Indira Gandhi National Tribal University which is being jointly organised by IGNTU, IGRMS, TATA Steel Ltd., and IAS. The three-day conference will have three Memorial lectures and a seminar on the proposed theme. The memorial Lectures are organized to pay homage to the three doyens of Indian Anthropology. These are Nirmal Kumar Bose Memorial Lecture, Sasanka Sekhar Sarkar Memorial Lecture, and Dharani Sen Memorial Lecture. Support TwoCircles While inaugurating the three-day conference, Prof Rajat Kanti Das spoke on various issues pertaining to tribes in India and asked social scientists and anthropologists to come up with innovative suggestion to solve their challenges. The seminar aims at providing a comprehensive overview of contemporary issues and concerns on tribes and their development Prof Sarit K Chaudhary, Director, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal said that tribes having few thousand population in north-eastern states should be brought under the purview of higher education. Through higher education, a positive transformation can be ensured for tribes. There is also a need for interdisciplinary study of contemporary issues of tribes to come up with innovative suggestions, he added. Prof Alok Shrotriya, Dean (Academics) discussed two points of views regarding the development of tribes. First, they should be left on their own cause with little help from the society and second-they should be assimilated into the society through technological interventions. He suggested an integrated approach for their development giving necessary help from the society while learning from their rich cultural values and traditional knowledge. The Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) came into existence in July 2008 through the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University Act, 2007. The jurisdiction of the University extends to the whole country and is fully funded by Central Government through the University Grant Commission. (With inputs from Daily Pioneer) US President Donald Trump doesnt generally watch what he says. Theres not much of a difference between what he thinks and what he says theres no filter. He called Africa a s**thole. He bragged about grabbing women by the p*ssy. And, apparently, right after he fired FBI Director James Comey, he called Deputy Director Andrew Mccabe (the guy who was acting director back then and recently quit the FBI after a feud with Trump) on the phone and asked him how his wife feels to be a loser. McCabes wife had run for the Senate seat in Virginia for the Democratic Party in the 2015 election and lost, and Trump wanted to rub it in his face for no reason other than to bully him. The President had just fired his boss. He had to temporarily take up the vacant post while the bureau was left in chaos and pundits were saying that POTUS had committed the impeachable act of obstruction of justice. What in Gods name possessed him to ring up McCabe for no purpose other than to bully his wife? Whose wife is the bigger loser, though? Just to play Devils advocate for a moment, isnt the loser the wife who knows her husband is a vile racist who has sexually assaulted other women and had affairs with porn stars during their marriage and stays with him anyway? Isnt the wife whos a loser the one who has to sleep in a separate bedroom in the most extravagant house in the world while her husband eats cheeseburgers and watches TV in his own bed? Andrew Mccabe, the Deputy Director of the FBI, has stepped down from his position in the bureau ahead of his intended near-future retirement as his feud with US President Donald Trump has been growing in recent days. Trump has been attacking the FBI and McCabe has been defending it. The clash escalated and escalated until now, the Deputy Director has quit his job and jumped ship. Frankly, many had expected McCabe to step down, since you cant fight City Hall so you definitely cant fight the White House. McCabe jumped to the defence of the FBI investigators working the case of Trumps ties to the Russian government that may have involved a dirty collusion that affected the outcome of the 2016 Presidential election, who Trump has been targeting for Twitter outrage recently. The President has also been personally attacking McCabe for months, including a suggestion that McCabes neutrality in these cases was threatened by a political donation made in 2015 by his wife. Suffice to say, this is not the President you want to get into a feud with. You never want to get into a feud with anyone who holds the power and office and title of President of the United States, but especially not this one hes petty, angry, and small. Press Secretary Sanders refuses to comment on McCabes departure White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released an official statement, as she is always expected to do faced with the almost impossibly difficult task of spinning whatever Trumps been up to into something positive saying that the Trump administration had seen the numerous reports coming through about McCabe quitting the FBI, but she did make vague attempts to distance the White House from his reasoning behind leaving the bureau. She also confirmed that none of this decision was made by a single staffer within the White House. Sanders also refused to make any specific comments about McCabes departure from the FBI and told the reporters in the room to direct any enquiries about the matter to the bureau itself. However, she also added that Trump stands by everything he has previously said about the Deputy Director and his wife. This is typical this President never seems to publicly regret anything. The other day, he suggested that he was open to apologising for sharing all of those racist, anti-Muslim, far-right posts from the hate group Britain First and jeopardising his entire relationship with the United Kingdom but that didnt stretch to actually apologising. Despite Trumps recent attacks on the FBI, specifically Deputy Director McCabe and all of the investigators involved in Robert Muellers probe into his campaign and his shady dealings, Sanders claims that he has full confidence in the Director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, who McCabe is leaving in charge on his own and up Slack Alley in his wake. Sanders went on to deny that Trump wants the Mueller investigation to end soon for his own personal interests apparently, hes not scared that hell get found out, but rather he just wants the FBI to shift its focus onto more important cases. Yeah, right. Exactly why McCabe decided to quit remains unclear The exact reason behind McCabes decision to step down from his post as the Deputy Director of the FBI remains fairly unclear. Obviously it was the tensions with Trump that set it off, but he quit so suddenly and it doesnt make sense why. The top brass at the FBI have yet to comment on his departure from the bureau and his colleagues have confirmed that he did not discuss any plans to suddenly leave the FBI with them. Its oh so curious... The House Intelligence Committee voted to release a classified memo that claims to reveal government surveillance abuses. The committee voted along party lines to release the memo. The decision now rests on President Trump to make any objections before the memo can be released. Most of the information in this article comes from reports by the New York Times and NBC News. Will Trump release classified intel to the public? Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff announced the vote and called it a sad day in the committee's history. The Department of Justice previously called on House Intel Chairman Devin Nunes not to release the memo saying it could be a threat to national security. Republican lawmakers have described the memo as "troubling" and "shocking." Committee Republicans JUST voted to declassify their spin "memo" and prohibit release of the Democratic response in what they claimed was the interests of full transparency. It was transparent alright transparently cynical and destructive. Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 30, 2018 Republican members say the memo details how the FBI eavesdrops on suspects during "national security" investigations. Democrats allege the memo is an attack on the Mueller probe. Schiff has said that he doesn't know whether releasing the memo would endanger national security. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump has received the memo but won't decide whether to make it public until after the State of the Union address. A White House official told NBC News that it's unclear if the Department of Justice will rule on blacking out parts of the memo. Did FBI rely on Trump Dossier? The House Intel vote came the same day that the FBI's No. 2, Andrew McCabe stepped down from his position as deputy director. Rep. Trey Gowdy helped put together the four-page memo and has said he wants to make it public. Gowdy has also said that the memo addresses how much the FBI relied on the "Trump Dossier." .@JudicialWatch President Tom Fitton: "I think the president should stand fast on behalf of the rule of law here and transparency and just get the memo out as quickly as possible." https://t.co/GNjiJzy3DW pic.twitter.com/jTNmbxVyFz Fox News (@FoxNews) January 30, 2018 The memo was written based in part on a FISA surveillance application for Carter Page, who was a key foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign. According to the New York Times, the memo highlights Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein in approving the warrant application. FISA warrants require multiple layers of authentication and require investigators to prove that the suspect is acting as an agent of a foreign entity. FBI Director Christopher Wray has viewed the document but has not commented on its findings. Most of the intelligence findings backing the memo are extremely classified and only eight House lawmakers can view it. Members of Congress are working on a deal to make some of the info related to the memo public but currently, no deal has been made. The House Intel Committee is now focused on continuing investigations into the Department of Justice and the FBI's conduct. Schiff claims that the Republicans are refusing to meet with the FBI to hear concerns they have about releasing the memo. Some of the problems with playing "Pokemon GO," which you could experience over the next few weeks, are connection errors and GPS malfunctions. Especially if you're going to capture Pokemon away from home if you live in certain areas of The United States. Several reports, including one from Metro, state that "Pokemon GO" is going to experience outages soon, as the US Air Force carries out training and shuts down localized GPS in certain areas of the country. Mission season in the US The United States Air Force is in a season of test missions known as the Red Flag, where pilots participate in a series of air drill maneuvers having to operate without the help of GPS and have had to deactivate it in certain areas in the United States. Knowing that the title that currently makes use of the GPS to a greater extent is "Pokemon GO," its performance could be affected by these games of the United States Air Force. However, for the realization of this practice the GPS service is canceled in areas within New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, California, Arizona, Wyoming, Oregon, Utah, and Montana, although for security reasons, they are not allowed to indicate the exact zones. Civilians will also be affected This not only affects "Pokemon GO," but any device of civil use that uses the GPS, so it's not a good time to get lost in the desert. The GPS service for "Pokemon GO" could still work, but perhaps not at its best in these affected areas. To see the seriousness of the matter, the US government has already warned that airports like Albuquerque, Denver, Los Angeles, Salt Lake, Oakland, and Seattle could see their services interrupted. The GPS system is the property of the United States Government and this type of temporary interruption is habitual when a series of military maneuvers are carried out. So, if you're from the area, you could have GPS problems while playing "Pokemon GO." 'Pokemon GO' already confirmed all the Pokemon of eggs in the region Hoenn Niantic continues to add content to "Pokemon GO." The arrival of the third generation began at last year's Halloween event. Since that date, the Pokemon of the Hoenn region have gradually arrived, the first five were the phantom type and they have now added 23 more. Although all the added Pokemon are not known yet, Niantic has already launched the official list of those that can be obtained in the eggs. The confirmed ones are below. Six days ago, the Democrats surrendered to Republicans during the government shutdown, and as a Democrat, Im still angry. And I should be angry. The Democrats blew it. They had leverage, favorable public opinion, and massive support from their base, who just two days earlier, had marched in the streets by the millions. Even with all this going for them, Dems still decided to forfeit their advantageous position in under 70 hours, leaving the fate of the nearly 800,000 dreamers in the hands of Trump and the Republicans. Scared of a little bad press So why did Democrats cave? The press during last weekends shutdown was mostly negative towards Chuck Schumer and the Democrats, with many outlets and pundits blaming them for the shutdown, despite the fact Republicans control all facets of the federal government. This lousy press terrified Democrats, who decided it would be better to try and please conservatives, who will never vote for them rather than stand up and fight for their base. Dems claim that they didnt fold and even seemed enthusiastic about their deal because Mitch McConnell promised to bring a vote on DACA to the Senate floor. This acceptance of Mitch McConnells word was another dagger in the back of progressives. Why would anyone expect Mitch McConnell to keep his promise? The Nigerian princes from my inbox have a better track record of reliability than Mitch McConnell. The same old Democrats What is most disappointing about the handling of the shutdown, is that it was finally becoming exciting to be a Democrat. In 2017, Dems were unified against Trump and did everything in their power to block his terrible nominees and agenda. They even won key elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and Alabama, of all places. Party leaders were at long last beginning to embrace actual progressive positions on issues, rather than defaulting to the saltine pragmatism of years past. Of course, this new shift toward leadership was just a phase. It soon became apparent that the Dems, frightened by progress, couldnt handle the pressure and reverted to their old ways of attempting to please everyone while succeeding at infuriating everybody. Look, Democrats, we arent asking for the moon, all we want is for you to grow a backbone and start acknowledging the concerns of your base. And if the fight for DACA must be moved to February 8, then so be it, but this time, you better fight like hell, or you risk destroying the overflowing levels of voter enthusiasm currently in America that youll never get back. We are ready to be excited about the Democrats, so please stop trying to change our minds. Two of the biggest headlines over the last 24 hours have been the Hillary Clinton book reading at the Grammy Awards, and the news that FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe would be stepping down. While Donald Trump has not given his thoughts, Don Jr. was quick to speak out. Don Jr. on Grammys On Sunday night, the 60th Annual Grammy Awards took place and it didn't take long before the show became political. While some, like Daily Show host Trevor Noah took a jab at Donald Trump, it wasn't until a surprise video skit aired that caused the headlines. Hillary Clinton appeared, along with Cher, John Legend and others, to read select excerpts from the controversial "Fire and Fury" book by Michael Wolff. The more Hillary goes on television the more the American people realize how awesome it is to have @realDonaldTrump in office #GrammyAwards2018 Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 29, 2018 The story caused backlash among conservatives, including the son of the president. In a series of tweets, Donald Trump Jr. lashed out at the Grammys, and continued his Twitter ranting after the news broke that Andrew McCabe, deputy director of the FBI, would be stepping down. Getting to read a #fakenews book excerpt at the Grammys seems like a great consolation prize for losing the presidency. #GrammyAwards Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 29, 2018 "Getting to read a fake news book excerpt at the Grammys seems like a great consolation prize for losing the presidency," Donald Jr. tweeted out. "The more Hillary goes on television the more the American people realize how awesome it is to have @realDonaldTrump in office," he added in a follow-up tweet. McCabe backlash So they will keep him on till then despite all this to make sure the American tax payer is stuck paying him for the rest of his life? https://t.co/5MVh9xAUxR Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 29, 2018 "So they will keep him on till then despite all this to make sure the American tax payer is stuck paying him for the rest of his life?" Donald Trump Jr. added in reference to Andrew McCabe leaving the FBI. "Strange timing. 'Stepping down' the day after FBI brass sees the memo. I wonder whats in there?" he wondered while using the hashtag "Release the memo." Strange timing. Stepping down the day after FBI brass sees the memo. I wonder whats in there? #releasethememo https://t.co/Wbd37zU9f1 Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 29, 2018 In addition, Donald Jr. decided to pat his dad on the back with a tweet of praise. "If a Democrat President in 8 years achieved what my father has done in one year, media and the left would be heralding it as 'historic, monumental, and unprecedented,'" he wrote. Like the commander in chief, Donald Jr. has increased his use of social media as a way to promote the current administration and hit back at critics, ranging from celebrities, to the Democratic Party, and also the majority of the mainstream media. If a Democrat President in 8 years achieved what my father has done in one year, media and the left would be heralding it as historic, monumental, and unprecedented Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 29, 2018 As the Russian investigation heats up with a Trump interview with special counsel Robert Mueller expected to take place sooner rather than later, only time will tell how it all plays out, but it's likely that many in the Trump family will be vocal with their thoughts and opinions. Presidential elections in Armenia will be held on March 2. According to new constitution, which implies transition from presidential to parliamentary form of government, fourth president of the country will be elected by the National Assembly. Naturally, the most important role here is played by position of the parliamentary majority. On January 18, during the meeting of governing body of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), candidacy of Armenian ambassador to Great Britain Armen Sargsyan was proposed by President and leader of the RPA Serzh Sargsyan. It received unanimous approval. The latter asked for time to make final decision. Armen Sargsyan's candidature caused a restrained but critical reaction in political and expert community. For many years he worked as ambassador in London. In 1996-1997 he was a head of government for four months. Since parliamentary opposition - Yelk and Tsarukyan' blocs - avoided to give their opinion on his candidacy so far (perhaps because Sarkissian has not given final consent yet), some extra-parliamentary opposition forces don't feel restricted in such conditions. According to Levon Zurabyan, vice-president of the Armenian National Congress party, everything is decided by Serzh Sargsyan and the RPA, and it's clear that whoever is elected as President, in this system, he will be nothing more than a puppet, controlled by Serzh Sargsyan. Former chief adviser to Armenian President on national security (1991-1993) Ashot Manucharyan said in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza: "Armenia has never ruled from Bagramyan, 26 (presidential residence) .Our country was ruled either from Freedom Square by people, or by external forces. That's overall situation." Manucharyan called Armen Sargsyan a talented man who disappeared from Armenia for a long time: "And now he appears once again, after participating in various cunning projects around the world." In particular, according to him, Britain, as one of the pillars of the current world order, was concerned about the spread of Eurasianism philosophy in Russia, which could consolidate and strengthen Russian society. "Suddenly, in that difficult and troubled time, Armen Sargsyan is in Kazakhstan, where he, together with Nazarbayev's daughter Dariga, announced the beginning of Eurasian movement. It was a brilliant operation of the UK - Eurasian movement or philosophy died in Russia even before it began," Ashot Manucharyan said. Independent journalist David Petrosyan recalled that this will be the first President who was not elected by popular vote. Accordingly, his powers are extremely limited. Based on this, it can be assumed that the influence of fourth President on social and political life of Armenia will be very limited. At the same time, according to Petrosyan, there are examples in the world when Presidents of parliamentary republics, who didn't have much power, had a significant influence on public opinion. For example, former and current Presidents of Germany Gauk and Steinmeier, Czech President Zeman. According to expert, it's difficult to say whether it will be possible for Armen Sargsyan to achieve the same. David Petrosyan also noted that Sargsyan was outside Armenia with small breaks since 1984. Expert stressed that possible presidential candidate had no relation to the Karabakh movement, he was outside of Armenia during very difficult period of the Karabakh war, and he doesn't know what this period is like. "Overall, he is far from current domestic issues of Armenia, both political and social. It's difficult to say whether he will be able to overcome this problem, since he was outside of the country for more than 30 years. He left Soviet Armenia, and now it's a completely different country," expert said. David Petrosyan stressed that Armen Sargsyan is closely associated with international financial corporations and circles, and no one tried to hide this fact. History was quietly made on August 3, when the first test container train, the Nomad Express arrived from Kazakhstans Aktau seaport via ferry to Baku International Sea Port in Alat, 40 miles south of Baku on Azerbaijans Caspian coast. As Silk Road Reporters writes in an article "How the Caspian Sea is Becoming a Rail Corridor", The Nomad Express started from Chinas Shikhezi and crossed the border into Kazakhstan via Dostik. The container train took five days to journey cover the 2,200 miles to Kazakhstan Caspian port of Aktau, where it was loaded onto a ferry for the final voyage to Alat. The genesis of Nomad Expresss journey began last January, when the first meeting of the working group of Coordination Committee of Trans-Caspian international transport route was held in Baku, where participants reached agreement on adopting measures to organizing container service on the China-Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey route by using Kazakhstans new Zhezkazgan-Beineu railway line, the facilities of Aktau port, as well as the Georgia-Turkey Akhalkalaki-Kars railway line then nearing completion as a segment of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. With the introduction of the new rail route from China through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, China and Kazakhstan are working to more than double containerized cargo bound for Europe from its current annual level of 100,000 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), a standard-sized metal box 20 feet long intermodal cargo container, to 250,000 TEUs per year. At the time the Baku International Sea Port in Alat was first proposed, there were six international trade ports on the Caspian: Baku (Azerbaijan), Turkmenbashi (Turkmenistan), Aktau (Kazakhstan), Astrakhan (Russia), Enzeli and Neka (Iran.) Kazakhstans national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy head Askar Mamin has noted that since 2012, growing cooperation between Kazakhstan and China has increased container traffic moving to Europe from China via Kazakhstan by 1,200 percent. As for the future, during a ceremony welcoming the Nomad Express, Mamin said, Considering the expected commodity turnover between the countries in the region, the potential of container shipping of the Trans-Caspian route is estimated at 300,000 TEU by 2020. This potential, according to Mamin, can be realized only through a consorted effort of all the participants of the transport chain China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, including railway operators, Caspian ports, shipping companies and terminals providing transportation solutions and competitive pricing policies along the route. Georgia is actively seeking to capture a portion of the transit trade, with the Georgian government upgrading its Black Sea coast port infrastructure beyond Poti and Batumi, by constructing a new deep-sea port in Anaklia. In addition, a railway modernization project began in 2011, to modernize the central rail line from Tbilisi to the ports of Poti and Batumi, is scheduled for completion in 2019. As for the future, Kazakhstan and China are preparing to open a new border crossing that will decrease the transit time from eastern ports of China to Almaty to six days. China is not relying solely on routes through Kazakhstan, however. Far East Land Bridge (FELB), responsible for the biggest portion of container trains between China and Europe, is preparing a new container train route between Suzhou and Georgias Black Sea port Poti. Later this month the inaugural train will begin its journey in Suzhou, in southeastern Jiangsu province, about 62 miles northwest of Shanghai. Enter Russia via Zabaikalsk/Manzhouli border crossing, then utilize the Trans-Siberian, skirting the western coast of the Caspian to reach Baku before moving west to end at Poti in a 15-day journey. Instead of TEUs, the service will mainly use 40-foot FELB containers. The Suzhou-Poti train will be a challenge for Kazakhstan, which has been heavily investing to increase its share of Chinas Eurasian rail traffic. A disadvantage of the FELB Suzhou-Poti train is a longer route when bypassing Kazakhstan, but it saves money by not needing a ferry to cross the Caspian. As for the future of the Suzhou-Poti trains, FELB Head of Operations Amina Jahic said, We already had speed trains with a transit time of only 12 or 13 days. However its too early to guarantee this term but were working on it. The Caspian train ferry route and Suzhou-Poti trains are the most recent evidence of Chinas increasing presence in post-Soviet Eurasia, a development largely welcomed there, as the post-Soviet Central Asian and Caucasian nations have long been overly dependent upon economic ties with Russia. This dependency has led to their economies underperforming, due largely to substandard, aging Soviet-era infrastructural networks. As far back as the mid-1990s China began to perceive Central Asias geopolitical and economic potential, and initial steps taken two decades ago have resulted in deepening economic ties between China and Central Asia. China has built or is building an infrastructural network that includes beyond rail networks highways, pipelines, dams, bridges and telecommunication stations, a process that has intensified since Chinese President Xi Jinping announced his New Silk Road concept in 2013 during visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia. The clearest proof of the quickening international pace of development came on October 16-17, Georgia hosted an inaugural Silk Road Forum in Tbilisi, attended by more than 1,000 participants from all over the world, in particular nations scattered along the ancient Silk Road from Georgia to China. Among those attending were government officials from 30 countries, personnel from 20 major international financial and donor organizations and representatives from 300 Chinese major companies. Chinas willingness to invest in the Eurasian infrastructure to construct a new Silk Road is making the concept a reality; as the dueling Caspian ferry and Suzhou-Europe train routes indicate, the only uncertainty is which routes will ultimately prevail. Matteo Salvini, leader of the Lega Nord, has promised he will deport half a million migrants if he becomes Prime Minister of Italy. Breitbart reports in its article Italian populist leader promises to deport 500,000 migrants that the Italian populist promised that if he is elected Prime Minister in the national election in March 2018 he will deport 100,000 migrants within his first year and half a million over the course of his five-year term. There are half a million irregular migrants in Italy. All of them need to be sent home, Salvini said earlier this week. Salvini has been accused by many in the mainstream media of being xenophobic or even racist for his anti-mass migration stance. He addressed these detractors, saying: The only antidote to racism is to control, regulate and limit immigration. There are millions of Italians in economic difficulty. Italians are not racist, but out-of-control immigration brings with it far from positive reactions. We want to prevent that. Salvini and the Lega Nord have formed an electoral alliance with billionaire former four-time Prime Minister and leader of Forza Italia Silvio Berlusconi, and the conservative-nationalist Brothers of Italy party led by Giorgia Meloni. Who will become Prime Minister if this alliance wins the election will depend on which party garners the most votes. Currently, the Lega Nord lags only two percentage points behind Forza Italia in a recent poll by polling firm EMG. However, even if Forza Italia place first Mr Berlusconi may be unable to become Prime Minister, as he is barred from office due to a prior conviction for tax evasion. The fiery comments are just the latest from Salvini, who is also known as a staunch eurosceptic. Earlier this month the Lega Nord leader said that the European Union can go fuck itself in an explosive interview. Europe has been punishing us for the last 15 years and we are worse off than 15 years ago, he said, adding: European measures are the last thing I am interested in. Italy has been burdened with hundreds of thousands of migrants who, until recently, were being ferried to Italy from only a few miles off the Libyan coast by pro-migration NGO rescue ships accused of working with people-smugglers. While the EU has tried to alleviate the pressure on Italy, as well as Greece, by forcing a migrant redistribution quota scheme, many countries including Czechia, Poland, Hungary, and now Austria are resisting the scheme, favouring deportations and strong borders and maritime patrols instead. As the relationship between the United States and Pakistan continues to deteriorate, signs of a formidable axis in Central Asia emerges. In an interview with the Financial Times published Sunday, Pakistan's defense minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said his country was undergoing a "regional recalibration" of its "foreign and security policy." Newsweek reports in its article PAKISTAN WANTS TO BUY MILITARY SUPPLIES FROM RUSSIA AND CHINA AFTER U.S. FUNDING FREEZE that part of that recalibration involves Pakistan reaching out to Russia and China for new military supplies. The fact that we have recalibrated our way towards better relations with Russia, deepening our relationship with China, is a response to what the Americans have been doing," Khan said. Khan's comments came three weeks after Beijing revealed it would build an offshore naval base near Gwadar Port, in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced it would cut all security aid to Pakistan because the country failed to undermine terrorist networks within its borders. "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," President Donald Trump tweeted on January 1. "They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Khan, who has served as Pakistan's defense minister since August 2017, said Trump's comments were deeply offensive and counterproductive." Immediately after Trump's disparaging tweet, both Beijing and Moscow issued strong statements in support of Pakistan. "We must value Pakistan's important role on the Afghanistan issue, and respect Pakistan's sovereignty and reasonable security concerns," China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi told Secretary of State Rex Tillerson over the phone, according to Chinese media. Russia's envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov echoed Jiechi's remarks, telling reporters that pressuring Pakistan "may seriously destabilize the region-wide security situation and result in negative consequences for Afghanistan," adding that Russia viewed Pakistan as a key regional player to negotiate with. Islamabad had begun pivoting toward China and Russia before Trump's January tweet. In April 2017, Pakistan's foreign minister Khawaja Asif said his country should begin to diplomatically move away from the U.S. and align itself with its powerful neighbors. China lives next to us, and we have a common wall, Asif told a seminar in Islamabad, broadcaster Dawn News reported. Russia can also be our good friend. As Turkey moves forward with Operation Olive Branch with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly saying that Ankara is prepared to take its fight against Kurdish forces in northern Syria as far as Iraq, a leading regional analyst said that the latest military campaign is not likely to have any direct effect on energy projects. As New Europe writes in an article "Turkeys Syria campaign unlikely to affect regional energy projects", asked if that military operation would have any effect on long-term projects like the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), Saleh Jallad of the Consolidated Contractors Company and publisher of the Middle East Economic Survey MEES said, No, these are a little bit in a way independent. TAP, for instance, it has to do with influence but indirect ways, not direct with Turkey. So it will continue to go and its a good project, in my opinion, because it could supply Europe and Greece will also benefit from this project. Jallad stressed that Turkey also wants to diversify its energy resources because the majority of its imports are from Russia. Diversification is the answer for reducing political risk and we have seen how political risk through oil and gas is employed before, he said on the sidelines of an energy conference in Athens by IENE. Turkey wants to be a real hub since they dont own assets in oil and gas yet So if they control or act as a real hub they will have a lot of power in addition to diversification, he added. At the end of last year Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding on supporting the construction of the East Med gas pipeline, which will connect new fields in the Eastern Mediterranean with Europe. However, Jallad noted that the perceived political risk in Turkey in going to be a factor in deciding the best way to transport of the newly discovered hydrocarbons in the East Mediterranean to Europe. He told New Europe that the planned East Med pipeline the project that relates to an offshore/onshore natural gas pipeline, directly connecting East Med resources to Greece via Cyprus and Crete and onto Italy is the most efficient project. He noted, however, that the East Med pipeline is more expensive and there is a problem with the sea depth. Technology becomes the issue and that is under the jurisdiction of technical people not politicians. I put a lot of weight these days on the political risk that is increasing to all projects, he said. Jallad also stressed that the East Med pipeline would increase Europes energy security, lessening dependence on Russian gas supplies. Diversification is the policy of the EU. Thats where Greece can play a role. Greece, either they dont have or they dont want, to go to start drilling and go into that side of the business. I dont know why. For years and years they say they have oil, Jallad said. However, this pipeline with sound governance thats the issue can be a very good thing and very beneficial to Greece in both political strength and find itself in a position to talk and also in economic sense because the construction business will increase and the construction business is a leading indicator for growth, he added. It makes sense because it has the least political risk, he said. The political risk there is that when leaders in the Islamic world change, it is unlike Europe. Islamic world in general, including Turkey, will follow the leader. If the leader changes then the whole system there changes unlike European institutionalised advanced countries, Jallad said. Turkey's army and Free Syrian Army continue the military operation, launched on January 20 in northern Syria, code-named Olive Branch, aimed against against Kurdish YPG and SDF fighters. President Erdogan, going against the will of his Western partners and NATO allies one more time - primarily the United States - not only talks about pushing Syrian Kurds out of the Afrin region, but also threatens to expand the operation to the east - to Manbij and further to the border with Iraq. Western countries accuse Ankara of undermining stability in this Syrian region, saying that Turkish actions interfere with international attempts to defeat ISIS. In this regard, Germany even put on hold the decision on upgrading German-made Leopard tanks in Turkey. Although it is already clear that ISIS does not pose any serious threat to Syria at the moment: in last December the Russian General Staff announced the final defeat of the once powerful terrorist group, which is trying to shift to the tactics of guerrilla warfare. According to the US-led international coalition, ISIS has lost 95% of its territory in Syria and Iraq. Nobody had any doubts that ISIS has absolutely no chance of opposing Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, the Syrian army and the international coalition at the same time. It was initially clear that the main intrigue will develop around Syria's division during the post-ISIS era. The US military bet on the Syrian Kurds, represented by the YPG and the SDF, which maintain close ties with the PKK, is dictated by the desire of the Americans to gain a firm foothold in Syria. It is obvious that the US delivery of portable anti-aircraft missile systems to the Syrian Kurds, which became known to the media, was directed not against ISIS, but to protect them from the parties that possess military aircraft - the Syrian government, Russia and Turkey. The US actions, in terms of their geopolitical interests, are quite logical. The CIA's program for training the moderate Syrian opposition was curtailed last summer, because it turned out to be extremely expensive and at the same time completely ineffective. Kurdish militants are well organized and combat-ready, they have a clear goal of creating their own state, for the sake of which they are ready to enter into an alliance with anyone. If the US succeeds in implementing the Rojava project, then they will receive a powerful lever of pressure on Erdogan's disobedient Turkey, actually taking control of the entire Syrian-Turkish border, as well as will be in close proximity to Russian bases. It is quite obvious that these plans caused sharp opposition of other actors in the Syrian conflict. And not just Turkey, which is afraid of inciting the fire of Kurdish separatism in its own territories, but also Russia and Iran, which do not want watching the US creates a basis for a long-term presence in Syria. As a result, Ankara, Moscow and Tehran came to a temporary agreement on the Turkish military operation in Syria. Another question is how long this tactical alliance would last, and what "red lines" were outlined for Ankara by Moscow and Tehran. Although Russia and Iran do not want strengthening of the US positions in Syria, but the creation of a full-fledged Turkish protectorate in the north of the country is also not profitable for them - which the Turkish leadership will undoubtedly strive for. President Erdogan's statement that Turkey wants to return the region captured by Kurdish groups to "its true owners" should be considered in this context. Both Russia and Iran would like to achieve the restoration of Bashar Assad's power in the territory of the entire SAR, and if this proves impossible, then the maximum weakening of his opponents. At the same time, Russia and Iran are watching with satisfaction how the two NATO allies, Turkey and the United States, are actually fighting on opposite sides. YPG/SDF faced with the most difficult situation now, as they overestimated their resourses, and today they are actually left alone with a powerful opponent in the person of Turkey, as the US, judging by the latest statements from the White House, clearly does not intend to sacrifice its relations with Ankara for the sake of the rather risky Kurdish project. In the current situation, the adjustment of the YPG/SDF policy, which have so far carried out the policy of ethnic cleansing in the Syrian territories under their control, has become a matter of time. A few days ago, Moldovan news channel TVC 21 broadcasted a documentary film about victims of terrorism and ethnic conflicts "Domino Principle", filmed by the Eurasian Film Schools Alumni Association with participation of historians and documentary filmmakers from Russia, Israel, Hungary, Serbia and Germany. Authors of this film talk about collapse of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, emphasizing the fact that the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun played a big role in the collapse of these great states. In an hour long film authors discussed the history of this party, its program, which envisaged creation of armed groups, designed to fight against what was percieved as negative phenomena, including through terrorist methods. Documentary also tells about the beginning of subversive activities of the Dashnak, in particular when it seized the building of the Ottoman Bank in Istanbul in 1896. Then, after taking European staff hostage and threatening to blow up the bank, terrorists demanded to carry out political reforms from Turkish government. As a result of negotiations, they left this bank thanks personal guarantee of the Russian embassy's representative. However, at the beginning of 20th century, this party took anti-Russian positions - the reason for this was a government decree, aimed at limiting economic base of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which undermined financial well-being of nationalist parties. In 1903, terrorists from the Hnchak Party organized an attack on commander in chief of the Russian army in the Caucasus, Prince Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn, who was considered to be responsible for the property confiscating policy of the Armenian church. Nationalists from Dashnaktsutyun and Hnchak also killed banker Jamgarov, Baku governor, Prince Michael Nakashidze, General Maksud Alikhanov-Avarsky, carpet dealer Tavshanjyan. Many rich Armenians often received threats that they will be killed if they don't pay "taxes" to the Dashnaktsutyun. In the modern history, Dashnaktsutyun is also accused of a series of terrorist attacks in Moscow in 1977, carried out by Armenian terrorists Hakob Stepanyan, Zaven Baghdasaryan and Stepan Zatikyan, as well as of fueling conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, which became the catalyst for collapse of the USSR. Authors of this film's note that several Armenian advisers and assistants were close associates of Mikhail Gorbachev. It was stressed that by the order of Western political circles they fueled national conflicts, primarily the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which led to a chain reaction in the entire Soviet space and, ultimately, to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Armenias Metsamor nuclear power plant should be shut down as soon as possible, the deputy head of Division for the Eastern Partnership countries at European External Action Service, Dirk Lorenz, said. "It is necessary to close the nuclear power plant as soon as possible, since it is impossible to improve it to such an extent that it fully meet international security requirements," Interfax Azerbaijan cited him as saying. Earlier, the EU promised to allocate 200 million euros to Armenia for the shutdown of the Metsamor nuclear power plant. European purchasers of Russian gas have expressed a desire to receive it through new corridors and not through Ukraine after the expiry of the long-term transit contract signed between Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz in 2019, Gazprom deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev said. He said that Russian gas giant is considering using Austrias Baumgarten gas hub to bring natural gas to Europe via the future Turkish Stream undersea pipeline. Speaking at the European Gas Conference in Vienna, Medvedev also said the Russian gas exports to Europe declined by 3% in January year-on-year, Reuters reported. An associate professor of the Graduate School of Corporate Management of RANEPA, Ivan Kapitonov, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, said that the desire of European buyers to receive Russian gas bypassing Ukraine is largely due to political factors. "More and more often Europe makes it clear that the Ukrainian regime is unreliable," the expert said. He recalled that the Ukrainian gas transportation system was created in the 1970s and the period of its operation is 30 years. "Infrastructure needs to be renewed, but Ukraine does not have money for it. The deterioration leads to an increase in technogenic accidents. There have and will have no money for renovation, so it's more profitable and cheaper to build new corridors," the analyst believes. According to him, the situation is exacerbated by the political and economic confrontation associated with the construction of new transit corridors, including the Nord Stream-2. "On the one hand, Europe understands that supplies via Ukraine need to be duplicated by some other route, On the other hand, alternative routes are hindered by Europe itself on political grounds," the expert explained. Kapitonov believes that in the end the economic factor in this issue will prevail over political one. "We saw this on the example of Russian gas deliveries to the US. I think sooner or later the same will happen with the EU. This smooth turn already can be seen, and one can hope here that thought with some delay, but Nord Stream -2 will be built," the expert concluded. A leading analyst of the National Energy Security Fund, a lecturer at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Igor Yushkov, expressed similar opinion. According to him, the EU's desire to abandon the Ukrainian gas transit is logical. "Ukraine often makes contradictory statements. But, first of all, European gas consumers see that Ukraine does not invest in modernization of the gas transportation system," he explained. According to the analyst, only the modernization of some pipes will require more than $10 billion, which Ukraine does not have. "They want to shift this to some international organizations, or to European consumers. European consumers wonder why they should do this when Gazprom proposes building input gas pipelines at its own expense," the expert explained. However, he added that the interests of European business are in contradiction with European politicians on this issue. "European politicians have their own tasks, many of them are in favor of undermining new gas pipeline projects, while business stands for it, because it is profitable and reliable," Yushkov noted, adding that European entrepreneurs are also concerned about the unpredictability of non-institutional forces in Ukraine. At the same time, he believes that in the end, bypass gas pipelines will be built. "There is an active opposition, especially to Nord Stream 2. But while the project is being implemented, the European Commission has recognized that it cannot ban it from building. They are trying to create conditions for the participants to abandon it themselves, but they do not do it. I think that the projects will be implemented," the expert concluded. The U.S. Treasury Department has released "Kremlin report" - the list of Russians who are potential targets for future U.S. sanctions. The list has the names of 114 senior politicians and members of the Russian leadership, as well as 96 names of the so-called Russian oligarchs. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Deputy Prime Ministers Sergey Prikhodko, Alexander Khloponin, Vitaly Mutko, Arkady Dvorkovich, Olga Golodets, Dmitry Kozak and Dmitry Rogozin, and other 22 ministers, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu have been put on the list. The list also includes Presidential Administration Chief Anton Vaino, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, and other senior members of the presidential administration, and also Kremlin aides, presidential advisers and plenipotentiary representatives to the federal districts. Other senior political leaders on the list are Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika, and head of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin. Mikhail Fedotov, who heads the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, Russian business ombudsman Boris Titov and presidential commissioner for childrens rights Anna Kuznetsova are also mentioned in the "Kremlin report." The document also has the names of the heads of major state corporations, including Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, Sberbank CEO German Gref, Russian Railways Director General Oleg Belozerov and others. In addition, the US Department of the Treasury has put 96 names on the list of the so-called Russian oligarchs: businessmen Alisher Usmanov, Roman Abramovich, Suleiman Kerimov and also Kaspersky Lab founder Eugene Kaspersky, Pyotr Aven and Vladimir Potanin. The list also includes Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, Gennady Timchenko and Oleg Tinkov. The Treasury Department stressed that this is not a sanctions list. The inclusion of these individuals on the list does not create any obstacles for business contacts of US citizens provided that they are not subject to sanctions, TASS reported. The document reads that the individuals mentioned on the "oligarchs list" "have a net worth of $ 1 billion or more". The director of the Institute of Political Studies Sergei Markov, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the 'Kremlin report' aims at turning Russian power elites against President Vladimir Putin and make them cause regime change. "This is a transition to a new phase of the one-sided hybrid war waging by the US against Russia, while the Russian leadership has been trying to reconcile with the West. All people put on the list will be forced to withdraw their capital from the West, take their children back. The US is urging its allies to take certain measures against them, this is a kind of outlawing, encouraging any negative and aggressive actions, prohibiting contacts and negotiations," he explained. "They say in the United States all the time that Russia is toxic, and now they published a list of Russian officials recognized as" toxic", which are recommended to be perceived as part of a disease. The 'Kremlin report' is a list for destruction,and the official recognition that four years of encouraging the elite to overthrow Vladimir Putin failed. The United States strongly advised the elites how to do this, but Putin remained in power, and now officials and business were punished. In this regard, the 'Kremlin report' is also a recognition of Washington's weakness, whose mechanisms did not work in Russia," Sergei Markov underlined. The director of the Center for Political Information, Alexei Mukhin, in turn, is confident that the 'Kremlin report' will not affect the Russia-US relations. "It means already nothing, since our relations have been destroyed to the ground," he said, adding that the de jure introduction of sanctions against officials at the level of prime minister and chairman of the Federation Council is highly doubtful. "I hope that the Congress understands that the sanctions against Dmitry Medvedev and Valentina Matviyenko will mean de facto the declaration of war, although I have doubts about it. As for the purpose of the report, it aims at providing direct pressure and interfering in the internal affairs of the sovereign state of Russia on the eve of the presidential elections. Shame on Washington. I think a legal assessment of this interference will be given at the international level," Alexei Mukhin expects. According to the senior research fellow at the European Research Centre of the International Relations Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladimir Olenchenko, Washington's approach is arrogant and unprofessional at the same time. "I do not understand what the Americans are expecting, that Russia will be upset and start asking "Why? One should expect from Moscow only similar actions in view of this 'Kremlin report' in the future work," the expert predicts. "First, all other countries should understand that the approach of drawing up lists of objectionable persons can be applied to them as well. Second, by creating such tension in relations with Russia, they take on an increased responsibility, since a lot of things in the world depend on the Russian-US relations, which means that now we are experiencing a period of power crisis in the US administration. They are not able to talk on an equal footing, they are not able to integrate into the system of a multipolar world, so they try to emphasize that they are leaders, despite the fact that their share in both the economy and politics is steadily declining," Vladimir Olenchenko concluded. Georgia has joined the European Union state tenders' search platform, Opendender, which launches officially today. Opentender allows the user to search and analyse tender data from 35 jurisdictions. These jurisdictions include 28 EU member states, Norway, EU Institutions, Iceland, Switzerland, Serbia, Georgia and Armenia, Agenda.ge reported. The web-platform Opentender is part of DIGIWHIST, an EU Horizon 2020 funded project which brings together six European research institutes with the aim of empowering society to combat public sector corruption. Russia's Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko commented on the Kremlin List published by the US Department of Treasury, which includes her as well. She believes that Washington had no reasons to release new lists and that American politicians are "gripped by a sanctions craze." "It seems that those who are currently setting the tone for US policy have been smitten with a very dangerous illness - I would call it a sanctions craze. There were no reasons to publish a new list," TASS cited Matviyenko as saying. the speaker added that the publication of the so-called 'Kremlin list' is crude intervention in Russias sovereign affairs and the election process ahead of the Russian presidential election due on March 18. The House of Representatives of the State of New Mexico of the United States passed a resolution on the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The resolution stresses that the first secular democratic republic in the Muslim world Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was established in 1918, which "enacted many progressive reforms, including granting the right to vote to women in 1919, which made Azerbaijan not only the first majority-Muslim nation to empower women, but it also put the country ahead of many advanced nations at the time in championing women's rights." The document notes that having restored its independence in 1991, Azerbaijan has consolidated its freedom and independence and has become one of the world's fastest developing and modernizing countries, the largest economy of the region and the biggest trade partner with the United States in the South Caucasus," AZE.az reported. It also mentions that the United States was one of the first countries to recognize the Republic of Azerbaijan and establish full-fledged diplomatic relations with it and notes that Azerbaijan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity is recognized and supported by the US and the United Nations. Speaking of the US-Azerbaijan relations, the resolution emphasizes that both countries "have expanded their partnership and developed multi-faceted cooperation on issues ranging from energy security, the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the fight against international terrorism and drug and human trafficking." It states that "Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to render comprehensive and unconditional assistance to the United States immediately after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, opening its airspace and airports for use by coalition troops in Afghanistan and sending its soldiers to serve shoulder-to-shoulder with American troops." The document commends Azerbaijans contributions to the energy security of the United States, Europe and Israel. It also indicates that "it is critical for the United States to continue to further support the freedom and independence of its allies, such as Azerbaijan, and strengthen relations in order to advance the common interest now and in the future". The House of Representatives congratulated Azerbaijan on the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, and reiterated a firm support for Azerbaijan's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The copies of the resolution will be presented to US President, President of the US Senate and Speaker of the US House of Representatives as well as to the members of the New Mexico congressional delegation. The Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi provides an opportunity to meet the Syrians aspirations to end the war, fully eradicate terrorism and return to normal life, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his message to the participants in the forum. "Your forum is called upon to reunite the Syrian people after the armed conflict that lasted nearly seven years, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions of citizens to leave their home country," the message read out by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says. "There is a good opportunity to meet the Syrians aspirations to end the fratricidal war, fully eradicate terrorism and return to normal life," TASS cited Putin as saying. According to Putin, Syrians should jointly develop their vision of prospects to overcome the crisis and outline reforms in the country. "Now all the constructive forces of the Syrian society have a key task of developing a common vision of prospects to overcome the crisis and together outlining the reforms that would enable citizens, regardless of their religious, ethnic background and social status, to feel safe and comfortable in their motherland," the president said. Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, said that it was in talks with Dubai banking group Emirates NBD over selling Denizbank. "Discussions are at an early stage. At the current time there is no exact information on whether a deal will take place. Sberbank regularly looks at potential market opportunities and will only announce its next steps if there are significant changes," the bank said in a statement. Sberbank and Denizbank confirmed the talks in separate statements, Bloomberg reported. Sberbank bought Dexia SAs Turkish unit Denizbank for about $3.5 billion in 2012. Denizbank was Turkeys ninth-largest lender by assets at the end of September, according to countrys banking association. The Moscow-based lender also held discussions with other Gulf-based lenders, people familiar with the matter said. Russias Su-27 fighter jet intercepted a US -3 Aries II warfare and reconnaissance aircraft flying over the Black Sea towards the Russian border. All safety precautions were observed during the interception, the Russian defense ministrys press service said. "A Su-27 fighter jet from air defense alert force was used to intercept the target. The Su-27 approached the aircraft to a safe distance and identified it as a US -3 Aries II electronic warfare and reconnaissance aircraft," the ministry said. The Russian ministry noted that the fighter jet followed the US aircraft to prevent it from violating Russias airspace borders observing all necessary safety precautions. After the US reconnaissance aircraft changed its course off Russias airspace border, the Russian Su-27 fighter jet returned to the base. "The Su-27 flight was performed in strict compliance with international rule of airspace use, not incidents were reported," TASS cited the ministry as saying. CNN reported earlier citing US officials that a Russian fighter jet had intercepted an Orion reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea, adding that the interception had been unsafe. The Turkish military vehemently claims of civilian casualties and the use of chemical or biological weapons in Operation Olive Branch in Syria's Afrin, noting that it does not own the prohibited material in its inventory. The military said in a statement that there have been fabricated news stories released with the goal to cast a shadow to the legitimacy of the operation. "It is evident that these reports, based on lies and slander are spread by terrorist organizations and their supporters," Daily Sabah cited the statement as saying. The military highlighted that the operation solely focuses on terrorists and their shelters, hideouts, weapons and vehicles, and that special attention is paid to prevent civilian casualties. Furthermore, the statement noted the military also takes extra caution and does not target religious or cultural structures, historical artifacts, archaeological sites or public facilities, vehemently dismissing recent claims that Turkish airstrikes damaged the ancient site of Ain Dara near Afrin. With regards to the use of prohibited chemical and biological weapons, the military said that the Turkish Air Forces do not own napalm or any ammunition prohibited by international law and agreements. CIA Director Mike Pompeo says he has "every expectation" that Russia will try to disrupt midterm elections in November after U.S. intelligence uncovered interference in 2016. In , the head of the Central Intelligence Agency was asked about concerns that the Kremlin might try again to influence the outcome of upcoming U.S. polls. He said: "I haven't seen a significant decrease in their activity." "Of course. I have every expectation that they will continue to try and do that," Pompeo told the BBC, adding, "but I'm confident that America will be able to have a free and fair election [and] that we will push back in a way that is sufficiently robust that the impact they have on our election won't be great." In January 2017, a U.S. intelligence assessment concluded that Russia had authorized hacks into the Democratic National Committee and officials connected with the Clinton campaign. In addition, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a Senate hearing that the hacking was one part of a coordinated effort that "also entailed classical propaganda, disinformation, and fake news." In October, that U.S. intelligence agencies had concluded that Russian interference did not affect the outcome of the election. - Read More, NPR HCM CITY Microchip Technology Inc awarded 11 scholarships, 200 development tools and 500 books to nearly 2,000 students of five leading national universities at a ceremony in HCM City on January 30. The winners of the scholarship were shortlisted from top final-year electronic engineering students during the 2017 academic year. In addition to academic excellence, the winners had to demonstrate their mastery over Microchip products in their research and development projects. We are proud of our commitment to play a key role in helping the regions next generation of electronic engineers hone their skills and gain qualifications, said Joe Krawczyk, vice president, Asia Pacific Sales at Microchip Technology. We strongly believe this initiative can play an important part in motivating and encouraging promising students to strive for even greater academic excellence in future. Since the launch of its first Viet Nam university programme in 2008, Microchip has supported academic institutions by providing development tools, reference books and assistance in setting up laboratories. For the 2017/18 programme, Microchip contributed US$20,000. The company also oversaw the establishment of four micro-controller laboratories in the five universities. These include Ha Noi University of Science, HCM City University of Technology, Peoples Police University of Technology and Logistics, a Nang University of Science and Technology, and HCM City University of Science. Microchip Technology Inc is a United States-based provider of micro-controller, mixed-signal, analogue and Flash-IP solutions, providing low-risk product development, lower system cost and faster market delivery of thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide. VNS Despite concerns from economic experts about the undetermined scale and scope of Viet Nams undocumented market transactions, authorities are adamant that the illicit economy is under control and will soon be regulated heavily. Photo dantri.com.vn HA NOI Despite concerns from economic experts about the undetermined scale and scope of Viet Nam s undocumented market transactions, authorities are adamant that the illicit economy is under control and will soon be regulated heavily. In its latest move, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) is expected to finalise and submit to the Prime Ministers Office a scheme on underground economic sectors today. Under the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue, the report details the sectors structure and statistics, based on the General Statistics Offices (GSO) findings. Vo Tri Thanh, former deputy director of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), said that since 1990, the GSO estimated the size of the underground economy to be more than 10 per cent of GDP. About 10 years ago, reports of evaluations conducted by other agencies and organisations measured the amount of cash outside official circulation. The results showed that the value of this area was about 30 to 35 per cent of GDP. However, economic experts raise questions on the authenticity of the data. Nguyen uc Thanh, director of the Institute for Economic and Policy Research (VEPR), said that a re-calculation of the informal economy was necessary for the Government to grasp specific data and set out a suitable development strategy. However, he argued that the underground economy should not be included in GDP to increase the size of the economy. If the informal economy was calculated, the total GDP of Viet Nam would increase. When GDP increases, it changes many numbers, such as budget overspending, while the ratio of public debt to GDP naturally decreases. Luu Bich Ho, former Director of the Development Strategy Institute under the MPI, said that statistics of the unregulated sector or underground economy had been around for a long time. The problem was their accuracy and purpose. Ho said that if fully observed, there were reliable data that could sum up underground economic activities into the overall GDP, increasing the latters scale. Therefore, the public-debt ratio could fall from 64 per cent to 61 or 62 per cent. The economic expert added that additional statistics, as required by Deputy PM Hue, were needed. But policymakers needed long-term restructured measures for a more accurate national growth model. Indeed, we can gain about five to 30 per cent more of the State budgets tax from these economic transactions. The most important thing now is how the Government can statistically manage such underlying profit, Ho said at a GSO meeting. Nguyen Bich Lam, GSO director deneral, said it was highly unlikely that the non-observed economy could be as large as 30 per cent of Viet Nams GDP, rejecting an earlier report by Fulbright University Vietnam, whom he believed to have taken into account household economic activities as well. Lam said that the underground economy, or black economy, were economic activities not measured by conventional methods and reflected in official data. This whole could be divided into several main sectors of illegal economy - unreported, unrecorded and informal. According to the GSO, these were purposely hidden activities to avoid tax or evade State management regulation - drug production and trading, prostitution, casinos and unreported data and statistical errors or inaccurate information provided by businesses and agencies. There are difficult elements for the GSO in collecting information for calculations. Particularly underground and illicit economic activities cannot be gleaned in a formal way, and thus cannot be taken into the same categories as formal ones, he added. This meant they were difficult to quantify, and Lam demanded that calculation methodologies be reviewed. When data from the informal economy was officially accounted for in the countrys economic performance, the GDP scale would be adjusted, which would be followed by the tax rate, public-debt ceiling and government-spending adjustments, Lam said, adding that these changes would not affect the growth rate. According to the Government Offices statistics, should the unofficial economy be incorporated, the countrys GDP would instead have so large a multiplier that public sector debt would be significantly greater to finance development needs. Ho named several factors that could influence Viet Nam s underground economic growth. Loopholes in national laws were the main reason. For example, regulations stipulate that when the number of staff exceeds 10, business establishments and organizations must register as enterprises and pay the corresponding (i.e. higher) taxes. However, many businesses, though exceeding this number, have been hesitant to become anything larger than extra-small enterprises, thus keeping overall business growth rate stagnant. Another reason, according to Ho, is that businesses in local, remote wards and communes are protected by local governments, leading totax evasion by these households - and eventually state budget revenue loss. au Anh Tuan, head of the legal department of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), said that according to a study by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in 2003, Viet Nam s excessive control and concentration had promoted informal activities in the economy. Tuan said the underground economy would greatly restrict the opportunities and scale of other businesses, making them less competitive at the national level and less able to integrate into international trade. Economic expert Le ang Doanh said that all countries had an informal economy, but the rates were different. The best way to manage underground business was to use public e-government. The best solution is to create favorable conditions for the Government, but also to be transparent for businesses with good brand names, Doanh said. VNS HA NOI The State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) has issued a document asking credit institutions and branches of foreign banks to push the resolving of non-performing loans in 2018. Accordingly, each bad debt must be reviewed and evaluated to provide a comprehensive picture about non-performing loans, mortgage assets and ability to reclaim debts, from which measures will be raised for resolving bad debts effectively. Lenders have also been asked to cooperate with the Viet Nam Asset Management Company in handling bad debts and mortgaged assets sold to this company. In addition to this, the selling of bad debts at market prices must be promoted, SBV said. Central bank Governor Le Minh Hung said 2018 would be a special year for the banking sector to handle bad debts following the National Assembly resolution 42/2017/QH14. Hung said handling bad debts was a hard job as the banking system was responsible for providing credits for the economy as well as for implementing restructuring and handling bad debts. The central bank is completing circulars about credit risk management in sectors such as real estate, securities and build-transfer (BT) and build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects and internal audit to prevent risks. According to Trinh Quoc Trung from the University of Economics and Law, it is critical to improve the management capacity of credit institutions to ensure the safe operation of the banking system. Trung said detailed instructions to implement Resolution 42 must be issued. Economic expert Nguyen Tri Hieu said the handling of bad debts also required the co-operation of relevant agencies such as police and local authorities to effectively handle mortgaged assets. He said transparency in shareholdings at banks must also be improved. Resolution 42 allows individuals to buy bad debts. But the lack of debt trading market also hindered the handling of non-performing loans, Hieu said, adding the development of such a market must be of great importance. A report by the National Financial Supervisory Commission shows that some VN70 trillion (US$3.07) worth bad debts were handled in 2017, rising by 40 per cent over the previous year. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam maintained its position as an important investment destination for Japanese companies, with some 70 per cent of operational Japanese-invested firms making plans for business expansion here. This information was revealed by Hironobu Kitagawa, chief representative of Japanese External Trade Organisation (JETRO), in Ha Noi, at a meeting with the Ministry of Industry and Trade on January 29. According to the latest survey conducted by JETRO on the operation of Japanese firms in Asia and Oceania, 65.1 per cent of Japanese businesses operating in Viet Nam reported profits, up 2.3 points over the 2016 survey. Some 70 per cent of Japanese firms have mulled over expansion schemes in Viet Nam given the countrys market size, growth, stable political and social state of affairs, and cheap labour cost. This was a high rate in comparison with other countries where JETRO conducted the annual survey, Kitagawa said. Viet Nam continues to be an important investment destination for Japanese businesses. However, the head of JETRO in Ha Noi also pointed out the risks in the investment climate, concerns and obstacles that Japanese enterprises are facing during the investment process in Viet Nam. The latest survey was conducted with nearly 12,000 Japanese enterprises in 20 countries and territories in Asia and Oceania from October 10 to November 10, 2017. In Viet Nam, 1,345 Japanese firms participated in the survey. The full report will be made available next week. According to Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade o Thang Hai, the survey provides comprehensive and objective information to help the Vietnamese Government and ministries to make effective and practical policies. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam can fully meet Qatars demand for tropical fruits, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Nguyen Xuan Cuong. During a meeting with Belgian Rent-A-Port N.V. held last week, Cuong said Viet Nam had 1.8 million hectares of cultivation area for fruits and vegetables with an annual output of 20 million tonnes, adding that the figure would double in the future if demand increases. In 2017, vegetable and fruit export revenue hit US$3.6 billion, up by 50 per cent over the previous year. In the future, Viet Nam will construct and put into operation 10 more fruit and vegetable processing factories across the country, he was quoted by MARDs e-portal mard.gov.vn. Rent-A-Port is the port-related investment and management arm of the Belgian Holding Ackermans & van Haaren, which was founded in 1885 and is one of the largest stock-listed holding companies of Belgium, with assets of 2.7 billion euro ($3.2 billion). Rent-A-Port operates as an engineering and investment company that analyses, designs, constructs, develops, and manages port, logistics, marine infrastructure, and industrial zones worldwide. The company is helping Viet Nam and India promote fruit and vegetable exports to Middle East countries, starting with Qatar. Therefore, except from the current key exported fruits, Cuong asked Rent-A-Port to learn more about other types, such as bananas, grapefruit, dragon fruit and mango, as well as durian and coconut to add them to the list of fruits expected to be exported from Viet Nam to the Middle East countries. Cuong pledged to help Rent-A-Port to meet and co-operate with major partners in Viet Nam. VNS HA NOI The State Securities Commission (SSC) has warned about the risks arising from investing in financial technology (fintech). In a notice issued on its website on Monday, SSC said that the market now had companies operating in fintech, including cryptocurrency, initial coin offering, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending and blockchain. These were new products that had not been regulated, SSC said, thus posing high risks. SSC urged investors to be wary of investing in such products. The commission also requested public companies operating in fintech to comply with the established law on initial offering and fund raising. While waiting for the issuance of the legal framework to manage these new products, SSC asked securities companies not to provide services such as consultancy, brokerage, issuance and transaction of cryptocurrencies as well as other fintech products and to comply with the established laws on prevention of money laundering. A few days ago, the Ministry of Justice also warned about cryptocurrencies. Nguyen Hong Hai, deputy director of the ministrys Department of Civil and Economic Laws, said that transactions in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were anonymous and could be a tool for criminal trading, such as money laundering. Hai warned citizens to be cautious while trading in cryptocurrencies due to their high risk of being hacked and the lack of management regulations. VNS By Ha Nguyen As Tet approaches, a group of gourmets from Ha Noi is visiting the northern province of Cao Bang to seek the best mien dong (canna vermicelli) to make cellophane noodles. The rhizomes of the plant are full of starch . Every year we travel to Nguyen Binhs Phia en Village to buy the Cao Bang specialty," said housewife Nguyen Thi Huan from Ha Nois ong a District. Ive tried many sorts of mien from the countrys three regions, but the organic product from Phia en is the most tasty. It has a sweet flavour and is soft but crispy and firm when cooked. The best: Phia en vermicelli is said to be the most tasty in Viet Nam. VNA/VNS Photo Quan Trang Phia en villager Nong Thi Mung, 68, said: God has given us a cool and temperate climate year round and fertile land suitable for planting maize, cassava and particularly cu dong rieng o (red edible canna) which has the most aromatic flavour. Hard work: Making vermicelli is a long process. VNA/VNS Photo Quan Trang First, the noodle makers have to choose big and mature dong rieng roots, then clean them and grind them until they produce a flour as white as ivory. The flour is then mixed with cold then hot water until it becomes thick and sticky. It is then poured into a simple gadget with a row of holes that squirt the liquid out onto a moving bamboo frame. They are then dried in the sun for several days. Mung said mien dong can be used for many dishes, such as mien ga (chicken vermicelli), mien cua (crab vermicelli), mien ngan (goose vermicelli), mien luon (eel vermicelli) and many others, noting that the Tay ethnic group to which she belonged often fried mien with wood-ear fungus and mixed it with boiled chicken pieces, onion, lemon and mint. It can also be used to make nem ran (fried spring rolls). Chicken vermicelli The dish is always popular at birthday parties, anniversaries of all kinds and particularly Tet. Every Tay family prepares the dish for Tet parties, said Mung. The best: Phia en vermicelli is said to be the most tasty in Viet Nam. "To make it, I choose a capon between 2.5 to 3kg raised by myself, boil it until it well done and has a fragrant smell. The capon is removed, let cool and then cut into pieces. The sweet chicken broth should be kept simmering on the fire and then being scooped into a big bowl filled with chicken pieces and the cellophane noodles, she said, adding that the dish should be eaten hot with coriander and pepper. Thanks to our high quality Phia en mien dong, the food is tasty even when cool, said Mung. In Tay households, any visitors arriving at new year are welcomed with a bowl of mien. This promotes friendship between neighbours and people as long and durable as mien noodles, said Mung, noting that they were considered a valuable gift for relatives and friends. Mixed fried vermicelli Mung said all her family liked the dish, although in the past it was only eaten at dinners to remember the departed or during Tet, adding that she never forgets the taste of the dish cooked by her grandfather. The ingredients he used were very simple and contained no shrimps, beef, eels or seafood, but only mien dong (0.2kg), chicken egg (1), pork (0.2kg), carrots, garlic, celery, cooking oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt and pepper. To make a tasty dish, she advised cooks to choose Phia en vermicelli. "Before cooking, you should soak the mien in water, but only for 10 minutes. After that you should dip the noodles in boiling water and then quickly soak them in cold water to keep them firm so that they doe not stick together when frying.". Delicious: A bowl of vermicelli with goose. Photos dulichcaobang.com The last stage is to fry the pork and other ingredients until well done and then put the mien into a pan and fry for five minutes until they are firm and even crunchy. You should put cilantro-flavored herbs or laksa leaves and pepper over the dish to make it more tasty, said Mung. For Cao Bang people, a bowl of Phia en vermicelli cooked with chicken, wood ears or fragrant mushroom at Tet is not simply a dish. Eaters experience the flavour of their native land, bringing families closely together, she said. Truong Manh Hao, a herbalist from Nguyen Binh Districts Centre for Traditional Medicine, said mien dong helped reduce weight, triglycerides and cholesterol. It was also good for diabetics. . The root of the dong rieng is a good medicine for tooth pain, hepatitis and ear infections, Hao said. VNS HA NOI The annual pilgrimage festival honouring the Vietnamese peoples ancestors, the Hung kings, will be held in the northern province of Phu Tho between April 21 and 25, 2018. The traditional festival is held on the death anniversary of the Hung Kingsthe 10th day of the third lunar month, which falls on April 25 this year. The event has been observed for thousands of years, displaying the countrys cultural characteristics and consolidating national solidarity. The festival this year will be hosted by Phu Tho Province while four other provinces will help organise, including the northern province of Thai Nguyen, central province of Quang Nam and southern provinces of Binh Duong and Kien Giang. Various activities will be held at the Hung Temple Complex, Viet Tri City, communes surrounding Hung Temple Complex and temples worshipping the Hung kings and heroes of Hung kings era throughout Phu Tho Province. According to plan, contributing provinces will join in the worship ceremony and contribute money to cover the organizing expenses and to upgrade the Hung Temple Relic Site. The provinces will join in various activities during the festival like holding a chung (square cake) making contest and preparing giay (glutinous round) cake; exhibit local delicacies at a fair during the event and perform at art shows. At a recent meeting, authorities of involved provinces agreed on the plan and will promote the festival so that many people all around the nation would join in the event. Ha Ke San, vice chairman of Phu Tho Provinces Peoples Committee, head of the organising board, asked involved sectors in the provinces to co-ordinate to organise the event. Phu Tho and the contributing provinces will prepare the best conditions to organise a festival successfully, safely, at the lowest costs and leave the best marks in the memories of domestic and foreign tourists, he said. Vietnamese legend has it that Lac Long Quan, son of Kinh Duong Vuong, married Au Co, daughter of King e Lai. Au Co gave birth to a sack containing 100 eggs from which 100 children were born. The couple then decided to separate to populate the land, so half the children followed their mother to the highlands and the rest went with their father to the sea. The first child went with mother Au Co to Phong Chau, now Phu Tho Province. He then became King Hung and founded the first nation in the history of Viet Nam, Van Lang. Ruling the country for 18 generations, the Hung Kings taught the people how to grow wet rice. They chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for lush crops. To honour the Hung Kings, a complex of temples dedicated to them was built on Nghia Linh Mountain, and the tenth day of the third lunar month serves as their anniversary. The worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings are closely related to the ancestral worship traditions of most Vietnamese families, an important part of peoples spiritual lives. The worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings was recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012. VNS Nguyen Hong Thuc. Photo tuoitre.vn Nguyen Hong Thuc, director general of the Viet Nam Union of Science and Technology Associations Settlement Research Institute, talks to the Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper about the need to adjust development strategies for small and medium-sized cities. Does HCM City plan to curb the mass migration from its outlying areas into the inner city? On average, about 200,000 people are added to HCM Citys population a year, of which two thirds are migrants from other provinces. From 2012-16, the figure was about 850,000 people. It is projected that by 2025, the city will have a population of more than 10 million, excluding non-residents. It is forecast that by the year 2045, the citys population will reach 15 million. According to a recent survey, most of the migrants in HCM City found jobs in the first month after arrival, despite low education levels and occupational training. The typical jobs they found were manual as the demand is high in HCM City. However, seasonal workers and migrant workers in the city number about 1-2 million people, overloading the citys infrastructure, including houses, schools and hospitals. In such a situation, slum dwellings and social evils have become a big burden for city authorities. Many experts have argued that migrants drive urban development. What do you think? Cities have many ways of responding to population demands, thats why they need labour forces with a wide range of skills from low to highs.. During the industrial revolution in the late 19th century to the early 20th century, England experienced heavy migration from rural areas to cities. Those migrants contributed more than 40 per cent of the countrys GDP. The British government adopted many plans to stabilise the lives of the migrants while building many public places and houses for migrants so that they could enjoy fair living conditions. Another point I want to mention is that migrants wages there were not much different from local workers. However, for Viet Nam, things are quite different. Up to now we dont have a policy to allow migrants to have long-term employment contracts and become permanent residents in the cities where they work. So, no doubt, they will eventually become a burden. In my opinion, HCM City authorities should look at this issue more comprehensively. They first should consider migrant workers as part and parcel of the work force who are joining hands developing the city. They should then look for measures to control the flow of migrants. For example, we should develop outlying districts, rural areas or small and medium-sized satellite cities around the city. In our current socio-economic condition, what should we do to encourage poor people living in the countryside not to migrate to urban areas? In my opinion, the main reasons for the migration from rural areas to urban areas are the State and societys resources and capital investment in these centres. As a result, more jobs are available. This increases urban conveniences and opportunities to earn more money. Capital flow is the main contributor to the imbalance in investment resources between big cities and rural areas and the movement of the population. This is food for thought when thinking about the need to develop small cities to stop the free movement of people to cities or metro cities. What should HCM City and other major cities do to overcome the problem of overloaded populations and segmented construction development? Many countries have developed satellite cities adjacent to their mother cities. Basically speaking, satellite cities are financially independent from their mother cities. However, in our case, I dont think it is time to think of developing satellite cities for either Ha Noi or HCM City. But, both Ha Noi and HCM City need development strategies, including encouraging people to move to outlying districts while improving their infrastructure and public transport. Last but not least, authorities in both cities should delegate more power to adjacent or satellite cities. In my opinion, our policy on urbanisation should be re-defined based on their development plans. That policy is to create conditions for each urban area to find ways to develop. When all the urban areas can stand on their own feet and practise autonomy, well then think about intra-regional connectivity in terms of technical infrastructure, jobs and economy. That means people dont need to go to other cities to work as nowadays. They can work at home. VNS HCM CITY The year 2017 led to an increasing number of maritime mishaps involving fishing and cargo ships in the seas around Viet Nam, highlighting the perils seafarers face. According to the Viet Nam Maritime Search and Rescue Co-ordination Centre Region III, in charge of the sea area from south of Ninh Thuan Province to Kien Giang Province, in 2017 the agency received 183 distress signals, 1.5 times more than in 2016. The agency had to dispatch rescue ships 37 times to support and rescue a total of 537 people, an increase of more than three times year on year. Despite these efforts, 96 seafarers died or are still missing. Luong Truong Phi, deputy director of the search-and-rescue centre, said 16 typhoons and many tropical low-pressure systems battered the East Sea were responsible for the higher number of maritime accidents. The situation was made worse by poor quality of fishing vessels that could not withstand rough waves or gusts of wind. During Typhoon Tembin that hit the southern provinces in late December, the centre rescued 10 fishing ships in the seas of Khanh Hoa and Binh inh provinces with either their engines broken or structures broken by the pounding sea, Phi said. Phi said fishing ships were most vulnerable to mishaps. Of the 49 vessels that sank in the southern sea last year, 46 were fishing boats - three time more than the previous year. Many ships have outdated machinery and lack regular maintenance, Phi said. Advocating the Governments strategy to develop offshore fishing, many fishermen have switched from near-shore fishing to off-shore fishing. However, a large number of fishing vessels were still traditional small, wood-clad vessels, raising the risk of accidents when they are fishing thousands of nautical miles offshore. According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, in 2017, more than 49 per cent of fishing vessels in the province switched to offshore fishing. Tran Xuan Cuong, director of the department, said the transformation to large steel-clad or new-material ships suitable for offshore fishing was lower than expected, despite strong support from the Governments policy with the birth of Decree 67 in 2014. Until 2017, three years after the decree was issued, only 63 ships were completed in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. A major reason was that fishing ports and ship sanctuaries have become seriously overloaded, so not many fishermen dare to invest in new vessels. The situation is similar in other coastal provinces. Sector insiders attributed the high number of sea accidents to the low awareness on safety rules by seamen. Luong Truong Phi from the search-and-rescue centre, said many ship owners, fishermen and crew members either had limited knowledge on maritime safety law or were negligent. For example, cuttlefish vessels do their job at night. But during the day, many captains cast anchor right in the shipping lanes to sleep without detailing persons for guard duty, Phi said, adding that this was extremely dangerous. It is regulated that off-shore fishing vessels of 15-m length and above must be equipped with two round lifebuoys and each crewmember must wear life-jacket all the time, but hardly anyone obeys, Phi said. Vo Minh, a fisherman in Long ien District, Ba Ria Vung Tau Province admitted the reality. With 30 years spending in the industry, including 20 years as a captain, he said most fishing ships were equipped with safety equipment, such as lifebuoys and life-jackets to cope with the inspection of competent authority when leaving port. But when offshore, few fishermen wear life-jackets as they hinder movement, he said. Safety largely depended on the awareness of the captain and crew members, but many seamen now were inexperienced, he added. Many fishermen have left their jobs due to harsh conditions and low incomes, so captains have resorted to hiring inexperienced youths to do the work. Negligence is also rising among crew members of big cargo ships. In a serious accident between two cargo ships - the Hai Thanh 26-BLC and the Petrolimex - that killed nine people in March last year, four seamen were accused by the prosecutor of failing to perform their jobs patrolling and controlling the vessels, leading to the accident. Phi said that many ship owners and seamen also underestimated complicated weather leading to accident risks. During the recent Typhoon Tembin, a cargo vessel in Viet Nam still tried to sail for Singapore despite warnings by authorities. They ended up returning to Con ao Island for safe haven as they couldnt get through. This shows their recklessness, he said. Maritime experts said tightening control over the number and quality of vessels and crewmembers was important to ensure maritime safety. Competent authorities also needed to reinforce management over shipping lanes, and increase warnings on unsafety risks. At the local level, Cuong from the Ba Ria-Vung Tau agricultural department, said he hoped the central Government would consider more policies to build fishing ports and ship sanctuaries, so that fishermen could feel more secure. VNS HA NOI The peak of Mau Son Mountain in the northern province of Lang Son has been covered in frost since Monday after a cold spell hit the northern region on Sunday. Data from the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting shows the temperature in the mountain at 6am today to be minus 1.6 degrees Celsius. This is the second time the north has been hit by extreme cold weather this winter. The first extreme cold weather was reported in early January. The centre says the cold spell has caused a sharp drop of temperature in the region. The temperatures are some 8-10 degrees Celsius in delta provinces, 4-7 degrees Celsius in the mountainous provinces and below three degrees Celsius in the high mountainous areas. Light rains are predicted in Ha Noi. The extreme weather is predicted to last until February 5. Frost is likely to appear in several high mountainous areas, including Pha in Pass in ien Bien Province and Fansifan in Lao Cao Province from Tuesday. Cold weather disrupts life Due to the extreme cold weather, kindergarten and primary schools students have to be absent from their schools and local residents have to take all prompt measures to keep warm for their poultry and animals. As regulations, kindergarten and primary school students are allowed to take a day off if the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius. In Lang Son Province, To Minh uc, principal of Mau Son Primary School, said he had asked students to be at home since Monday until the temperature increased. The provincial Agriculture and Rural Development Department estimated that more than 160,000 animals and four million poultry were coping with the cold. Le Thanh Nhan, head of the department, said it had sent staff to instruct local breeders to keep their poultry and animals warm by fully covering farms and setting up a fire. In Ha Noi, many parents today morning decided not to send their children to school after the weather forecast, broadcasted at 6am on Viet Nam Televisions VTV1 channel, showed the temperature in the capital to be 9 degrees Celsius. VNS HA NOI Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has instructed directors and workers of medical departments and hospitals to ensure health examination and treatment during Tet (Lunar New Year). According to the instructions issued on Monday, the Preventive Medicine Department should give directions to local authorities to strengthen prevention of different epidemics, such as bird flu, foot-hand-mouth disease, dengue fever, measles and diarrhoea caused by Rota virus. Provincial and municipal health departments must set up mobile teams to conduct investigation on an epidemic when requested. They must assign workers to be on duty day and night during the Tet festival next month to supervise and give timely remedies for any disease. The medical workers on duty must be listed in public. The Viet Nam Food Administration is responsible for partnering with concerned organisations to inspect food safety and hygiene. The inspection results must be announced widely on multimedia. Hospitals must ensure enough medicines, manpower and equipment during the holidays for emergency treatment of victims of accidents and food poisoning and for pregnant women. They should have in place plans for the treatment of pneumonia and stroke in elderly people and respiratory diseases in children. Hospitals and pharmaceuticals must supply adequate medicines with reasonable pricing. VNS PHU QUOC ISLAND The number of passengers arriving at Phu Quoc International Airport in the past year has passed the three million mark, exceeding design capacity by 400,000. Phu Quoc, known as Pearl Island in the southern province of Kien Giang, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Viet Nam. Within two or three years, the number of passengers is expected to hit more than five million a year. And it is likely to jump even further when Phu Quoc becomes an administrative and economic hub, the vietnamplus newspaper reported this week. Since 2012, the airport has been in the first phase of operation. It has a design capacity of 2.6 million passengers a year. Currently, nearly 80 flights take-off or land a day. During the busiest time of the year, the airport served approximately 12,000 passengers a day. Flights from major international airlines such as Asiana Airlines, Bangkok Airways and China Southern Airlines now fly to Phu Quoc Airport, many directly. The second phase of construction is now being organised with total investment of VN3 trillion (US$132 million) to meet the increase. Vice Chairman of Phu Quoc Districts Peoples Committee Huynh Quang Hung said that in the past five years, the airport had played an important role in the local tourist and investment economy. Phu Quoc, the nations biggest island, has an area of nearly 600 square kilometres. It is endowed with beautiful beaches with white and golden sand, crystal-clear water, pristine forests and a mild climate. It sits in a good location to connect with key tourism markets in the region and the world. VNS WASHINGTON The United States announced on Monday it was lifting its ban on refugees from 11 "high-risk" countries, but said those seeking to enter the US would come under much tougher scrutiny than in the past. Applicants from 11 countries, unnamed but understood to include 10 Muslim-majority nations plus North Korea, will face tougher "risk-based" assessments to be accepted. "Its critically important that we know who is entering the United States," said Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. "These additional security measures will make it harder for bad actors to exploit our refugee programme, and they will ensure we take a more risk-based approach to protecting the homeland." The 11 countries, hit with a ban in October in the Trump administrations revised refugee policy, have not been identified officially. But refugee groups say they comprise Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Not a Muslim ban Speaking anonymously, a senior administration official told journalists that the policy of enhanced security assessments for the 11 countries was not designed to target Muslims. "Our admissions have nothing to do with religion," the official said, adding that there is "nothing especially novel" about tougher screening for countries deemed to have a higher level of risk. Donald Trump has pursued a much tougher stance on immigrants and refugees from all countries since becoming president one year ago. His predecessor Barack Obama set refugee admission in fiscal 2017, which began on October 2016, at 110,000. When Trump took office a year ago, he slashed that to 53,000, a number that was cut again to a maximum of 45,000 in fiscal 2018. But refugee arrivals this year could come in significantly lower than that, due to the backlog from the 120-day halt and a slowdown in processing because of generally tougher applicant reviews. DHS would not explain what the tougher vetting measures for the 11 countries would include. But all applicants are being asked to supply more detailed histories and evidence of their past activities, and many are having to allow access to personal electronics and social media accounts. The move comes as Trump presses for a sharp turn in overall US immigration policy that critics say will result in a 50 per cent cut in arrivals each year and bias admissions away from African, Asian and Muslim countries. Last week, Trump proposed to end the 27-year-old "green card lottery" programme that aims to diversify the source of immigrants, leading to an upturn in those from Middle Eastern and African countries. He also proposed to tightly limit the family members who can join immigrants to only spouses and younger children. Until now, such "chain migration" could extend to immigrants parents, grandparents, siblings and extended family. The White House said the policy was necessary to protect national security from terror and crime threats. In return, Trump proposed a plan that offers 1.8 million young unauthorised immigrants known as "Dreamers" a path to citizenship over 10-12 years. Democrats and Republicans are starting negotiations on those proposals, along with Trumps request for a $25 billion "trust fund" to build a wall on the southern US border to deter illegal border-crossers from Mexico. AFP QUEBEC CITY Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on Monday for Canadians to stand up against Islamophobia and discrimination as he paid tribute to six Muslims killed a year ago at a Quebec mosque. Trudeau lamented that acts of hate and discrimination have become "commonplace" or "even tolerated", saying in parliament that "it should never have come to this point". "We cannot bring back those who perished, but we owe it to them to fight the very sentiment that caused their loss. We owe it to them to speak up and stand tall and explicitly against Islamophobia and discrimination in all its forms," he said. On January 29, 2017, just after the Sunday evening prayer, a gunman burst into the mosque in a residential neighborhood of Quebec City and opened fire on worshippers. In addition to the six deaths, four of the victims suffered permanent disabilities in what remains one of the worst attacks on an Islamic place of worship in the West. In the aftermath, thousands of people, including Trudeau, gathered in Quebec City to express their support for the Muslim community. The alleged perpetrator, Alexandre Bissonnette, was formally charged in October for the murder of six people and the attempted murder of another 35 worshipers in the mosque. His trial is scheduled to begin in late March. AFP The Commemorative Air Force has just announced that their Douglas C-47 Dakota Thats All, Brother, the aircraft which led a formation of more than 800 C-47s to Normandy to drop paratroopers on D-Day, will take its first post-restoration flight on January 31st, 2018, at 1 p.m. CST in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Their press release continues as below It has been nearly ten years since Thats All, Brother last flew, but the airplanes incredible D-Day history was only recently discovered by U.S. Air Force historian, Matt Scales. This airplane, which led the first major blow in the Allied liberation of Europe, was found in an aircraft boneyard in Wisconsin. Like so many aircraft which survived World War II, Thats All, Brother was used in a variety of civilian roles, hauling people and cargo across the United States. In time, its vital role in the liberation of Europe was forgotten. Upon learning of the potential for the airplane to be cut up or scrapped, the CAF, an organization known for rescuing, restoring and flying more than 170 vintage military airplanes, launched an effort to save Thats All, Brother. After a far-reaching fundraising campaign, supporters made it possible for the CAF to acquire and begin an unprecedented restoration with the goal to authentically restore Thats All, Brother to its original D-Day configuration. It was known early on that the restoration would be massive, due to extensive corrosion. Nearly every inch of Thats All, Brother would need to be restored to full functionality as it was in 1944, in order to permit the aircraft to fly again. A project of this scale never before seen with a C-47 restoration would take a tremendous amount of dedication from a team of mechanics, historians, technicians and CAF volunteers. We estimate that we have put more than 22,000 hours into this restoration project so far and the work continues. Thanks to the financial support of over 3,000 individuals and organizations, and an extraordinary group of volunteers, we have been able to achieve this great milestone with the first flight, said Bob Stenevik, the CAF President/CEO. Much of the work up until this point has been carried out by Basler Turbo Conversions in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Their skilled employees have unparalleled knowledge of C-47-type aircraft, and have been a major resource, accelerating the early stages of the restoration considerably. The aircraft, once flying, will become a valuable tool for our organization, helping to tell the story of D-Day and the great efforts and sacrifices made on the shores of Normandy. Once initial flight operations are complete, Thats All, Brother will head to its new home in San Marcos, Texas. There it will be assigned to the CAF Central Texas Wing, where volunteers will be responsible for the care and maintenance of the aircraft. In June 2019, Thats All, Brother will participate in the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, flying along with several other World War II aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean to Duxford, England, and then to Normandy, France. The first flight represents the successful completion of the first phase of our ambitious plan for the C-47 Thats All, Brothers return to Normandy in 2019, and it is a tremendous achievement for everyone involved in this historic project, said Central Texas Wing Leader Joe Enzminger. The Wing is excited to have the aircraft arrive at its new home in San Marcos, and we look forward to the challenge of completing the mission. The next steps are interior and detail work in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and restoring the aircraft exterior to its 1944 appearance. Going forward, the Central Texas Wing will offer aircraft tours, attend aviation events and conduct educational programs leading up to the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. Those interested in learning more and supporting the efforts to keep this aircraft flying and the goal for it to participate in the 75th Anniversary of D-Day events in Normandy, June 2019, can visit www.ThatsAllBrother.org Watch the First Flight Live: Live footage of the first flight is set to be broadcasted via Facebook on January 31, 2018 at 1 p.m. CST. Many determining factors such as maintenance preparation or weather may adjust the date/time of the flight. To receive the most updated information and notifications, please click and follow www.facebook.com/thatsallbrother. About The CAF Central Texas Wing: The Central Texas Wing is a unit of the Commemorative Air Force based at San Marcos Regional Airport in Texas. This group of dedicated volunteers strives to keep American aviation history alive so others can see, hear, touch, and smell what the Greatest Generation did for humanity during the crucial days of World War II. Visit https://www.centraltexaswing.org for more information. About the Commemorative Air Force: 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. Westinghouse extends Ukrainian fuel supply to 2025 30 January 2018 Share Westinghouse Electric Company announced yesterday it has signed a contract with Energoatom that extends its supply of nuclear fuel to VVER nuclear power plants in Ukraine from 2020 to 2025. The contract was signed by Aziz Dag, Westinghouse vice president and managing director for Northern Europe, and Yury Nedashkovsky, Energoatom president and CEO. Dag and Nedashkovsky signing the supply contract (Image: Energoatom) Ukraine has 15 nuclear units in commercial operation at four sites - Khmelnitsky, Rovno, South Ukraine and Zaporozhe - which are all operated by state-owned Energoatom. The units comprise 13 VVER-1000s and two VVER-440s with a total capacity of 13,835 MWe. Ukraine receives most of its nuclear services and nuclear fuel from Russia, but it is reducing this dependence by buying fuel from Westinghouse, the US-headquartered subsidiary of Japan's Toshiba. Nedashkovsky said yesterday that Energoatom is the only utility in the world to have a "fully diversified source" of nuclear fuel supply to VVER-1000 reactors. "Cooperation with Westinghouse has been integral to achievement of this goal," Nedashkovsky said. Westinghouse has been a nuclear fuel supplier to Ukraine since 2005, when the first lead test assemblies were delivered to unit 3 of the South Ukraine nuclear power plant. "This contract extension solidifies Westinghouse's role as a strategic partner for Energoatom and demonstrates our ability to support Ukraine with their energy diversification," said Jose Emeterio Gutierrez, Westinghouse president and CEO. The fuel to be supplied will consist of components both from Westinghouse Fuel Manufacturing in South Carolina, USA, and from a component manufacturer in Ukraine. The manufacturing and assembly work will be carried out by Westinghouse's fuel fabrication facility in Vasteras, Sweden, where parts of the production lines are solely dedicated to VVER-1000 fuel, Energoatom said. Deliveries against the contract will begin in early 2021, immediately following the conclusion of existing contract. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics Jan 30, 2018 | By Tess Australian metal AM specialist Aurora Labs has partnered with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australias national science group, to advance the formers metal 3D printing technology and additive manufacturing applications on the whole. Through the agreement, Aurora Labs will provide CSIRO with one of its small-format metal 3D printers and metallic powders up to a value of A$100,000. CSIRO, for its part, will offer Aurora Labs technical research and development services up to the same amount. For Aurora Labs, the partnership marks a significant step forwards in the establishment of its own Additive Manufacturing Solution Centre, which will provide consulting services to clients as well as distribute and market the companys metal 3D printers, metal powders, and printed parts. Presently, Aurora is acting as the proxy for its Solution Centre, until it is officially established as a legal entity. When this happens, the company says its agreement with CSIRO will be automatically transferred to the Additive Manufacturing Solution Centre. This is an exciting collaboration and we are incredibly pleased to be working with a tier-one partner such as the preeminent government research organization CSIRO, said David Budge, Aurora Labs managing director. The research agreement speeds up the development of our solution centre, enhances our credibility, as well as endorses the technical performance of our technology. As mentioned, Aurora Labs will be supplying CSIRO with one of its small-format metal 3D printers (perhaps its S-Titanium printer with a build volume of 150 150 500 mm) as well as metal powder materials. The 3D printer will reportedly be installed at CSIROs Lab 22 Innovation Centre in Melbourne, a facility dedicated to providing companies with access to state-of-the-art 3D printing technologies. Our Lab22 Innovation Centre is focused on helping companies harness the benefits of metallic additive manufacturing, which we believe creates enormous opportunities for innovative products to be developed and new businesses and jobs created in Australia, said Leon Prentice, the research director of High Performance Metal Industries at CSIRO. We are pleased to be working in partnership with Aurora Labs to develop this Solution Centre, and we look forward to its future success and impact on a range of industries. Aurora Labs are an important part of the Australian metal manufacturing value chain, and CSIROs goal is to grow the entire powder to product process in Australia, he added. The R&D services that CSIRO will offer to Aurora Labs through the partnership will include labor and overhead costs; documentation on optimizing Auroras 3D printing process, as well as the outcomes of CSIROs research and testing; specialist services in the form of replicative and generative design services; and a general report on how 3D printed metal parts fared under testing. One of the goals of the collaboration between CSIRO and Aurora Labs could be to accelerate the latters development of a large-format metal 3D printer, capable of printing up to one tonne in a 24 hour period. According to the company, no global competitor has a printer which combines the Large Format Printers targeted print size with its targeted speed and precision. Currently, Aurora Labs is in the process of testing a prototype which could take it to the next step in the development of its Large Format Printer technology. Simultaneously, the company is also manufacturing a pre-production model of its first Medium Format Printer. Posted in 3D Printer Company Maybe you also like: Karen Coates at The American Scholar: The bomb fell in the Laotian forest sometime between 1964 and 1973, and there it lay for decades, rusting in rain, oxidizing with time, until someone found it, cracked it open, and extracted the explosive inside, perhaps to sell or to use for bomb fishing or removing big boulders from a path. The weapons remnants ended up in a ditch, right outside a little shop house along a dusty dirt road linking Laos and Vietnam, run by a Vietnamese couple selling phone cards and noodles, hats and belts, chips and shampoo. The immigrants live there with their young son and never liked the looks of that old bombthree feet of solid steel, red as the earth around it. Its back end was missing, and you could peer inside. Something didnt feel quite right. But what could they do? Then one day, a dozen Laotian men in blue uniforms, joined by a lone American, pass the shop in a Land Cruiser. They are the members of a bomb-clearance team assembled by the Wisconsin-based organization We Help War Victims, in partnership with the nonprofit CARE. more here. Kenan Malik in the New York Review of Books: The sun may have long ago set on the British Empire (or on all but a few tattered shreds of it), but it never seems to set on the debate about the merits of empire. The latest controversy began when the Third World Quarterly, an academic journal known for its radical stance, published a paper by Bruce Gilley, an associate professor of political science at Portland State University in Oregon, called The Case for Colonialism. Fifteen of the thirty-four members on the journals editorial board resigned in protest, while a petition, with more than 10,000 signatories, called for the paper to be retracted. It was eventually withdrawn after the editor received serious and credible threats of personal violence. Then, in November, Nigel Biggar, regius professor of theology at Oxford University, wrote an article in the London Times defending Gilley. Biggar saw Gilleys balanced reappraisal of the colonial past as courageous, and called for us British to moderate our post-imperial guilt. Biggar also revealed that he was launching a five-year academic project, under the auspices of Oxford Universitys McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics and Public Life, called Ethics and Empire. The project aims to question the notion prevalent in most reaches of academic discourse, that imperialism is wicked; and empire is therefore unethical and to develop a Christian ethic of empire. Fifty-eight Oxford scholars working on histories of empire and colonialism wrote an open lettercondemning the project as asking the wrong questions, using the wrong terms, and for the wrong purposes. A second open letter with nearly two hundred signatures from academics across the globe expressed alarm that the University of Oxford should invest resources in this project. Another Oxford historian of empire, Alexander Morrison, denounced these open letters as being deeply corrosive of normal academic exchange and encouraging online mobbing, public shaming and political polarization. More here. Mexico is known for its flavorssimmering chipotle-tinged meats, Mission-style burritos dipped in six kinds of salsas, shaken agave margaritas and cerveza that tastes like a summer vacation. But in recent years, the country is tempting the palate in a new way, putting it on the map alongside the world's most famous wine regions in Italy, France, Argentina, Napa and Sonoma. Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California's emerging wine region, has quickly become a buzzy destination getaway for its Instagram-worthy wineries, delicious pours, and blossoming gastronomic scene, all at a price that won't break the bank. Best of all, it's easily accessiblewe recommend a quick flight down to San Diego, where you can rent a car and drive just a couple hours the rest of the way. There's more than one way to taste the valley, whether you're looking for a quick weekend escape or an extended vacation (if time permits, the charming coastal city of Ensenada is less than an hour south). If you're the kind who likes to take advantage of the established relationships with winemakers and comfy transportation that comes with a tried-and-true tour group, Baja-based Club Tengo Hambre, a food tour collective, does it right, offering pick-up in San Diego, with onboard mezcal service en route to the wineries and delicious, authentic meals. If you're more into the roads less traveled, DIY it and take the time to explore the valley's endless hidden treasures and taco stands. Most wineries and restaurants are open year-round, but spring and autumn sojourns are advised for avoiding summertime crowds (not to mention temps in the mid-90s), and off-season travel also means better rates at the cool hotels and easier reservations at the trendiest eateries. We'd be remiss not to mention that the U.S. State Department's recent travel advisory warned deeply against travel to five Mexican states, citing those age-old fears of alcohol-related incidents, theft and cartel violence. But low warning levels for both Baja California and Baja California Sur mean you can travel here as you always should no matter where you goby simply being aware and cautious. With more than a half-million wine-thirsty visitors venturing into the valley each year, and the hotel and restaurant industries booming, the region has an interest in keeping visitors safe. Pack your sunnies and browse our guide for where to eat, sleep and, of course, drink. Where to Drink Wine in Baja California Monte Xanic offers award-winning pours and killer panoramic views from the tasting patio. (Courtesy of Monte Xanic) Baja California produces 90 percent of Mexican wine, thanks to its Mediterranean climate and rainy winter season, which allow grapes from all over the world to flourish. Wineries produce French, Italian, and Spanish varietals, among others, but the terroir is uniquely Mexican. Among the valley's most decorated vineyards, Monte Xanic boasts hundreds of awards from international wine competitions. A visit to the winery's imposing, modern digs could include a thorough tour of the fermentation room and wine cave where their prized cabernets, syrahs and chardonnays are aged to perfection. Or just head straight away to the impressive tasting room, where floor-to-ceiling windows open up to commanding views of palm-dotted vineyards and an onsite lake. Down the road, at Villa Montefiori, winemaker and founder Paolo Paolini experiments with the Italian varietals he was reared on. As a third-generation winemaker, he relocated from Italy's Le Marche region in 1998 and has been growing his own vines on nearly 20 Mexican acres since. Sample sangiovese, nebbiolio, and montepulciano from the shady wooden deck of the impressive estate, set among the vineyards. For a more modern ambiance, pay a visit to Decantos Vinicola. Slightly resembling a space ship landed among 20 precious hectares of grapes, this concrete and stainless steel winemaking fortress is nevertheless enchanting. Meticulous to the point of obsession, from harvest to bottling, their wines are characteristically well-rounded and absolutely delicious. While Decantos is known for their reds, their rose is not to be dismissed and tastes perfect on the sunny wraparound veranda. Come back to earth at La Finca de Carrodilla, an eco-friendly winery with its own organic farm, abundant with animal life (cows, goats, chickens, oh my!). Little sister of nearby Lomita Winery, the charming bodega is more modern than rustic, and produces some of the best monovarietals around. Winemaker Gustavo Gonzales, a Berkeley and U.C. Davis alum, masters a red blend, Canto de Luna, dry and fruity enough to sip away on a sunny spring afternoon. Pro tip: Pair your wine with some of the property's freshly made cheese. Next stop for sophisticated sipping: Vina de Frannes. If Restoration Hardware had a Mexican winery, this would be it. Outfitted in cool-tones and chic, industrial furnishings to combat the surrounding landscape's golden desert hues, the tasting room, wine boutique and restaurant offer a pristine refuge from a day spent in the sweltering sun. Tastings of their signature reds and perfectly refreshing sauv blanc pair well with dishes from the kitchen, inspired by uber-local ingredients that showcase the bounty of the land. Where to Eat in Valle de Guadalupe Georgia-born, Baja-based chef Drew Deckman makes grilling a Michelin-starred art form. (Courtesy of Deckman's) Baja Mediterranean cuisine has long been celebrated for its insanely fresh ingredients, complex flavors and locally caught seafood. In recent years, Valle de Guadalupe has become the gastronomic darling of the Peninsula, thanks to a crop of visionary chefs and restaurateurs creating farm-to-table experiences to match the region's viticultural scene. Among the many standouts is Deckman's, where Michelin-starred chef Drew Deckman brings "the table to the farm." His romantic string-lit comedor (dining room) offers open-air eating and views of the open kitchen as well as the rolling hills of Rancho Mogor beyond. Ingredients including olive oil, herbs, veggies, and wine are grown and made onsite, while the cheese, meat, and even salt are sourced from nearby sustainable producers. Another al fresco option, Olivia el Asador del Porvenir, chef Giannina Gavaldon serves up the freshest seafood, grilled-to-perfection meats, and shareable plates and appetizers. Gavaldon studied at Le Cordon Bleu, and has cooked in the kitchen at winery Monte Xanic's renowned restaurant as well as throughout Mexico. Prices are reasonable, and the house wine comes from straight from the surrounding vineyards. If you're going to do lunch between wine tastings, do so at Mixtura, where chef Viviana Martinez serves an ode to the valley's abundance. Platters of sustainably sourced seafood caught just off the coast, meats and breads cooked over the outdoor kitchen's wood-fired oven, and fruits and greens picked from the chef's own farm round out the menu of Baja-inspired cuisine. Nearby, Corazon de Tierra's dinner tasting menu is well worth its $75(US) price tag for chef Diego Hernandez's loving iteration of farm-to-table. The sleek, dimly lit dining room provides a romantic backdrop for the seasonal and hyper-local menu, and it also overlooks the gardens that very likely produced your salad. Widely considered among the best restaurants in the valley, reservations are definitely recommended for the twice-daily lunch and dinner seatings. At Sunday brunch, sip local sparkling wines alongside fresh-caught seafood. Where to Stay in Valle de Guadalupe Get the best of all worldsterra firma and the galaxy beyondby booking a bubble at Campera Hotel Burbuja. (Courtesy of Campera) Airbnbs in the region are both abundant and affordable, making it easy to book a stay in a group-friendly hacienda or adorable departamento. But if you're looking for a more hosted experience, Valle de Guadalupe's varied hotel offerings range from modern-luxe to cozy and traditional, and often come with the perks of onsite vines and five-star dining. Take, for example, Adobe Guadalupe ($275/night) set on 60 acres of vineyards that produce spectacular cabs, grenache, malbec and syrahs (among others), along with bountiful olive orchards and gardens filled with pomegranate bushes. The hacienda-style property has six light-filled guest rooms surrounding an impressive courtyard, a seasonal restaurant set within a citrus garden, and an equine center offering horseback riding to guests and visitors alike. Included in your stay are breakfast and a VIP wine tasting experience at the property's own vineyards, where they produce some of the country's best wines. For an experience that is decidedly otherworldly, book a bubble at Campera Hotel Burbuja (starting at $760/night). The 10-room eco-resort features a series of balloon-like spaces, French-designed and outfitted with air conditioning, private bathrooms, and a minibar stocked with wine. The best part lies beyond the bubble walls, in the starry skies above. Thanks to a clear upper "wall," the bubbles allow for unrivaled stargazing from the comfort of your four-poster bed, equipped with convenient curtains for when you need some privacy. La Villa del Valle (starting at $275/night) is the ultimate sanctuary, situated on 70 acres of fruit orchards, gardens, and vineyards. With onsite yoga and massage rooms, a swimming pool and sundeck, board games and bocce court, you're sure to stay busy. Also onsite: a five-star restaurant (among the most famous in the region), Corazon de Tierra, and the self-proclaimed "hippest winery in Mexico," Vena Cava, with a food truck conveniently adjacent to the tasting room. Extra touches like fresh-baked Mexican cookies upon arrival, a bathroom stocked with organic products from the property's own botanics label, and a full breakfastthink house-baked breads and eggs from the farm each morninground out an entirely indulgent stay. For the more adventurous, check out Encuentro Guadalupe (starting at $370/night). From the welcome glass of sangria or velvety vino tinto from the property's private cellar, to the sweeping mountain views surrounding the minimalistic-yet-luxe casitas, Encuentro Guadalupe checks all the boxes for an immersive Valle experience. Take a swim in the infinity pool, grab breakfast at one of two world-class restaurants overlooking the valley, and enjoy a glass of vino and the warmth of the fire pit on your room's private terrace, surrounded by desert sounds and little else. A hilltop villa with an authentically Mexican vibe, a stay at Hacienda Guadalupe (starting at $200/night) feels like a visit with wealthy, vineyard-owning friends. Set just across the road from the region's wine museum, the inn is an ideal crash pad for an activity-packed weekend or a few lazy days in the sun. Upon entering the light-filled lobby, with sweeping ceilings and red-tiled floors, you'll immediately feel at home thanks to the friendly staff and homey surrounds. Guest rooms are modest but cozy, and overlook the hotel's peaceful pool deck, where it'd be all too easy to lose track of time. Quarterly Activities Report 31 December 2017 Perth, Jan 30, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Intermin Resources Limited ( ASX:IRC ) ("Intermin" or the "Company") provides the December 2017 Quarterly Activities Report. Intermin is a gold exploration and development company with a key focus in the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia (see Figure 1 in link below).HIGHLIGHTS- Ore mined from Teal a record 65,200t grading 3.53g/t for 7,400 ounces- Gold production of 5,214 fine ounces at C1 costs of $680/oz (see Note 1 below) and an AIC of $,1,292/oz (see Note 2 below) inclusive of $1.64 million ($315/oz) in Teal Stage 2 pre-strip expenditure- Final ore treatment and sales at Paddington Mill completed successfully with 1,287 fine ounces produced and final reconciled payments made (see Note 3 below)- First toll treatment campaign at Lakewood commenced with 34,700dt processed grading 3.67g/t Au and 96% recovery for 3,927ozs produced by Quarter end- $8.3 million received from gold sales at an average gold price of $1,664/oz- Cash and tradeable securities increase to $8.7 million- Intercepts returned from the Anthill gold project included (see Note 4 below):o 41m at 2.63g/t Au from 69m and 30m at 2.98g/t Au from 73mo 11m at 3.72g/t Au from 46m and 29m at 1.84g/t Au from 49mo 17m at 5.3g/t Au from 137m and 6m at 11.15g/t Au from 110m- Intercepts returned from the Jacques Find prospect within the Teal gold project included (see Note 5 below):o 26m at 7.8g/t Au from 48m and 16m at 5.3g/t Au from 86mo 27m at 4.16g/t Au from 53mo 8m at 11g/t Au from 53m and 9m at 7.1g/t Au from 89m- Over 26,000m drilled across 8 key project areas in 2017 with up to 60,000m planned in 2018 commencing in February- Drilling at the Binduli gold project by JV partner Evolution Mining Limited ( ASX:EVN ) comprised 38 holes for 4,006m with results expected in the March Quarter 2018 (see Note 6 below)- Drilling at the Nanadie Well Cu-Au-Ni-PGE project by JV partner Mithril Resources Limited ( ASX:MTH ) returned an encouraging intercept of 4m @ 12.76g/t Au from 20m (see Note 7 below)- Metallurgical testwork from the Richmond Vanadium Project underway in China under supervision of JV partner AXF Resources Pty Ltd with initial results expected in the June Quarter 2018- Janet Ivy Mining Royalty payments of $0.50/t now due after treated tonnages exceeded the prepayment threshold with regular quarterly payments expected through CY2018MARCH QUARTER ACTIVITES- Ore mining, haulage, processing and cash flow from Teal- Blister Dam and Binduli JV exploration drilling results- Commencement of 50,000-60,000m discovery and resource growth program- Anthill JORC 2012 Mineral Resource Estimate and mining pipeline Feasibility program- Richmond Vanadium metallurgical test work and updated Mineral Resource estimateNotes:1 C1 cash costs exclude pre-strip of Teal Stage 22 AIC cash costs include pre-strip, production, exploration and all overheads.3 As announced to the ASX on 27 July 20164 As announced to the ASX on 24 October 20175 As announced to the ASX on 15 & 29 November 20176 As announced to the ASX on 21 November 20177 As announced to the ASX on 13 October, 6 & 14 November and 8 December 2017.To view the full report, please visit:About Horizon Minerals Limited Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed. Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline. Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage. Quarterly Activities Report Sydney, Jan 30, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Mustang Resources ( ASX:MUS ) ( OTCMKTS:GGPLF ) provides the following report on its activities for the three months to 31 December 2017.Operations ReportMontepuez Ruby Project, MozambiqueDuring the quarter, Mustang announced that it would take a total of 405,000 carats to its maiden rough ruby tender at the end of October 2017. This was more than twice the 200,000 carats it initially targeted when setting the sale date and was considered by the Company to be an outstanding result driven by the highly successful expansion of its exploration activities at the Montepuez Ruby Project.Mustang conducted the maiden tender of its rubies between 27 and 30 October 2017 in Port Louis, Mauritius. The tender results were received by the Company at 8pm AEDT on Monday, 30 October 2017.Eight Bid Schedules totalling 29,463 carats of rough rubies were sold at prices ranging from A$6 a carat to A$1,944 a carat. The average realised price was A$24.21/ct and gross sales proceeds of approximately A$713,456 were received. Bids for the remaining 13 Bid Schedules offered for sale did not reach their reserve prices and were held over for subsequent sale.As the Company acknowledged at the time, the tender results were clearly disappointing, but it had gathered valuable market intelligence for future tenders.The feedback from buyers and the results demonstrated that Mustang needs to offer larger quantities of rubies in each category. This is because large buyers and their jewellery customers like to be confident there are an adequate number of similar rubies available to enable them to produce the required numbers for particular jewellery items. The tender process also enabled Mustang to identify those categories of stones in high demand.Immediately following the tender, Mustang conducted an internal review of the auction and a reassessment of its commercial and exploration strategy for rubies.The review was aimed at identifying the reasons for the auction results and the measures Mustang should adopt to best unlock the full underlying value of its Montepuez Ruby Project.Mustang announced that, as a result of the review, the following actions were being taken:- the ruby grading system is being refined based on buyer feedback- the current ruby inventory is being re-graded- selected rough ruby parcels from the re-graded inventory will be offered for sale in Asia- bulk sampling (excavation) activity was scheduled to be suspended at the onset of the wet season around end-November 2017 and preference given to processing surface stockpiles- the exploration emphasis will shift towards lower-cost manual test pitting in order to establish a greater number of potential bulk sample test pit sites- the artisanal miner development program (AMDP) was temporarily suspended pending a review of revenues to be received from the sale of AMDP rubies.The AMDP was re-instated in January 2018 once a better understanding of pricing for stones obtained from the AMDP was achieved.The remainder of the inventory offered for sale (but not sold) was retained in Mauritius in safekeeping for future sale, together with subsequent inventory obtained from the processing of stockpiles at the Montepuez Ruby Project processing plant, which, except for a short break over Christmas, has been continuous.The Company continues to enlarge its ruby market intelligence, develop sales channels and finetune its grading and sorting system. It has decided to set up a sales and marketing office in Chantaburi, Thailand. Chantaburi is seen as the centre of the global ruby trade with weekly rough gem trading and wholesale buyers converging there from around the world. The establishment of the Thailand sales office is well advanced, and the Company intends to commence direct test sales in the first quarter of 2018. The Company will focus on developing long-term sales channels and strategic sales partnerships for its rubies while still conducting ongoing sales, rather than conducting larger half-yearly tenders.In identifying the most suitable sale channels for its rubies, the Company intends to test a number of avenues during the course of 2018. As a first step in this process, a further small, private tender was held in Bangkok, Thailand in December 2017 with 52,493 carats of mostly low-quality rubies sold for US$220,800. This private tender provided the Company with valuable information in the development of its marketing and sales strategy and the use of the tender sales format versus direct, more frequent sales.During the quarter, the Company relinquished one of its ruby licence interests (4258L), being the smallest of its licence areas comprising 490 hectares after initial sampling and test pitting were found not to be encouraging.The Company is in negotiations to acquire additional ruby licence interests to increase its prospective areas in the ruby focused area in Montepuez to extend the life of the mine for the future.Caula Graphite Project, MozambiqueThe Caula Deposit is located along strike from Syrah Resources' ( ASX:SYR ) world-class Balama graphite project in Mozambique.During the quarter, a maiden JORC compliant Inferred Mineral Resource of 5.4 million tonnes at an average grade of 13.0% TGC for 702,600 tonnes of contained graphite was estimated for the Caula Graphite Deposit. A cut-off grade of 6.0% Total Graphitic Carbon (TGC) was used for the estimation and resulted in over 700,000 tonnes of contained graphite.The result confirms Caula's status as one of the highest-grade graphite deposits in the world.Following the Resource estimate, Mustang announced that further metallurgical test work on oxide and fresh samples taken from Caula provided more firm evidence of the quality of the mineralisation.The test work produced an improved flake distribution on the Oxide material, quantified the proportion of high revenue Super Jumbo (>500 m) flake and improved the amorphous (<75 m) grade from both oxide and fresh samples. Preliminary metallurgical testing done to date has firmly established Caula as being able to yield high percentages Super Jumbo, Jumbo and Large flakes (~55% in the fresh ore) with carbon content up to 98% (average of 97% across all products). This is a significantly better higher-value product distribution than all other peers in the Balama graphite province (including Syrah Resources) and at a high resource grade of 13% TGC.Following the excellent results to date a further drilling program comprising 11 diamond holes and costing around $500,000 was conducted on the resource during the quarter and results are expected to be released shortly. The purpose of this drilling is to increase the JORC Compliant Resource at Caula and to obtain more samples for metallurgical testing and optimisation, all such information feeding into planned future scoping and feasibility studies.Given the excellent results achieved to date, the Company intends to fast track the project, including initiating discussions with potential offtake parties during the course of 2018 in pursuit of its goal of advancing the Caula project through its project phases.During the quarter, the Company relinquished three graphite licence interests 4661L, 4662L and 6636L in the Balama region owing to a re-assessment of the prospectivity of the areas in the light of the relatively low grades obtained from previous drilling programs. The Company has decided to focus on its efforts and expenditures on the more prospective licences, 6678L and 5873L, based upon results obtained. However, the Company has decided to retain the northern licence interests (6363L and 7560L).The Company is also investigating making additional graphite licence interest acquisitions in the near future, which strategically align with its current focus areas.CorporateDuring the quarter, Mustang announced that Christiaan Jordaan had resigned as Managing Director.He remains as a Non-Executive Director of the Company. Mustang emphasises that it was Mr Jordaan's decision to resign and the Directors reluctantly accepted his resignation and are pleased he continues to serve on the Board.Mustang Chairman Ian Daymond became Interim Executive Chairman until the appointment of a new managing director. Director Cobus van Wyk remained in charge of the ruby and graphite operations in Mozambique.As previously announced subsequent to quarter end, Mr Peter Spiers resigned as a Non-Executive Director on 31 December 2017 to pursue other opportunities and, as announced in detail on 15 January 2018, the Company has appointed a highly experienced and qualified new Managing Director, Dr Bernard Olivier. Mr Cobus van Wyk has moved from being a Non-Executive Director to become an Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer reporting to Dr Olivier. Mr Daymond reverted to being independent Non-Executive Chairman and the newly constituted Board of Directors will give consideration to the appointment of a second independent non-executive director.Subsequent to the quarter end, the Company also confirmed that the Sydney office had closed. The Company's registered office remains the same at Level 1, 9 Bowman Street South Perth Western Australia. The general office contact number is +61 (08) 9217 2400 and facsimile +61 (08) 9217 2401.Mustang had A$1.57 million cash on hand as at 31 December 2017 (refer to accompanying Appendix 5B).As announced on 8 January 2018 subsequent to quarter end, the Company secured a significant A$19.95 million funding package, in the form of a series of convertible notes over the next 18 months, from Arena Investors LP, a major US institutional investor with more than US$750 million assets under management. This funding package highlighted the support for Mustang's graphite and ruby projects and follows an A$8.5 million investment under a similar but not identical convertible note facility from Arena Investors LP in June 2017.Further to the institutional funding, the Company also announced a one for five non-renounceable entitlement issue to give existing shareholders the opportunity to subscribe for new shares in the Company at 2.6 cents to raise up to A$4 million. Further details will be announced shortly.As announced on 12 January 2018, the Company received A$423,650 from its insurers as a result of a successful insurance claim following the robbery at the Montepuez Ruby Project on 25 September 2017.To view the report, please visit:About New Energy Minerals Ltd New Energy Minerals Ltd (ASX:NXE) (FRA:GGY) is an ASX listed junior mining company, that recently announced the divestment of the Company's Caula vanadium - graphite project and the Montepuez Ruby project in Mozambique. President Donald Trump sent a letter African leaders at their 30th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to "reiterate the close partnership" between the US and African Union, an administration official confirmed to CNN Monday. Earlier this month, Trump came under fire for remarks reportedly describing African nations as "shithole countries" during an immigration discussion with senators in the Oval Office. Trump has denied making the comments. The remarks set off a wave of diplomatic uproar from foreign leaders and their citizens, with Rwanda's foreign ministry describing them as "demeaning and unnecessary." South Africa, Haiti, Senegal, Ghana and several others summoned top US diplomats in their nations over the remarks. Despite this, the administration official said Trump "deeply respects" African states and Africa's citizens. "The purpose of the letter was to reiterate the close partnership between the United States and African Union and highlight areas of continued mutual interest and was sent to coincide with the holding of the African Union summit this week," the official said, adding, "The President deeply respects African states and Africa's citizens, and is committed to strengthening the partnership between the United States, African Union, and member states." The administration "(wants) to work with the African Union on a lot of issues," including economic cooperation, another US official told CNN, noting that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "is going to share the message in March when he goes there for an extended visit." Trump met with incoming African Union chairman, Rwanda President Paul Kagame, last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He touted his "great relationships" with Rwanda. Kagame called it a "great honor" to meet Trump, thanking him for the administration's support of Rwanda and vowing future cooperation between the US and the African Union. However, Kagame did not respond to a reporter's shouted questions on whether the two spoke about Trump's comments. President Trump wants Chinese solar panels firms to make more of their products in the U.S. -- and they appear to be getting the message. A week after the Trump administration unveiled tariffs of up to 30% on imports of solar panels, one of China's biggest manufacturers announced that it plans to open a new plant in the U.S. JinkoSolar said in a statement Monday that its board of directors had given the go-ahead to "finalize planning for the construction of an advanced solar manufacturing facility in the U.S." The statement suggested Jinko's decision was tied to the new tariffs, saying that the company "continues to closely monitor treatment of imports of solar cells and modules under the U.S. trade laws." Related: Trump-China trade war: Who has the most to lose? A Jinko spokesman declined to provide more details on the planned U.S. factory or say whether the move was prompted by Trump's tariffs. By manufacturing products in the U.S., Jinko could avoid having to pay the new tariffs on goods it sells in the country. News of its U.S. plans was buried at the bottom of a statement about Jinko signing up a big new U.S. customer. Jinko has an American subsidiary, but the company declined to say whether it already has any production facilities in the U.S. The tariffs Trump announced a week ago are intended to protect U.S. manufacturers. They resulted from a trade complaint by the U.S. subsidiaries of two foreign solar panel makers. At the same time, Trump also announced higher tariffs on imported washing machines, a blow to big South Korean manufacturers such as LG Electronics and Samsung. Related: Did Trump just start a trade war with China? Trump framed the actions as a way to encourage more foreign companies to move manufacturing operations on U.S soil. "A lot of manufacturers will be coming to the U.S. to build washing machines and also solar," he said last week. However, many experts have argued that Trump's tariffs will actually harm U.S. solar jobs. Most of the U.S. solar industry is based around services like installation. The experts say that tariffs will increase costs and therefore hurt demand among customers. Francois Perrin, a portfolio manager at investment firm East Capital who specializes in renewable energy, said more Chinese solar companies could move parts of their production to the U.S. because of the tariffs. But he added that these factories may rely heavily on automation and will only create a limited number of jobs. Related: Trump and China: 2018 could get nasty There are other indications that foreign solar companies are bringing manufacturing to the U.S. Documents filed with the local government in Jacksonville, Florida, this month state that a "leading international manufacturer of solar panels and modules" is seeking to invest more than $400 million in building a manufacturing plant in the city. The facility, code-named "Project Volt," will create 800 jobs between now and the end of next year, according to the documents. Jinko declined to comment on whether it was the company behind Project Volt. A spokeswoman for the Jacksonville City Council didn't respond to a request for comment outside of regular office hours. -- Serenitie Wang contributed to this report. Auto enrolment isnt doing enough to tackle the inequality in pension saving as this report reinforces. With men on average earning 80% more than women over their lifetime, this will result men having much healthier pension pots than women. When we look at our own member base, this divide is already visible. Over half (57%) of our member base is male and their average fund size is 424 while women have 334. This gap persists but grows wider for women over the age of 30. The reason we have more men than women saving with us is because over three quarters (77%) of employees earning less than the auto enrolment trigger are women according to a report NOW: Pensions commissioned from the Pensions Policy Institute. In addition, over 50% of part-time workers will not reach the annual 10,000 earnings threshold required to be auto enrolled into a workplace pension and 81% of part-time workers are women. All workers should have an equal opportunity to build an adequate pension pot and where there is inherent inequality, steps need to be taken to address this. Removing the auto enrolment trigger would bring 3 million more people into pension saving, the majority of whom are women. Basing auto enrolment contributions on every pound of earnings, as recommended by the 2017 auto enrolment review, would benefit all savers but particularly low earners who are more likely to be women. The Dependency Trap: are we fit enough to face the future? A Taliban suicide bomber detonated explosives stuffed into an ambulance killing 103 people and injuring more than 150 in Kabul reveals the fact that security situation in Afghanistan is increasingly worsening. Targeting of civilians constitutes a grave violation of human rights. Theres no life for people in Afghanistan. Kabul is regularly rocked by suicide bombs and assaults. The repeated strikes in the most fortified areas with mounting casualties demonstrate a steadily deteriorating security situation. Time and again the deadly attacks underscore spiraling insecurity in Afghanistan as the resurgent Taliban ramp up their offensive across the country, while security forces struggle to contain them. Tragedy of Afghanistan is that since 1979 Foreign Troops have dictated terms and failed to end the conflict. Kabul has been the site of numerous bombing attacks claimed by the Islamic State group and the Taliban over the last year. This is really horrendous a crime against humanity, unlike any other time in the past. For past few years, in spite of lot of discussion and deliberations made by top most leaders of many peaceful countries through various meetings and summits to eradicate terrorism globally, but unfortunately the tentacles of terrorism is rising as a devil tower. It is a worrisome situation because the terror from Afghanistan may spill over to India, China, Russia, and Central Asian countries. This is a war in which the Afghan people are being used as instruments and burned like firewood every day. Fighting terrorism and protecting the people is job one. Terrorism is strongly condemned in all its forms and manifestations and stressed that there can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism. Terrorism of course is a major problem which is agitating every one of us. Terrorism is greatest challenge for world society as it is not only causing human suffering but also impeding peace and development. Some leading nations of the world over last 3 decades have ignored menace of terrorism in some parts of the world. Modi has rightly declared that We are united in our belief that terrorism its supporters have to be punished, not rewarded. We need a comprehensive national policy to deal with domestic militancy as well as cross-border terrorism. We should be pro active and should take some strict actions before we lose more lives. The increased attacks targeting military and government facilities have put pressure on Afghanistans more aggressive military strategy against the Taliban, in which it is backed by the United States. President Donald Trump while condemning the despicable car bombing attack has rightly said that all countries should take decisive action against the Taliban, which has claimed responsibility for Kabuls attack. Terrorism is debated and discussed and covered widely in media only when such incident happens. War against terror needs to be intensified. Terrorism knows no religion, recognizes no country, no boundary and of course certainly no humanity. Terrorists kill because of a wicked mentality that it will somehow serve their purpose of achieving something only they understand. The situation in Afghanistan is going from bad to worse, and slowly becoming unmanageable. There is an urgent need to fight terrorism on war footing. (The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.) Hollywood veteran actor Diane Keaton is sticking by her long-time friend Woody Allen as more and more stars have started to denounce the veteran filmmaker after sexual misconduct allegations made against him by his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow. Taking it to Twitter, the 72-year-old actor wrote, Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him. It might be of interest to take a look at the 60 Minute interview from 1992 and see what you think. She also shared a decade old interview in her tweet, in which Woody can be seen denying Farrows claims, which have surfaced in light of the Me Too movement. Her statement comes at a time when stars who have worked with the director, such as Timothee Chalamet and Rebecca Hall, pledged to donate their salaries from their work on Allen films to charity in light of the re-emergence of sexual abuse claims. Since then, stars, including Colin Firth, Greta Gerwig and Mira Sorvino, have also shared that they regret working with the Manhattan director. Firth, in an interview given to The Guardian, even went ahead and said that he would never work with him again. Meanwhile, Gerwig, who worked with Allen on 2012s To Rome with Love, told New York Times, I can only speak for myself and what Ive come to is this: If I had known then what I know now, I would not have acted in the film. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that the Delhi government would be moving the Supreme Court this week seeking a temporary ban on the sealing drive. The decision comes after a meeting between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which ended in a scuffle with both the parties blaming each other for the issue. Speaking to media here, Kejriwal said, This is the third big disaster within one year. The other two were GST and demonetisation, which had crushed down the business sector. The Delhi government will go to the Supreme Court seeking a temporary ban on the sealing drive. He added that the businessmen are not satisfied with what is happening around and moreover, small traders are upset. I had sent a letter to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal mentioning the reasons and solutions in the issue. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has collected Rs 3,000 crore-conversion charge. The governor could have completely removed that charge but it did not happen, the Delhi Chief Minister stated. Kejriwal further said that he will visit markets hit by the sealing drive later in the day to meet the affected traders. Earlier in the day, the BJP alleged that Kejriwal insulted their party members when they went to meet him over a controversial sealing drive in the national capital. Speaking to media, BJP leader Manoj Tiwari said, We asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for a meeting but he created a drama out of it. How can we talk to him if he only wants to politicize the matter? We did not come to create a ruckus. He is not serious about this issue. They insulted us inside. He added that three BJP MPs, three legislators and two Mayors had gone to meet Kejriwal at his residence. Kejriwal called around 150 people along with media in his house. His focus was not on solving the problems. Everything was on camera. He has insulted us, Tiwari stated. The BJP reportedly objected to the presence of the media, but Kejriwal argued that all discussions should happen in the open. Earlier in the month, the members of the ruling Aam Aadmi Partys trade wing took part in a katora (cup) march at the Karol Bagh market against the MCDs move. Traders, industrialists and transporters, who have suffered huge losses because of sealing and demonetisation, also participated in the protest march. The drive to seal commercial establishments flouting provisions of the 2021 Master Plan began on January 7 in Khan Market, according to the orders of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee. According to the master plan, traders using properties for mixed purposes, have to pay a one-time conversion charge at the rate notified by the Delhi Government. The attack on the Afghan Military Academy on Monday morning had the fingerprints of the Pakistan Army as the equipment used were issued by the Pakistan Army and have been supplied earlier to the Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terror groups. Afghan diplomat Majeed Qarar took to Twitter to allege that the equipment used by the attackers were supplied by the Pakistan Army to the terrorist organization in Kashmir and Afghanistan. The night vision goggles found with Taliban attackers in maiwands ANA base were military grade goggles (Not sold to public) procured by Pak army from a British company & supplied 2 Lashkar-e-Tayyeba in Kashmir & Taliban in Afghanistan. Lashkar-e-Tayyeba is an intl terrorist org, Qarar tweeted. Earlier today, Afghan Presidential Spokesman Shahhussain Murtazawi said that the attackers have been restricted to the first gate of the academy. One of the insurgents involved in the attack has been arrested by the security forces, the local media reports quoted the military sources as saying. According to Tolo News, the number of attackers is still unknown, while the Afghan security forces have cordoned off the area as the attack is ongoing. The attack was reportedly launched at around 5 am on the Military University in PD5, Kabul city. The report quoted a source as saying that explosions and heavy gunfire were heard at the academys gate. The attack comes days after an explosive-laden ambulance was detonated in a busy area close to Kabuls infamous Chicken Street, killing 103 people, as confirmed by the Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI). Note: NBC 11 in Atlanta, Georgia, home of the Centers for Disease Control, reported: It's flu season and that means the children, and adults, will be staying home from work and school to fight this debilitating virus. But have you seen those reports that 85 percent of the 30 children who actually died from the flu this season lost their lives because they were not vaccinated? 11Alive is here to VERIFY whether or not that was true. You can click here for the answer. It's interesting to see a TV station in Atlanta questioning the CDC's information regarding vaccines. On the Republic Day, President of India Ram Nath Kovind highlighted pre-independence struggle, expressed concern over increasing rapes, violence on women and focussed on eradicating poverty in the country. President Kovind touched every other issue facing the country but missed out on Kashmir as perhaps the K-Issue is beyond any repair now. Just about five months back Prime Minister Modi on Independence Day from Delhis Red Fort dais pleaded with the nation that "Kashmir needs hugs; neither abuse nor bullets and embracing Kashmir can solve the Kashmir issue". However, he did not spell out the details of a solution to solve Kashmir politically. Mr Modi showed his disappointment at the treatment meted out to Indias Dalits and sensing the implications made it known that his heart bleeds. Soon after prime ministers emotional speech showing concern for Kashmiris, another 110 expendable souls perished as Indian armys licence to kill with impunity is used freely and at will. BJP Member Legislative Assembly Ravinder Raina while justifying the killings by army minced no words saying "Registering as many FIRs as you (Kashmir police) want is meaningless as army did the right thing because it enjoys impunity under Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Kashmir police has charged Indian army unit headed by an army major with murder for killing civilians in Kashmirs Shopian district, reports The Hindu (January 29, 2018). Indian Congress Leader P Chidambaram slammed Indian govts muscular militaristic approach in Kashmir and has been critical the way India handles Kashmir situation. The Congress leader reminded BJP government saying "we broke the faith and promises and therefore paid a heavy price". He further emphasised that Kashmir is not an issue of land but a problem of people instead. "Let Kashmir frame its laws within the ambit of their own constitution and we must assure that we will respect identity, history, culture and their religion". In todays world, a conventional war is considered an obsolete idea and at the same time, no country can afford to fight a nuclear war as that would be perilous for the humanity as a whole. The Telegraph reported (January 06, 2018) That Donald Trump says he is ready to talk to Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader by phone amid a standoff over Pyongyangs nuclear and missile programmes. In his first ever interview with an international broadcaster Piers Morgan of ITV, President Donald Trump said "we would never have been in Iraq or Syria with the previous administration" and when asked "are we winning the war?" the President mentioning the economic situation said "United States was (then) heading in a wrong direction". So the international community seemingly has matured and understands the nitty-gritty of the confrontational approach to the world problems. Afghanistan is getting from bad to worse and NATO forces already called it a day; US is having second thoughts and is looking for an exit strategy. Pakistan under the circumstances has become indispensable and US, as it seems, cant afford to leave it to forge alliances with powers that US is allergic to. The only way to go forward is to find solutions to existing political problems and give the world a chance to live in peace. Mother Nature has provided more than enough for the world to share to allow and follow a policy of live and let live. On a positive note, as reported by The Hindu (January 14, 2018) that Indian and Pakistani National Security Advisers Ajit Doval and Lieutenant General (Retd) Nasir Janjua have had several meetings and speaking on the phone more regularly to discuss security issues of their respective countries. Also at least, in the three meetings held in Bangkok and Russia sensitive issues apparently needing particular attention were discussed. A large percentage of people in the sub-continent voice their concern about deteriorating human right violations in Indian held Kashmir going on for the last seven decades. Respective Indian governments tried using brute force to win over local population but faced alienation with enhanced resilience. The loss of life has been colossal on both sides with no end in sight. Kashmir being the stumbling block, a solution has to be worked out as per the wish of people of Kashmir. Much talked about back-door diplomacy; be it UN sponsored, Indo-Pak parleys or any other players on international level offering to mediate and carve out a solution would be meaningless unless the real stake-holders the leadership of Kashmir is involved in such discussions leading to a permanent solution. Bollore Logistics has taken a majority stake in the Danish freight forwarder Global Solutions as part of the French forwarders strategic development through external growth. A Bollore spokesperson said: This latest transaction will expand further Bollore Logistics network in Europe and the companys global end-to-end offering in the Scandinavian markets. Already established in Norway, it now benefits from Denmarks Global Solutions network, which has been operating on the Danish market for 11 years, with triple expertise in the airfreight, seafreight and express business lines, particularly on the Europe-Asia axis. Global Solutions, now Bollore Logistics brand, has two offices: at Copenhagen airport, and its headquarters in Vejle, the countrys logistics hub. Henri Le Gouis, chief executive Europe of Bollore Logistics, said: "This new location will enable us to better serve our key account customers in Denmark and more generally in Scandinavia. We will support Danish companies in their international development and logistics projects, particularly in Africa, the continent of the future with strong market opportunities, where we operate as the 1st integrated logistics network." David Smith, chief executive of Bollore Logistics Northern Europe, said: "We are also aiming to strengthen our range of solutions and services for the Aid & Relief sector, which is strongly represented in Denmark." Thomas Toubro, managing director-founder of Global Solutions, said: I am very confident for the future, and believe in our ability to elevate Bollore Logistics to the rank of the leading transport and logistics operators in Scandinavia." Read more freight forwarder news Share this story Hospicelink of Birmingham is merging with StateServ Holdings of Arizona. According to a news release, the merger positions the company as "the leader for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) benefit management solutions in the hospice and post-acute care markets." The combined company will be a portfolio company of Blue Wolf Capital Partners, a leading middle-market private equity fund, the release stated. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Together, the companies will operate a national network of more than 1,300 DME provider locations and 21 company-owned distribution centers, serving more than 100,000 patients daily. Paul DiCosmo, StateServ's co-founder and CEO, has been named CEO of the new combined company. Chad Trull, Hospicelink's founder and CEO, has been named President of the new combined company. It will retain both current headquarters in Birmingham and Tempe, Ariz. "Today's announcement marks the beginning of a long-term strategy to expand our leadership in the core hospice market and position the combined business to add value across the post-acute continuum of care," DiCosmo said in a statement. "This exciting partnership with Hospicelink will enable substantial investments in technology and infrastructure for the benefit of our employees, customers, and DME partners across the nation." Trull said the merger "brings together the talented people and best-in-class processes and technologies of both companies, creating a compelling value proposition for current and future customers and our shareholders. "Combining these two leading businesses, and with Blue Wolf's powerful backing, we will draw on our decades of experience to push the boundaries of benefit management innovation, while remaining focused on delivering outstanding technology, capabilities and services to the hospice and post-acute care sectors," Trull said. "The integration brings tremendous growth opportunities for the dedicated workforce who make up the DNA of the success of both of our companies." Hyundai has given the public a first peek at its New Generation Santa Fe SUV for 2019. The new version, which will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, features "a luxurious and striking design based on its robust, stylish and voluminous composition," the company stated. Hyundai manufactures the Santa Fe Sport at its Montgomery plant. Last year, the factory turned out 58,481 Santa Fe Sports, as demand was higher for sport utility models. Reuters quoted Ko Tae-bong, a senior auto analyst at Hi Investment & Securities, as saying the model "carries a big burden on its shoulder." "The mission of the Santa Fe is to recover Hyundai's U.S. market share," Ko said. The model, expected in the U.S. market in the third quarter of this year, will be "key to recovering the utilization rate of Hyundai's factory in Alabama." The model features a large cascading grille with a separate headlight system featuring divided daytime running lights and main lamps. The rear section has distinctive taillights, dual mufflers and a large bumper design. The model also features a "Rear Occupant Alert Monitor," which makes voice warnings that there is a passenger on the rear seat when the driver opens the door. The alert system is being promoting as a way of possibly preventing heat related deaths from children accidentally left in vehicles. Jane Clancy, 75, the founder of All Breeds Animal Rescue and Adoption in Daleville, Ala., died Jan. 23, while trying to save dozens of animals in her care as her house burned. She was remembered at a candlelight vigil Friday night as a hero who rescued thousands of animals in her lifetime. In addition to Clancy, 40 dogs and 18 cats perished in the fire. All 47 surviving dogs and one cat were taken in by other rescue organizations. Jane Clancy was "hardheaded and soft-hearted," one of the mourners at the candlelight vigil said of the animal rescuer who died saving animals from a fire. (Facebook photo) After a standing-room-only funeral Friday, the vigil was held that evening on Clancy's property, where her family members and friends - as well as many who adopted dogs and cats from All Breeds over the years - told touching and sometimes funny stories about Clancy and her devotion to "anything with four legs." Those closest to Clancy were devastated but not surprised to learn that she'd sacrificed her life doing what she'd been doing for years: saving animals. "If she had survived and the animals perished, she would not have lived much longer with a broken heart," her tearful son, Mike Collins of Gray, Tenn., told the crowd of at least 200 people gathered for the vigil. Clancy founded her animal rescue with a couple of kennels in her home in 2009, after her father and her second husband passed away. "She told me she had to take care of something," said Jillian Parker, a former All Breeds volunteer who now lives in Huntsville. The rescue center grew "organically" from there on Clancy's 20-acre property, said Parker, who met her in 2011 at a pet-adoption event in Enterprise, where Parker's daughter fell in love with a dachshund puppy. When Parker expressed interest in volunteering, Clancy said she'd see her the next day. She was bossy like that, outspoken, spunky and tenacious, "a spitfire and larger than life," said Parker, but her love for animals knew no limits. In fact, she had a heart for any animal in need, and sometimes added stray humans into her fold, according to Parker. And she worked hard. "I don't know where she found the time or energy, but she did," said Parker. "I watched her throw 50-pound bags of dog food over her shoulder like it was nothing. She was absolutely one of a kind." Over the next three-and-a-half years, Parker fostered 68 puppies at her home and worked with Clancy on an almost daily basis. "We joked that we were partners in crime," Parker wrote on Facebook after finding out Clancy had died, "and the oddest damn couple you'd ever see, be-bopping all over town when I was in my 20s and she was in her 70s - typically with a vehicle full of dogs." Clancy's death is not only a personal loss to those who knew her or adopted from her, Parker said. "It's a huge loss to the animals, and to the community," she said, because there's no animal shelter in Daleville. The morning after the fire, other rescue organizations stepped in immediately to take in the 47 surviving dogs. "It's been a huge effort that's stretched everyone thin, but they've done it because she's done it for them," said Parker. Parker credited Clancy's two most dedicated volunteers, Anita Maas and Stefanie Berry, with coordinating the efforts to relocate the animals and shut down the shelter even as they dealt with their own grief over the loss of their friend and the many cats and dogs who died in the blaze. "It's definitely been a long week for everybody," she said. Holding a candle against the dark night, Harvey Mathis, the former Daleville police chief who led the vigil, said a prayer for Clancy, his voice breaking: "Rest in peace, Jane. Your work here is finished. Your legacy will always be remembered." To donate in Jane Clancy's memory, contact the following organizations: SOS Animal Adoption Center, Enterprise, Ala.: www.sosshelter.com Troy Animal Rescue Project: www.troyanimalrescueproject.org Dothan Animal Shelter: www.dothanpolicefoundation.org/pro-life-animal-initiative/ Wiregrass Humane Society: www.wiregrasshumane.com Save-A-Pet, Dothan, Ala.: www.facebook.com/saveapet2015/ Ozark-Dale County Humane Society: www.odchs.com/ Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day fall on the same day this year, Feb. 14, and that presents a problem for some people who observe both holidays. The observance of Ash Wednesday requires fasting in many traditions. Valentine's Day is a time for celebrating love, often by eating out and giving candy. Catholic Bishop Robert J. Baker, head of the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham, today issued his official position on the matter. He said Catholics should fast on Ash Wednesday and celebrate Valentine's Day dinner either on Mardi Gras - "Fat Tuesday" - the last day of allowable heavy consumption before Ash Wednesday fasting begins, or on another day when penitence is not required. "The good Lord, who suffered so much out of love for us, will surely reward our fidelity and sacrifice," Baker wrote in his letter to the diocese. Ash Wednesday begins the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. Liturgical fasting during Lent emphasizes eating plainer food and refraining from "pleasurable" foods such as meat, dairy and eggs. Many people "give something up" during Lent as a way to prepare for Easter. It's the first time since 1945 that Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day have fallen on the same day, Baker noted. St. Valentine was a priest in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II, according to Christian tradition. Claudius was having difficulty enlisting enough soldiers for his army, which he attributed to men being reluctant to leave their wives and families. Claudius banned marriages and engagements. Valentine defied the edict and continued to perform marriages. He was arrested, beaten and beheaded. He was executed on Feb. 14, in about 269 A.D., according to church tradition. A young Blount County man was arrested late Monday afternoon on charges that he raped his sister and impregnated her. Eric Arthur Williams, 20, is charged with first-degree rape and incest. Both are felonies. According to an affidavit filed with the Blount County clerk's office, Williams engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim, "a female with diminished mental capacity who was also his sister." The adult victim, court records state, is not capable of consent. The alleged crimes happened in February 2017. The victim became pregnant and, due to the "mental functioning" of the victim, she could not carry the child to term. A DNA test on the fetus confirmed that Williams was the father. Investigators with the Blount County District Attorney's Office arrested Williams late Monday afternoon. He is being held in the Blount County Jail with bonds totaling $75,000. Williams' wife declined to comment on the charges. Efforts to locate other family for comment weren't immediately successful. This story will be updated if more details are released. The Birmingham Bar Foundation has announced that a popular Alabama businessman will be the groups guest speaker at its Seventh Annual Fellows Dinner next month. Jimmy Rane, chairman, president, and CEO of Great Southern Wood Holdings, Inc., will speak at the dinner on Feb. 17. The former judge, known as "Yella Fella," is a member of the Alabama Bar Association and the American Bar Association. "We are very pleased to welcome Mr. Rane as our speaker for this illustrious event where we celebrate the work of our 2018 Fellows and Life Fellows," Jefferson County Circuit Judge Teresa T. Pulliam, who currently serves as the Birmingham Bar Foundation president, said. Rane, of Abbeville, served as a judge in Henry County from 1973-1977. He formed Great Southern Wood Preserving in 1970, after buying a facility with few pieces of equipment in his hometown. He is known to the general public as "Yella Fella" for the character he plays in his popular advertisements. Last year, he was recognized as Alabama's richest man with Forbes estimating his net worth at $700 million. Now, Rane's company and its subsidiaries operate 14 plants with distribution coverage that stretches from Florida to Canada-- an area that includes 27 states and Washington D.C, the Caribbean and Latin America, and parts of Europe, the Mediterranean, and China. He is also president of the Jimmy Rane Foundation, which raises money to fund college scholarships. Since its inception in 2000, the foundation has provided scholarships to more than 340 students who have attended or are currently attending the college or university of their choice. Rane serves on the Auburn University Board of Trustees, the Abbeville United Methodist Church Board of Trustees, and the Henry County Historical Group Board of Directors. He is an honorary member of the Auburn Letterman's Association. According to the Birmingham Bar Foundation, the annual Fellows Dinner recognizes the accomplishments and charitable work of those in the legal community who "represent excellence" in their work. The Seventh Annual Fellows Dinner will be held at The Club on Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. Tickets for the black-tie event can be purchased here. A Jefferson County grand jury will hear the case of a Birmingham teenager charged with a toddler's murder. Last week, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Bill Cole sent the capital murder case against Fredrich Earl Williams to a grand jury for possible indictment. Williams, 19, is charged in the September death of Ta'Leah Nicole Alexander-Burke, who was 17 months old. He faced a preliminary hearing earlier this month. The toddler was pronounced dead at Children's of Alabama on Sept. 26., 2017. The girl's 21-year-old mother told officers she left the child at home with Williams, her boyfriend, while she did errands. When she arrived home, Ta'Leah was unresponsive and she called authorities. Police and firefighters responded to the Tempest Drive home and found the child's mother in the street with Ta'Leah in her arms, and another woman yelling for help. Birmingham police Lt. Sean Edwards said at the time of the incident that both Williams and Ta'Leah's mother were taken into police headquarters for questioning. "Based off the coroner's report, it appeared that the child experience trauma to the body,'' Edwards said. "I won't really go into detail but you can imagine a 17-month old child with trauma to the body. It's just heartbreaking." Birmingham police Det. Steven Fisher testified at a preliminary hearing, along with a responding officer and a friend of Ta'Leah's mother. Williams is still being held in the Jefferson County Jail without a bond, but the judge announced he would decide this week whether bond will be granted. The mother of a 3-year-old girl rushed to the hospital Saturday morning after fire swept through the upstairs of her Kingston apartment on Monday praised the first responders, and neighbors, who risked their lives to save her and her baby girl. "They're all heroes,'' said Miotta Diltz, a Birmingham mother of four daughters ages 7 and under. The fire was reported just before 9 a.m. Saturday on the 900 block of 46th Place North, Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service Capt. Harold Watson said. Diltz said all of the girls were upstairs playing in a bedroom when Diltz began to smell smoke. As she got up to go investigate, her 7-year-old daughter came running down the stairs saying that smoke was coming from an electrical outlet in the bedroom. At that moment, Diltz told her oldest daughter, as well as her 5-year-old, to get out of the house as fast as they could. Diltz then ran back inside, grabbed her 2-year-old and took her safety. As Diltz entered the apartment again, this time to rescue her 3-year-old, Kassidy Pearson, she encountered nothing but black smoke. Kassidy, she said, had moved from the burning room to another bedroom and had shut the door. "The firefighters told me that's the only reason she survived,'' Diltz said. Still, the dark wall of smoke kept Diltz from going any further. "I couldn't see her, but I kept hearing her yelling for me to come get her,'' Diltz said. "I told her I couldn't see her and for her to come to me." "She kept yelling and then she just stopped,'' Diltz said. "That's what ate me up. I couldn't get to her." Diltz said multiple neighbors, and a Birmingham police officer, tried to get to Kassidy but all were driven back by the smoke. "They were in the same position I was with no equipment or anything. They all risked their lives." At some point, Diltz passed out on the stairs. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service entered the apartment, pulling Diltz to safety. A short time later, firefighters carried Kassidy out. She was unresponsive. "I saw them bring her out. When I saw her, she was totally black, and I thought she was burned,'' Diltz said. "But she was just covered in soot." Diltz was taken to UAB Hospital, and Kassidy was taken to Children's of Alabama. The officer and a bystander also were treated for smoke inhalation. Apprehensive about being separated from her injured child, Diltz said she remained frantic until hospital workers told her Kassidy was stabilized. She had been sedated and put on a ventilator to keep her from pulling out her tubes. Diltz got to her as soon as she could. "When she heard my voice, she opened here eyes but then went back to sleep,'' she said. She said she is thankful for the police officer who tried to help. "He didn't have to do that,'' she said. Kassidy was taken off the ventilator Monday, though she still is receiving oxygen. She is expected to be moved out of ICU soon. "It's a miracle,"" she said. "She didn't have a burn or a scratch on her." Several of the first responders on the scene that day have since stopped by the hospital to visit Kassidy. It's mean the world to Diltz. "It made me smile to see how much they care,'' she said. The room where the fire started was destroyed, and the rest of the upstairs has significant smoke and water damage. Diltz hasn't left Kassidy's side at the hospital, and her other three daughters are staying with Diltz's grandmother. She said she hasn't even given much thought to where they will go and what they will do next. "I'm just rejoicing in the moment,'' she said, "that nothing worse happened.'' The victim of a Sunday-night homicide at a Huntsville apartment complex has been identified as a 34-year-old man. Raemon Ross died at Huntsville Hospital after being shot at Spring Branch Apartments on Binford Drive. Ross was identified by Madison County Deputy Coroner Tyler Berryhill. Police said Ross was alive when emergency workers took him to the hospital. "Investigators are following leads and interviewing people at this time," Huntsville police Lt. Michael Johnson said Monday morning. "At this time there have been no arrests." The shooting scene is just west of Memorial Parkway, off Clinton Avenue. The case marks the city's third homicide in less than a week. Since 2018 began, at least five people have been killed in Huntsville--all by gunfire. In 2017, 22 people were the victims of homicides in the city. "We have learned the majority of these homicides are relationship-oriented and the offenders knew their victims," said Johnson in a news release. "These are not random shootings/murders. There is no evidence any of these are related. We will give updates as each investigation progresses." A report from last year describes the Afghanistan war as an eroding stalemate in which the Taliban have not only been able to expand, but also consolidate, the territory they hold. However, recent developments, including the barbaric attack by the so-called Islamic State on the office of the Save the Children charitable organization in Jalalabad, are reminders of the need to assess the Afghanistan conflict in more than binary terms. The eroding stalemate is morphing into an uglier, more complicated conflict, that may soon resemble the Afghan civil war in the 1990s or even the present, intractable war in Syria, due to the absence of a holistic strategy and military escalation by all sides. In Afghanistan, the Trump administration has notionally embraced the modest aims of its predecessor: the elimination of transnational jihadist threats and weakening of the Taliban enough that it feels compelled to come to the negotiation table. Toward this, the Trump administration has relied on the expanded use of blunt military force, a targeted increase in troops, and various forms of diplomatic pressure on Pakistan, where much of the Afghan Taliban leadership is based. Regional actors, however, may view Americas intentions less charitably. For some, Trumps mentioning of Pakistans nuclear weapons arsenal in his South Asia strategy speech last August, the criticism of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative by two U.S. cabinet members, and a more assertive Iran policy suggest that an extended presence in Afghanistan serves other objectives for Washington. Let us, however, assume that Washingtons aims in Afghanistan are indeed limited to destroying Al Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State and punishing the Taliban so that its best option is to sue for peace. Even with these modest goals in mind, the grim reality may be that the Trump administration is giving America a second chance in Afghanistan it actually doesnt really have. And as a result of its military-first strategy, in all likelihood, the United States will end up making things worse in Afghanistan, playing a Whac-a-Mole game till it withdraws from Afghanistan precipitously. America, it must be recognized, is very much part of the self-perpetuating ecosystem of violence in Afghanistan. It rejected peace overtures by individual Taliban leaders in the years that followed the U.S. invasion. It empowered warlords who helped breathe life into the Taliban insurgency by 2006 by targeting Taliban figures who had abandoned militancy. These warlords also abused the local populace, kidnapped young boys, making them into sex slaves, and helped restore a drug trade that the insurgency now thrives off of. - Read More A month after protests erupted in Iran, there are signs that those who demonstrated in the streets may have had some success. Tehran Nearly a month after anti-government demonstrations in Iran made international headlines, there are signs that activists may have had some success. This week, Irans parliament rejected the initial 2018 budget proposal that would have increased the price of petrol by 50 percent. A joint commission of parliament has also said there will be no increase in the prices of water, electricity and gas in the current fiscal year. The decision, made on Sunday, gave legislators 72 hours to submit a revised budget, which may still include hikes. But for now, prices will remain the same. While the government has not explicitly said the decision was due to the December protests, it seems legislators are taking the public mood regarding Irans difficult economic conditions more seriously. Iranians Al Jazeera spoke to said that, while prices never go down in their country and there is still a long way to go to improve living conditions for most people, at least now Iranian leaders are talking about the economy. My recommendation [to the president] is to work harder to resolve peoples problems [and address] their legitimate demands, said Mohammad Motamedinejad, a student who participated in protests last month, but stayed home when they turned violent. The government should hear the [voice of the people], he said. The officials were elected by these people and their problems should be solved as soon as possible. One member of parliament told Al Jazeera that external factors the government cannot control are hurting the countrys economy. We know that there are high prices and unemployment but many of the [problems] are artificial, said Hassan Norozi, an MP representing Tehran Province. {articleGUID} By not honouring the 2015 nuclear deal, which was signed by Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, Norozi said the administration of US President Donald Trump is keeping the country from improving its own economy and putting economic pressure directly on Iranian people. Trump announced earlier this month that he would continue sanctions relief for Iran for the last time so that the deal could be renegotiated. We signed the nuclear deal, but they are trying to put pressure and break it, Norozi said. He added: They are trying to persuade European countries to go along with them. They have blocked our money in their countries. They dont give our [assets] and money back to us. They dont let us use [banking] facilities because they are our enemies and the people of Iran know this enemy. The people of Iran wont agree to sacrifice their dignity for temporary welfare. Iranian leaders have blamed foreign media reports for exaggerating the extent of public discontent. It is natural if you ask any Iranian person if the Islamic establishment is better or monarchy, they would say the Islamic system, Norozi said, comparing the current form of government to the time of the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Raza Pahlavi, who was overthrown by the 1979 Islamic Revolution. If you ask Iranians if this establishment works better or the previous regime, they would say this, he said. If you ask any Iranian if independence is better than slavery, they would say independence. More open dialogue needed The majority of Iranians Al Jazeera spoke to are in favour of maintaining the countries current system of government, but it is rare for people to speak in public against the Islamic establishment and the government-appointed Muslim leaders and scholars running the country. Open criticism does happen in the privacy of Iranian living rooms. But even people who are disenchanted with the current type of government acknowledge that changing it would come with the kind of violent upheaval most Iranians would not tolerate. {articleGUID} Most people expressed a desire to, at the very least, have a more open dialogue about how to run the country. Mostly Islamic ideals have been established but not everything in society has been completed, said Reyhaneh Atashi, a university student living in Tehran. Compared to the early years after the revolution, things have gotten better. Im not saying that peoples situations are getting better, but were happy. There is not as much pressure on [Iranian] people like other countries think. But every society has its own problems. Atashi said having an Islamic government has made Iran stronger and a safer. She compared Iran to other countries in the region that have experienced more conflict, like Iraq and Syria. But she said there was more work to be done to improve things like equality between men and women. The best thing that could happen in a society is the equality between a man and woman, she said. The more we work for this, the better a society we will have. Definitely, we will have more peace. Definitely, there will be less [international] pressure on Iran. Social media Much of the free debate that happens in Iran happens online. Social media played a major role in December demonstrations. Largely leaderless rallies were coordinated by various groups and individuals through social media apps. Its also part of the reason they spread so quickly across the country. {articleGUID} This was probably the first scenario, the first case, the first instance of such a thing in Iran, when official media outlets actually lost the leadership [of the story] to social media platforms, said Mostafa Khosh Cheshm, a political analyst based in Tehran. They played a much more major role than official media outlets like TV and news agencies, websites. Maybe as much as 80 percent of events were covered by social media and they played a major role in leading and covering events and presenting analysis of what was going on in Iran, Khosh Cheshm said. He added that during the last presidential elections social media was a major focus of political campaigns. But the impact of apps like Telegram, Twitter and Facebook on fueling recent demonstrations was much bigger. He said, though, that such platforms were also a source of misinformation. Everything is different when it comes to Iran because everything is politically driven, he said. Protests and the media The December demonstrations were the worst seen since 2009. Back then millions took to the streets to protest the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But government officials told Al Jazeera the latest unrest was exaggerated by what they described as hyperbolic foreign media coverage that, officials said, suggested rallies and riots might topple the establishment. {articleGUID} [Riots] were broadcast by various media outlets in sizes that were not real, Khosh Cheshm said. The sizes that were shown and projected by various media outlets were beyond a doubt something fake, he added. Most scenes were shot from close range so you couldnt see the numbers. The numbers were no more than a couple of hundred rioters in [a few] cities, no more. But they were shown by the foreign media in a way that many people believed there is a revolution in Iran and millions are out. It is true that anti-government demonstrations numbered in the thousands, much smaller than crowds in 2009. And while there was unrest during recent demonstrations, resulting in deaths, injuries and widespread arrests, life in most of the country carried on largely undisturbed. However, coverage by local news channels and Iranian state-run media pushed its own pro-government agenda. For the first several days of the anti-government demonstrations, local channels ignored them altogether. When they did finally begin to cover demonstrations, the focus was primarily on wall-to-wall coverage of pro-government counterdemonstrations and the government narrative that anti-government rallies were small and being fuelled by foreign enemies in an effort to destabilise the country. In contrast, news of anti-government rallies was restricted to cyberspace. The most popular app in Iran, Telegram, was blocked to stop the flow of information. Since then, the service has been restored but between roadblocking activists in cyberspace and a show of pro-government strength in the real world, anti-government rallies quickly fizzled out. But even at their height, they were mostly ignored by Iranian media. Meanwhile, many journalists working for foreign news outlets admitted that showing up to cover anti-government demonstrations was a sure way of getting arrested and having press accreditation revoked. As a result, the only videos that emerged from opposition rallies were user-generated content shared online. Distrust of their leaders Earlier this month, reports emerged of two people who took their own lives while in police custody. One in Evin prison in Tehran and another in Arak prison in the provincial capital of Irans Central Province. {articleGUID} The government said that both were drug addicts arrested on criminal charges unrelated to the protests. Their families have denied the allegations and many opposition voices simply dont believe their version of the story. Even if the official version of events are to be believed, Iranians often blame a lack of transparency by Irans leaders as contributing to the distrust they may feel, especially when it comes to cases as serious as the deaths of people in police custody. The governments attempt to dispel rumours was hampered by snow this week. Reformist and opposition parliamentarians had planned to visit people being held at Evin prison and to assess living conditions. The trip, scheduled for Sunday, was postponed due to snow storms that closed roads in the capital as well as major highways and airports across the country. No new date had been set at the time of publication. From Kigali to Khartoum, we meet pioneers using drones to tackle some of Africas current and future challenges. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), have been used for more than three decades, but in the last few years drones are increasingly being developed and used for commercial purposes. But while inventors and entrepreneurs in Western countries struggle with strict regulations, many African countries are proving very innovative and accepting in terms of drone usage across industries. From Kigali to Khartoum, pioneers are using drones to tackle some of the continents current challenges. In Rwanda, drones deliver blood to almost half of the countrys blood transfusion centres. In Malawi, UAVs deliver HIV test kits to and from remote parts of the country. Elsewhere, drones are used to combat poaching, track illegal maritime activities and oil spills, or to augment safaris. Al Jazeera spoke to some of Africas drone pioneers to find out how gaining a birds-eye view is helping to shape the future and uncover the past of some of the continents 1.2 billion people. Zipline: Life-saving drones in Rwanda By using drones, Zipline can cut the delivery time for essential blood products by several hours [Zipline] Never before have doctors and patients in remote Rwanda received blood so quickly and efficiently. Silicon Valley robotics company, Zipline, has partnered with the Rwandan government to deliver blood to hospitals and blood transfusion centres across Rwanda using special delivery drones. Requests are made online on Ziplines order site, via phone, text message or WhatsApp. The hospital receives a message one minute before the drone reaches its destination and drops the package, which is attached to a parachute. Zipline spokesperson Justin Hamilton discusses drone logistics and the idea behind the worlds first, and only, national drone delivery service: The mission of the company is bringing life-saving medicine to the most difficult to reach parts of the world. Our first deployment has been in Rwanda, where we are delivering blood and blood products to transfusion clinics across the western half of the country. We contract directly with the government to provide this service. Two-thirds of our deliveries are routine stock-ups and around a third are for emergency requests. The biggest value is in the drones ability to access all of these locations faster than was ever before possible. [The facilities] all have roads going to them, so its not that there arent roads or that you cant drive there, but its that in a life-threatening situation you cant drive there fast enough. In a life-threatening situation you often only have minutes.... So what we were able to do is cut delivery time down from several hours, and in the worst cases more than a day, to around 30 minutes. Justin Hamilton, Zipline Blood spoils very quickly and needs to be kept refrigerated, so all too often what you experience is a medical stock out: whatever it is you need isnt there and it has to be acquired from somewhere else, usually from a central medical warehouse or facility in a big city that can be several hours drive away. [But] in a life-threatening situation you often only have minutes and not hours to deal with it. So what we were able to do is cut delivery time down from several hours, and in the worst cases more than a day, to around 30 minutes. We are helping to save lives almost every day. Since our launch [in October 2016], we have made more than 2,000 deliveries of life-saving medication and many of them have been in life-threatening situations. This year, we will be expanding to open a second base in Rwanda to serve the other half of the country. By the time the entire operation is fully up and running, it will include 21 clinics. We will also be expanding the types of medical products we deliver from blood alone to include vaccinations, anti-venoms and other critical medications. Ziplines goal is to build instant delivery for the world, we will be expanding across Africa this year and we will continue to expand and bring this life-saving service to people all over the world. Massive Dynamics: The drone fighting desertification in Sudan Mohammed and Hatem have been working for years to build a drone capable of tackling desertification [Lucy Provan/Al Jazeera] After decades of drought and deforestation, millions of hectares of Sudans semi-desert have turned into desert. The sand has swallowed homes and farmland, forcing many villagers to move southwards. Experts say that without intervention, parts of the conflict-ridden African country could become uninhabitable as a result of climate change. Determined to stop the desert from swallowing up their country, two Sudanese inventors have spent years building Sudans first flying robot farmer a drone that can plant trees, increase harvests and reduce crop damage. Mohammed Alhatim Ahmed Ibrahim and Hatem Mubarak Hassan, from Massive Dynamics, discuss their project and what inspired them: {articleGUID} Mohammed: The first time we saw the problem of desertification, we felt deep sadness. When we witnessed it and saw peoples suffering [as a result of desertification], we started to look for a radical solution. Seventy percent of Sudans agricultural land is under threat of desertification, so in order to do something about it and find real solutions to the problem, we have to use advanced technology that can be made with Sudanese hands and implemented [by Sudanese] so it can inspire many people to act. The drones main function is to plant the seeds of Acacia trees from the sky. Researchers say this is the best way to fight desertification, because the roots of these Acacia trees can stop the movement of the sand. The second thing the drone does is remote agricultural sensing, which is a way of conducting plant health assessment. By doing that assessment, all the researchers and NGOs will be able to access the information needed to make decisions on the ground. I feel its a great responsibility to help [combat desertification] using technology, not only drones. We have to think beyond drones so we can stop the sand. We cant do it alone, we have to stand all together: the government, the community and the NGOs everyone we have to support each other. Its an emergency. [People] need help and they need it now! Not tomorrow, not the day after tomorrow. This project is really for our people, our families. It is very hard to lose a part of your country, a part of your civilisation and your culture, every day. Hatem Mubarak Hassan, inventor Hatem: It is very hard to lose a part of your country, a part of your civilisation and your culture, every day. We havent been able to buy any equipment from outside Sudan, or get any technical support [because of sanctions]. Its like a big wall all around Sudan. This situation takes your dreams away from you, you can feel it. Your dream disappears day after day, but I cant let that happen to us, I cant let that happen to our project. We have this new kind of technology, we have to use it against desertification. We are part of a big community, the Sudan community and we have to take the lead. [We] have to be on the front to make a real impact and a real difference to our community. Uncovering Nigerias past: Drones in archeology Drones have aided the discovery of abandoned settlements, pottery sheds, and a series of other archaeological materials in the ancient Yoruba city of Ile-Ife [Getty Images] Archaeologists across the globe are increasingly discovering that using drones is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to find out what is hidden below the ground. In Nigeria, archaeologists have started to use drones to detect, map and view archaeological sites in Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba civilization. Saving archeologists a considerable amount of time and money, the UAVs have aided the discovery of city walls, abandoned settlements, pottery sheds, ceremonial pits, and a series of other archaeological materials created by the Yoruba people during the 10th-12th centuries. Adisa Ogunfolakan, director of the Nigerian Natural History Museum, explains how the aerial information gathered by drones helps archeologists to uncover Nigerias past. We started using drones in 2015 for some of our archaeological work in Ile-Ife to help capture images of the archaeological site. Having an aerial view of the site means we are able to see its topography. We can see where city walls lie, which helps to guide us with regards to where to excavate and which areas to concentrate on. The technology has enhanced our work, helping to show us the orientation of the land. That has aided us in discovering abandoned settlements, pottery sheds, and a series of other archaeological materials created by the Yoruba people during the 10th-12th centuries in Ile-Ife. Drones have also been used to identify sites in the town of Ilara in southwestern Nigeria. Aerial imagery helped to discover the extent of a trench carved in that area, one of the largest we have ever discovered, which ran to around 160km. This is a new way of doing archaeology, we are moving from analogue to digital. Analogue archaeology involves moving around sites [on foot] to identify where you have materials. But using drones, alongside other techniques and methods, delivers us ways of digitally identifying things. This is a new way of doing archaeology, we are moving from analogue to digital. Adisa Ogunfolakan, director of the Nigerian Natural History Museum We did have three drones, lent to us by colleagues from the US, but theyve since gone back so we dont have one anymore. Now we are planning to see if we can get a drone of our own, either through a donation or via funding so we can buy one. We are the first users of drones for archaeology in Nigeria and our museum is the only one of its kind in West Africa. Im advocating that we use drones in archaeological projects [across Africa], because they enhance our research and help us to be more precise in our identification. The technology also gives us an economical advantage as it allows us to see what we are working on more quickly, economising our time. We are using modern technology in order to find the ancient. Technology can help us to see what life was like hundreds and thousands of years ago. As if to open up the New Year in a blaze of controversy, the man who now sits in the US presidential office is said to have made some of his most flammable comments yet. No stranger to controversy, the Commander-in-Chief allegedly described Haiti and certain African countries as shithole countries in a meeting held to address immigration reform. Spontaneously, and almost as one, the worlds media erupted in a firestorm of outrage and rebuke, not, of course, without good reason. The United Nations condemned US President Donald Trumps alleged comments in the strongest terms, while Patrick Gaspard, the US ambassador to South Africa under Barack Obama, reflected mournfully, In the legion of absolutely outrageous things that this man has said and done, what occurred this past week has just tipped us over into a place of near insanity. One can empathise with Gaspards shock, in particular, as it is hard to imagine his former paymaster, Obama a poised and polished speechmaker and an ardent and vocal advocate of global equality and integration ever giving life to such vulgar and atavistic utterances. {articleGUID} And yet While it is safe to assume Obama would never have described other countries as shitholes, the briefest perusal of his international record suggests he didnt have much of a problem in treating them like it. For every hour in his last year in office, he dropped on average of nearly three bombs on other countries. He expanded by 130 percent the number of military operators who were active internationally during the Bush administration. He launched attacks or military raids in country after country: Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan. And, under his watch, the use of drone technology became endemic. Indeed, there is something rather fitting about the use of the drone in the time of Obama: a smooth, efficient and utterly clinical form of murder and destruction which was, at the same time, eerily abstracted from the source, the people who had set it into motion. No longer soldiers on the ground, but professional analysts working in pristine, sanitised offices, gazing into the hypnotic glow of gently flickering screens, thousands of miles removed from the stench and spatter of exploded bodies and shredded bones. The outrage towards the obscenity of the real, visceral acts of mass slaughter in the Obama era seems strangely muted, when compared with the recent response to the words of obscenity said to have been sputtered by bellicose, blundering, and tantrum-prone President Trump. And perhaps this is key: Under Obama, all the routine murderousness of the establishment whether it be overseas in impoverished countries, or the judicially sanctioned murder of so many disproportionately black youth back home all of this was to some degree ameliorated by Obamas progressive image. His smoothness, his intellect, his thoughtful charisma, that practised and polished, bourgeois sense of respectability not to forget, of course, the obligatory and subtle nod he gave to the great civil rights movement, so some of its lustre might transfer itself to him. Trump, on the other hand, brings all the ugliness to light in one vomitous belch after the next. To put it in Freudian terms, it is as if he has come to represent the id of ruling class power, and it seems to me that liberals of the Obama-Clintonite stripe despise him for this. They hate him not simply because he is such an awful specimen, but because, with heavy-handed arrogance and crass vulgarity, Trump reveals naked truths about the political establishment, about the deployment of its power, and the everyday, racist, misogynistic and murderous implications of that power. He represents the darkest, most atavistic id of the political ruling wing, bubbling up from the underbelly, breaching the progressive veneer; he embodies the ugly, narcissistic, rabid self-interest of a deformed minority the very same thing liberalism expends all its powers on rendering invisible. The liberal tradition, however, has always been adept at keeping two sets of books. The man whom many consider its founding father, John Locke, would argue, with his breathless idealism, that the individual was free, equal and independent, no one can be put out of this estate, and subjected to the political power of another. At the same time, this paragon of liberty was himself an investor in one of the most grotesque and horrific projects of inhumanity and anti-freedom, that of the African slave trade. Less than a century later, the Founding Fathers drafted the 1787 constitution as a way by which the blessings of liberty could be consecrated. When the document is scrutinised in detail, various, questionable sub-clauses, secreted away within the broader text, emerge. One sentence reads, for example: No Person held to Service or Labour in One state, under the laws thereof, escaping into another shall be delivered up on the claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due. Surely this is the language of liberalism par excellence: there is no mention of race, nothing overtly racist in it, and the dull, precise legalese seems unobjectionable, almost snooze-worthy, when taken at a glance. But, when placed in the context of the time, the same words seem to curl and writhe like snakes once you realise the blackness which lies behind them; that person held to Service or Labour is, of course, the slave, and the party who claims such service the slave owner. Such language is more than cynical; it is horrific, in terms of its banality and bloodless emotion. The word slave itself is never used, of course, for that would be too sharp, too vulgar, and too uncouth. Indeed, it would point to the truth. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. What can we do to keep global warming at the 1.5 degrees Celsius mark? As 2017 drew to an end, becoming one of the three hottest years on record, my native United States conversely experienced dangerously frigid, Arctic weather, leading to intense debate about how climate change could also be the cause of extreme cold. Although the big freeze was predictably seized upon by climate sceptics to scorn the veracity of global warming, the jury on whether climate change triggered the extreme weather is far from out. Research into the complex dynamics of a warming Arctic, the polar vortex, the jet stream and how the interplay between them drives global weather patterns continues. The freezing weather also followed a brutal onslaught of hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and deadly droughts that had already marked 2017 as a year to remember, a year in which global CO2 emissions also started to rise again. Seen in this light, there can be no doubt that we are pushing our planet to the brink, as the World Economic Forums Global Risks Report 2018 has warned. In the US, President Donald Trumps own National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also found 2017 was the costliest year ever for weather and climate disasters, with the cumulative economic costs coming to over $300bn. Worldwide, insured losses alone reached hundreds of billions according to the worlds largest reinsurance company, Munich Re a total that doesnt include the trillions of dollars in economic losses. Nor, critically, does it factor in health impacts and loss of life. But these extremes are the new normal in a world that has unnaturally warmed 0.85 degrees Celsius on average over the past 20 years above preindustrial levels. Its why a special report currently being drafted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to examine how the world can stabilise global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius is so keenly awaited. Achieving 1.5 degrees was the aspiration committed to in the Paris Climate Agreement an ambitious goal that only made it into the final accord thanks to the tireless and passionate advocacy of the worlds most vulnerable nations. For small island states like Tuvalu or Dominica, the difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees of warming is existential. For all nations, every fraction of a degree matters no population would avoid the impacts of 2 degrees of warming. So the IPCC report is far from academic: its a matter of life and death; of prosperity versus suffering. Recent peer-reviewed science which will be drawn on for the IPCC report tells us that stabilising temperatures at 1.5 degrees is tremendously hard, but still achievable. But its only possible if we take serious action now. This means transformative change and not only in the energy sector. We must protect and restore our forests, defend our oceans and transform our agriculture as well. What this means is that we need to stop building new coal plants and start shutting down existing ones, replacing them with carbon-free wind and solar, which can, when paired with newly-affordable battery storage and improved transmission, already deliver reliable, affordable electricity around the clock. We need to stop drilling for oil to propel personal vehicles, given that the technology exists to plug these cars into a cleaner grid while more and more people can ditch expensive vehicles forever with better mass transit and ridesharing options. We need to ensure that our woodlands, salt marshes and mangroves, so important as natural stores of carbon as well as for the preservation of biodiversity, are protected from further degradation and given space to recover and that our oceans are healthy and teaming with life. All these things need to happen together. And the good news is that these actions will pay for themselves by creating jobs, reducing public health costs and avoiding climate impacts. Although were on the cusp of major change, particularly in the global energy system, we must move beyond incremental change and achieve a positive transformational shift in the worlds energy and land-use systems. The sooner we act, the better and the speed of change is accelerating. REN21s Renewables 2017 Global Status Report showed that unprecedented price reductions in solar energy were again reported in 2016, while onshore wind power is the most cost-effective option for new grid-based power in an increasing number of markets. These developments give me hope that unproven and potentially unsustainable technological fixes proposed for carbon dioxide removal or geoengineering of the atmosphere will not be needed to achieve a 1.5C world. Many carbon removal technologies would result in unacceptable ecological and/or social impacts and give no guarantee they will permanently remove CO2 from the atmosphere. And no geoengineering proposal will change the need for a dramatic decarbonisation of our economy. Waiting to act will only make the job much more difficult, disruptive and expensive. The next few years are crucial. We have a moral, ethical responsibility to seize the small window of opportunity we still have to make bold and lasting change to deliver true climate security for us all. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Preference for boys leads to skewed gender ratio in India due to foeticide, disease, neglect, or inadequate nutrition. Nearly 63 million women are missing from Indias population due to foeticide, disease, neglect, or inadequate nutrition, a government survey says, adding that more than two million women disappear every year. The survey, released on Monday, pointed out the phenomenon of son preference among Indians that has created an estimated 21 million unwanted girls. Indian parents often continue to have children till they have the desired number of sons, it said. {articleGUID} Families that have sons are more likely to stop having children than families where a girl is born. This is suggestive of parents having children until they have as many sons as they want. Rebecca Reichmann Tavares, a former India representative at the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, said: the Indian society has been aware of this issue for some time. It is against the law to determine the sex of a foetus, but it is still widely practiced. And we find that even in the states where people are more educated and have higher incomes, the practice is more widespread, Tavares said. It really goes to show that economic development and higher level of education are not enough to promote or ensure gender equality. Even having a legal and policy system that has done everything to ensure legal rights for women and for girls, has not been enough. The survey comes as the sex ratio in India worsened over the years despite government campaigns to bring gender parity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao [Save girls, Educate girls] initiative in 2015 in a sign the government prioritised women empowerment. I do believe of course that the government is committed to addressing this issue and it is very seriously committed, Tavares said. The Pentagon has sought to limit the amount of publicly available information about the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan. The Pentagon has restricted the release of critical information on the challenges faced in the war in Afghanistan, a move that will limit transparency, the US governments top watchdog on Afghanistan said. For years, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, has published a quarterly report that includes unclassified data on the amount of territory controlled or influenced by the Taliban and the government. In a report published late on Monday, SIGAR said, however, it was told not to release that information. The military also classified, for the first time since 2009, the actual and authorized total troop numbers and attrition rate for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, or ANDSF. The implication is that I think the average American who reads our reports or reads your press accounts of it, has no meaningful ability to analyze how his money or her money is being spent on Afghanistan, John Sopko, who leads the independent watchdog office, told Reuters in an interview. The Pentagon sought to deflect blame for the decision, the latest move to limit the amount of publicly available information about the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan Americas longest. It said in a statement that the Department of Defense did not tell SIGAR to withhold the data, but rather it was the NATO-led Resolute Support coalition that made the determination. It added that the Pentagon did not have the authority to overrule the classification made by Resolute Support, which is led by US General John Nicholson. The Department continues to work with SIGAR, US Forces-Afghanistan, and NATO Resolute Support to resolve concerns about restrictions on information that was previously unclassified, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Andrews said. Former officials and experts said that regardless of who restricted the information, it was particularly worrying because Afghan and US officials had publicly set a benchmark it would now be difficult to measure. The top US general in Afghanistan set a goal in November of driving back Taliban fighters enough to control at least 80 percent of the country within two years. In its most recent report, SIGAR said that 43 percent of Afghanistans districts were either under Taliban control or being contested. Sopko said people would jump to the conclusion that information was being withheld because progress was not being made, which may not be the case. A similar accusation was made during the Vietnam War, which later proved true. In essence, you can ask me almost any question and I will have to say, it is classified or non-releasable, I mean you go down the list, it is just amazing, Sopko said. He added that the Department of Defense did not give him any reasons for the move. Recent attacks The move by the Pentagon comes amid a spate of violence in Afghanistan over the past nine days that is putting a new, more aggressive strategy under the spotlight. An ambulance bomb in the city centre killed more than 100 people, just over a week after an attack on the Hotel Inter-Continental, also in Kabul, killed more than 20, including four US citizens. President Donald Trump has committed an additional 3,000 US troops to Afghanistan in recent weeks, bringing the total number of American troops in Afghanistan to about 14,000. Michael Kugelman, with the Woodrow Wilson Center, said it made little sense to block the information. Its not fair to the American people, to American troops and I would think its pretty hard to justify doing something like this, Kugelman said. It is not the first time data has been withheld on the Afghan war. Last year, US forces in Afghanistan restricted the amount of data it provided on the ANDSF, including casualties, personnel strength and attrition rates data that has now been completely withheld. The US military said at the time the data belonged to the Afghan government, which did not want it released. A former US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was pressure on the US military to achieve success that could create a risk about not being fully open with the facts. Were going in a direction of hiding facts and shading and shaping facts in reaction to a lot of pressure to show fast results, the former official said. The Palestinian businessman was deported after being given conflicting information from immigration officials. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) deported Amer Othman Adi, a Palestinian man who lived in Ohio, on Monday, according to local media. Adi had lived in the US for roughly 39 years before his deportation to Jordan, where he holds citizenship. He lived in Youngstown, Ohio, where he was ripped from his four daughters, his wife, and the country that he has called home for over thirty years, Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, who fought his deportation, said in a statement. Adi was a business owner in Youngstown, a city of 64,000. He hired members of our community. He paid taxes. He did everything right, Ryan continued. Born in Jordan to Palestinian parents, Adi came to the US at the age of 19. He received a green card, or permanent residence permit, after his first marriage. Immigration authorities began removal procedures against the immigrant after his first wife said their marriage was fake. After being charged with marriage fraud, Adi lived under a deport order from 2009. His first wife testified in a sworn affidavit that their marriage was legitimate, but that she was pressured by authorities to say otherwise. The Palestinian man was protected by private bills passed by elected officials in the US House of Representatives for years. These bills typically provide relief to a specific person, as opposed public bills that address nationwide issues. The bill was rescinded under President Donald Trump, who has overseen a crackdown on undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers. {articleGUID} While ICE acknowledges Congress authority to pass legislation providing immigration benefits to non-citizens, alien beneficiaries need not be present in the United States for a private immigration relief bill to be introduced, considered and/or enacted, ICE spokesperson Khaalid Walls said in the statement. Adi was detained without warning by ICE on January 16 after appearing for a routine check-in appointment. He was told last September that he would be deported by January 7, but was then reportedly informed the order had been called off. The Youngstown community was reportedly surprised to hear ICE apprehended the member of their community. Representative Ryan shared their surprised. There are violent criminals walking the streets, yet our government wasted our precious resources incarcerating him, he said in the statement. Mohammad Hadaf, who was struck by an Israeli missile aged six, is among more than 500 children killed in the conflict. Nine-year-old Mohammad Hadaf sustained severe injuries in an Israeli air strike during the 2014 Gaza War when he was six, leaving him paralysed, blinded, and unable to speak. He finally succumbed to his wounds on December 6, last year. I hope nobody will ever have to experience what I did, said Saleh, Mohammads father. I had to feed my son through a tube. When you see your son in this kind of pain, you also feel the pain with him, he told Al Jazeera. Mohammad is among more than 500 child victims of the 51-day Israeli offensive, in which more than 2,000 Palestinians were killed. When Israel began bombarding Gaza, Saleh said he was afraid for his children because our house was not well-built and could not survive the bombs. With his wife Nisrin and five children, the family moved to a relatives home in Khan Younis. Their home in al-Qarara was bombed by Israel a few days later. It was hard to accept his death During a ceasefire, they returned to collect whatever belongings they could find. Saleh wanted to go alone, but his children and wife begged to join him. An hour after they arrived, Saleh saw smoke. Israeli forces had fired a missile in front of his home. I saw all of them fall down to the ground, he said. Three of Salehs young neighbours aged eight, 15 and 19 were on the street at the time. They were killed instantly. A Palestinian girl looks out from her house that was damaged in the 2014 war [File: Suhaib Salem/Reuters] Saleh, Nisrin and four of their children were injured. Three-year-old Ayesh was paralysed on one side of his body. He has since healed. Five-year-old Remas sustained an injury to the skull. Mohammad was hit in the abdomen and spine, and had to be resuscitated during surgery because of a lack of oxygen to the brain. Accompanied by his aunt, the child travelled to Turkey for further treatment. Mohammad spent years rotating between hospitals and undergoing surgeries, but continued to deteriorate. He became blind and lost the ability to speak or move. The financial burden wreaked havoc. If I were to try and explain to you all the money I spent on Mohammads treatment his wheelchair, medicine, special food I wouldnt be able to finish, said Saleh. None of Gazas political factions helped the family because they are not associated with a specific party, he claimed. We spent everything we had on Mohammads treatment. We have nothing left, said Saleh, who was with his son when he died. Even though I knew how badly he was doing, and that he wouldnt last much longer, it was hard to accept his death. I loved him so much, Saleh told the BTselem rights group. My children will never be the same Amit Gilutz, BTselem spokesperson, told Al Jazeera that one of the most horrifying hallmarks of Israels assault on Gaza was its targeting of residential homes. This policy resulted in more than 1,000 Palestinians, including hundreds of children, being killed. They took no part in the fighting, said Gilutz. The trauma continues to haunt the Hadaf family. We dont even own a television in the house, because we cannot deal with seeing bad things anymore, said Saleh. Jess Ghannam, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco, told Al Jazeera that he has documented many cases of severe PTSD in Gaza following Israeli bombardment in 2012, from 2008 to 2009 and most recently in 2014. Many Palestinians living in Gaza exposed to war develop symptoms of PTSD that include flashbacks, anxiety, and hypervigilance, he said. They live with daily distress and the expectation that something bad will happen, and this results in fatigue and general ill health. A Palestinian man looks on as he stands near a house destroyed during 2014 war [Mohammed Salem/Reuters] Saleh is among those who live in constant fear, saying: We feel like another war will break out at any moment. Ghannam said this sentiment is common among traumatised Palestinians. Because of the occupation and siege, there are continuous reminders of war so that the healing process can never fully be realised, he said. Palestinians in Gaza live in constant fear of another attack and do not have any chance to process events and heal. It is a constant state of psychological distress and siege. Children struggle the most, said Saleh. They become so scared when they hear the Israeli planes above us at night. Sometimes they wake up at night crying, he said. They are always afraid. My children are completely different than how they were before the war. Sometimes they have problems focusing. You have to ask them questions more than once in order to get an answer. All of these memories of the war and Mohammads suffering will stay with them for the rest of their lives. They will never be the same. New regulations proposed in British Columbia are seen as a blow to a contentious oil pipeline expansion project. The government of British Columbia has proposed new regulations restricting the transportation of oil through the western Canadian province in what is expected to be a major setback for a planned pipeline expansion project. The province announced on Tuesday it would seek the publics feedback on the newly proposed regulations, which include restrictions on the increase of diluted bitumen transportation through BC. The restrictions would be in place until the behaviour of spilled bitumen can be better understood and there is certainty regarding the ability to adequately mitigate spills, the provincial government said in a statement. The province aims to improve preparedness, response and recovery from potential spills, the statement added. George Heyman, BCs minister of environment and climate change strategy, said that the people of BC need to know that there is effective spill management across the province and, in particular, for our most environmentally sensitive areas, including coastlines. The move is widely believed to target Kinder Morgans $5bn Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, which would transport 890,000 barrels of oil a day from the Alberta tar sands to the BC coast for shipment to Asia and other markets. Al Jazeera could not immediately reach Kinder Morgan for comment. Kinder Morgan is aware of the Governments announcement today and will actively participate in their engagement and feedback process, Trans Mountain spokesperson Ali Hounsell told The Financial Post in an email. Good news for the climate {articleGUID} Justin Trudeau, Canadas prime minister, approved the expansion project in 2016 amid opposition from environmental and First Nations groups across the country. Environmental activist Cameron Fenton, a Canadian campaigner with the group 350.org, welcomed BCs decision on Tuesday. When it comes to fossil fuel expansion, especially massive tar sands projects like Kinder Morgan, the rule of when youre in a hole, stop digging is a good place to start. This announcement from the government of BC does just that, Fenton said in a statement. As of today, theres a moratorium on new tar sands shipments to the West Coast, and thats good news for the climate and communities. The BC government, a coalition between the left-leaning New Democrats and the Green Party, had previously vowed to block pipeline expansion through the province. Kinder Morgan says the pipeline expansion project will create short and long-term jobs, increase tax revenues at the provincial and federal levels, and increase the value of Canadian oil. But protesters have rallied in cities across Canada against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project for several years. They say an oil spill would endanger drinking water and harm fish and other species off the coast of BC and worsen Canadas environmental footprint. Indigenous communities along the pipeline route previously vowed to block the project from being completed. The Treaty Alliance, a coalition of more than 100 indigenous tribes across North America, said in 2016 that the project would not see the light of day. The world might not be able to immediately stop using oil tomorrow, but the last thing it needs is more oil, and especially not more of the dirtiest oil on the planet, the group says on its website. In highly unusual case, an Israeli secret police interrogator will face an investigation over torture allegations. For the first time in its history, an interrogator from Israels secret police agency, the Shin Bet, is to face a criminal investigation over allegations of torture. It will be the first probe of the Shin Bet since Israels supreme court issued a landmark ruling nearly two decades ago prohibiting, except in extraordinary circumstances, the use of what it termed special methods of interrogation. Before the ruling, physical abuse of Palestinians had been routine and resulted in several deaths in custody. According to human rights groups, however, the supreme court ban has had a limited impact. The Shin Bet, formally known as the Israel Security Agency, has simply been more careful about hiding its use of torture, they say. More than 1,000 complaints from Palestinians have been submitted to a government watchdog body over the past 18 years, but this is the first time one has led to a criminal investigation. Many Palestinians are jailed based on confessions either they or other Palestinians make during Shin Bet questioning. Israeli military courts almost never examine how such confessions were obtained or whether they are reliable, say lawyers, contributing to a 99.7 percent conviction rate. Last month, in freeing a Palestinian man who was jailed based on a false confession, an Israeli court accused the Shin Bet of using techniques that were liable to induce innocent people to admit to acts that they did not commit. Exception that proves the rule But rights groups have told Al Jazeera the current investigation of the Shin Bet agent is unlikely to bring an end to the long-standing impunity of interrogators, or a change in its practices. {articleGUID} Instead, they noted, an updated decision last month on torture from the Israeli supreme court, revising the 1999 landmark ruling, had moved the goalposts significantly in the Shin Bets favour. Hassan Jabareen, director of Adalah, a legal rights group representing Israels large Palestinian minority, said: This case is the exception that proves the rule one investigation after many hundreds of complaints have been ignored. It will be promoted to suggest wrongly that the system has limits, that it respects the rule of law. That view was shared by Rachel Stroumsa, head of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, which has submitted many of the 1,100 complaints of torture filed against the Shin Bet. She told Al Jazeera that Israel was highly unusual in making legal justifications for interrogation practices that clearly violated the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which Israel ratified in 1991. The convention forbids intentionally inflicting severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental on those in detention to gain information. The 1999 ruling by the Israeli supreme court banned torture except in extremely rare cases of necessity, or what it termed ticking bombs suspects from whom it was essential to gain information quickly. But Stroumsa said the large number of complaints from Palestinians submitted to Mivtan, a watchdog body in the justice ministry, indicated that the Shin Bet had never stopped using torture. The justice ministry has refused to divulge details of the criminal investigation, apart from saying it refers to a field interrogation in 2015. Field interrogations are usually conducted moments after a Palestinian has been seized by security forces. Mivtans consistent failure Speaking of the case at the weekend, Emi Palmor, director general of the justice ministry, said that this was the first case that will be translated, presumably, into an indictment. Stroumsa said the investigation was not in response to a complaint her committee had filed. Israeli media have speculated that the case may have progressed only because it was supported by testimony from another Israeli intelligence agent. Rights groups have been harshly critical of Mivtan over its consistent failure to investigate Palestinian complaints of torture. For most of its history, the unit was part of the Shin Bet and employed only one investigator. But following criticism in 2013 from a state inquiry, conducted by the Turkel Commission, Mivtan was transferred to the justice ministry. Last year it recruited a second investigator, who reportedly speaks Arabic. Before the 1999 ruling, the Shin Bet was regularly accused of violently shaking prisoners and beating them, including by banging their heads against a wall. According to testimonies, the Shin Bet still uses physical violence, though less routinely, including choking, forcing victims into stress positions that cause intense pain, and tightly cuffing their hands to prevent blood flow. But the Shin Bet is reported now to prioritise mental torture that does not leave tell-tale signs doctors could identify. These include threats of physical and sexual violence, including against family members, interrogation lasting for days, sleep deprivation, and prolonged exposure to loud music. Palestinians are often denied access to daylight, sometimes for weeks, so they become disoriented. They are completely isolated they feel buried. They dont know when their interrogation will end or how it will end, Anat Litvin, a researcher for Physicians for Human Rights Israel told Al Jazeera. She added that it was often hard to prove torture because the Shin Bet denied requests for doctors to inspect prisoners. That creates a vicious circle those who are tortured cannot prove they were because there is no documentation. Even so, she said, doctors usually only recorded bumps and bruises without noting claims from Palestinians that their injuries were inflicted by their interrogators. Last year an unnamed senior interrogator confirmed that the agency uses torture to the Haaretz newspaper. He said agents were required to record details of how many blows they inflicted and what painful positions they used on detainees. Interrogators concentrated on sensitive regions such as the nose, ears and lips. In an indication of high-level support for torture in Israel, he said logs were sent afterwards to the attorney general, Israels chief law officer. Israel is a torturing society, said Litvin. It requires that all levels of the system turn a blind eye the Shin Bet, investigators, government officials, the courts, and doctors. There has to be a climate that allows this to happen. A global survey by the International Red Cross in 2016 found more support for torture in Israel than any other country apart from Nigeria. Half of Israelis backed its use, with only a quarter opposed. Ticking bomb loophole Stroumsa said: The fact is many Israelis can live with these things as long as they are being done in the dark, out of view, without any documentation. They assume all cases of torture are ticking bombs. Efforts to prove torture have also been hampered by an emergency order passed in 2002, in the wake of the supreme court ruling, that exempts Shin Bet interrogations from being recorded on video. In 2015 the cabinet justified the exemption on the grounds that video recording could cause real damage to the quality of the interrogation and the ability to investigate security offenses. Stroumsa noted that, aside from the moral problem, research has shown that torture is ineffective. A US Senate report, published in 2014, concluded that it was not an effective means of obtaining accurate information. Nonetheless, the signs are that the Israeli courts are rolling back the restrictions on torture they put in place at the end of the 1990s. Last month the supreme court issued a ruling in the case of Assad Abu Ghosh, a Hamas activist who, the Israeli state admits, was subjected to special methods of interrogation in 2007. According to a petition to the court from the Public Committee, he was beaten and repeatedly slammed against a wall, and forced into the banana position, putting extreme pressure on his back. Abu Ghosh was left with neurological damage as a result. Human rights groups had hoped the court would close the ticking bomb loophole, which has allowed the Shin Bet to carry on torturing prisoners, or at least more tightly control the kinds of methods they use. Instead, said Jabareen, of Adalah, the ruling appeared to give greater licence to the Shin Bet to use torture. It is now enough that the [Shin Bet] agent believes subjectively that the prisoner is a ticking bomb, even in the absence of objective facts to support that belief, he said. His actions will not be treated as criminal in nature because they are assumed to be done in good faith. Stroumsa said she found the judges ruling in the Abu Ghosh case astonishing, given the injunction in international law against torture. The court ruled that, even if technically in international law interrogation methods were considered torture, in Israel they were not regarded as such. The judges effectively gave the Shin Bet a green light to continue with torture. Layth Abu Naim, 16, was shot in the head with live ammunition during a confrontation with the Israeli army. Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has confirmed. Layth Abu Naim, 16, was shot in the head with live ammunition during a confrontation with the Israeli army in the village of al-Mughayir, northeast of the occupied West Bank town of Ramallah. According to local media, Abu Naim a high school student was shot at point-blank range. The confrontations reportedly erupted after Israeli forces raided the village. The boys funeral is set to be held on Wednesday after midday prayers in his hometown. A spokeswoman for Israels military said violent riots are taking place in this area and burning tires and stones were thrown at the soldiers, according to Israeli media. The spokeswoman was unable to confirm that any Palestinians had been hit by gunfire. Increasing tensions Abu Naim is the sixth Palestinian to be killed by Israeli forces since the start of 2018. Tensions in the region have increased in recent weeks after US President Donald Trumps controversial decision to name Jerusalem as Israels capital. Trumps December 6 move prompted deadly protests in the Palestinian territories and mass rallies in solidarity with the Palestinians across the Muslim world. US Vice President Mike Pences visit to Israel and the region increased animosity among Palestinians towards the United States. His speech in the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on January 22 was laden with praise for Israel. On Tuesday, a group of Palestinians protested the arrival of an American delegation to the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The delegation was reportedly there to hold a training session on digital commerce, according to Israeli media. A video shared on social media showed protesters entering the meeting room holding signs and chanting against the US administrations decision surrounding Jerusalem, after which the delegation packed up and left. The US state recently passed a law requiring all state contractors to pledge they do not support a boycott of Israel. A US judge has temporarily blocked the implementation of a law that bars anyone from entering into a contract with the state of Kansas without first pledging they will not boycott Israel. US District Court judge Daniel Crabtree granted the temporary injunction on Tuesday in response to a lawsuit filed by Kansas public school teacher Esther Koontz late last year. Passed in June 2017, the Kansas legislation requires all state contractors to declare in writing that they do not support a boycott of Israel. Koontz argues the law violates her rights under the First Amendment. In his ruling, Crabtree wrote: The Supreme Court has held that the First Amendment protects the right to participate in a boycott like the one punished by the Kansas law. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which represented Koontz in court, welcomed the decision. The court has rightly recognised the serious First Amendment harms being inflicted by this misguided law, which imposes an unconstitutional ideological litmus test, said ACLU lawyer Brian Hauss in a statement. Koontz, a public school math teacher, was asked to sign a document saying she was not boycotting Israel in July 2017 before she could work as a trainer in a state-run math and science programme, the court filing states. However, she had begun boycotting Israeli companies and Israeli companies operating in the occupied Palestinian territories last year in protest of Israels treatment of Palestinians. After refusing to sign the form, she was not given the contract, the case states. This ruling should serve as a warning to government officials around the country that the First Amendment prohibits the government from suppressing participation in political boycotts, Hauss said. Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, welcomed the courts decision, saying on Twitter that the 1st Amendment triumphed today. There are laws like this that have passed in states across the country and @SenatorCardin is still pushing one in the senate. Thankfully, the 1st Amendment triumphed today! https://t.co/4L4XHJFIeS (((YousefMunayyer))) (@YousefMunayyer) January 30, 2018 The Kansas legislation comes amid a growing crackdown in the US on the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement Launched in 2005, BDS seeks to pressure Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories and respect the rights of Palestinian refugees and Palestinian citizens of the state. Last October, Wisconsin also passed a law barring state agencies from entering into contracts with entities that are engaging in a boycott of Israel. Also in October, the governor of Maryland signed an executive order blocking firms that boycott Israel from receiving state contracts that same month. As of this month, 24 states have enacted anti-BDS laws, according to Palestine Legal, a US-based legal advocacy group. Eleven other states have anti-BDS legislation pending. A US Senate bill, known as the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, has also been proposed and would bar US citizens from supporting restrictive trade practices or boycotts fostered or imposed by any international governmental organisation against Israel. Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has taken an unofficial oath to be sworn in as the nations peoples president. Odinga took his oath on Tuesday afternoon, cheered on by thousands of supporters who had gathered in Nairobis Uhuru Park. Today is a historic day for the people of Kenya, Odinga said in a speech after taking his oath. The people have gathered here in the hundreds of thousands to say enough is enough with the electoral rigging. Todays step is one step towards the doing away with electoral autocracy and to establishing proper democracy in our country. The symbolic swearing in ceremony took place three months after he boycotted a presidential election re-run. Against expectations, Odingas deputy Kalonzo Musyoka was missing at the function. Odinga told his supporters that he would be sworn in later, for reasons that would be explained on a later date. Kenyas Attorney General, Githu Muigai, had said in December that Odingas alternative swearing-in ceremony would amount to treason. TV networks gagged Security in the Kenyan capital had been tightened ahead of the self-declared inauguration with authorities shutting down independent TV stations. Citizen, NTV and KTN TV stations said on Tuesday that authorities took the independent broadcasters off air over plans to cover the ceremony at Nairobis Uhuru Park. The channels Live YouTube streams were not affected. On Monday, Linus Kaikai, chairman of the Kenya Editors Guild, said senior editors had been summoned by the authorities and warned not to cover the event or risk being shut down. Reporting from Nairobi, Al Jazeeras Catherine Soi said that the ceremony had been anti-climactic with many leaving disappointed. Three other main coalition partners did not show up, she explained. Others told Soi that the absence of Musyoka and other coalition partners did not matter. Raila Odinga swore on the bible to protect and serve the Kenyan people as a peoples president. A lot of people I talked to say they have pegged their hopes on him. He is the change that Kenya needs, Soi said. A symbolic swearing in could be a way of persuading President Uhuru Kenyatta to come to the negotiation table, Soi said. By doing this he hopes that its going to put more pressure on the president to actually reach out and sit down with the opposition, to listen to their grievances, she said. Odinga, 72, refused to take part in an election re-run in October, claiming the government planned to rig the vote. President Uhuru Kenyatta won a second and final five-year term in office and was sworn in as president in November. The East African countrys Supreme Court annulled Augusts presidential election result saying the electoral commission committed irregularities and illegalities during the vote, harming the integrity of the election. Kenyatta, the son of the countrys founding father, had also won Augusts vote. The baby is on life support after she was operated upon for injuries in Delhi, drawing angry reaction from activists. New Delhi, India An eight-month-old baby girl has been raped in Indias capital, New Delhi, allegedly by her 28-year-old cousin while her parents were out working. The rape has provoked angry reactions from activists who are pressing for long-pending police accountability to aid in the fight against sexual violence in the country. {articleGUID} The mother found her child bleeding upon returning from work in the evening. The doctors at the hospital confirmed the rape and said the baby had to undergo surgery. I had left for work leaving my children at home. My wife works too. So she too left for work soon after. When she came back, she saw blood-soaked bed and clothes of the child. When she told this to her sister-in-law she made excuses. My child is in critical condition now, the father, a labourer in the city, told Indian news agency ANI. The accused has been arrested, police in Delhi said. We arrested the accused yesterday [Monday]. He is the 28-year-old cousin of the victim, said Parvati, Additional Sub-Inspector at Subhash Nagar Police Station. We have booked him under 376 Indian Penal Code and section 6 of the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences. The investigation is still underway, Parvati told Al Jazeera. I can still hear her screams and cries. ... I feel horrified at this abuse of a child, I feel as if I have been raped Swati Maliwal, head of Delhi Commission for Women No deterrence A Delhi government official told Al Jazeera the child is on life support and that her internal organs were damaged during the assault. The Chief of the Delhi Commission for Women, Swati Maliwal, after visiting the child in hospital, said she was frustrated with the complete systemic apathy and the fact that people just turn the pages of the newspapers and carry on with their lives. I can still hear her screams and cries. As DCW chief, I feel horrified at this abuse of a child, I feel as if I have been raped. She is on life support right now, Maliwal told Al Jazeera. The incident is likely to fuel continuing demands for policing reforms to combat sexual violence. In every case of child rape, we need to deliver the death penalty within six months of the crime. At present, cases drag on for years. There is no deterrence, no fear. The implementation of already existing laws is also terrible, Maliwal said. All police stations in Delhi are currently functioning at half its sanctioned strength, we need to improve this. There is lack of accountability of the police. We need more forensic labs, many special courts to deal with child rapes, she added. {articleGUID} It has been more than five years since a brutal Delhi gang-rape that galvanised a movement against sexual assault in India, but horrific incidents of brutal rapes, including that of children, continue to be reported from across the country. According to National Crime Records Bureau data for 2016, incidents of rape of children in India increased by over 82 percent compared with 2015. In 2016, police in India registered 38,947 rape complaints, an increase of 12.4 percent from the previous year. In Delhis adjacent Haryana state 10 rapes, mostly of minors including a three-year-old, were reported within 10 days this month. Myanmar: Growing relations with West at risk over Rohingya crisis With rising criticism from the West over the treatment of the Rohingya in Rakhine State, Aung San Suu Kyis government appears to have turned toward Russia and China. Anti-corruption purge detainees released, Saudi attorney general says as various assets secured by government. Saudi Arabias Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said that the kingdom has seized more than $100bn in anti-corruption settlements. The amount SAR400bn ($106.7bn) represented various types of assets, including real estate, commercial entities, cash and more, Mojeb said in a statement released by the governments information office on Tuesday. He added that the total number of individuals summoned for questioning reached 381, while 65 remained in custody as part of a nationwide anti-corruption purge. The statement came as Saudi authorities released all remaining detainees from the Ritz-Carlton hotel, after more than two months of detention on allegations of corruption. There are no longer any detainees left at the Ritz-Carlton, a Saudi official told Reuters News Agency earlier on Tuesday. Dozens of royal family members, ministers, and top businessmen were arrested in early November during an anti-corruption crackdown launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Allegations against those detained included money laundering, bribery, extorting officials. Those arrested were held collectively in the countrys Ritz-Carton hotel. Meanwhile, the hotel was closed to normal business. On Saturday, prominent Saudi businessman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was released as signs of the purge appeared to be winding down. Prince Alwaleed said during an exclusive Reuters interview that there were no charges against him. The crackdown, which came about via a royal decree in November 2017, was in response to exploitation by some of the weak souls who have put their own interests above the public interest, in order to illicitly accrue money. Consolidating power? Mahjoob Zweiri, a professor of contemporary Arab politics at Qatar University, said that the purge is part of Mohammed bin Salmans plan to consolidate economic, as well as political power in Saudi Arabia. That required destroying other economic empires in Saudi Arabia, he told Al Jazeera. Zweiri noted that the nature of charges against those who were detained remains unclear, and that there may be more details of cases revealed but not in the near future. There has been a case of mistrust, he said. And the authorities will follow up [with those released] to make sure no one is speaking about what happened to maintain the governments narrative of the story. According to Zweiri, the purge was a warning message, and only those who play the politics and maintain links to the monarch, will be able to conduct business activities in the kingdom. Again its about how well linked you are to the new establishment. There is no accountability the corruption will of course continue but in different ways. South Korea bans anonymous cryptocurrency trading Trading and speculation in cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin and ethereum, are extremely popular in South Korea. Published by the Tax Justice Network, the list ranks financial systems that contribute to crimes like money laundering. Switzerland and the United States have topped a list of countries whose economic systems most contribute to global financial secrecy, a measure that a UK-based research group says encourages crimes such as money laundering and tax evasion. Switzerland took the top spot on the Financial Secrecy Index, released by the Tax Justice Network, a UK-based research group, on Tuesday. Secrecy jurisdictions are a safe haven for the worlds dirty money. Kleptocrats, tax evaders and multinationals engaging in tax trickery all abuse secrecy jurisdictions, Liz Nelson, a director at the Tax Justice Network, said in a statement. Switzerlands position atop the list is due in large part to the size of its offshore financial services, which represent about five percent of the global market. Switzerland is the grandfather of the worlds tax havens, one of the worlds largest offshore financial centres, and one of the worlds biggest secrecy jurisdictions or tax havens, the report said. For its part, the US has steadily moved up the index in recent years: it was ranked second this year, third in 2015 and sixth in 2013. The rise comes as the US has increased its share of offshore financial services, which now account for 22.3 percent of the global market, the report said. The US also provides a wide array of secrecy and tax-free facilities for non-residents at the federal and state levels and largely refuses to provide tax information to other countries as part of international initiatives, the report found. There is now real concern about the damage this promotion of illicit financial flows is doing to the global economy, the Tax Justice Network said in a statement. The Cayman Islands were ranked third on this years list, followed by Hong Kong, Singapore, Luxembourg, Germany, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates and Guernsey, an island in the English Channel off the coast of France. Financial secrecy is a key facilitator of financial crime, and illicit financial flows including money laundering, corruption and tax evasion. Jurisdictions who fail to contain it deny citizens elsewhere their human rights and exacerbate global inequality, the report said. Turkey-backed rebels refuse to leave airport in apparent protest against use of Syrian government flags to brand event. Russia-hosted talks on the war in Syria are being held in Sochi without the representation of any major opposition group. Turkey-backed rebel figures have refused to leave the Russian citys airport in a last-minute protest. An amateur video obtained by Al Jazeera on Tuesday showed a group of Syrian opposition delegates, who had arrived from Ankara late on Monday, waiting for a flight back to Turkey. Late last night, there was a kerfuffle down at the airport here distressed Turkish officials running around trying to persuade a group of Turkish-backed opposition delegates to leave the airport, said Al Jazeeras Rory Challands, reporting from Sochi, referring to Monday evening. They apparently didnt want to come out of the airport buildings because they had seen Syrian government flags plastered all over the branding for this Sochi conference, and that upset them. New constitution The Sochi event, officially known as a Syrian Congress of National Dialogue, aims to foster an agreement between the government and the opposition to form a commission to write a new constitution for the war-torn country, Challands said. But that seemed unlikely to happen without backing from major opposition figures. The Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC), the countrys main opposition group, said following two days of UN-led talks in Vienna last week it would not attend the Sochi congress. The SNC accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian backers of continuing to rely on military might and showing no willingness to enter into honest negotiations. Authorities from Syrias Kurdish autonomous region said at the weekend they would also boycott the event because of the ongoing Turkish offensive on the Kurdish enclave of Afrin. The belief among the opposition has always been that the Sochi conference, and probably this commission as well, is essentially representing Moscow and Damascus interests, Challands said. They, along with Turkey, have been saying over the past few hours and days that perhaps they would agree with the proposals of the commission as long as it is limited and focused on maintaining direction towards Geneva [the UN-curated peace process]. He added the opposition groups believed talks in Geneva were going to ultimately give the final peace settlement for Syria. And Turkey and the Syrian opposition groups do not want anything to deviate from that. The belief among the opposition has always been that the Sochi conference, and probably this commission as well, is essentially representing Moscow and Damascus interests Al Jazeera's Rory Challands from Sochi The Sochi conference was originally scheduled to be a two-day event, but it was shortened to a one-day forum on Tuesday. Russias Tass news agency on Tuesday cited the forums organising committee as saying that 1,511 out of more than 1,600 invited delegates arrived in Sochi for the event from Syria, Geneva, Cairo, Moscow and Ankara. The committee source reportedly said 107 delegates were representing the Syrian domestic opposition, including Qadri Jamil from the Moscow platform, Randa Kassis from the Astana platform, Syrias Tomorrow Movement led by Ahmad Jarba, Haytham Manna from National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change and representatives of the Civil Movement. The committee source broke down the ethnicities of the participants, saying the majority were Arabs. Kurds, Yazidis, Assyrians, Armenians, Circassians, Chechens, Dagestanis, Abkhazians, Turkmens and Druze were also represented, according to the source. Inside Syria, clashes and air raids by the Turkish army continued against Syrian Kurdish fighters in Afrin on the eve of the Sochi congress on Monday, with new civilian casualties reported. In neighbouring Idlib, at least 23 civilians were killed on Monday in air raids launched by Syrian government warplanes, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) and Syrian Civil Defence. Syria opposition groups reject proposal to set up a commission to rewrite the war-torn countrys constitution. A previous version of this article erroneously stated that Maya Alrahbi is a spokesperson for the Syrian Negotiation Commission. She is in fact a consultant for the SNC. Participants of a Russia-hosted conference for peace in Syria have agreed to set up a commission to rewrite the war-torn countrys constitution. Staffan de Mistura, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, said on Tuesday that delegates at the two-day conference at the Black Sea resort of Sochi, agreed to include both government and opposition officials in the 150-member committee. De Mistura said the final agreement on the committee would be reached in the UN-led diplomatic process in Geneva based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254 which serves as a framework for political transition in Syria. But the fate of President Bashar al-Assad, a key sticking point that has repeatedly caused ongoing negotiations to fail, was not mentioned in the final statement. {articleGUID} Syrias major opposition groups, who boycotted the event, rejected the proposal. The main opposition bloc the Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC) accused Assad and Russia, Syrias principal ally, of continuing to use military might and showing no interest in entering into honest negotiations. We reject the establishment of any constitutional commission at this stage, said Maya Alrahibi, a consultant for the SNC. Instead, the bloc wants the government and the opposition to set up a transitional governing body first, she told Al Jazeera. During this transitional stage inside Syria, a constitutional commission can be set up consisting of members selected to represent all of the Syrian people, she said. The constitutional commission will then draft a new constitution that shall be approved after putting it to a vote in a referendum that is conducted fairly and transparently. Hisham Marwah, a lawyer for the Syrian Coalition, a Turkey-based opposition group, said a neutral and safe environment in Syria was required for the writing of and voting on a new constitution. We dont have that, he said. There are tanks rolling in the streets in Syria right now. He added that the Sochi agreement violated past UN resolutions as well as a plan for peace set out by the US, Russia, China, France and some Arab countries including Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar in 2012, all of which called for the establishment of an inclusive transitional governing body to reform the constitution. We must go through the process one step at a time, as stated in the Geneva communique and the UN resolutions, he said. Without the oppositions buy-in, the Sochi agreement would not help end Syrias war, other analysts said. Charles Lister, an analyst with the US-based Middle East Institute, said the conference was Russias way of showing that it can pull together the broad spectrum of pro-regime and accepting-of-the-regime political parties in Syria. However, without the oppositions involvement in large numbers, then were not talking about negotiations, were talking about discussions. Were not talking about results, were talking about statements, he told Al Jazeera from Washington, DC. Until that changes, were going to continue to watch many of these different kinds of conferences in different cities, and unfortunately the crisis in Syria will continue. Additional reporting by Cilina Nasser . Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says Gulf crisis has had a negative military and economic impact on the US. The United States secretaries of state and defence have urged for a resolution to the Gulf crisis, as the dispute nears the eight-month mark. At the inaugural round of the US-Qatar strategic dialogue meeting in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US remains as concerned today as it was at the outset of the Gulf dispute. The dispute has had direct negative consequences, economically and militarily for those involved, as well as the United States, Tillerson said in the presence of Qatars foreign and defence ministers. {articleGUID} It is critical that all parties minimise rhetoric, exercise restraint to avoid further escalation and work towards a resolution, he said, adding, a united GCC bolsters our effectiveness on many fronts. Qatar has been at odds with Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates since June 2017, when the four countries cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a land, sea and air blockade after accusing it of supporting terrorism and extremism. Qatar has strongly denied the allegations. In Tuesdays meeting, Qatars Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani thanked Tillerson and US Secretary of Defense James Mattis for taking a just position on the illegal activities of the blockading states. The state of Qatar and its people have been illegally and unjustifiably blockaded. This blockade disrupts joint efforts in providing stability for the region, said Al Thani. Bilateral agreements The two countries announced they would be signing a number of major agreements in the sectors of defence, trade, investment and energy. Al Thani said Qatar was already investing more than $100bn in Americas economy including $10bn earmarked for infrastructure. Our countries have shared interests interests that translate into job opportunities for the American and Qatar people, he added. Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeeras Patty Culhane said the Qatari foreign ministers statements indicated that his countrys investment could be more if the blockade was ended. Culhane said the statements made by the Qatari and US officials sent a message to three key actors: US President Donald Trump, as well as the leaders of the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Trumps initial support of Riyadh and condemnation of Qatar put him at odds with both his most senior diplomats and military commanders. {articleGUID} Within days of Trump tweeting out support for the blockade, Tillerson called on Saudi Arabia and its allies to ease the blockade on Qatar. Tillersons remarks on Tuesday, said Culhane, were to indicate that the US establishment the secretaries of state and defence want to see the GCC crisis end. They are sending the message that America cares about this, and the crisis needs to be resolved, she added. Airbase expansion The meeting comes after an announcement on Monday by Qatars Defence Minister Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah that his country intends to expand the American airbase that currently houses some 10,000 US military personnel. The expansion at the Al-Udeid base home of the US Air Force Central Command will allow for 200 more housing units for officers and their families, al-Attiyah said. {articleGUID} Al-Udeid serves as one of the most important overseas US military bases with operations throughout the Middle East launched from Qatar. Whats happening in the region in the past seven months isnt good for the secure flow of energy. Keeping the GCC in coherent status is very important for a safe and smooth flow of energy, said al-Attiyah. Were open to dialogue. We can discuss anything. The only thing we dont accept is imposing conditions on us or tampering with our sovereignty. French President Emmanuel Macron will be in Tunisia this week, but analysts say the visit is just business as usual. Emmanuel Macron will be in Tunisia this week where the French president is expected to address parliament, attend an economic summit, and hold discussions on trade and security cooperation between the two countries. But analysts say Macrons visit is unlikely to have a meaningful impact on the challenges facing the Tunisian economy, a situation that pushed thousands of Tunisians onto the streets this month to call for an end to austerity measures. Macrons visit on Wednesday and Thursday marks his first official trip to the country since he became Frances president in May 2017. There will be a lot of words, but I dont think we should expect any big revolutionary investments in the country, said Youssef Cherif, a Tunisian political analyst. A former French colony until it gained independence in 1956, Tunisia views France as its traditional and natural partner, Cherif told Al Jazeera. The two countries share a common language a legacy of French colonialism and have maintained strong ties on trade, culture, security and political issues. Hundreds of thousands of Tunisians live, study and work in France, and tens of thousands of French citizens, many of whom are dual French-Tunisian nationals, also live in the North African nation. But the relationship is not equal at all, Cherif said. We have France, a big and rich country, and Tunisia, a smaller and poorer country and Tunisia would benefit from having strong partners other than France in order to diversify its ties. France was the second-largest investor in Tunisia in 2016 behind the United Arab Emirates, and invested about $1.7bn into the country, the French foreign ministry said. {articleGUID} France has also traditionally been Tunisias largest trading partner within the European Union. Tunisian exports to France totaled $4.3bn in 2016, or about one-third of all exports, while bilateral trade surpassed $9bn that year, the ministry said. But Tunisias debt to France is sizeable, amounting to $1.6bn in 2016. That accounted for 50 percent of Tunisias bilateral debt direct debt between a single lender and a single borrower. Cherif said he believed Macron will convert some of that debt into investments this week. Trade and investments During his two-day visit, Macron is expected to speak in front of the Tunisian parliament and meet his counterpart, Beji Caid Essebsi. On Thursday, the French president who will be accompanied by several businessmen and government ministers will also attend the inaugural Tunisia-France Forum on economic relations. The Tunisian economy has been in the spotlight this month after anti-austerity protests broke out in cities across the country. Tunisians have protested this month over the rising cost of basic goods [Zoubeir Souissi/Reuters] Under the slogan Fech Nestannew (What are we waiting for?), protesters have called for the government to scrap a budget law for 2018 that raised the price of basic goods and value-added taxes on citizens. Many Tunisians are also calling for an end to corruption and privatisation and for young people to have greater access to public sector jobs. Nejib Mohamed, communications director of the Tunisian-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which organised the economic forum, said Tunisian business leaders are hopeful Macron will announce new investments. Those can create wealth and lead to more local jobs, Mohamed told Al Jazeera. If international groups invest in Tunisia, thats a vote of confidence in the country, he said. During a visit to Tunisia last October, Edouard Philippe, Frances prime minister, signed business deals worth more than $100m in several fields, including agriculture, renewable energy and education. Asked whether he believed Tunisian businesses were adequately helping the country deal with its current economic problems, Mohamed said companies have a mission to contribute to the creation of wealth and jobs in Tunisia. Security issues Sarah Yerkes, a fellow in the Middle East programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said people should not have false hope that Macron will solve Tunisias economic problems. Theres already this massive expectations gap problem in Tunisia; people have not gotten from the revolution what theyve expected to, she said. {articleGUID} More than seven years after a popular revolution toppled longtime president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, many Tunisians say the economy is worse than ever before. Unemployment sits at about 15 percent, and among youth around 30 percent. Thats where I would be a little bit worried, if people think that Macron is going to come in and save the day and he doesnt, Yerkes said. She said she expected migration to be a point of focus during Macrons visit, as well as security, including cooperation and training to secure the porous Libya-Tunisia border. With Libya next door, Im sure there will be some discussion about that kind of security cooperation. Tasnim Abderrahim, a Tunisian researcher at the European Centre for Development Policy Management, told Al Jazeera the focus of Tunisias international partners has shifted strongly towards security since a string of violent attacks took place in the country in 2015. In terms of security, you have the fight against terrorism, counter-radicalisation and then border security with Libya, she said, explaining Libya has become a major focal point for France and the European Union, which are seeking to stem the flow of asylum seekers attempting to reach Europe. The EU describes Tunisia as the exceptional experience, as the unique experience, as the democratic model, and then Tunisian officials say we want more concrete action to match this rhetoric, Abderrahim said. EU blacklist The visit also comes after the EU removed Tunisia from a blacklist of countries it designated as tax havens. The country had been added to the list in early December for allegedly being host to harmful preferential tax regimes. The United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Bermuda and others were also taken off the list at the same time. Macron met his Tunisian counterpart, Beji Caid Essebsi, in Paris last December [Yoan Valat/Reuters] But the EU did not explain what steps Tunisia or any of the other countries had undertaken since December to warrant their removal. Tunisia now figures on a grey list of tax havens. According to Cherif, being on the list has put a lot of pressure on Tunisia because of its current economic crisis, and as it is about to go back to negotiations over a free trade deal with the EU. Putting Tunisia on that list gives Tunisia less power or less leverage in negotiating that free trade agreement with the EU, he said. According to Abderrahim, the Tunisian government fears the designation will draw away investments that Tunisia really needs for its economic recovery. She said the government in Tunis wants support from France on its socioeconomic development, as well as at the EU level. It wants Tunisian citizens, especially young people, to get visas to European countries more easily. But while the Tunisian government has high expectations, most citizens do not. What Tunisians want is more from their government and not much from their international partners, Abderrahim said. For that reason, she said Macrons visit will be just business as usual. It will be conventional diplomacy and the official discourse and joint statements I do not really see something extraordinary coming out of this visit. The US president shared his strange ideas on climate in an interview with a UK presenter. Donald Trump gave his first interview to a UK journalist on Sunday, while he was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In a wide-ranging, but generally friendly interview, the US president gave his views on climate change. Once again, Trump did not seem to be aware of the facts before opining to British broadcaster Piers Morgan. The ice caps were going to melt, they were going to be gone by now, but now theyre setting records, he said. Trumps scepticism has already seen the US pull out of the Paris Climate Accord, and in previous outbursts the president has claimed global warming is a Chinese hoax. In a tweet on December 29, he seemingly could not distinguish between weather, the day-to-day variations in weather; and climatology: the decadal or century-long changes in weather patterns. He tweeted: In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Years Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up! Unfortunately for Trump, the evidence, to which he seemingly turns a blind eye, does not agree with his views. With 2017 being confirmed as the second or third warmest year since 1880 by all the major meteorological agencies, and the warmest non-El Nino year on record, it is hardly surprising that sea and land ice, too, is under threat. Sea ice in the Arctic is monitored by NOAA. Its annual Arctic Report Card, issued in December, revealed that the region is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world. The year saw a new record low for the maximum sea ice extent. That is the largest magnitude decline in sea ice, and the greatest sustained rate in sea ice decline in that 1,500-year record, according to Emily Osborne, the scientist who compiled the data for the chart. Much of the ice is now thin and young, with thicker, older ice comprising 21 percent of the total coverage, compared with 45 percent in 1985. The pattern in the Antarctic remains more complicated with some areas seeing ice shrinkage, while others are expanding. Trumps dismissal of climate change science has seen some US scientists relocating to France, aiming to seek a more conducive working atmosphere. It seems they may have to start learning the language, as the US president shows no sign of changing his views any time soon. Southern separatists gain control of the Fourth Brigade base in the coastal city after UAE jet bombed the facility. A senior Yemeni official has told Al Jazeera that southern separatists, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), seized control of a key military base in the coastal city of Aden, after a UAE fighter jet bombed the facility. The official told Al Jazeera that fighters from the Southern Resistance Forces (SRF), the armed wing of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) a political movement demanding secession for southern Yemen seized the base early on Tuesday, despite a ceasefire being brokered by coalition partners Saudi Arabia and the UAE, hours earlier. In a post on Twitter, Mukhtar al-Rahbi, an official in Yemens government, said: A plane from the Arab coalition, that said it had come to support legitimacy [Yemens internationally recognised government] bombed the base of the Fourth Brigade. What a farce. Videos posted on social media showed thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the camp, which is located in Adens northern Dar Saad district. pic.twitter.com/EsF1w4261k (@abbasaldhaleai) January 30, 2018 The seizure of the Fourth Brigade is the biggest gain for the separatists since fighting first erupted on Sunday. A source in the city told Al Jazeera that the SRF had now gained control of most of Aden and fought their way to the gates of Al-Mashaiq Palace where Yemens government resides. The source said that Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr and several ministers remained inside the building and that the separatists had not seized the palace itself. Refrain from further bloodshed Fighting in Aden first erupted on Sunday, when the STC ordered President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to dismiss his prime minister and cabinet or face an overthrow. The group accused Bin Daghrs Aden-based government of rampant corruption resulting in a deteriorating economic, security and social situation never before witnessed in the history of the south. Hadi, who has been living in Saudi Arabia for most of the war, rejected the ultimatum, describing the separatists actions as a coup. {articleGUID} The violence has killed at least 36 people and wounded 185 since Sunday, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The US State Department pressed for an end to the fighting late on Monday, calling on all parties to refrain from escalation and further bloodshed. We also call for dialogue among all parties in Aden to reach a political solution, the statement said. The Yemeni people are already facing a dire humanitarian crisis. Additional divisions and violence within Yemen will only increase their suffering. Deep divisions Events in Aden have exposed deep divisions between Hadis government and the Saudi-UAE coalition. The UAE entered Yemens war in March 2015 as part of a Saudi-led coalition seeking to roll back advances made by Houthi rebels after they overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014. Nearly three years on, the coalition has failed to achieve its stated aim of restoring the legitimate government of Hadi. Saudi Arabia has said it wants out of the costly exercise, but the UAE has become more involved in the conflict, indicating a divide in the two countries agendas. The UAE has financed and trained armed groups in the south who answer to it, and set up prisons and created a security establishment parallel to Hadis government, according to Human Rights Watch. Hashem Ahelbarra, an Al Jazeera correspondent who has reported extensively from the country, said the latest developments were a game changer for the coalition, but for more than one reason. When the coalition launched its war in 2015 they said it was aimed at preserving a united Yemen, this is no longer the case. The secessionists could say tomorrow that they would like to start procedures for an independent south Yemen. If this happens you will have two Yemens. This raises questions about whether the UAE and Saudi Arabia are on the same page regarding the countrys future, Ahelbarra said. The Houthis are consolidating their grip in the north and so are the secessionists in the south. Meanwhile, Hadi has lost complete control over territories he controlled and this could pave the way for warlords, tribes, and armed groups such as the local affiliates of ISIL and al-Qaeda to expand their presence in the country, he added. Ruling forces UK to scale down Investigatory Powers Act, which allows for mass collection of phone and internet records. Britains Court of Appeals has ruled the UK government is breaking the law with its measures to collect internet activity and phone records of its citizens. The Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act (DRIPA) was originally passed in 2014 after the EU Court of Justice ruled the previous data collection scheme was unlawful. DRIPA allowed for the collection of phone and internet records of UK citizens by communications companies. The information stored by the companies consisted of location history and details about calls, emails and text messages. According to the UK government, the stored data was only to be used in criminal investigations and with sufficient presumption the person being investigated was involved in a crime. However, critics said the DRIPA act violated the privacy of UK citizens and allowed authorities and other public bodies to access the collected data without proper oversight. {articleGUID} The Court of Appeals agreed with the critics, saying DRIPA was inconsistent with EU law, and that access to the data was not restricted solely to fighting crime. Tom Watson, the Labour MP who challenged DRIPA and Liberty, the civil liberties organisation that represented Watson in court, welcomed the decision in a joint statement. This legislation was flawed from the start. It was rushed through Parliament just before recess without proper parliamentary scrutiny, Watson said in a statement. No politician is above the law. When will the Government stop bartering with judges and start drawing up a surveillance law that upholds our democratic freedoms, Liberty said. Snoopers charter {articleGUID} Tuesdays ruling forces the UK government to scale down its more extensive Investigatory Powers Act, dubbed snoopers charter by critics, which replaced DRIPA in 2016. Although DRIPA has been replaced, much of its content was used in the by the Investigatory Powers Act. As a result, the snoopers charter, will have to undergo significant changes to make sure it adheres to the law. This judgment tells ministers in crystal clear terms that they are breaching the publics human rights. The latest incarnation of the snoopers charter, the Investigatory Powers Act, must be changed, Liberty said in its statement. The Investigatory Powers Bill requires websites to keep customers browsing history for up to a year and allow law enforcement agencies access to help with investigations. The bill gives legal footing to existing but murky powers such as the hacking of computers and mobile phones, while introducing new safeguards such as the need for a judge to authorise interception warrants. Critics have said that, in authorising the blanket retention and access by authorities of records of emails, calls, texts and web activity, it breaches fundamental rights of privacy. {articleGUID} The UNs special rapporteur on the right to privacy, Joe Cannataci, criticised the bill in his March 2016 report, saying privacy-intrusive measures such as bulk surveillance and bulk hacking, as contemplated in the Investigatory Powers Bill, be outlawed rather than legitimised. After Tuesdays ruling, Labour MP Tom Watson hopes the government will change the snoopers charter as well. The Government must now bring forward changes to the Investigatory Powers Act to ensure that hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom are innocent victims or witnesses to crime, are protected by a system of independent approval for access to communications data, Watson said. Im proud to have played my part in safeguarding citizens fundamental rights. Blast targets checkpoint manned by the UAE-backed forces in the southeastern town of Ataq, according to local residents. At least 15 people were killed in a suicide car bomb attack on a checkpoint in southeastern Yemen run by local forces backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), officials and residents said. Residents said on Tuesday gunmen opened fire on the checkpoint after a suicide bomber drove his booby-trapped car into the checkpoint northeast of Ataq, the capital of the province of Shabwa. Meanwhile, the Saudi-led Arab coalition has called for an immediate ceasefire in the southern city of Aden, where heavy fighting has erupted between government troops and the southern separatists. The coalition renews its call to all parties to ceasefire immediately and end all forms of armed conflict, the coalition said in a statement cited by the Saudi SPA agency. The coalition affirms that it will take all necessary measures to restore security and stability in Aden, the statement said. Two days of fighting The coalition said it regretted that the warring sides did not respond to its earlier calls for restraint and calm. The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) said late on Monday that at least 36 people have been killed and 185 others wounded in two days of fighting in Aden. Fighting intensified on Monday after the warring sides began using tank and artillery firepower as the port city remained paralysed. Separatists forces late on Monday advanced on the presidential palace and captured two military camps near Aden international airport, security sources told AFP news agency. The fighting is taking place between troops loyal to the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, based in Riyadh, and security forces loyal to the southern separatists which are trained and backed by the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia and UAE are the main partners in the Arab coalition that has been waging war on the Iran-backed Houthi rebels which took over the Yemeni capital Sanaa in September 2014. Inventing the Political Center Ive just been reading in the New York Post about the need for centrist politics in our polarized society. Post columnists, John Podhoretz and Seth Lipsky have both deplored an eroding center in American political life. Podhoretz compares the rampaging anti-Trump Left to the Tea Party, since both have made immoderate demands on our political leaders. Supposedly the Left is becoming everything it hated, by coming to resemble Republican extremists. Lipsky, in his defense of the center, points to Michigan Senator Arthur Vandenberg, who in a recent biography by Hendrik Meijer is shown to be the quintessential Republican moderate. Lipsky pairs Vandenberg with a member of my favorite endangered species, the centrist Democrat, a type that he finds embodied in Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who is upset by the collapse of bipartisanship in Washington. Joe Manchin has indeed voted more often than any other Democratic senator for Trumps cabinet nominees, and even approved Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. But with regard to Trumps landmark legislation, like the recently passed tax bill and the attempted repeal of ObamaCare, Manchin has predictably voted with the Democrats. This legislator, according to Lipsky, may be thinking about hanging it all up but not necessarily for the idealistic reason that Lipsky gives. Manchin comes from a state in which Trump is quite popular, and in all likelihood the electorate in West Virginia will vote in the majority for a Republican to succeed their current Democratic Senator. Arthur Vandenberg did in fact practice bipartisanship in foreign policy after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which meant cooperating with the Democratic administrations of FDR and Truman. Moreover, Vandenberg followed this course until his death in 1951. For years he was the Democrats favorite Republican senator; and he was instrumental in winning congressional support for the Marshall Plan and for aid to Greece against Communist efforts to take over that country after the Second World War. Domestically, however, the Michigan senator was a fairly traditional Republican and as Lipsky admits, highly critical of the New Deal. He famously stood in opposition to the National Labor Relations Act in 1936 and objected to other New Deal measures undertaken by Roosevelt during his second term. Although I agree that Vandenberg was a fine fellow, Im at a loss for what relevance he has for todays politics. Would he have taken a moderate view on sanctuary cities? What about anti-fascist demonstrators or people asking for visas from countries infested with Islamicists? I for one doubt that Vandenberg, Truman, or anyone else in American national politics in the late 1940s would have yielded on these issues. On social questions there was no significant difference between the two national parties in the 1940s and 1950s. By current standards both were reactionary and insensitive. Ive also no idea how one can be a centrist on much of what today divides us. What is the centrist position for requiring transgender restrooms in all public facilities? What about requiring Christian bakers to make wedding cakes for gay nuptials? The call for centrist politics seems endemic to Never-Trump conservatives, like John Kasich, Jeff Flake, Lindsey Graham, and the editorial staffs of some of our authorized conservative publications. Still, it is worth asking whether these advocates of centrism are serious in their application of this term to themselves. Some self-described American political centrists remind me of how the Catholic Zentrumspartei (Center Party) approached parliamentary politics in late 19th-century Imperial Germany. Factions in the Center Party spanned the socioeconomic spectrum in the Reichstag from being pro-capitalist to being open to the economic programs advanced by the socialists. What held them together, however, were loyalty to the Catholic Church and determination to maintain the Churchs structure of authority in the German Empire. The Center Party could embrace its own brand of diversity, providing that the deputies and party leadership were agreed in their dedication to upholding the interests of the Church. Similarly our would-be centrists and Never-Trump conservatives (by now the two terms may be mostly interchangeable) present different views on some things but also predictable loyalties. In their hatred for Trump, exuberant support for Doug Jones in the Alabama senatorial race, and drumbeat support for amnestying and granting citizenship to the DACA recipients and their families, these folks stand with the establishment. And this shouldnt surprise us. We are talking about people who live and breathe the same air as their liberal friends and colleagues. If theyre looking for social acceptance, its not the folks in flyover country whose acceptance they crave. They are centrist in the sense that they are centered on an unchanging source of authority, namely, on how their liberal friends and the WaPo assess them as people. They also believe in the essential goodness of the political establishment, even if not all of them go quite so far as Bill Kristol in affirming fidelity to the deep state. Centrism is not about occupying a vital center between two extremes, although our centrists sometimes claim theyre doing this. But they are characterizing themselves correctly in one critical respect. They wish to occupy the juste milieu as defined by the socially respectable Left and by fans of an expanding administrative state. Although their efforts to fit in may not benefit our country, those who call themselves centrists are making defensible career decisions. At the very least they wont be attacked by their peers at cocktail parties as riffraff. A secret, highly contentious Republican memo reveals that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein approved an application to extend surveillance of a former Trump campaign associate shortly after taking office last spring, according to three people familiar with it. The confirmation of Rod Rosenstein to be Deputy Attorney General by a lopsided 94-6 vote should have set off warning bells. It is odd that a Trump nominee would get much Democratic support, if any. But his role in appointing his buddy Robert Mueller to lead a bogus Russian collusion probe and his history of looking the other way when Hillary Clinton is involved shows the Democrats had high hopes for Rosenstein, hopes realized by actions documented in the four-page House Intelligence Committee memo: The renewal shows that the Justice Department under President Trump saw reason to believe that the associate, Carter Page, was acting as a Russian agent The memos primary contention is that F.B.I. and Justice Department officials failed to adequately explain to an intelligence court judge in initially seeking a warrant for surveillance of Mr. Page that they were relying in part on research by an investigator, Christopher Steele, that had been financed by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clintons presidential campaign Steeles discredited research, which relied heavily on input from Russian sources, was paid for by the DNC and the Hillary Clinton campaign, which puts Rosenstein in the position of aiding the efforts of one political party to overturn the results of an election won by the other political party by okaying domestic spying on an American citizen. When the newly departed Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe testified for seven hours before the House Intelligence Committee, he was unable to report that the FBI had corroborated anything in the Steele dossier, except for the fact that Carter Page had visited Russia: Investigators say McCabe recounted to the panel how hard the FBI had worked to verify the contents of the anti-Trump dossier and stood by its credibility. But when pressed to identify what in the salacious document the bureau had actually corroborated, the sources said, McCabe cited only the fact that Trump campaign adviser Carter Page had traveled to Moscow. Beyond that, investigators said, McCabe could not even say that the bureau had verified the dossiers allegations about the specific meetings Page supposedly held in Moscow. Based on the flimsiest of evidence in a fake Russian dossier paid for by Democrats the surveillance of Carter Page began and was reauthorized by Rosenstein. Page has vehemently denied the allegations in the dossier and has sought the release of the memo to show its falseness and to show the DOJ of Rod Rosenstein and the FBI of Andrew McCabe colluded with the Democrats to keep Hillary Clinton out of prison and Donald Trump out of the White House: The former Trump campaign adviser who was spied on by the U.S. government prior to the 2016 election is very much in favor of the release of a controversial congressional memo alleging abuses of the surveillance warrant application process Page pressed for the release the FISA application in a May 14 letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. If FISA warrants indeed exist as has been extensively reported, wide-ranging false evidence will be inevitably revealed in light of the fact that I have never done anything remotely unlawful in Russia or with any Russian person at any point in my life, he wrote. What remains unanswered about the application for the warrant on Page is how heavily it relied on the dossier and whether the FBI and DOJ vetted the allegations made about him by Steele Page has vehemently denied the allegations made against him in the dossier, which was put together by former British spy Christopher Steele, commissioned by opposition research firm Fusion GPS, and financed by the Clinton campaign and DNC. In the 35-page dossier, Steele alleges that Page was the Trump campaigns main backchannel to the Kremlin for the purposes of campaign collusion. Steele claims that Page was working with former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and that during a trip to Moscow in July 2016, he met secretly with two Kremlin cronies, Igor Sechin and Igor Diveykin. The dossier also alleges that it was Page who conceived and promoted the idea of having hacked DNC emails released through WikiLeaks in order to swing Bernie Sanders supporters away from Hillary Clinton and into the Trump camp. Page denies all of the claims. He says he does not know Manafort and has never spoken with Sechin and Diveykin. Needless to say, Rosenstein did not grant Pages request to see the FISA application to determine how much it was based on Steeles fake dossier. Nor has he expressed any dissatisfaction with the Mueller witchhunt he was responsible for launching, In an interview with a local D.C. TV station, Rosenstein admired the monster he created, who now runs an alleged investigation into supposed Russia-Trump collusion but which quickly morphed into what amounts to a silent coup against a sitting President of the United States: The U.S. Department of Justice official who appointed special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election said he is satisfied with the special counsels work The Office of Special Counsel, as you know, has a degree of autonomy from the Department of Justice. But there is appropriate oversight by the department. That includes budget. But it also includes certain other details of the office. It is part of the Department of Justice. And were accountable for it. Yes, Mr. Rosenstein, you certainly are accountable for the Mueller witchhunt. Mueller has picked staff and prosecutors as if he were stocking Hillary Clintons Department of Justice. He has picked a bevy of Clinton donors, an attorney who worked for the Clinton Foundation, a former Watergate assistant prosecutor, and even a senior advise to Eric Holder. Objective professionals all. Oh, what tangled webs Rosenstein and the FBI have woven! Republican lawmakers, needless to say, are not amused at all this, casting the obvious doubts on Rosensteins praise of Special Counsel Mueller: Several conservative lawmakers held a news conference Wednesday demanding more details of how the FBI proceeded last year in its probes of Hillary Clintons use of personal email and Russian election interference. This week, the conservative group Judicial Watch released an internal Justice Department email that, the group said, showed political bias against Trump by one of Muellers senior prosecutors. The question really is, if Mueller was doing such a great job on investigating the Russian collusion, why could he have not found the conflict of interest within their own agency? Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) asked at the news conference. Meadows, leader of the Freedom Caucus, cited a litany of other issues that he said show bias on the part of the FBI and Mueller, including past political donations by lawyers on Muellers team. A good question Rosenstein wont answer. Rosenstein is satisfied with Mueller, and why shouldnt he be? The two go back a long way and cooperated in the coverup of an FBI investigation into Russias use of bribes, kickbacks, and money laundering to grab U.S. uranium supplies and real collusion with Hillary Clinton, only to resurface years later to chase phantom collusion between Team Trump and Russia. Mueller and Rosenstein were both involved in the FBI investigation dating back to 2009, with current Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller up to their eyeballs in covering up evidence of Hillarys collusion, bordering on treason, with Vladimir Putins Russia: Prior to the Obama administration approving the very controversial deal in 2010 giving Russia 20% of Americas Uranium, the FBI had evidence that Russian nuclear industry officials were involved in bribery, kickbacks, extortion and money laundering in order to benefit Vladimir Putin, says a report by The Hill John Solomon and Alison Spann of The Hill: Federal agents used a confidential U.S. witness working inside the Russian nuclear industry to gather extensive financial records, make secret recordings and intercept emails as early as 2009 that showed Moscow had compromised an American uranium trucking firm with bribes and kickbacks in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, FBI and court documents show From todays report we find out that the investigation was supervised by then-U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein, who is now President Trumps Deputy Attorney General, and then-Assistant FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who is now the deputy FBI director under Trump. Robert Mueller was head of the FBI from Sept 2001-Sept 2013 until James Comey took over as FBI Director in 2013. They were BOTH involved in this Russian scam being that this case started in 2009 and ended in 2015. If evidence of bribery, kickbacks, extortion, and money laundering in the Uranium One affair were not grounds for a special prosecutor assigned to investigate Hillary Clinton, then what is? Rosensteins goal apparently has long been to shield Hillary Clinton from prosecution for her crimes and to use any means to bring down the Trump administration he supposedly was appointed to serve. Now he has stooped so low as to employ a fake Russian dossier in a witchhunt the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy could only envy Rosenstein, Mueller, McCabe et al have used the office of special counsel and a politicized the FBI and DOJ to conduct a silent coup against a duly elected president and are unindicted coconspirators in Hillarys crimes. They should be the targets of their very own special counsel. Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications. Just this week, Facebook launched its latest of many attacks on my news site, the Geller Report . It labeled my site as "spam" and removed every Geller Report post -- thousands upon thousands of them, going back years from Facebook. It also blocked any Facebook member from sharing links to the Geller Report. The ramping up of the shutting-down of sites like mine is neither random nor personal. The timing is telling. The left is gearing up for the 2018 midterm elections, and they mean to shut down whatever outlet or voice that helped elect President Trump, the greatest upset in left-wing history. Having been one of the early targets of social media censorship on Facebook, YouTube et al, I have advocated for anti-trust action against these bullying behemoths. It is good to see establishment outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and National Review coming to the same conclusion, or at least asking the same questions. In fighting this shutdown, we had to go back to the drawing board in our lawsuit against these social media giants. The basis of our suit was challenging Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) under the First Amendment, which provides immunity from lawsuits to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, thereby permitting these social media giants to engage in government-sanctioned censorship and discriminatory business practices free from legal challenge. Facebook and Google take in roughly half of all Internet ad revenue. According to the Wall Street Journal: In the U.S., Alphabet Inc.s Google drives 89% of internet search; 95% of young adults on the internet use a Facebook Inc. product; and Amazon.com Inc. now accounts for 75% of electronic book sales. Those firms that arent monopolists are duopolists: Google and Facebook absorbed 63% of online ad spending last year; Google and Apple Inc. provide 99% of mobile phone operating systems; while Apple and Microsoft Corp. supply 95% of desktop operating systems. Both companies routinely censor and spy on their customers, massaging everything from the daily news to what we should buy. In the last century, the telephone was our computer, and Ma Bell was how we communicated. That said, would the American people (or the government) have tolerated AT&T spying on our phone calls and then pulling our communication privileges if we expressed dissenting opinions? That is exactly what we are suffering today. Ma Bell was broken up by the government, albeit for different reasons. But it can and should be done. Its not a little ironic that, according to Breitbart: AT&T has called for an Internet Bill of Rights and argued that Facebook and Google should also be subjected to rules that would prevent unfair censorship on their platforms. AT&T, one of the largest telecommunications companies, called for Congress to enact an Internet Bill of Rights which would subject Facebook, Google, and other content providers to rules that would prevent unfair censorship on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as Comcast or AT&T as well as content providers such as Facebook and Google. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson wrote, Congressional action is needed to establish an Internet Bill of Rights that applies to all internet companies and guarantees neutrality, transparency, openness, non-discrimination and privacy protection for all internet users. Stephenson posted the ad in the New York Times, Washington Post, and other national news outlets on Wednesday. We must get behind this -- all of us -- and fast. Because what is happening is being engineered at the government level. A chief officer from a major American communications company went to the terror state of Pakistan to assure the Pakistani government that Facebook would adhere to the sharia. The commitment was given by Vice President of Facebook Joel Kaplan, who called on Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. Facebook has reiterated its commitment to keep the platform safe and promote values that are in congruence with its community standards. Why the block? Because under Islamic law, you cannot criticize Islam. Facebook adhering to the most extreme and brutal ideology on the face of the earth should trouble all of us, because Mark Zuckerberg has immense power. He controls the flow of information. Early last year, I wrote: The US government has used anti-trust laws to break up monopolies. They ought to break up Facebook. Section 2 of the Sherman Act highlights particular results deemed anticompetitive by nature and prohibits actions that shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations. Couldnt the same be applied to information? The United States government took down Standard Oil, Alcoa, Northern Securities, the American Tobacco Company and many others without nearly the power that Facebook has. NRO has come to that same conclusion: Tech companies such as Google and Facebook are also utilities of sorts that provide essential services. They depend on the free use of public airwaves. Yet they are subject to little oversight; they simply make up their own rules as they go along. Antitrust laws prohibit one corporation from unfairly devouring its competition, capturing most of its market, and then price-gouging as it sees fit without fear of competition. Google has all but destroyed its search-engine competitors in the same manner that Facebook has driven out competing social media. Clearly Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, Eric Schmidt, and Jeff Bezos are contemporary robber barons. So why are they not smeared, defamed, and reviled like the robber barons of yesteryear? Says NRO: Why are huge tech companies seemingly exempt from the rules that older corporations must follow? First, their CEOs wisely cultivate the image of hipsters. The public sees them more as aging teenagers in T-shirts, turtlenecks, and flip-flops than as updated versions of J. P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, or other robber barons of the past. Second, the tech industrys hierarchy is politically progressive. In brilliant marketing fashion, the Internet, laptops, tablets, and smartphones have meshed with the hip youth culture of music, television, the movies, universities, and fashion. Think Woodstock rather than Wall Street. Corporate spokesmen at companies such as Twitter and YouTube brag about their social awareness, especially on issues such as radical environmentalism, identity politics, and feminism. Given that the regulatory deep state is mostly a liberal enterprise, the tech industry is seen as an ally of federal bureaucrats and regulators. Think more of Hollywood, the media, and universities than Exxon, General Motors, Koch Industries, and Philip Morris. The groovy t-shirt-turtleneck vibe may keep the great unwashed under their spell, but its the shared political ideology with the left that keeps these corporate managers free from accountability. The WSJ writes that antitrust regulators have a narrow test: Does their size leave consumers worse off? Surmising that if thats the test, there isnt a clear case for going after big tech. I disagree. The consumer is far worse off. If we are not free to speak and think in what is todays Gutenberg press, than we could not be worse off. Pamela Geller is the President of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), publisher of The Geller Report and author of the bestselling book, FATWA: Hunted in America, as well as The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administrations War on America and Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook. In September, the state department withdrew most of the US consular staff after many of them reported sympoms including dizziness, cognitive disability, and trouble sleeping. Some speculated that the symptoms were the result of some kind of sonic attack by the Cuban government on the embassy. The sickness that affected dozens of US diplomats and their families while stationed in Cuba has also struck American tourists to the island. Now, the state department is reporting at least 19 American tourists who visited Cuba have also exibited similar symptoms. Miami Herald: Since September 29, the Department of State has been contacted by 19 U.S. citizens who reported experiencing symptoms similar to those listed in the Travel Warning after visiting Cuba, a spokesperson for the State Departments Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs told the Miami Herald in an email. We continue to urge U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to Cuba, she added. In late September, the State Department issued a travel warning advising Americans not to travel to Cuba because they could become victims of mysterious attacks such as those suffered by 24 diplomats and their families while they were stationed in Havana. The U.S. also removed most of the staff at its embassy in the Cuban capital. Among the symptoms described in the travel warning are: ear complaints and hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues, and difficulty sleeping. In January, the State Department changed the wording and currently recommends reconsidering traveling to Cuba. However, officials stressed that the situation on the island had not changed, nor their message to American travelers. The list of possible symptoms remained unchanged in the new travel advisory. Because our personnel's safety is at risk, and we are unable to identify the source of the attacks, we believe U.S. citizens may also be at risk, the latest advisory says. Attacks have occurred in U.S. diplomatic residences and at Hotel Nacional and Hotel Capri in Havana. The State Department did not say whether the U.S. citizens reported hearing strange noises as some of the 24 diplomats did nor whether they stayed at the Nacional or Capri hotels. The State Department also did not clarify whether U.S. doctors and investigators have determined that these travelers had suffered the same kind of attacks as the diplomats. We are not in a position to medically evaluate or provide individual medical advice, the spokesperson said. However, we encourage private U.S. citizens who have traveled to Cuba and are concerned about their symptoms to seek medical attention. Are the unknown person or person targeting only Americans? No other foreign diplomats have reported this sickness, nor have other foreign tourists. If it is a man-made sonic device of some kind, it appears from the record that Americans are the target. But whodunnit? Cuba is vehemently denying responsibility, and while we shouldn't necessarily believe them, they don't appear to have a motive for attacking us, given the economic benefits they receive by a lifting of the embargo. Could it be a naturally occuring sound that is sickening our people? That possibility has not been dismissed yet. Think of all the electronic equipment in our embassy. A freak combination of frequencies being emitted might produce a harmful sound. If that sounds like a stretch, it is. If it is a device of some kind, it is extremely sophisticated. It can apparently narrowly target a building or perhaps individual rooms. It doesn't give away its position easily. And nobody has yet figured out how the sound is generated. Other government's intelligence agencies may be responsible, although a motive is lacking. Perhaps it's some country like North Korea or Russia who don't like us very much and are targeting Americans out of spite. Whatever the reason, who ever is responsible, and whatever is generating the sound are questions that need to be answered before US diplomats go back to Cuba. A Russian SU-27 jet intercepted a US Navy P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea on Monday, coming within five feet of the aircraft, US Naval Forces Europe confirmed. A Russian jet buzzed one of our P-3 Orion surveillance planes, jumping in front of it and kicking on the afterburners just five feet ahead of it. "A US EP-3 Aries aircraft flying in international airspace over the Black Sea was intercepted by a Russian SU-27," according to the Navy statement. "This interaction was determined to be unsafe due to the SU-27 closing to within five feet and crossing directly through the EP-3's flight path, causing the EP-3 to fly through the SU-27's jet wash." The Russians are sending a clear message: that they see the Black Sea as their private lake. This is the not the first time this has happened. In November, a Russian Su-30 fighter flew as close as 50 feet before turning on its afterburners while intercepting a US Navy P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine warfare aircraft over the same area. The maneuver forced the plane to enter its jet wash and caused it to undergo a 15-degree roll, Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said at the time. Nor are the Russians the only country to do this: Two Chinese fighter jets this week buzzed a U.S. spy plane that sniffs out nuclear radiation as it flew over the seas between China and North Korea, underlining Beijings discomfort with American surveillance and differences in the countries approach to the threat posed by the regime in Pyongyang. A Defense Department official said the Chinese aircraft got within 100 feet or so of the U.S. plane. It's intolerable that a superpower like the US endures this aggressive behavior. Our observation aircraft should be escorted on a regular basis by fighter aircraft. America should announce, in advance, that any craft which gets within a set distance, say, 2000 feet of our planes, will be considered aggressive and shot down. The Chinese and Russians will get the message quickly. The Chinese don't want a military conflict with us because they are so dependent on us for trade. The Russians are also afraid of increased economic sanctions. If they can bully us without risk, they will, as they have been doing. But once a price is attached to their actions, they too will stop. When Obama was president, such humiliation of our military was routine. It's surprising that President Trump, with his "America First" policy, lets these petty games continue. Ed Straker is the senior writer at Newsmachete.com. A California teacher and Democratic member of the Pico Rivera City Council told his students that he doesn't think much of the American military. Theyre the frickin lowest of our low, Salcido can be heard saying in one of the videos. Weve got a bunch of dumbsh*ts over there. Think about the people who you know who are over there your freaking stupid uncle Louis or whatever, theyre dumbsh*ts, Salcido continued. Theyre not, like, high-level thinkers, theyre not academic people, theyre not intellectual people, theyre the freaking lowest of our low. The student, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from his classmates, told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that he comes from a military family and felt Salcidos rant was disrespectful. It was so disrespectful to my dad and my uncles and all veterans and those still in the military, the student told the paper. How ignorant is that? The idea that only the "lowest of the low" join the military is absurd. Has this guy ever heard of West Point or the Naval Academy? The rank and file almost to a person - more than 90% - has graduated from high school and 82% of officers have a Bachelors degree. That compares to a high school graduation rate in the general public of 59% and just 29% who have a college degree. The teacher must be reading left wing propaganda from the 1970s, before the all-volunteer army. The US has a professional fighting force of very smart, very tough, very dedicated people. It takes brains to operate much of the high tech equipment our military people now use on the battlefield. This gives them an extraordinary advantage over any army in the world, including the Russians and the Chinese, whose conscript armies resemble the teacher's description far more than the American army. Thank God our military are not "academics" or "intellectual people." What kind of army would that be? Besides, spouting left wing propaganda all day is not my idea of an intellectual person or even an academic. This isn't the first time Salcido has been in trouble for something he did in a classroom. He has been suspended twice, including once for hitting a student in the back of the head: 2010: Salcido serves another year as mayor. In July that year, Salcido was placed on temporary leaveand later suspended after a parent complained that the teacher threatened his daughter, made inappropriate comments about race and insulted other students and parents. Salcido denied the accusations, saying his comments were taken out of context. At the time, the student, Savannah Kelly, said she was talking to a classmate when Salcido said, shut up Kelly before I kill you. 2012: Salcido was again placed on leave after hitting a 15-year-old El Rancho student who put his head down in class. The students mother called the sheriffs Pico Rivera station to complain that Salcido hit the boy in the back of the head during his sixth-period world history class in May of that year. Salcido admitted to hitting the student. I smacked him, but not with any intent to do harm, Salcido said at the time. I just told him to wake up. The student told KPCC at the time that Salcido also teased him, making fun of his weight and appearance. What a piece of work. Here we are six months later, and while there has been some improvement in the party's fortunes with their victories in the Virginia and New Jersey governor races, the party still lags in fundraising and there is much unhappiness with how the DNC is divvying up cash to state and local parties. Six months ago, Democratic National Committtee Chairman Tom Perez hired veteran Democratic operative Jess O'Connell to serve as CEO of the party organization. At that time, Dems were reeling from a top to bottom loss at the polls in 2016, including Hillary Clinton's devastating defeat at the hands of Donald Trump. Whether Perez felt the need to make a change is unclear. But for whatever reason, O'Connell is out as CEO. NBC News: OConnell will leave the party stabilized, if not yet fully recovered, after wins last year in Virginia and Alabama, and her decision to leave is a personal one, a DNC official told NBC News, timed to cause minimal disruption ahead of November's midterm elections. But O'Connell's departure comes just months after the DNC ousted its finance director following a period of weak fundraising, as well as a shakeup last year that reignited tensions with Sanders' allies. Still, the party has found itself subject to fewer negative headlines of late as fundraising started to improve and vacancies are filled. The improvement in fundraising is entirely inadequate. The GOP has about $40 million more in the bank than Democrats at this point and Republicans find themselves in much better shape financially going into the big fundraising push for the mid terms. To underscore the Democrat's financial woes, state and local parties are begging the DNC to change the way the party distributes funds. They feel shortchanged as a result of big donors bypassing state parties after several massive failures during the last several election cycles. The bottom line: state and local Democrats have been decimated by losses at every level and both the national party and big donors are wary of pouring a lot of money into organizations that have yet to prove it would be well spent. Politico: Only a handful of the state chairs in attendance even spent time wooing the major party contributors who live in California traditionally a prime source of cash during their trips out west, fearing their efforts would be futile. Much of their frustration is directed toward the Democratic National Committee, which recently started doling out nearly $1 million worth of competitive grants to a handful of states. While the first round of so-called State Party Innovation Fund grants were a welcome move, the state leaders who failed to score them were left to stew over their predicament. That tension came to a head on Thursday, when Missouri chairman Stephen Webber stood up near the end of a report on the DNC grants to voice his objections. He complained that by publicly listing the 11 states who won the grants, the party had embarrassed those that didnt, according to multiple Democrats who were in the room. People back home will wonder what I did wrong, he told Ken Martin, the Minnesota chair who leads the ASDC, even though everyone involved in the application process says we did everything right. In some states, leaders were under the impression they would be getting money and began planning how to invest it. Now have had to reorganize their budgets, said multiple Democrats. It's no coincidence that O'Connell is departing as state and local parties express their frustration with the DNC's policies. Perez and national Democrats desperately need those state organizations to give the party the kind of boost that could put it over the top on election day. But they won't be much good if they're broke. Before Perez puts his faith in another CEO, he should look at the way the party is organized. Those state organizations have less clout than their GOP counterrparts largely because the DNC has chosen to try and keep tighter control than Republicans. Reforms better come quickly if Democrats are to take advantage of what is shaping up to be a favorable electoral climate for them. Posted on: January 30, 2018 11:29 AM The Compass Rose Society, the charitable foundation that provides substantial support for the work of the Anglican Consultative Council and the international ministry of the Archbishop of Canterbury, has opened a new Chapter in Hong Kong. The Chapter was formally installed by the Primate of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui the Anglican Church in Hong Kong Archbishop Paul Kwong, during a service of Evensong at St Johns Cathedral on Hong Kong Island. The vice president of the Compass Rose Society, the Revd Canon John L Peterson, a former secretary general of the Anglican Communion, preached during the service and shared the work and development of the Society at the celebratory dinner held immediately after the Chapters installation. This evening we are going to witness another step in the Province of Hong Kong living into its baptismal covenant by the establishment of the Hong Kong Chapter of the Compass Rose Society, he said. The Compass Rose Society enables its members to participate and build relationships with fellow Anglicans from different provinces in the Anglican Communion. In doing so the Society can serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbours as ourselves. The present secretary general, Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, sent a message of congratulations to the new Hong Kong chapter, saying: since the very inception of the Compass Rose Society, Hong Kong has played a significant role in the life of the Society under the initial leadership of Archbishop Peter Kwong and today under Archbishop Paul Kwong's leadership. He also commended the influential contributions made on the Board of the Compass Rose Society by CRS vice-president Samson Jeremiah Fan and David Tse; and by their predecessors Antonia Wong, Joey Fan, and Canon Peter Douglas Koon. In his opening remarks at the inauguration dinner, Archbishop Paul Kwong shared the vital work and support the Compass Rose Society has made to the global ministry and global initiatives of the Anglican Communion. I am so pleased to see Hong Kongs strong commitment to and support of the Anglican Communion, he said. The establishment of the Hong Kong Chapter of the Compass Rose Society marks a major milestone both in the worldwide Society and for Hong Kong. The work of establishing a Hong Kong Chapter of the Society began as early as July 2017, when a group of Hong Kong Compass Rose Society members, under the leadership of CRS vice-president Samson Jeremiah Fan, board member David Tse and former vice-president Joey Fan, met and discussed the mission, needs, and process of setting up a Hong Kong Chapter. At its meeting last November, the CRS board passed a resolution supporting the initiation and development of a Hong Kong Chapter of the Society to further work in increasing and facilitating recruitment of new members. increasing communication and understanding of the Society among its exiting members in Hong Kong, enhancing support to members of the Anglican Communion in all Asia regions, increasing awareness of Asian concerns within the Anglican Communion, and enhancing the fellowship of the CRS members in Asia. I am happy that Hong Kong has made this decision and certainly this decision received unanimous support when the Compass Rose Society Board met in London last November, the president of the CRS, Bishop C Andrew Doyle of the US-based Episcopal Churchs Diocese of Texas, said in a message to the new CRS Chapter, I know the entire Board of the Compass Rose Society joins me in thanksgiving for your ministry in the Hong Kong Chapter of the Compass Rose Society. The Royal Anguilla Police Force on Tuesday 30th January, 2018 displayed to the Anguillian Media several firearms and rounds of ammunition at a display held at the Valley Police Station. The firearms twelve (12) pistols, three (3) revolvers, two (2) assault rifles and one (1) .22 riffle along with several hundred rounds of ammunition for various firearms were seized during the execution of searches on premises across Anguilla. These guns that can be easily concealed and are very deadly and we have been working very hard to have illegal guns taken off the street, said Commissioner of Police Mr. Paul Morrison. The Royal Anguilla Police Force with its commitment to reducing crime and the incidents of crime is tackling gun crime as a priority The Royal Anguilla Police Force continues to appeal to the public to use their confidential reporting website WWW.gov.ai/911 if they know of anyone who owns or carry an illegal firearm. The RAPF will also like to remind the public that the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition both carry hefty fines. General Penalty of the Firearms Act section 50 state Any person guilty of an offence under this Act for which no penalty is otherwise provided is liable (a) on summary conviction to a fine of $200,000 or to imprisonment for a term of 5 years or to both; or (b) on conviction upon indictment to a fine or to imprisonment for a period of 14 years, or to both. OTHER POLICE NEWS: (ANSA) - Rome, January 29 - The government is ready to plead with the European Commission and competent European authorities for a possible reconsideration of the decision that assigned the European Medicines Agency (EMA) by lot to Amsterdam over Milan, in light of EMA chief Giudo Rasi's comment that a stopgap solution for the agency proposed by the Dutch city is not "optimal", sources said Monday. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said earlier Amsterdam's problems as future host of EMA were "evident" and he was "in touch with Premier (Paolo) Gentiloni to assess all possible initiatives". Commenting on an alarm issued by EMA chief Rasi, Sala said he agreed with Lombardy Governor Roberto Maroni, and that "we confirm that Milan is able to meet the required deadline, both for the office and for all the other conditions". Lower House Speaker Laura Boldrini said "Amsterdam is not ready to host the European Medicines Agency and the government should re-present Milan's bid" for the post-Brexit site of the agency. "It is important to act quickly in the interest of European citizens," she said. Milan lost out to the Dutch city as new EMA host in a tie-break lottery last year. It had led previous rounds of voting for the new home of the agency after it moves from London after Brexit. Dutch officials said earlier the EMA would be housed in temporary accommodation in Amsterdam before a new headquarters is completed for the agency's relocation from London. Rasi, for his part, said the Amsterdam building destined for EMA was not yet ready and the stopgap solution proposed by the Dutch "is not optimal" because it "halves" the space of the London office. This would add "layers of complexity", he said, to the agency's move and would lengthen the time needed to begiung functioning fully again. (ANSA) - Milan, January 30 - Italy on Tuesday will present an appeal against the decision to assign the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to Amsterdam, rather than Milan, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said Premier Paolo Gentiloni has told him. The appeal comes after EMA chief Giudo Rasi said Monday that a stopgap solution for the agency, which is leaving London because of Brexit, proposed by the Dutch city is not "optimal". Amsterdam won the right to host the agency by the luck of the draw after a vote of EU member States ended in a tie. "I called Gentiloni and I told him that it's time to be aggressive, let's have a go, let's try all the way and that's how it'll be," Sala told RTL 102.5 radio. "The appeal will be sent today". Dutch officials said earlier the EMA would be housed in temporary accommodation in Amsterdam before a new headquarters is completed for the agency's relocation from London. Rasi, for his part, said the Amsterdam building destined for EMA was not yet ready and the stopgap solution proposed by the Dutch "is not optimal" because it "halves" the space of the London office. This would add "layers of complexity", he said, to the agency's move and would lengthen the time needed to begin functioning fully again. GAZA - Imad al-Alami, one of the founders of Hamas and a member of the Shura Council, the political and religious leadership of the movement, has died at a hospital in Gaza, Hamas said. Al-Alami died last night aged 62. A public funeral will be held on Tuesday. Three weeks ago, the senior Hamas leader was taken to the hospital after being shot in the head at home. Hamas has come to the conclusion that his death was accidental and that it occured while al-Alami was cleaning his own gun. Al-Alami's body has been moved to Gaza's main al-Amari mosque. He will be commemorated in a ceremony to be held in the central Saraya square at the presence of Hamas' leaders and supporters from all of the Gaza Strip. TEL AVIV - On the sidelines of the Ilan Ramon conference in Tel Aviv on space, Italy and Israel signed an agreement to enable the creation of a joint micro-gravity laboratory. The announcement was made by the Italian embassy, which noted that - in February 2019 - there may be the launch from an Italian-produced Vega shuttle of a space module the size of an electric bicycle battery made by the Israel-based company SpacePharma. This will make it possible for four experiments to be conducted remotely from the Earth. The agreement was signed on Monday by the charges d'affaires of the Italian embassy in Israel, Gianmarco Macchia, and the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Science, Technology and Space, as well as the two countries' space agencies chiefs: Roberto Battiston and Avi Blasberger. The embassy said that the accord would serve to bring companies and scientific institutions together to take part in these experiments. It also noted that this is the latest result of a scientific, technological and industrial agreement between the two countries. CAIRO - Researchers from the Archaeo-Physics department of the Turin Polytechnic have been authorized by the Egyptian government almost a year after they made the request to conduct geo-radar studies inside Tutankhamen's tomb in Luxor's Valley of the Kings. The Polytechnic noted that, according to a theory by the British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves, the burial place of the pharaoh - known especially for the funerary treasure buried with him including a mask that has gained iconic status - could be part of a larger tomb possibly belonging to Nefertiti, an Egyptian queen whose semblance is preserved in a bust exhibited in Berlin. Measurements will be taken from January 31 to February 6 to "determine whether there are empty spaces and/or halls hidden behind the walls of Tutankhamen's funerary chamber", which the specialist refer to using the code KV62. The coordinator of the research group, Franco Porcelli, said that advanced radar systems would be used to find out with 99% accuracy whether "hidden structures of archaeological importance are next to Tutankhamen's tomb". The measurements will be then be looked at alongside the presence of suspected cavities in the rock face a few meters from KV6, a cavity that "were found by the research group in May of last year using a different, non-invasive technique outside Tutankhamen's tomb, based on the three-dimensional mapping of electrical resistance levels of the underground". However, the geo-radar measurements that will be taken in February will show whether the suspected cavities are connected with KV62, the statement noted. The team of experts belongs to two departments of the Piedmont region state polytechnic: the Applied Sciences and Technology Department and the Environmental, Territorial and Infrastructure Engineering Department, in "collaboration with personnel from the University of Turin's Earth Sciences Department". The collaboration also includes two Italian private companies: Turin-based 3DGeoimaging and Livorno-headquartered Geostudi Astier, as well as the UK's Terravision and - as Egyptology consultant - the Italian Archaeological Center of Cairo. Experts from the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities will also be helping out under former minister Mamdouh Eldamaty. Southern Yemeni separatists advance to presidential palace UAE-allied militants may force Saudi-allied government to flee (ANSAmed) - SANAA, JANUARY 30 - Southern Yemeni separatist forces backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continued to advance on Tuesday and in the port city of Aden against soldiers answering to President Abd Rabbo Mansur Hadi, an ally of Saudi Arabia, and surrounded the presidential palace. Security sources said that Hadi's government may decide to flee Aden and seek refuge in Riyadh. The sources added that the forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), formed last year to push for the revival of the former independent state of South Yemen, arrived at the gates to the Maashiq presidential palace in the Crater district after fighting that, beginning on Sunday, led to 36 deaths and 185 injured, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Saudi Arabia and the UAE have until now been allies in the war in Yemen, which since March 2015 has seen the two countries' airforces bomb positions held by Iran-allied Houthi Shia rebels. The Houthis control Sanaa, the capital, while Hadi's government is headquartered in Aden. (ANSAmed). Catalonia's Parliament postpones Puigdemont session Torrent, 'right to immunity'. Rajoy, 'he can't chair anything' (ANSAmed) - MADRID, JANUARY 30 - The president of the Catalan Parliament Roger Torrent on Tuesday announced that he has postponed a session scheduled at 3 pm in the afternoon for the re-election of the outgoing president currently living in exile in Belgium, Carles Puigdemont, after a warning issued by the Spanish Constitutional court and while waiting for the ruling of the Supreme Court (TS) regarding his immunity in Spain, where he is wanted on 'subversion' charges. Torrent, who is the leading authority in Catalonia before the election of a new president of the Generalitat, said that Barcelona's parliament has appealed the ruling. "I will not present another candidate for the swearing-in, we don't accept interference", he said. "Neither the Spanish deputy premier, Soraya de Santamaria, nor the Constitutional Court will decide who should be president of Catalonia", said Torrent. Parliament's president has vowed to guarantee Puigdemont's immunity who "has all the legitimacy and the right to be sworn-in". Spanish Premier Mariano Rajoy said Puigdemont "can't be president of anything". "A man fleeing justice, who unilaterally liquidated national sovereignty and national unity clearly cannot be president of anything", he said. Rajoy expressed the hope that Torrent will present another candidate who is not under investigation for president of Catalonia. (ANSAmed) Syria: Moscow-sponsored National Dialogue ongoing in Sochi Putin, 'opportunity to eradicate terrorism'. Lavrov criticized (ANSAmed) - MOSCOW, JANUARY 30 - The National Dialogue congress on Syria sponsored by Russia was in full swing Tuesday after being inaugurated the previous night. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the event can be an opportunity to ''eradicate terrorism in Syria'', in a message to introduce the event read by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Some participants, however, interrupted the speech, accusing Moscow of killing many civilians in its air raids on Syria. Putin, in the message read by Lavrov, also stressed that Syrians must push forward new reforms together. ''There are the conditions to turn over this tragic page of Syrian history''. The event in Sochi is not attended by the most important representatives of the Kurds nor by delegates of the Syrian National Council (SNC). UN special envoy, Staffan de Mistura, is present. The main objective of the event is to officially agree on a mechanism to draft a new Syrian Constitution. (ANSAmed). US lifts ban on refugees from 11 'high-risk' countries But pledges tougher scrutiny (ANSAmed) - WASHINGTON, JANUARY 30 - The US administration has lifted a ban on refugees from ''high-risk'' mostly Muslim-majority countries. At the same time, it has introduced more security measures to assess those who file requests, said Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. The list included Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, as well as North Korea. Over the past three years, over 40% of refugees arriving in the US had come from these 11 countries. US president Donald Trump reduced the maximum number of refugees able to be accepted for the 2018 tax year to 45,000 and since October only 23 people from these countries have entered the US. These 23 were able to after a decision by a Seattle judge who partially blocked the president's ban. (ANSAmed). Marysville, CA (95901) Today Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 66F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 66F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. by Hats off to Estonia, which in celebrating the 100th anniversary of its proclamation as an independent republic in 1918, following the dissolution of the Russian Empire, decided to honor its genius painterMichel Sittow (c. 1469-1525)with his first monographic exhibition. And we Americans are lucky for that, because the National Gallery of Art happens to own two of his best paintingsso it became the natural partner for an exhibition that opened yesterday. I reviewed it for The Wall Street Journal, in a piece published today and headlined A Renaissance Artist Cloaked in Mystery. Sittows works are few and far betweenso you are forgiven if you do not know him or his works. Although he had many royal patrons, including Isabella of Castile, Margaret of Austria and Christian II of Denmark, many of his works have disappeared. As I wrote: Sittow apparently never signed his paintings. In records, he is listed under various names and confused with others with the same given name. His works were copied. Over the years experts had attributed some of them to Jan Gossart, Hans Holbein the younger or others, and he was largely forgotten until the early 20th century. Despite attempts to catalog Sittows works, no one knows the extent of his surviving paintings: a 2011 catalogue raisonne lists 111 works as by Sittow but confirms him as the artist in only 13 cases. In the U.S., aside from the two in Washingtonone a gift of Paul Mellon and the other purchased with Mellon moneythe only other accepted works are in the Detroit Institute of Arts (here and, here, on Pinterestnot on the DIA website). The Metropolitan Museum once listed a monks portrait as by him but now calls it French, 1500. The Getty catalogue lists this work, Portrait of a Man with A Pink, as by Sittow, but its not on view, is in poor condition and, to my knowledge, is not accepted by at least some others as a Sittow. So, the NGA/Estonia exhibit brings together a dozen of Sittows works, plus a few by his workshop and others (his probably teacher, Memling, and some contemporaries). For me, the unquestionable star of the show is the NGAs gift from MellonPortrait of Diego de Guevara (?) (c. 1515/1518) [above, right], which is part of a diptych whose other half is a Madonna and Child [at left]. I could not outdo, and therefore quoted, the catalogue description: A Spanish courtier and ambassador (who once owned Van Eycks masterpiece, the Arnolfini Portrait), De Guevara looks adoringly at the infant Jesus in a way best described by the exhibition catalogwith a pensiveness bordering on melancholy that in its humanity is without parallel in early Netherlandish art. I love that he owned the Van Eyck! At some point, he gave it away to Margaret of Austria, ruler of the Netherlands. And now it resides in the National Gallery, London. Go and see this at the NGA if you can, because its unlikely to happen again in our lifetimes. Ola has over 125 million users and more than one million driver-partners across 110 cities on its platform in India. The companies are already locked in an intense battle for leadership in the Indian market. New Delhi: Indian cab aggregator Ola is set to go international with the launch of its operations in Australia in the coming weeks, a move that will further intensify its battle with US-based rival Uber. The SoftBank-backed firm is now onboarding private hire vehicle owners onto its platform in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, Ola said in a statement. Ola plans to launch its services in Australia in early 2018, it added. It will share further details of the commencement of commercial operations -- subject to necessary regulatory approvals -- later. "We are very excited about launching Ola in Australia and see immense potential for the ride-sharing ecosystem which embraces new technology and innovation," Ola co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said. He added that the company aims to "create a high-quality and affordable travel experience for citizens" with a "strong focus on driver-partners and the community at large". Ola's primary competitor in the Australian market would be US-based Uber. The companies are already locked in an intense battle for leadership in the Indian market. Uber launched its operations in Australia in 2012 and currently operates in 19 Australian cities including the major cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra. Founded in 2011, Ola has over 125 million users and more than one million driver-partners across 110 cities on its platform in India. On an aggregate basis, the Bengaluru-based company serves as many as a billion rides annually, through its platform. The 30-share Sensex, after opening a shade lower at 36,277.12, continued its slide to crack 36,000-mark. Nifty closed lower by 80.75 points, or 0.73 per cent, at 11,049.65 after hitting a low of 11,033.90. Mumbai: The BSE Sensex sank about 250 points to end at 36,033.73 on Tuesday as investors booked profits in recent outperformers, while caution prevailed ahead of the Union Budget due later this week. The Nifty also retreated from its life highs, but managed to close above the crucial 11,000-mark. The 30-share Sensex, after opening a shade lower at 36,277.12, continued its slide to crack the 36,000-mark and hit a low of 35,993.41 during the day. It finally settled at 36,033.73, down 249.52 points, or 0.69 per cent. The index had gained 232.81 points on Monday and closed at a record high of 36,283.25. The Nifty too closed lower by 80.75 points, or 0.73 per cent, at 11,049.65 after hitting a low of 11,033.90. It had ended at a lifetime high of 11,130.40 on Monday. Brokers said investors took money off the table and adopted a cautious stance ahead of the Union Budget on February 1. They also adopted a wait-and-watch mode ahead of the US Federal Reserve's two-day monetary policy meeting. Meanwhile, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 291.86 crore on net basis while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) also picked up equities to the tune of Rs 90.08 crore on Monday, provisional data showed. Bollywoods most desirable Parineeti is currently single, does that mean she is ready to mingle? Mumbai: Parineeti Chopra is one Bollywood actress who expresses her thoughts quite boldly. After the super success of her last release Golmaal Again, the actress has an interesting line up of films ahead. Bollywoods most desirable Parineeti is also currently single, does that mean she is ready to mingle? During an interview with the magazine, the actress shared about her personal and professional lives. Talking about her relationship status, The 'Meri Pyari Bindu' actress candidly said, I dont think I see myself ever dating or marrying an actor. Its a tough industry to maintain just friendships in; a romantic relationship seems even more challenging. She also cheekily said, I still pay my own bills, drive myself around, and am more than capable of buying my own shampoo. When asked about her role in Akshay Kumar's 'Kesari', Parineeti told the media: "That is a secret but I am very excited and very honoured that I am in 'Kesari' because it is one of the biggest films Dharma Productions is making. Helmed by Anurag Singh, the movie is based on the battle of Saragarhi and is slated for 2019 Holi release. Parineeti is also busy shooting Dibakar Banerjee's 'Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar' alongside Arjun Kapoor. Bankrolled by Yash Raj Films, the film is slated to release on 3 August, 2018. B-town celebs have different opinions on actor Swara Bhasker's scathing letter on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmaavat'. Mumbai: Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar had written a scathing letter to filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali criticising the Jauhar scene that features Deepika Padukone. Swara said Bhansali, whom she respects and has worked for in 'Guzaarish', had set a dangerous precedent in questioning the laws of the land. I loved the performances by all the actors in #Padmaavat - The film is seductive in its grandeur, scale, beauty, power of its actorss performances, music, design, vision... and therein lies the problem! Some thoughts.. sorry abt the length https://t.co/0hYnvlAvAD Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) January 27, 2018 Reacting on Swara's letter, B-town celebrities like Rohit Shetty, Ayushmann Khurrana, Imtiaz Ali and Divya Dutta echoed that every filmmaker has his or her own perspective, which should be respected. Filmmaker Rohit Shetty declined to comment on the letter, requesting the media to let Padmaavat run peacefully. He said, Please let it breathe. I will say something, then someone else will say something else, that way we will get this film, our film in some or the other trouble. Now, we have given it to the audience, so, let the audience watch and decide. It is doing a great business. The whole team has gone through a lot- Bhansali, Deepika, Ranveer, the whole team they have endured a lot, so, let it remain with the audience now. Whats the use if we start talking about what he said or she said. I will not say anything. Let the film breathe now, for Gods sake, the director asserted. Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali said, Any kind of obstacle that comes in a film does not feel good. Theres nothing in Padmaavat, which should cause any kind of protest but then everyone has their own opinion. Divya Dutta said she enjoyed the film very much and saw it as a story set centuries ago. The film has been told like a story. Everyone has their own viewpoint. Swara kept hers, I respect that. She felt something That visual (jauhar scene) is very strong when it comes across. But the film is set in another century, whose mindset was different. So, my view point is different. I enjoyed it (the film) very much. I respect her opinion but I take the film for what it is, absolutely, the actress said. Ayushmann Khurrana, who said he hasnt read Swaras letter, traced on the fact that a piece of art is subjective. A movie does two jobs: either it gives something to the society or it takes from it. Every director has his or her own perspective. The intention of every piece of art is to cause a debate, a discussion, there are critics also who discuss and then the audience also gives its opinion. So, everyone has their own opinion. Art is always subjective, never objective, the 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha' actor said. Swara Bhasker herself reacted on the letter at an event saying, Everybody has a right to an opinion. Like I am entitled to an opinion, so is everyone else. I put forth my point of view. I feel I put across my point of view in a polite and respectful manner. I did not have any vicious intent. I had legitimate questions after watching the film and I raised those. If people dont agree with me, its alright as it is democratic country. I had no idea that this would create such a mayhem and that people who are not connected to the film at all will get upset, she added. I didnt have any mal-intent. I did not know that the letter would invoke so much interest, she concluded. 'Padmaavat', starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, finally arrived in the theatres on January 25, amid chaos and violence across the country. The J&K police had very next said that there were credible inputs pointing towards the involvement of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba in the gory incident. The gunmen had targeted a tourist bus carrying pilgrims mainly from Gujarat which was on way to winter capital Jammu from Baltal, a base-camp of the Amarnath yatra, at Botengo in Anantnag district on July 10 last year. (Photo: PTI) Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir police on Monday filed chargesheets against eleven persons, including three Pakistani nationals, for their alleged involvement in July 10, 2017 terror attack in which eight Amarnath pilgrims were killed and ten other injured in southern Anantnag district. The 1,500 page charge sheet has been filed two courts in Anantnag which are simultaneously hearing the case registered by the police under various sections of Ranbir Penal Code including 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 427 (causing mischief) and other relevant laws. The gunmen had targeted a tourist bus carrying pilgrims mainly from Gujarat which was on way to winter capital Jammu from Baltal, a base-camp of the Amarnath yatra, at Botengo in Anantnag district on July 10 last year. Seven pilgrims were killed on the spot and one of the eleven persons injured in the attack had died in hospital later. The J&K police had very next said that there were credible inputs pointing towards the involvement of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) in the gory incident. However, the LeT had strongly denied the charge and sought to blame the killings on Indian agencies. A statement issued by the J&K police here on Monday that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) which was formed to probe the incident has filed the charge sheet against the accused. During the course of investigation it was established that Pakistan-based based LeT terrorists were involved in the attack. Further, on the basis of evidences collected during the course of investigation complicity of eleven people was established, out of whom four persons including one juvenile were arrested in the instant case, the statement said. The accused are Aijaz Ahmad Wagay, Bilal Ahmad Reshi, Zahoor Ahmad Sheikh, Khalid Muzaffar Dar, Tanveer Ahmad Dar, Sarjeel Ahmad Sheikh, Yawar Bashir Wani (all local Kashmiris), Abu Ismail alias Haroon, Maaviya and Furqan ( all Pakistani nationals). The name of the arrested juvenile has been withheld, however. The police also said that during the course of investigation evidences have been brought on record establishing complicity of above mentioned accused persons in the instant crime. It said that the main accused Abu Ismail alias Haroon (a Pakistani national) was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Arigam, Nowgam area of Srinagar on September 14, 2017 whereas other two Pakistani nationals Maaviya and Furqan along with local militant Yawar Bashir Wani were killed in a similar clash at Qazigund (Kulgam district) on December 12, 2017. Three of the accused Khalid Muzaffar Dar, Tanveer Ahmad Dar and Sarjeel Ahmad Sheikh are absconding. Three others Aijaz, Bilal and Zahoor were arrested and are presently in the judicial custody whereas the arrested juvenile is presently on bail. On Sunday, the police registered an FIR under sections 302 (murder) and 307 of RPC against the personnel of 10, Garhwal unit, of the Army. Two civilians were killed when Army personnel fired at a stone-pelting mob in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, prompting Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to order an inquiry into the incident. (Photo: PTI/ Representational) Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Police chief S P Vaid on Monday said registration of FIR in the Shopian incident is just the beginning of the investigation and the Army's version would be taken into account as well. Two civilians were killed when Army personnel fired at a stone-pelting mob in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, prompting Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to order an inquiry into the incident. On Sunday, the police registered an FIR under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Ranbir Penal Code against the personnel of 10, Garhwal unit, of the Army. A Major, who led the Army personnel at the time of the incident, was also mentioned in the FIR. At a press conference at the police headquarters on Monday, the DGP said it was a matter of investigation as to what circumstances led to the incident. Asked whether the Army's version will be a part of the probe, the state police chief said, "The Army's version, eyewitness accounts and the statement of those who lost their near and dear ones would be included." "We will go through all facts and the ground evidences of the case and the Army will also be questioned," Vaid said. According to the police, on Saturday, the crowd hurled stones on a security force convoy passing through Ganovpora village in Shopian district following which the Army men fired a few rounds. A defence spokesperson, however, had said the troops opened fire when a mob tried to lynch a junior commissioned officer and snatch his service weapon. To a question if the police have registered the FIR on the direction of the state government to demoralise the Army, the DGP said, "FIR is the start of investigation process. It is not that any officer has been named. FIR names the unit of the Army headed by a particular person." To a question on whether the amnesty scheme for first time stone-pelters have encouraged others to resort to throw stones as seen in Shopian, Vaid said the amnesty scheme was decided at the highest level. "It was meant for first-time stone-pelters and those who have no serious and heinous criminal cases against them. You must not block the careers of these children, but at the same time, as far as hurled stones in Shopian is concerned, it cannot be justified," he said. On the lynching of DSP Ayub Pandit in Srinagar in 2017, the DGP said, "We investigated that case and all people involved in it have been arrested after identification by the SIT and the charge-sheet was presented in a court." Congress's senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said the government's claims made in the President's address were 'hollow and devoid of logic'. The President's addressed the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament on Monday (Photo; ANI | Twitter) New Delhi: The Congress on Monday said the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament was "deeply disappointing" as it made claims contrary to ground realities. Congress's senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said the government's claims made in the President's address were "hollow and devoid of logic". "The President's address to both Houses of Parliament has been deeply disappointing, insipid and it makes claims which are contrary to ground realities and known facts," he said. Talking to reporters, Sharma said an impression is sought to be given that under the watch of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and this government, all the commitments made to the people of India had been honoured and fulfilled, whereas the truth was far different. Asked about the triple talaq bill and the plea made by the President and the Prime Minister for its passage, he said though the party supports the bill it should pass through legislative scrutiny. Also read: After PM, Kovind hopes Parliament will pass triple talaq bill "We have earlier also said we are in full support of the bill. However, the bill should pass through legislative scrutiny. This government has made a habit of avoiding legislative scrutiny," he alleged. He demanded that the government bring a provision in the bill for providing financial assistance to Muslim women whose husbands face criminal action under it. Anand Sharma also said that if the Prime Minister was serious about the cause of empowerment of women, he should help secure the passage of women's reservation bill in Lok Sabha, where his party had a majority. The Congress leader alleged that the "hasty" imposition of "flawed" Goods and Services Tax (GST) had led to sharp decline in the GDP and jobs as promised had not been created but destroyed. "It was time for the government to give an account, but surely the President's address could not have given an account of non-performance and betrayal of the promises. This government is in denial and therefore will not be in a position to improve the situation on all fronts including alleviation of agrarian distress," he said. Anand Sharma said the President spoke about the government's fight against corruption, but "our question and charge against this government is that they are not sincere. Why they have not appointed Lokpal? The law is there. What has prevented Narendra Modi and his government from appointing a Lokpal in the last almost four years?" On the issue of the possible impeachment of the Chief Justice of India as proposed by the CPI(M), he said that the opposition leaders would meet to deliberate on all issues. "There are concerns about the functioning of the judiciary, and parliament is the right forum to take up the matter. But it is also a sensitive issue. That's why in-depth deliberations and examinations of the matter are required before a final call can be taken. But surely, the parliament must discuss," he said. Congress leader Rajeev Shukla said his party was suggesting that the criminality part in the triple talaq bill should be looked into and the government should be open to new ideas. "We will not oppose the bill in Rajya Sabha. We want the government to talk to the opposition and make corrections and then bring the bill," he said. In a first, 100 non-gazetted workers of South Central Railway flew to Singapore, Malaysia for a 6-day vacation on Jan 28. The itinerary covers tourist sites such as Universal Studios, Sentosa and Night Safari in Singapore and includes the Kuala Lumpur City Tour, Petronas Towers, Batu Caves and Genting Highlands in Malaysia. (Photo: AFP) New Delhi: Indian Railways' first non-working foreign tour is under way -- not for senior officers but for gangmen, trackmen and other non-gazetted employees. In a first for the national transporter, 100 non-gazetted workers of South Central Railway flew to Singapore and Malaysia for a six-day vacation on January 28, said a statement. While 25 per cent expenditure of the tour is being borne by the employees, 75 per cent is from the Staff Benefit Fund (SBF), M Umashankar Kumar, SCR chief public relations officer, said in a statement. "The 100 strong group of employees... comprised of Group C and D category employees, with preference given to employees from lower cadres and those nearing retirement. Allocation of number of slots for each Division, Workshop and Headquarters was given on the basis of their sanctioned strength," he said. Secunderabad-based SCR has taken the lead in "optimising welfare activities for its non-gazetted workforce, by organising the first-of-its-kind Employees Overseas Camp on Indian Railways", he said. The itinerary covers tourist sites such as Universal Studios, Sentosa and Night Safari in Singapore and includes the Kuala Lumpur City Tour, Petronas Towers, Batu Caves and Genting Highlands in Malaysia. SBF funds are allocated by Railway Board for various welfare activities of non-gazetted employees working in the national transporter. They are usually used for scholarships for lower grade employees, to benefit the girl child, camps for children and other such socially relevant causes, an official said. The SCR had sent a proposal for the tour in December last year for its employees. Less than a month later, the group was on its way to foreign shores. SP shunted for failure to contain incident, kin demands martyr status for deceased. Lucknow: UP governor Ram Naik on Monday termed the violence in Kasganj as a blot on the government even as tension continues to prevail in the riot-hit town. What happened in Kasganj is unfortunate and a blot. The government should hold a probe and take steps so that such incidents do not happen again, he told reporters. The state government removed SP Kasganj Sunil Singh for his failure to control the situation and replaced him with Piyush Srivastava. This is the second time this month that the Yogi government has faced flak from leaders on the laws and order issue. Vice president Venkaiah Naidu, while attending a programme, advised the Yogi government to improve the law and order situation. He even advised the government to revoke arms licensees given to a large number of people. UP government spokesperson and senior Cabinet minister Siddhartha Nath Singh said on Monday that the situation in Kasganj is returning to normal and that shops are opening now, which is a good sign. However, miscreants set a house and a kiosk on fire late on Sunday night which was controlled in time. ADG (law and order) Anand Kumar said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been set up to probe the incidents in Kasganj. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath granted a compensation of `20 lakhs to the family of the man killed in clashes. The district magistrate of Kasganj, R.P. Singh, on Monday visited the family of Chandan Gupta, who was killed in Fridays clashes, to hand over the cheque of compensation which the family initially refused to accept but later relented. The family is demanding martyr status for Chandan. I told the family that it is not in my power to grant the status but I can forward their demand to the government, the district magistrate told reporters. Meanwhile, tension continued to prevail in Kasganj and the number of arrests in Fridays clashes has gone up to 112. Shakeel, the main accused in the killing of Chandan Gupta, is still absconding. An official statement issued by the UP police said, So far, 112 persons have been arrested. As many as 31 accused have been arrested, and 81 preventive arrests have been made. The statement further said that five cases have been registered so far, of which, three were registered by station in-charge of Kasganj Kotwali. Cases were registered under various sections of the IPC, CLA (Criminal Law Amendment) Act and for violation of the National Flag Act. Union minister Giriraj Singh claimed that media would have chosen a "Our government is committed to provide security to each and every citizen. Anarchy has no place in the state," Chief Minister Adityanath told reporters in Lucknow, his first comment on the clashes. (Photo: ANI/ Twitter) Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday broke his silence on Kasganj violence promising action against those involved even as politics brewed over the clashes with Union minister Giriraj Singh claiming that media would have chosen a "different" line if the killed youth was from the minority community. Another BJP hardliner Vinay Katiyar, known for his controversial utterances, also waded in the row saying there were some "miscreants who support Pakistan" who could go to any extent to defy the tricolour. "Our government is committed to provide security to each and every citizen. Anarchy has no place in the state," Chief Minister Adityanath told reporters in Lucknow, his first comment on the clashes. Also read: Kasganj violence: 112 arrested following clashes over Republic day celebrations Adityanath warned of "strict action" against the perpetrators of violence. Meanwhile, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that he felt the violence was pre-planned. "Had the deceased been Mohammad Ismaayil instead of Chandan Gupta, there would be been a different debate in the media... We have to change this mindset," Giriraj Singh told reporters in Lucknow. The Union minister said he felt the Kasganj incident was "pre-planned" adding that the Adityanath government would not spare anyone involved. Also read: Wasn't present in Kasganj during riots, I am fine: Rahul Upadhyay Giriraj Singh also referred to Bareilly District Magistrate (DM) Raghvendra Vikram Singh's comments on Facebook that appeared to blame right-wing groups for provoking communal clashes. "I have come to know that a bureaucrat has made some remarks on why some are raising 'Pakistan Murdabad' slogans. I want to ask why not raise Pakistan Murdabad slogan. We raise this slogan as Pakistan kills our soldiers and is involved in spreading cross border terrorism," the minister said. The DM's now-deleted post said a "strange trend" that had begun of late was to visit Muslim majority areas and raise slogans against Pakistan. "Why? Are they (Muslims) Pakistanis?" The same thing had happened in Khailam village of Bareilly. Then stones were thrown, FIRs lodged," the officer's post had said. A short service commission Army officer before joining the civil services, Raghvendra Vikram Singh, 59, was last year posted as the district magistrate of Bareilly, about 100 km from Kasganj. He put up the Facebook post on Sunday, just two days after 22-year-old commerce student Chandan Gupta died in communal clashes that broke out in a Muslim-majority locality of Kasganj during a 'Tiranga bike rally' by members of the local unit of the RSS-affiliated students' group ABVP. Minister of State for Food Processing Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said the incident should not be politicised. BJP MP Vinay Katiyar, however, told a news channel that those who "support Pakistan" were behind the violence. "Earlier, there were no communal clashes in Kasganj district as all lived in harmony. But it has come to light that there are some miscreants who support Pakistan and will go to any extent to defy the tricolour. They need to be dealt with strictly," he said. Katiyar claimed Gupta, who died of a bullet injury, was killed by the "supporters of Pakistan". "Nothing like this had happened in the state under Yogi Adityanath's government, this is a first such incident which has taken place," Katiyar asserted expressing confidence that action will be taken. Stray incidents of violence were reported from the western Uttar Pradesh town which continued to be tense with a heavy deployment of RAF and PAC personnel to keep a check on rumour mongers and trouble makers. A shopkeeper's store was burnt down in the communal violence-hit district last night. "I have been living and working here for the past 20 years. Even though I am the only Muslim among a Hindu majority, we never had any problems," the shopkeeper said. Meanwhile, a middle-aged person, Rahul Upadhyay, on Tuesday scotched rumours being spread on the social media that he was killed in clashes. "One of my friends informed me about rumours on the social media about me getting killed during the violence, but I was not present in Kasganj. I had gone to my village and am absolutely fine," Upadhyay said. The Uttar Pradesh government has come under fire over the clashes with even Governor Ram Naik terming the Kasganj violence a "blot" on the state. Opposition parties have also attacked the state government over the clashes. The Adityanath government has already replaced the district's Superintendent of Police. Director General of Police OP Singh has said those behind the violence will be dealt with under the ambit of the National Security Act. Over 100 people have been sent to jail under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for their alleged role in the violence. A Peace Committee has been formed by the district administration. It has been doing the rounds of the troubled areas requesting people not to pay heed to rumours. Some illegal arms were also recovered during raids, an official said. Kovind also made it clear that the Narendra Modi government will do everything to empower the minorities but not appease them. New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed hope for an early Parliamentary approval of the triple talaq bill, saying there should be no politics on this important issue that will help Muslim women live a life free of fear and dignity. Later, a group of women activists said it rejected the Centres triple talaq bill, holding that it was draconian as well as ambiguous. The Lok Sabha had last month passed the landmark bill. The legislation, however, could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha due to a deadlock over Oppositi-ons demand seeking its reference to a select committee for close scrutiny. Mr Modi made a fresh pitch for the early passage of the bill by humbly requesting poli-tical parties to pass it in the Budget Session, which commenced on Monday. In his customary address to the media outside Parliament House building on the first day of a parliamentary session, he said it was the governments effort as well as the expectation of the people that there would be no politics on an important issue like triple talaq and that Muslim women would get their right. I hope and I humbly request all political parties of the country to get the bill passed in this session as a New Year gift of 2018 to Muslim women, he said. President Ram Nath Kovind also referred to the triple talaq bill in his maiden address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament, exuding confidence it will soon become a law. Mr Kovind also made it clear that the Narendra Modi government will do everything to empower the minorities but not appease them. Meanwhile in a press conference, Asma Zehra, convenor of the Hyderabad-based Muslim Mahila Research Kendra, said the bill went against the interests of women and children. The bill is draconian as a civil matter is converted into a criminal offence and the husband is sentenced to jail for three years. It is anti-women and anti-children as there is no mention of maintenance and it is anti-social, she said. The bill was ambiguous and lacked legal coherence, Ms Zehra, who is also a member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), said. The wording of the bill is such that there will be confusion in dealing between cases of a talaq and a triple talaq, she said, adding, We reject it. The outcome of Ajmer will test the relevance of Congress state Chief Sachin Pilot. People show their fingers marked with ink after casting their vote during byelection for a parliamentary seat at a village near Ajmer. (Photo: PTI) Jaipur: For chief minister Vasundhara Raje and state Congress president Sachin Pilot, bypolls for Ajmer and Alwar parliamentary constituencies and Mand-algarh Assembly seat are like board exams, where parents are more anxious than children. More than candidates, it is their pride which is at stake. All three seats recorded more than 60% voting on Monday, which is good considering that the winner will get less than a year to hold the seat. Now, eyes are on February 1, when counting will take place. Here victory or defeat, both will have the same mark Vasundhara Raje. But for Congress, there will be three cheerleaders for triumph while defeat will have only one address Pilot. Not surprisingly, both Ms Raje and Mr Pilot campaigned hard till the end. While Raje as a sole campaigner divided her time between Ajmer and Alwar, Mr Pilot had it easy as he was allowed to focus on Ajmer the seat that he represented till 2014 because his burden was shared by former Union minister Bhanwar Jitendra Singh who was leading the campaign in Alwar. From that point of view, these bypolls are crucial even for Rahul Gandhi because all three seats are linked to his trusted lieutenants Sachin Pilot, C.P. Joshi and Jitendra Singh Bhanwar. The outcome of Ajmer will test the relevance of Congress state Chief Sachin Pilot. He switched to this seat after his family borough Dausa became a reserved seat in 2009. However, he lost to Sanwar Lal Jat whose death has necessitated the by-poll. The CJI pointed out at that time the producer had not obtained the certificate. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a fresh plea for a direction to the producer of Hindi film Padmaavat for deletion of certain objectionable scenes which were not permitted by the court. A three-judge bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Kanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, after hearing advocate M.L. Sharma, dismissed the petition observing that once the Central Board of Film Certification has granted the certificate, no plea could be entertained. The Chief Justice of India made it clear to Mr Sharma that the portions ordered to be deleted from the petition filed by him in November last were applicable only to the petitioner. The CJI pointed out at that time the producer had not obtained the certificate. Thereafter, the Censor Board had examined the film and issued the certificate and hence the court could not consider the petitioners plea. Senior counsel Shyam Divan, appearing for the producer, submitted that when the court dismissed the PIL of Mr Sharma, it had clearly said that the deleted portions had the effect of creating disharmony in society, which could not be permitted. Since the petitioner had come with the same plea, it should be dismissed with costs, he added. Mr Sharma submitted that when he filed a petition in November last for the ban on the film, senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for the producer, took exception to the advocate quoting certain distorted portions in history. The court had then ordered deletion of these passages from the petition and made it clear that the deleted portions relating to historical facts should not be used in any manner. He submitted that Padmaavat contains all the objectionable portions, which were ordered to be deleted, and hence the court should direct deletion of these scenes. He said the PIL raised important questions of law, viz whether the producer can indulge in character assassination of Queen Padmawati, whether right to freedom of speech and creative expression allow the producer to violate the fundamental rights of others.On January 18, the Supreme Court revoked the ban on the film imposed by certain states and said it is the duty and obligation of the State to maintain law and order. Once the Parliament has conferred the responsibility and power on a statutory board and the board has certified the film, non-exhibition of the film by states is contrary to statutory provisions. The western Uttar Pradesh town remained tense due to a protest and an attack on a place of worship. "Our government is committed to provide security to each and every citizen. Anarchy has no place in the state," Chief Minister Adityanath told reporters in Lucknow, his first comment on the clashes. (Photo: ANI/ Twitter) Lucknow/New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday broke his silence on the Kasganj communal violence and promised action against culprits even as some BJP leaders, including Union ministers, saw a hand of pro-Pakistan elements in the pre-planned five-day-old flare-up which claimed one life on January 26. Governor Ram Naik had on Monday termed the Kasganj violence a blot on the state. The western Uttar Pradesh town remained tense due to a protest and an attack on a place of worship. In a related development, Hindu outfits staged a demonstration in Agra district collectorate in protest against the Kasganj violence. A large number of RAF and PAC personnel were deployed to keep a check on rumour mongers and trouble makers. While UP chief minister stressed that anarchy has no place in the state, two Union ministers Giriraj Singh and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti made controversial remarks over the incident. Meanwhile, the Union home ministry has sought a report from the UP government on the incident that took place on the Republic Day. Our government is committed to provide security to each and every citizen. Anarchy has no place in the state, Mr Adityanath told reporters in Lucknow. He warned of strict action against the perpetrators of violence. Courting controversy, Giriraj Singh, minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises in the Narendra Modi government, claimed that media would have chosen a different line if the killed person would have been from the minority community. He said that he felt that the violence was pre-planned. Minister of state for food processing industries, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti blamed pro-Pakistan and anti-national elements for the trouble which started over a rally on Republic Day. Another BJP hardliner and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar waded in the row saying there were some miscreants who support Pakistan who could go to any extent to defy the tricolour. Earlier, there were no communal clashes in Kasganj district as all lived in harmony. But it has come to light that there are some miscreants who support Pakistan and will go to any extent to defy the tricolour. They need to be dealt with strictly, he said. Mr Singh also referred to Bareilly district magistrate Raghvendra Vikram Singhs comments on Facebook that appeared to blame right-wing groups for provoking communal clashes. 36 bodies were found, 8 injured were rescued on Monday after 9 hours of rescue operations that had to be discontinued due to low visibility. The accident occurred at Balirghat under Daulatabad police station area around 6 am when the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) bus was going from Shikarpur in Nadia district to Malda. (Photo: PTI) Kolkata: Operations resumed on Tuesday morning to find bodies of passengers of a bus that toppled over a bridge and plunged into a canal in Murshidabad district. Thirty-six bodies were found and eight injured persons were rescued on Monday after nine hours of rescue operations that had to be discontinued because of low visibility last night. We are guessing that there can be a couple of more bodies stuck in the water bed and rescue operations have started at 7 am, Murshidabad District Magistrate P Ulaganathan said. Deep divers of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Management personnel were conducting the operations, he said. The district magistrate, senior police officers, including the SP are on the spot. Also read: WB: 2 killed, 7 injured as bus plunges into canal in Murshidabad Anguished by the bus accident in West Bengals Murshidabad. My thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their loved ones: PM @narendramodi PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 30, 2018 According to him, the total number of passengers travelling in the bus was yet not confirmed, but it could be around 50. Till last night 36 bodies have been recovered and eight persons have been rescued who are undergoing treatment at the Murshidabad Medical College, he said. Of the 36 dead, the bodies of 25 were identified, he said. As many as 32 bodies were retrieved from the bus after it was lifted from the canal on Monday. Earlier in the day, two bodies were found and two others succumbed to injuries. When asked about eyewitnesses claims of the bus driver speaking on his phone while speeding that could have led to the accident, the DM said, It is still not clear what was the reason. But there was fog in the morning and visibility was poor. We are looking into the matter. Also read: Crowded bus falls into river, 33 die, many others missing Very sad to learn about the horrific bus accident in Murshidabad, West Bengal. Condolences to the bereaved families and wishing an early recovery to those injured #PresidentKovind President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 30, 2018 Another official said, forensic tests would be conducted on the bus to ascertain the causes of the accident. Forensic experts will check whether there was any problem with the engine or if there was any technical problem, the official said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with state transport minister Suvendu Adhikari had rushed to the district on Monday night to supervise rescue operations. Banerjee, who stayed back at Baharampore last night, had announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the family of those killed in the accident and Rs 1 lakh for the seriously injured. She also announced that Rs 50,000 would be given to the other injured people. The accident occurred at Balirghat under Daulatabad police station area around 6 am when the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) bus was going from Shikarpur in Nadia district to Malda. Sports teachers and officers from the civic fire deparment have been directed to train teachers and students. Mumbai: After hearing complaints from corporators, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) education committee chairperson, Shubhada Gudekar, has directed education officers to replace old equipment with new in all schools before February 15. In a survey conducted by corporators to keep check on fire-safety arrangement in some BMC-run schools, fire extinguishers were allegedly found past their expiry dates. The corporators raised the issue, including that other fire safety equipment such as fire alarms were allegedly not working properly in several such schools. With this, the civic body has initiated fire-security training in its 1,500 civic schools after 14 lives were lost in the December 29 fire incident at Kamala Mills compound last year. Sports teachers and officers from the civic fire deparment have been directed to train teachers and students. Ms Gudekar said, They should be trained in such a manner that within a span of five minutes of the mishap occurring, they should be able to vacate the school or campus. We have asked fire department officials to conduct mock drills in each school to let students and staff get practical experience about what needs to be done in an emergency situation. She said that the training will also be imparted to non-teaching staff including school peons and watchmen along with teachers and students. This decision was taken after the Kamala Mill tragedy. Ms Gudekar said, Immediately after the disaster occurred, we conducted a meeting with education officers and principals of schools to talk about the precautions to be taken in schools for our students." The students will be given fire safety education and how to prepare physically and mentally when a fire breaks out. Till February 15, all BMC schools are supposed to install fire safety equipment including fire extinguishers; intrusion alarms on doors, windows, ventilator openings; fire sprinklers etc. The committee has asked all BMC schools to conduct a safety audits. Hollywood actor, who lives with the degenerative nervous disorder, has given the money to a University of London researcher. It is hoped that the funding will allow the app-based concept, which can record symptoms of sufferers and monitor their progression, to be rolled out. Popular actor Michael J Fox has pledged 100,000 in funding towards the development of a new app for monitoring Parkinsons disease symptoms. The Hollywood actor, who lives with the long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, has given the money to a University of London researcher. It is hoped that the funding will allow the app-based concept, which can record symptoms of sufferers and monitor their progression, to be rolled out. The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research (MJFF), created in 2000, has dished out more than $750 million (530m) in research funding. Fox, who was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinsons in 1991 aged 29, is hopeful that scientists can eventually discover a cure for the disease. His latest investment has gone to Professor George Roussos, from Birkbecks School of Business, Economics and Informatics who developed smartphone and wearable-device apps in 2013 that are able to record Parkinsons sufferers motor symptoms. The app was designed to be used by patients at home, allowing them to record their own movements such as by tapping their smartphone screen to assess their speed reflexes, or by placing the phone on their knee to measure tremors. Foxs funding will enable Professor Roussos to develop a software toolkit that would be used to analyse data from his cloudUPDRS apps, which researchers will use towards clinical assessments. There is currently no cure and no way of stopping the progression of the disease, but hundreds of scientific trials are underway to try and change that. The US says it wants a negotiated political settlement in Afghanistan. The current level of mistrust in the Pakistan-US relationship is unprecedented. Even in 2011, when ties had literally broken down, there were individuals with good rapport on both sides who continued to use their channels to get things back on track. The idealism of the Kerry-Lugar bill and the belief that the two sides would somehow work things out partly because there was a consensus on Pakistans utility in wooing the Taliban to negotiate still lingered. Today, there is little positivity. Both sides see the other as pursuing a course or making demands that undermine their national security interests. They have no trusted interlocutors to clear the air. When mistrust grows this deep, the rational response often is to attribute the worst possible intentions to the other side. But doing so makes it even tougher to find common ground. Ill confine myself to the Pakistani side here although the argument is equally applicable to both parties. The US says it wants a negotiated political settlement in Afghanistan. The use of military force is only meant to weaken the Afghan Taliban to bring them to the table. Its South Asia policy has nothing in it to suggest that its presence in Afghanistan is about anything but stabilising the country and preventing threats against the US emanating from it. If Pakistan wants to avoid a collapse of the Afghan state or a battlefield victory for the Taliban, this ought to be better news than the precipitous withdrawal President Obama wanted. Indeed, Pakistan opposed a US exodus then. Yet, mistrust in current US intentions has led to try different conclusions among large parts of the Pakistani establishment and intelligentsia. There are three lines of argument. One, the US isnt serious about a peace process, and is pursuing a path to military victory in Afghanistan, which shall remain elusive no matter what Pakistan does to help. Why then should Pakistan go after the Taliban and Haqqani network? That would turn them against the Pakistani state. And Pakistan would have sided with the loser. Two, even if there were a possibility for the US to get to a position of real strength in Afghanistan, its preferred end state would be to leave an India-friendly dispensation in Kabul. Decode this to mean that India would have the influence to create a two-front situation for Pakistan on a sustained basis. How does this suit Pakistan? Third, the Trump South Asia policy isnt about Afghanistan. Rather, Afghanistan is an excuse for the US to maintain a regional presence to watch over China, Russia, Iran and Pakistans nuclear weapons. Why should Pakistan do anything to facilitate this long-term presence? When I contend that this is too cynical, I am reminded of several official US statements and policy choices to substantiate the sanctity of these perceptions. After all, is it not true that the US has shown no signs of engaging in serious dialogue with the Taliban? Can one deny that the world tends to dismiss Pakistans concerns about Indian activities in Afghanistan and sees an Indian role there as positive? Has the Trump administration not declared China and Russia as strategic competitors that must be kept in check? It is obvious that these questions are self-serving. Still, if they drive policy thinking, rational policy choices would lead Pakistani policymakers to resist US preferences in Afghanistan. However, what if the US genuinely desires a peace process but wants to sequence fighting and talking to ensure that it negotiates with a weak opposition? Wouldnt it still want to avoid signalling appetite for a dialogue too soon? Similarly, wouldnt the US demands of Pakistan regarding the Taliban and Haqqani network be identical irrespective of whether it wishes to stick with Pakistan after the latter has obliged or abandon it? Could a less cynical take on US intentions not open space for Pakistan to convince Washington of the merits of a continued partnership? And how would the US be expected to behave differently if its ambition was limited to stability in Afghanistan rather than the alleged broader agenda? Isnt it an impossible position for the US if we oppose both a timed withdrawal and its current commitment to stay till Afghanistan stabilises? Or is it not possible that the US itself isnt clear on where it wants to end up and is thus keeping its options open? Shouldnt this prompt Pakistan to work to convince the US of its view rather than operating on worst-case assumptions? The problem is that bridging the trust deficit is going to be virtually impossible in the absence of trusted interlocutors. And yet, persisting with the cynicism it breeds could cause further divergences and result in a rupture of the relationship even when there may have been room to avoid it. By arrangement with Dawn Europe and most of Africa and South America also will pretty much miss the show. FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2007, file photo, the moon takes on different orange tones during a lunar eclipse seen from Mexico City. During a lunar eclipse, the moon's disk can take on a colorful appearance from bright orange to blood red to dark brown and, rarely, very dark gray. On Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, a super moon, blue moon and a lunar eclipse will coincide for first time since 1982 and will not occur again until 2037. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File) Cape Canaveral: The moon is providing a rare triple treat this week. On Wednesday, much of the world will get to see not only a blue moon and a supermoon, but also a total lunar eclipse, all rolled into one. There hasn't been a triple lineup like this since 1982 and the next won't occur until 2037. The eclipse will be visible best in the western half of the US and Canada before the moon sets early Wednesday morning, and across the Pacific into Asia as the moon rises Wednesday night into Thursday. The US East Coast will be out of luck; the moon will be setting just as the eclipse gets started. Europe and most of Africa and South America also will pretty much miss the show. A blue moon is the second full moon in a month. A supermoon is a particularly close full or new moon, appearing somewhat brighter and bigger. A total lunar eclipse - or blood moon for its reddish tinge - has the moon completely bathed in Earth's shadow. "I'm calling it the Super Bowl of moons," lunar scientist Noah Petro said Monday from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Others prefer "super blue blood moon." Either way, it's guaranteed to impress, provided the skies are clear. The moon will actually be closest to Earth on Tuesday - just over 223,000 miles (359,000 kilometres). That's about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometres) farther than the supermoon on Jan. 1. Midway through Wednesday's eclipse, the moon will be even farther away - 223,820 miles (360,200 kilometres) - but still within unofficial supermoon guidelines. While a supermoon is considered less serious and scientific than an eclipse, it represents a chance to encourage people to start looking at the moon, according to Petro. "I'm a lunar scientist. I love the moon. I want to advocate for the moon," he said. Throw in a blue moon, and "that's too good of an opportunity to pass," according to Petro. As the sun lines up perfectly with the Earth and then moon for the eclipse, scientists will make observations from a telescope in Hawaii, while also collecting data from NASA's moon-circling Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2009. Just like the total solar eclipse in the US last August cooled the Earth's surface, a lunar eclipse cools the moon's surface. It's this abrupt cooling - from the heat of direct sunlight to essentially a deep freeze - that researchers will be studying. Totality will last more than an hour. "The moon is one of the most amazing objects in our solar system," Petro said. "It really is the key to understanding the solar system, through interpreting the geology and surface of the moon." NASA plans to provide a live stream of the moon from telescopes in California and Arizona, beginning at 5:30 a.m. EST. McCabe, who served as acting Federal Bureau of Investigation chief for more than two months in 2017 after Trump fired Director James Comey. Washington: FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, criticised by President Donald Trump and other Republicans for alleged bias against him and in favor of his 2016 Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, has stepped down, US officials confirmed on Monday. McCabe, who served as acting Federal Bureau of Investigation chief for more than two months in 2017 after Trump fired Director James Comey, had been expected to leave his post as the No. 2 FBI official in March. The FBI said on Monday that David Bowdich, the No. 3 FBI official, would take over as acting deputy director. It did not comment on the circumstances surrounding McCabes departure. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, asked about McCabes departure, told reporters: I can tell you the President wasnt part of this decision-making process. Sanders said Trump continued to have full confidence in FBI Director Christopher Wray, who was appointed by Trump to replace Comey. McCabe had intended to stay on the job for about six more weeks when he becomes eligible for retirement, but decided to leave earlier rather than be transferred to a lower-ranking post, according to a former senior FBI official familiar with the matter. The earlier departure came amid concerns about an upcoming Justice Department inspector general report scrutinizing the actions of McCabe and other top FBI officials during the 2016 presidential campaign, the official said. During that period, the FBI investigated Trump campaign connections to Russia and Clintons use of a private email server while she was US secretary of state. No charges were brought against Clinton. McCabe began his career at the agency in 1996 as a special agent investigating organized crime. Stood tall Trumps firing of Comey in May 2017 as the FBI was investigating potential collusion between Trumps campaign and Russia led to the Justice Departments naming of Special Counsel Robert Mueller to take over the probe. Trump said later he dismissed Comey over this Russia thing, and the firing has become central to questions about whether Trump has sought to obstruct justice by impeding the Russian probe. Trump has denied collusion between his campaign and Russia. In a tweet on Monday, Comey said: Special Agent Andrew McCabe stood tall over the last 8 months, when small people were trying to tear down an institution we all depend on. Last week, Trump denied a Washington Post report that he had asked McCabe, shortly after he became acting FBI director, who he voted for in the 2016 election, leaving McCabe concerned about civil servants being interrogated about their political leanings. The Post reported that McCabe told Trump he did not vote in the election. Trump and some other Republicans have stepped up their criticism of the FBI, prompting Democrats to accuse the President and his allies of trying to undermine Muellers investigation. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told PBS: Im concerned because there seems to be this pattern that anyone thats involved in the investigation into Russian interfering and possible collusion with the Trump organization seems to end up losing their job or getting demoted. Republicans have criticized McCabe in connection with the Clinton email server probe. They have noted that McCabes wife previously ran as a Democrat for a seat in Virginias state Senate and received donations from then-Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, a close ally of Hillary Clinton and former president Bill Clinton. The FBI previously said McCabe was not involved in the Clinton investigation until he was promoted to deputy director in January 2016. By that time, his wifes campaign was over and his involvement was not seen as a conflict. The former FBI official told Reuters that McCabe did not wish to have those allegations, coupled with the inspector generals report, harm the FBI at a time when it is under fire from Trump. Twitter Barrages Trump has repeatedly taken to Twitter to blast McCabe, asking in December how he could be in charge of the Clinton probe when his wife got donations from Clinton Puppets. Trump on Twitter asked in July, while McCabe was acting FBI chief, why Attorney General Jeff Sessions had not replaced him, and said in December that McCabe was racing the clock to retire with full benefits and that the FBIs reputation was in tatters. A handful of Republican-led congressional committees have launched inquiries into whether the FBI botched the Clinton investigation and showed bias in her favor. In December, McCabe was grilled behind closed doors by lawmakers on some of those panels for hours. McCabe is one of several FBI figures to face a barrage of criticism by Republican in recent weeks. Criticism also has been aimed at FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI attorney Lisa Page, who both worked on the Clinton investigation and briefly on the Russia probe. Republicans have seized on text messages exchanged between the two as evidence of bias. In those texts, they called Trump an idiot and a loathsome human. Mueller removed Strzok from his team after learning of the texts last summer, and he was reassigned to another post. Page left the investigatory team after her 45-day detail ended in July. Afghanistan's envoy to UN, Mahmoud Saikal made the serious allegation against the ISI in a tweet on Monday. On January 20, Taliban men armed with Kalashnikovs and suicide vests attacked the landmark Intercontinental Hotel and killed around 25 people, going from room to room searching for foreigners during the more than 12-hour ordeal. (Photo: Twitter/ @MahmoudSaikal) Washington: Pakistan's spy agency ISI trained a terrorist involved in the attack on Kabul's iconic Intercontinental Hotel in which over 20 people were killed, a top Afghanistan envoy has alleged. Afghanistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mahmoud Saikal, made the serious allegation against the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in a tweet on Monday. "Abdul Qahar, father of one of the terrorists involved in last week attack on #Kabul Intercontinental Hotel, concedes his son was trained in Chaman of #Balochistan Province of #Pakistan by the Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan. Qahar is currently in custody of Afg authorities," Saikal tweeted. On January 20, Taliban men armed with Kalashnikovs and suicide vests attacked the landmark Intercontinental Hotel and killed around 25 people, going from room to room searching for foreigners during the more than 12-hour ordeal. A mid-level diplomat at the Afghan Embassy in the US has alleged that the attack was planned by Pakistan. "A clear proof that the attack on Kabul's Inter (Con) Hotel was planned in a madrasa, on Pakistan's soil. Abdul Qahar, the father of one of the suicide attackers is an eyewitness of the story," tweeted Majeed Qarar, Cultural Attache at the Embassy of Afghanistan. Also read: 6 dead in Kabul hotel attack, 4 gunmen killed; Taliban claims attack "The night vision goggles found with Taliban attackers in maiwand's ANA base were military grade goggles (not sold to public) procured by Pak army from a British company & supplied 2 Lashkar-e-Tayyeba in Kashmir & Taliban in Afghanistan. Lashkar-e-Tayyeba is an int'l terrorist org," he said in another tweet. The Afghan Ambassador to the US, Hamidullah Mohib, did not respond to questions on the tweet by one of his cultural attaches. The hotel attack was followed by a Taliban-claimed ambulance bombing on January 27 in the Afghan capital that claimed over 100 lives. The continued attacks in Afghanistan by the Taliban prompted severe condemnation from the US as well as the UN Security Council, which have sought to bring to justice the perpetrators of the attack. US President Donald Trump also asked all countries to take decisive action against the Taliban and the terrorist infrastructure that supported them. "I condemn the despicable car-bomb attack in Kabul today (Jan 27) that has left scores of innocent civilians dead and hundreds injured. This murderous attack renews our resolve and that of our Afghan partners," Trump had said, ruling out having talks with the Taliban. In an op-ed, Marvin G Weinbaum, Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies at the Middle East Institute, said that the Taliban appear to have chosen "urban guerrilla warfare" to demonstrate their undiminished strength as a fighting force. "The Taliban is intent on undermining the public's confidence that their government and its foreign allies can offer Afghans basic security," he said. The incident unfolded while the US EP-3 Aries spy plane was on a mission in international airspace. The US military has reported several 'unsafe' interactions with Russian jets in the skies over the Black Sea in recent months. (Photo:AP) Washington: A Russian fighter jet flew perilously close to a US Navy reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea on Monday, officials said, a maneuver the Navy denounced as "unsafe." The incident unfolded while the US EP-3 Aries spy plane was on a mission in international airspace. It was intercepted by a Russian Su-27, which flanked the US aircraft for a total of two hours and 40 minutes, the Navy said in a statement. "This interaction was determined to be unsafe due to the Su-27 closing to within five feet (1.5 meters) and crossing directly through the EP-3's flight path, causing the EP-3 to fly through the Su-27's jet wash," the statement read. The US military has reported several "unsafe" interactions with Russian jets in the skies over the Black Sea in recent months. "The Russian military is within its right to operate within international airspace, but they must behave within international standards set to ensure safety and prevent incidents," the statement read. Russian and NATO forces are both operating in international air space above the Black Sea, and activity in the region has heated up since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Downing Street was also forced to respond to critics, claiming that May was grasping the many opportunities of Brexit well. London: British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday convened what is being branded a War Cabinet meeting as a fresh round of infighting within the ruling Conservative party over Brexit threatened to escalate into a full-blown rebellion. Tories are believed to be preparing to sign letters demanding a vote of no confidence in Mays authority, to try and take the total closer to the 48 MPs required to trigger a leadership contest. The Prime Minister is hoping to impose order at the meeting of the Brexit sub-committee, charged with mapping out the way forward in negotiations with the European Union (EU). MPs on either side of the divide over a so-called hard Brexit, which foresees the UK leaving the EU by breaking all past links with the economic bloc, have been clashing against each other on Mays leadership. Former education secretary Nicky Morgan said the Cabinet had a duty to seize control of the debate if the British prime minister fails to provide big and bold vision for leaving the EU. While another former minister, Justine Greening who Ms May sacked as education secretary earlier this month spoke out in her defence. I remain a strong backer of the prime minister. Ive been very disappointed to see the soundings off. I think they need to stop and I think people need to get behind her, she said. Downing Street was also forced to respond to critics, claiming that May was grasping the many opportunities of Brexit well. Earlier on Monday, Conservative MP Johnny Mercer claimed the window is closing for May to meet the challenges of leadership. How long has the Prime Minister got? I am of the view that any sort of change in leadership is not helpful at the moment and I dont support that, but I do think the window is closing because politics can be quite a brutal game, he said. The reformist leader had been under restrictive measures without a trial since 2011 after leading a protest against Ahmadinejads sham re-election. Rouhani, who succeeded the latter, said he wants to put an end to the restrictive measures. Tehran (AsiaNews/Agencies) Iranian authorities have eased restrictions on Hussein Mousavi, the reformist candidate who run in the 2009 presidential elections, two media outlets close to the reform movement have reported. Mr Mousavi has been under house arrest since 2011. On Monday, reformist-linked ILNA news agency said some restrictions on visits to Mousavi and his wife Rahnavard "have been lifted . . . over the past week". This means that the "daughters, the grandchildren and the two sons-in-law of Mr Mousavi and Mrs Rahnavard can visit them normally, the agency reported citing Ghasem Mirzaie Nikou, a member of a parliamentary committee that has been lobbying for the release of Mousavi, his wife, and another reformist leader, Mehdi Karoubi. Nikou also told the outlet he hoped other family members would also be granted access. The semi-official ISNA agency cited Gholamreza Heidari, another member of the same committee, as saying there had been "an opening" in the couple's case. The authorities "have come to the conclusion that maintaining (their) house arrest does not go in the direction of the national interest or that of the system," he said. Heidari told ISNA he hoped the couple would soon be released but added that "of course we will have to be patient". Thus, Mousavi and his wife would get the same visiting rights as Karoubi, 80, following his hospitalisation. After the announcement of their defeat in the 2009 presidential elections, Mousavi, who is now 75, and Karoubi led a protest against the sham re-election of the right-wing populist Ahmadinejad. The protest movement was harshly repressed, and both political leaders were placed under house arrest without trial in 2011. Hassan Rouhani, who succeeded Ahmadinejad as president, said he wanted to do everything possible to end the restrictive measures. According to the government, the demonstrators promote "terrorist propaganda". In reality, they led demonstrations and online protests against the military operation. Eight representatives of the medical union among the arrested. They had denounced the risk of a "public health problem" linked to the offensive. Ankara (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Turkish authorities have arrested 311 people, accused of promoting "terrorist propaganda". In reality, the detainees had promoted demonstrations and protests, online and on the streets, against the offensive launched on 20 January by the Ankara army in Afrin, in northern Syria, against the Kurdish militias YPG (People's Protection Unit). According to the state agency Anadolu, among these there are also eight doctors members of the Union of Turkish doctors (Ttb), the main local trade union. The Turkish leadership considers the YPG Kurdish militias, fundamental in the past in the fight against the Islamic State (IS, ex Isis) and other jihadist groups in Syria, as a terrorist organization linked to the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK, outlawed in the country). The PKK, the protagonist of a decade-long separatist struggle, is on the black list of extremist and terrorist movements of Turkey and its allies in the West. The military operation launched by Ankara with land vehicles and air strikes intends to eliminate the YPG militia from the Afrin enclave, in northern Syria, near the border with Turkey. Police raids against dissidents and voices critical of the military operation have spread throughout the country, from Izmir to the Aegean Sea, to Igdir and Van in the eastern sector. This new wave of arrests - which follows the thousands of detentions and convictions following the failed coup in July 2016 - raises concerns among activists and human rights groups. In recent days, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has criticized Ankara for its "intolerance to criticism". President Recep Tayyip Erdogan relaunched the call for national unity regarding the offensive and stresses once more that the demonstrators will pay "dearly" for their protests. Meanwhile, the spokesman of the head of state Ibrahim Kalin called on citizens and the media to pay attention to "fake and provocative news", especially online and on social networks. This morning, the Turkish authorities finally confirmed the news of the arrest of eight doctors, belonging to the main trade union in the country. The eight arrested are all members of the central committee of the TTB, including the president Rasit Tukel. Last week, the leaders of the Turkish Medical Union had issued a statement critical of the Turkish offensive in Syria, stating that it was raising "a public health problem". In response, President Erdogan had defined the union members "traitors" of the fatherland. Prelates bemoan a feeling of a creeping dictatorship is conjured by past experience. They warn of a lack of transparency and a shift towards authoritarianism, calling on Catholics to be vigilant and understand the risks of "a rash move for a new Charter". Manila (AsiaNews) Filipino bishops have come out against changes President Duterte has proposed to the countrys 1987 Constitution. Meeting for their 116th biennial plenary assembly in Mandaue City (January 27-29), the Catholic Bishops Conference of Philippines (CBCP) has criticised the presidents move towards a federal government and the extension of the mandate of some of the highest offices of the state, without popular input. "Encouraged by the Social Doctrine of the Church", the bishops write, we wish to make our moral stand clear and forthright. The latter includes pastoral guidelines to understand eventual changes to the constitution. The letter, signed by Mgr Romulo G. Vallegas, archbishop of Davao and CBCP president, identifies "four principles that are the bases for moral judgment on this current move towards Charter change, namely dignity and human rights, integrity and truth, participation and solidarity, and the common good. For the prelate, these fundamental values could be endangered by "a rash move for a new Constitution". Citing the fears of an authoritarian turn and the lack of transparency, the letter calls on legislators to set aside personal interests and promote instead the "common good". In fact, When the move for Charter change becomes self-serving, such as when it calls for No-El (no elections) and pushes for an extension of terms of office, it is to be expected that citizens would react with suspicion, astonishment and exasperation. The letter goes on to note that the feeling of a creeping dictatorship is conjured [up] by past experience and political dynasties are really and factually becoming a dominant factor in our countrys political life. The bishops also raise questions about the proposed federal system and the decentralisation of power by the central government. A "federal system that devolves power to the Federal States on an equal basis will not satisfactorily address the aspirations of the Muslims and Lumads in Mindanao for self-determination and respect for ancestral rights. Instead of changing the constitution, what is needed is the "full implementation" of the 1987 Charter, which "though imperfect is consistent with the Gospel". In view of this, the bishops urge Catholics to be vigilant and reiterate that participation is the heart of democracy. " We call upon you, dear People of God, to form or reactivate circles of discernment and use your freedom as Gods children to discern, participate, discuss, and debate. Have an informed conscience and decide in the light of Gospel values. Do what is necessary. Persuade our legislators to do only what is genuinely for the good of all on this issue of Charter change. Finally, We entrust this urgent moral task that seriously impacts the future of our nation to the intercession of our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, Reyna ng Pilipinas. Yu has lost his license to practice. He was moved Jiangxi. His wife has been told not to speak with foreign media. The crime of "opinion" has become a crime of "subversion". Yu wants an end to the Communist Party's monopoly of power over the military and society. Beijing (AsiaNews) Yu Wensheng, a human rights lawyer arrested for obstructing a public service, has seen his charges upgraded to "inciting subversion of state power". He was arrested on 19 January; a few days earlier, he lost his license to practice. Today, his wife, Xu Yan, said that her husband was moved from Beijing to Xuzhou (Jiangx). She also said that she was told by Xuzhou police not to give interviews to foreign media. The transfer from the capital to Xuzhou is a sign that the authorities do not want prying eyes to follow the situation and monitor the trial. The accusation of "subversion of state power" is a typical charge imposed on the accused in order to increase penalties for crimes of opinion. Yu Wenshengs "subversion" consists of a letter he posted online asking the Communist Party to end its control over Chinas military and give up its absolute hold on power. Yu was detained the day after he posted the open letter. During his career, the 51-year-old lawyer has often defended clients in sensitive human rights cases involving people seen as enemies of the state, people like farmers forced off their land, families victim of fake vaccinations, lawyers arrested in the 7/09 campaign, etc. In 2014 police held him for 99 days after he publicly supported Occupy Central, Hong Kongs pro-democracy movement. Heavy industries, construction works, vehicles and agriculture burning contributed to air pollution. The city is more polluted than Indonesias capital Jakarta. Vietnam plans to build more coal power plants. Hanoi (AsiaNews/Agencies) Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, enjoyed little more than a month of clean air last year as pollution levels rose to match China's smog-prone capital, Beijing, this according to a report by the Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID), a Hanoi-based, government-recognised non-profit organisation set up by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA). The study found that annual average air pollution in Hanoi in 2017 was four times higher than those deemed acceptable by the World Health Organisation's air quality guidelines. Air pollution in Hanoi is due to a number of factors, including a rise in construction works, an increase in car and motorcycle use, and agriculture burning by farmers. But research in the report suggests that heavy industries, like steel works, cement factories and coal power plants in areas near the capital, are also significant contributors. The citys air pollution is now worse than the Indonesian capital Jakarta, the report showed, and things are unlikely to improve as Vietnam pushes ahead with plans to build more coal power plants. In mid-2016 the Vietnam government launched a national action plan to control and monitor emissions and improve air quality. Hanoi is planning to install 70 air monitoring stations. The GreenID report criticised the lack of regulations on air quality, a lack of public awareness of the problem and on effective measures to minimize the effects such as home purifiers. Better urban planning and investments in renewable energy and public transport systems are also needed, the report said. by Joseph Huy Religious organisations are required to provide a list of annual activities in advance. Local authorities turned on Song Ngoc parish for failing to inform them of a Mass. The state paid no heed to the opinions expressed by religious institutions on its controversial religious law. Hanoi (AsiaNews) The Mass celebrated on 23 January in Song Ngoc parish, in the diocese of Vinh, has been declared "illegal by the People's Committee of Quynh Ngoc, a municipality in the north-central province of Nghe An. In an official note, the authorities censure the vicar and the parishs pastoral committee, ordering Fr Nguyen inh Thuc and his parishioners to "register all their religious activities" in accordance with a local bylaw (N.08/UBND). Last week, the vicar had invited about 20 priests from the diocese to celebrate Mass in the parish. During the service, priests and faithful prayed for the victims of the environmental disaster at a plant owned by the Formosa Plastics Group. They also mentioned in their prayers prisoners of conscience, like Hoang uc Binhe and Nguyen Nam Phong, and called for peace in all Vietnamese families. At the same time, parishioners prayed that local authorities be able to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong, and that the government behave in a fair way towards those who are committed to the peace of the nation. Local authorities have been trying for a long time to stifle the religious life of the local community, which has fought for social rights and justice in the country, speaking out on behalf of dissidents who disagree with the government. The Peoples Committee of Quynh Ngoc sent the document on the afternoon of 23 January 2018, and Fr Thuc and the Song Ngoc Parish Pastoral Committee of parish celebrated Mass with many participants and parishioners. In their note, local authorities cite the new Law on Belief and Religion that came into effect on 1st January 2018. They cited Article 43 to say that Religious organizations, dependent religious organisations, [] or religious organisations which have been granted the certificates of registration of religious activities have a duty to provide in writing the lists of annual religious activities at least 30 days after being recognised, approved or granted a certificate of registration of religious activity as prescribed by the government. Some officials claim that Song Ngoc parish has not yet informed the People's Committee of its programme. As a result, they view the Mass celebrated by the community as contravening the provisions of the new law on religious freedom. By contrast, for local Catholics, "Article 43 is an expedient to obstruct the religious activities of the parish and of the faithful." The community has often been the victim of sometimes violent interference and pressure from the authorities through pro-government militant groups, as well as smear campaigns, such as the one against Fr Thuc. Article 2, paragraph 10 of the law backs the parishioners of Song Ngoc, thus highlighting the its inconsistencies. According to this provision, "Religious activities are to express religious beliefs, catechism practice, practicing canon law and religious rituals. So, the participation in the Mass of believers, communion and prayer together are religious activities that take place every day, every hour in the country. Thus, such practices in themselves already comply with the law of the state. Before Vietnams parliament passed its new controversial legislation, the countrys religious leaders contributed to the discussions with their opinions in order to protect religious freedom, a principle recognised in the 2013 Constitution. Starting in June 2017, organisations, legal experts and believers of various faiths shared their views with the Speaker and Members of the National Assembly. The Catholic Bishops Conference of Vietnam also made an important contribution. Yet, critics note that the authorities "simply pretended to listen to the advice offered to improve the bill". Believers and rights activists complain that the government later ignored the views expressed by religious organisations. This has allowed local authorities "to apply the Law on Belief and Religion as they please". Vatican City (AsiaNews) - At 2 pm today (CET), the Holy See Press Office released the following statement by its director, Greg Burke, which we publish in full: With reference to widespread news on a presumed difference of thought and action between the Holy Father and his collaborators in the Roman Curia on issues relating to China, I am able to state the following: The Pope is in constant contact with his collaborators, in particular in the Secretariat of State, on Chinese issues, and is informed by them faithfully and in detail on the situation of the Catholic Church in China and on the steps in the dialogue in progress between the Holy See and the Peoples Republic of China, which he follows with special attention. It is therefore surprising and regrettable that the contrary is affirmed by people in the Church, thus fostering confusion and controversy. The authorities announced the release of all those arrested and held for three months in the Ritz-Carlton hotel. The detainees have reached an economic agreement and charges have been dropped. Contrasting voices about the liberation of the businessman Al-Walid bin Talal. He reportedly paid six billion dollars, but is still be under house arrest. Riyadh (AsiaNews) - The Saudi authorities have announced the release of all the people arrested in November and locked up in the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, in the context of the anti-corruption campaign desired by the kingdoms leadership. This morning a senior government official reported the detainees found an agreement of an economic nature that allowed them to return to freedom. Dozens of prominent personalities from the Saudi kingdom, including princes, former ministers, businessmen and government officials have been detained for three months and subjected to numerous interrogations. The hotel, one of the most famous in the capital, has been transformed into a luxury prison and forbidden to the public. According to rumors, the anti-corruption campaign launched by the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (Mbs), number two of the wahhabite ultraconservative kingdom, masks a real purge of rival families, to consolidate power. In total, according to the Saudi network al-Arabiya, more than 350 people - including princes, ministers, former ministers and powerful businessmen - have been arrested. According to some sources, the government has seized up to $ 100 billion of "illicit proceeds". Having reached the goal, explains the source behind anonymity, "there are no more prisoners inside the Ritz-Carlton". However, others speak of people who have refused to pay and for this reason are still kept in custody and transferred to other places of detention scattered across Saudi Arabia. These would include the famous businessman and Saudi billionaire Al-Walid bin Talal, one of the richest and most influential men in the kingdom. He has always declared himself innocent, but in order to leave the capital's prison hotel he has had to pay out a sum of money that, according to some, is around six billion dollars. The Saudi authorities announced his release last weekend. However, some sources close to the 63-year-old billionaire say that he is still under house arrest and cannot leave the country. Man would still be under strict surveillance and "not completely free". The former Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf was also released last week; charges made against him were dropped. Unlike bin Talal, he achieved full rehabilitation and can resume his ministerial function as an adviser to the king. In these months of investigations, the Saudi authorities questioned 320 people and froze over two thousand bank accounts. The money recovered by the government in the context of the anti-corruption campaign should be reinvested to finance a million-dollar aid plan for the population, in difficulty since the progressive increase in the cost of living and the cut in state subsidies. The ultimate goal of Riyadh is to diversify the economic resources of the country, so far linked exclusively to oil revenues, in the context of the "Vision2030" campaign launched by the Crown Prince Mbs. The Pakistani port is the flagship project of the US$ 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Its annual output is expected to reach US$ 790.5 million when in full operation. India oppose the corridor because it runs through the disputed territory of Kashmir. Gwadar (AsiaNews) Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi yesterday inaugurated the first phase of the Gwadar Free Trade Zone (FTZ), in the southern province of Balochistan. The FTZ in the port city is the step in the development of the coastal region, viewed as a bridgehead on Chinas new Silk Road. Chinese goods destined for to Europe and Africa will transit through the port. India has criticised the project. For New Delhi, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which includes the port, runs through the disputed territory of Kashmir. After the inauguration, representatives from China and Pakistan signed five agreements and a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Two agreements declared Pakistans Gwadar and Chinas Tianjin as sister ports, and Gwadar and Piung as sister cities. An MoU for a poverty alleviation initiative was signed by the Gwadar district government and the China Overseas Ports Holding Company (COPHC), which operates the port of Gwadar. The latter was chosen for its strategic position. The citys name means The Gateway to Wind, halfway between the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia. The project includes the country's first deep water port, the free trade zone and 50 kilometres of docks. It provides China with direct access to the Arabian Sea. Speaking on the occasion, COPHC chairman Zhang Baozhong said that with the construction of FTZ, the port city of Gwadar will become a big commercial hub in the region, and help to improve Pakistans overall economy and peoples lives. According to the COPHC, some 30 companies in different businesses such as hotel, bank, logistics and fish processing are already in the FTZ with direct investment of about US$ 474.3 million and are expected to output annual value of US$ 790.5 million after full operation. The CPEC is turning into a reality today which will change the fate of the region, Prime Minister Abbasi said. The US$ 50 billion CPEC project stretches nearly 1,400 km and is the flagship project of the Chinas One belt, One road strategy, which involves 65 countries. The corridor will connect Kashgar in north-western China with Gwadar in southwestern Pakistan through a network of roads, railway lines, oil and gas pipelines and a fibre-optic cable. Connectivity through Gwadar will bring prosperity not only to Pakistan but also to the Central Asian states, western China and Afghanistan, the prime minister said. The signing of the agreements has triggered Indias immediate reaction. Indias ambassador to Beijing, Gautam Bambawale expressed strong views in an interview with the Chinese Communist Partys Global Times newspaper. "The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passes through Indian-claimed territory and hence violates our territorial integrity. This is a major problem for us," Bambawale said. We need to talk about it, not push it under the carpet. By contrast, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying noted that CPEC is merely an economic cooperation project. It has not targeted any third party. We hope the Indian side can put this in perspective and we stand ready to strengthen cooperation with the Indian side. This is the first suit against the state over its Eugene Protection Act. The authorities have not apologised nor provided relief for the 25,000 people involved in the sterilisation programme between 1948 and 1996. Records show that more than half of the victims were minors. The case could be the first of many. Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) A woman filed a lawsuit Tuesday at the Sendai District Court seeking 11 million (US$ 101,000) in damages from the Japanese government over her forced sterilisation when she was a teenager. Now in her 60s, the woman in Miyagi Prefecture was sterilised under the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Law on the basis of her intellectual disability. The law, which was adopted in 1948, remained in force until 1996. Its purpose was to prevent the birth if unhealthy offspring. A doctor would decide the need for surgery, which would be confirmed by a committee at the prefectural level. In order to perform forced surgeries, the use of physical restraints, anaesthesia, deception and other methods were allowed. This is the first time that the Japanese government has been sued because of forced sterilisations. The suit was filed by the womans sister-in-law, who has lived with her for the past 40 years. Court documents show the woman developed mental problems following cleft palate surgery in 1958 and was diagnosed with an intellectual disorder at age 15 in 1972. After undergoing sterilisation based on the decision of a local review panel, she suffered stomach pains. What is more, a number of marriage proposals were withdrawn once the suitors discovered she was unable to have children. The case against the state argues that the latter failed to adopt relief measures despite the serious human rights infringement. The authorities have not apologised nor provided compensation 25,000 or so people who were sterilised due to mental or other illnesses under the law. Of the total, 16,500 people are believed to have undergone the surgery without their consent. Over half of those who underwent forced sterilisation were minors, this according to records provided by the Miyagi Prefecture. Surviving documents from fiscal 1963 to 1981 indicate that of the 859 men and women sterilised under the law, 52 per cent of them were under the age of 20, with the youngest being two 9-year-old girls and a 10-year-old boy. Lawyers for the woman said it was obvious that the state should provide relief to all the victims whom they encouraged to come forward. The local bar association in Miyagi Prefecture has decided to open a call centre on the issue next Friday, whilst some lawyers in Sapporo, Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka will offer advice on the matter the same day. For his part, Health minister Katsunobu Kato has declined to comment on the case, saying he has not received related legal documents. The ministry also said it is not planning to investigate what took place as a result of the law another of the plaintiffs demands. By Brad E Tucker, Astrophysicist and Outreach Astronomer, Australian National University Rocket Lab A Blood Moon, a trip to the Moon and back for two explorers, a space station crashing to Earth and the launch of a new mission to find planets around other stars: these are just some of the exciting things to watch in space in 2018. Elon Musks Space X also plans to launch one of the new Falcon Heavy rockets, the largest since the manned Moon landings. Read more: The next Full Moon brings a lunar eclipse, but is it a Super Blood Blue Moon as well? That depends... The Blood Moon comes from the lunar eclipse on Wednesday night, which is also being claimed as a Blue Super Full Moon (or is it?) NASA All of Australia, plus most of Asia and the Pacific region, will be treated to this spectacular lunar event on January 31. If you miss it, dont worry, youll get another total lunar eclipse on the night of July 27 and early morning hours of July 28. Unlike a Solar eclipse, you do not need any special equipment to see a lunar eclipse and it is safe to look at with your eyes. Speaking of solar eclipses, Tasmania and southern parts of Victoria and South Australia will be treated to a partial Solar Eclipse on July 13. Goodbye Kepler, thanks for the Exoplanets! The Kepler Space telescope was launched nearly nine years ago and has changed our view of the cosmos and our place in it, but its mission is coming to an end this year. Kepler has confirmed around 2,500 exoplanets (planets orbiting other stars), with thousands more potential planets. It discovered the first Earth-like planet in a habitable zone , an area where water could exist as a liquid. NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech/T Pyle Kepler also showed that rocky, potentially Earth-like and/or habitable planets are common with potentially tens of billions (yes, billions with a b) existing in our galaxy alone. After a failure of two reaction wheels (the things that help it point) in 2013, a new mission, K2, was conceived. It was able to keep stable by using a combination of short thruster firings and using the Sun to steer it like a sail. Read more: Google's artificial intelligence finds two new exoplanets missed by human eyes Kepler continued its exoplanet-finding quest, along with discoveries such as shockwaves from exploding stars and even picking up sound waves deep in the heart of stars (a technique called asteroseismology). But this extra thruster firing is causing Kepler to use up its fuel, and it is due to run out sometime this year, which will cause NASA to put it into hibernation. Where one missions ends, a new one begins. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), is set to be launched between March and June, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. If the stars align, we might even have overlap between these two exoplanet-discovering machines. NASA Rockets, rockets and more rockets The privatisation of space continued this year with the US-based Rocket Labs having its first successful launch, from a site across the Tasman in New Zealand. SpaceX also had its first static test of the new Falcon 9 Heavy, the largest rocket since the Saturn V that took US astronauts to the Moon. The Falcon 9 Heavy is scheduled for a first launch in early February where it will carry one of Musks Tesla Roadsters. We may even see an appearance of the companys Dragon 2 that will carry humans into space this year. SpaceX has already announced that two people have paid to go on a tour around the Moon. Its not just private companies exploring space, with China aiming for 40 launches in 2018 alone. Exploring the small things in our Solar System The Moon is on the radar for both India and China. Indias Chandrayaan-2 is set to land on the Moon in March, while Chinas Change 4 will be its second lunar rover, set to land on the far side of the Moon at the end of 2018. First it will have to launch a special communication satellite, slated for June, to a position called L2, or a special point related to the Earth-Moon system that will allow for communications with Earth and the far side of the Moon. While it is a bit early for New Years Eve 2018, NASA already has big plans. New Horizons, the probe that flew by Pluto in 2015 is set to swing past its second icy world, 2014 MU 69, on December 31. Little is known about 2014 MU 69, which is around 6.5 billion km from the Sun, other than the fact that it might be two objects instead of one and that it needs a better name. NASA, ESA, SwRI, JHU/APL, and the New Horizons KBO Search Team Asteroids are not forgotten in all of this space exploration. Japans Hayabusa-2 is set to arrive at asteroid 162173 Ryugu. Its a new version of Hayabusa, which surveyed the asteroid 25143 Itokawa and took samples before returning back to Earth, landing near Woomera, South Australia in 2010. Likewise, NASAs OSIRIS-REx will arrive at the asteroid Bennu where it will extend an arm to drill down into the asteroid, and return with samples, in what is the next step towards an asteroid mining future. NASA A falling space station If you were around in 1979 and happened to be in Western Australia, you might have a unique souvenir part of the US space station Skylab, which re-entered and crashed outside Esperance, WA. If youve seen the 2013 movie Gravity (and a spoiler alert for those who havent!) you might remember the final scene in which Sandra Bullocks character returns home by hijacking Tiangong-1, the Chinese space station. She returns safely, but the same cant be said for Tiangong-1. Well in March, we are set for a clash of sci-fi against reality when Tiangong-1 comes back down to Earth. Read more: Looking up a century ago, a vision of the future of space exploration You can track its progress but in short, somewhere between +43 and -43 latitude (or half the Earth), it will re-enter and break apart. Currently, the likely potential (land) areas are around Central and South America, Northern Africa and the Mediterranean, and indeed Western Australia. Like Skylab, there are likely to be large pieces that survive re-entry. Hopefully you are lucky to be in a position to see it with your eyes, but not so close that it lands on your house, as its unlikely to be covered by your insurance policy. So thats a summary of some of the things were expecting to happen this year. But as with all science, Im just as excited for those discoveries that we do not know about that will happen in 2018. Brad E Tucker receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Originally published in The Conversation. (By TonyV3112/Shutterstock.com) (By TonyV3112/Shutterstock.com) Australia continues to be popular with people from all over the world with the latest official figures showing that there were 8.8 million visitors in the 12 months to November 2017.This is an increase of 7.1% with those arriving for holidays leading the growth with number up by 7.3% over the 12 month period, according to the data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).The largest number of visitors come from New Zealand at 116,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis, a rise of 2.8% year on year, followed closely by China at 115,800, up 13.9%. Officials expect China to overtake New Zealand in the coming months.There were some 67,800 visitors from the United States, a rise of 7% and 65,800 from the UK, a more modest rise of just 0.4%. There was strong growth in visitors from India, up 19.6% to 27,400, from South Korea, up 16.1% to 26,300 and from Hong Kong, up 20.7% to 25,300.Tourism Australia managing director John O'Sullivan believes that the number of tourists arriving from the US will also increase, helped by cheaper and more flights.'This is a market benefitting from strong aviation capacity and competitive airfares, and will certainly be a big focus for us in 2018,' he said.There is a new air route from Houston to Sydney. The United Airlines service is expected to bring 27,000 extra US visitors to Australia. The route is Sydney's longest at almost 14,000 kilometres and connects through a major hub to locations across the US, Canada and Central and South America.'Houston presents an exciting opportunity for travellers coming from the US to access Sydney through a direct service. This is great news for travellers as well as businesses across New south Wales,' said Sydney Airport chief executive officer Geoff Culbert.'United Airlines' new service will not only help drive tourism and trade, but create exciting new pathways to the US, Canada and Central and South America. It will also make it easier for tourists from the US and beyond to visit Sydney. The US is our third largest international visitor market. This route means exciting new connections throughout the US,' he added.Patrick Quayle, vice president of international network at United Airlines confirmed this. 'Our new service to Houston provides customers direct access to one of the country's largest business centres and it offers customers the opportunity to conveniently connect to hundreds of cities including Miami, Chicago, Boston, New York, Washington D.C., Mexico City, Cancun, and more,' he pointed out.According to New South Wales Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Adam Marshall, the opportunity this new service created to further grow visitor numbers from the US market was a huge coup for tourism businesses across the state. millematte said: I cant find that information anywhere... Does that count as a relative? (I do not have PR) Hoping one of you know the answer. Click to expand... Your sponsor can be your or your partner's:parent or step-parentIf your husband is the main applicant than your mother is his partner's (=you) parent. She must live in a designated area to be eligible as a sponsor. Hello, I would like to know what are the chances for my fiance to visit me in Australia for the birth of our first child? I'm an Australian Citizen (citizenship by descent) that recently came to Australia to live permanently. I'm 34 weeks pregnant with due date early in March 2018 Staying with a relative and with no job (no one would like to hire a pregnant woman) My fiance is from a High risk country . However he lived in Europe (Italy + Greece) for more than 10 years (studying and working). We are aplying this week for 3 months visitor visa I' ve sent him an invitation letter with proof of accomodation and proof of pregnancy. I really want him to be here for this special moment in our lives. How much money does he need to prove that he has for these 3 months (i'm providing accomodation and food)? ElMarchar said: You call yourself some kind of agent; yet you advise me not to go to apply for an onshore visa - how can I possibly apply if I am not in Australia? My agent is going to have a real laugh at your ignorance. Click to expand... Thank you for your kind words.Having successfully dealt with a number of contributory parent visas, both onshore and offshore I do have a fairly good idea what I am talking about.I did not advise you NOT to apply for an onshore visa, but you will obviously have to enter Australia on some sort of temporary visa first, most likely a tourist visa or ETA. To be granted a tourist visa,you will need to meet "genuine visitor" requirements. As such, it is probably not a good idea to advertise your intention to remain in Australia permanently.As for your contributory parent visa, the Immigration Department generally advises :By all means feel free to ignore my free advice. If your agent is a registered migration agent, I'd be happy to compare notes with them and have a good laugh at your totally uncalled-for rudeness. That might work in Spain, but won't get you very far in Australia.Best of luck. Via The Washington Blade Pastor Steven Anderson, of the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Ariz., told the Jamaica Gleaner, a Jamaican newspaper, that he and his 14-year-old son were prevented from boarding a plane at Atlanta International Airport to the Jamaican capital of Kingston. Anderson told the newspaper a representative of Delta Air Lines told him the airline received a notification from Jamaica that I was not going to be allowed to enter the country. The Jamaican government confirmed it had refused to allow Anderson to enter the country. The decision was made to deny him entry by the chief immigration officer because the pastors statements are not conductive to the current climate, said the Jamaican National Security Ministry . Canada, Great Britain and South African have all banned Anderson from entering their countries. Botswana in 2016 deported Anderson after he said during a radio interview the government should kill gays and lesbians and described the victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre as disgusting homosexuals who the Bible says were worthy of death. Jamaica is among the more than 70 countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized. I was kind of surprised that Jamaica would ban me for my views on homosexuality, he added. More than 38,000 people signed an online petition calling on the Jamaican government to ban hate preacher Anderson Jamaican born lawyer and LGBT activist Maurice Tomlinson said that he was proud of his home country for banning Anderson. This is a huge win for our Jamaican sovereignty, our constitutional protections and the safety and security of all Jamaicans. As for Anderson who once said after the Pulse nightclub shooting that there were 50 less paedophiles in the world. He he is planning on just redirecting to a different Caribbean country and I am still going to go forward with his mission efforts. There are lots of fish in the sea, Anderson told the Washington Blades Micheal K. Lavers. The city of Bakersfield has agreed to pay $60,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundations of Southern and 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. Insurers for Hillsborough County Public Schools estimate it will cost $9.2 million to rebuild Lee Elementary Magnet School. Lee Elementary estimated to cost $9.2 million to rebuild School caught fire after Hurricane Irma in 2017 Parents say the process is taking too long District leaders said that estimate is far too low. Lee Elementary, off of Columbus Drive, caught fire after Hurricane Irma last year. District leaders said the insurance company's estimate is not enough to rebuild a school. "We have concerns about that estimate," said Hillsborough Public School District's Chief Operating Officer Chris Farkas. "We don't think that's correct." District leaders are now working with their own engineering and construction firms to get another opinion. They hope to save as much of the facade as possible. "I think if we're going to rebuild, we rebuild historic, it that's at all possible," Farkas said. "Even if that's an additional cost." The initial offer from the insurance company recommends getting rid of the historic shell of the building and starting from scratch. Regardless, Farkas said the first offer is an important step forward. But parents said the process is taking too long. "We've been here for four months," said Jomil Frik, PTA President. "I think parents are very aggravated with this situation. I think they wanted answers a lot quicker and at a point, I do agree with them. Answers should have been given a lot quicker." Frik said the district should have been more proactive in the beginning. "I don't think they're taking very good care of this school," Frick said. "I've had parents come up to me and tell me where is the tarping? Why are the windows open? Why are their doors open? That's all part of being proactive." District leaders said they understand the concerns, but now they're moving forward. By early March, they'll have a better idea of what to do with the building: restore, rebuild or just take the money. A former Hardin County judge candidate who is accused of aggravated perjury will go to trial in Jefferson County after his latest appeal was rejected. David Bellow was indicted in June 2016 on a charge of aggravated perjury. He was accused of placing an illegal tracking device on his estranged wife's car in March 2016, resulting in a felony charge of stalking that was later dropped. The perjury charge is related to the same tracking device. In a petition filed in Beaumont's Ninth Court of Appeals on Monday, Bellow accused Criminal District Court Judge John Stevens of refusing to hear his motions and depriving him of his right to counsel of his own choice. Jury selection in Bellow's trial was set to start Monday. The Appeals Court ruled today that Bellow failed to prove that his rights were denied and didn't establish that Stevens had refused to hear any properly presented motions. Bellow, who campaigned against alcohol sales in Lumberton in 2012 and ran unsuccessfully for Hardin County Judge in 2014, has accused District Attorney Bob Wortham of misconduct in the case, and asked for an independent prosecutor to be appointed. In December, he filed to run against Wortham for Jefferson County District Attorney despite not being a practicing lawyer, and was declared ineligible. The Supreme Court of Texas rejected his attempt to stay on the ballot after he was disqualified. A Beaumont woman has won just over a half-million dollars from a lottery ticket purchased locally. Stephany Sorey purchased the "Weekly Half Grand" scratch ticket at M and M Express, located in the 1300 block of Washington Blvd., according to information from the Texas Lottery Commission. Sorey opted to receive the payout in quarterly installments for the next 20 years. Calling it an unwinnable case, Jefferson County District Attorney Bob Wortham said Monday he's dropping criminal charges against an off-duty security guard accused in the July 2016 death of a woman who was shot outside a Port Arthur convenience store. "The law is against us," Wortham said. "It's a case we don't think we can make." Michael Turner, 68, was indicted in August 2016 on a charge of criminally negligent homicide, a state jail felony carrying a maximum of two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Turner pulled up to the Exxpress Mart on Jimmy Johnson Boulevard in Port Arthur in the early morning hours of July 2 as two men suspected of stealing cases of beer were attempting to flee, according to a news release issued by the Jefferson County District's Attorney Office announcing Turner's Aug. 31 criminal indictment. Fletcher, who did not go into the store, was a passenger in the suspects' car, according to the release. Turner tried to use his vehicle to block the suspects and prevent them from leaving, the release said. As the suspects drove away, Turner fired multiple shots from his 9 mm handgun in an attempt to shoot out the car's tires, according to the DA's office. According to an autopsy report, one of the bullets fatally struck Fletcher in her back, passing through her ribs, aorta and lungs. "We looked at the video in the parking lot and thought maybe he had gone a little too far," Wortham said, but the attorney assigned to work on the case determined that the law was "very, very clear" in Turner's favor. "It doesn't make any difference if you shoot once or 15 times, if he has the right to shoot, he has the right to shoot," Wortham said. Contributing to his decision to drop the charges, Worth said, was Fletcher's parents unwillingness to cooperate with the DA's office. "We kept trying to get her parents in to the office," Wortham said, but they did not meet with the attorney on the case. "We need them to come in and be sympathetic victims," he said. Fletcher, 36, was in the car with 44-year-old Tyrus Germaine Williams, with whom Fletcher had a child, and Kerry Wayne West, 51. Williams and West left the Beaumont woman for dead in the parking lot for Community Bank of Texas on Turtle Creek Drive, which is a few blocks from the store, according to Jefferson County prosecutors. Fletcher's death drew the interest of area NAACP chapters and pastors, who gathered on the Jefferson County Courthouse steps in August to demand answers about the case. A grand jury indicted Turner the next week. Fletcher's parents, her adult son and two minor children filed a $1 million wrongful death lawsuit against Turner in August 2016. The civil suit was settled in December 2016 when Turner agreed to pay the family $100,000. Former White House chief of staff Andrew Card will speak in March at the Texas Energy Museum's Blowout 2018, the museum announced on Tuesday. The annual scholarship event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. March 22 at the Beaumont Civic Center. For Immediate Release, January 29, 2018 Contacts: Jeff Miller, Center for Biological Diversity, (707) 604-7739, jmiller@biologicaldiversity.org Tom Wheeler, Environmental Protection Information Center, (707) 822-7711, tom@wildcalifornia.org California Draft Elk Management Plan Lacks Science, Shortchanges Conservation Plan Missing Basic Elk Population Data, Scapegoats Wolves SACRAMENTO, Calif. Conservation groups today slammed the California Department of Fish and Wildlifes flawed draft Elk Conservation and Management Plan as weak on elk recovery and short on science. The plan is meant to guide the management and continued recovery of the states three elk species tule, Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain elk. Californias elk population is only a fraction of the species historic numbers. Even so, the draft sets recovery targets that are far too low to make any significant gains. Todays comment letter notes that the draft plan lacks some basic information on elk abundance and distribution numbers needed to inform hunting quotas. Without that data, hunting risks population decline or even loss for already-struggling herds. The proposed plan relies on hunting to deal with elk and human conflicts when other methods such as hazing, fencing and relocation are likely more effective. It also lays the groundwork for killing wolves if arbitrary elk population targets are not met. This draft plan is short on sound science and cheats our beloved elk populations of the meaningful recovery actions they need to thrive, said Jeff Miller, conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. The states proposal to move toward killing wolves to boost elk populations is not supported by any research and is not how Californians want to see wildlife managed. Elk almost went extinct in California because of past mismanagement, said Tom Wheeler, executive director at the Environmental Protection Information Center. The draft elk plan worries me because it doesnt appear to be based on sound science but rather a desire to expand hunting. The draft plan needs peer review before the state starts implementing its proposals. The state fish and wildlife department developed the elk plan with funding, input and lobbying from hunting and agricultural interests but not from advocates or experts on elk conservation, research, education or ecotourism. As a result, the draft elk plan focuses too much on controlling elk to benefit hunting and ranching interests. The plan proposes increasing elk hunting by 10 percent, without any information or evidence that increasing hunting tags will be effective to address elk conflicts. The plan acknowledges that state wildlife officials have no idea what constitutes the minimum population necessary for long-term viability of elk herds. Slow progress has been made recovering elk in California, but we can do a lot better, Miller added. The focus should be on expanding existing elk herds and improving habitat connectivity, along with reintroducing elk where possible. The states hunting tag quotas for elk should be based on good science, take into consideration herd size and population trends, and support elk recovery. Background Historically there were an estimated 500,000 elk in California. There are now approximately 5,700 Roosevelt elk, 1,500 Rocky Mountain elk and 5,700 tule elk. Tule elk occur only in California. Because many of the proposed management activities and unsubstantiated assertions in the draft plan lack scientific basis, conservation groups are asking that the plan be peer-reviewed by independent wildlife biologists with expertise regarding elk. The plan attempts to scapegoat Californias newly returning wolves for unrelated elk population trends. Similar to the departments 2016 conservation plan for gray wolves in California, the draft elk plan proposes arbitrary triggers for removing and killing wolves (as well as coyotes and bears) if elk population thresholds or hunter big game tag allocations arent met. As written, the plan promotes fear-mongering that wolves could significantly affect or extirpate elk populations, an assertion that lacks any scientific basis. The plan also falsely claims that the states Wolf Stakeholder Working Group supports their proposal to kill and remove wolves based on these arbitrary thresholds. For Immediate Release, January 29, 2018 Contact: Vera Pardee, (858) 717-1488, vpardee@biologicaldiversity.org Scott Pruitt Urged to Recuse Himself From Clean Power Plan Repeal Proceedings WASHINGTON12 environmental groups and legal advocates today called on EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to recuse himself from the Clean Power Plan regulatory proceedings and for the EPA to withdraw the proposed repeal. In a letter the groups said that Pruitts comments and actions demonstrate a closed-minded commitment to rescinding the landmark effort to curb power plant climate pollution, making his participation in the rulemaking process unlawful. Pruitt was dancing on the grave of the Clean Power Plan before the rulemaking process had even begun, said Vera Pardee, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity. Its clear Pruitt is hell-bent on killing this crucial climate protection for his friends in the fossil fuel industry, no matter how many lives the rule would save. Pruitt was an outspoken opponent of the Clean Power Plan while he was Oklahoma attorney general, initiating lawsuits to dismantle it before the rule was even finalized (each dismissed as premature). Since becoming the EPA Administrator, Pruitt has continued to decry the Clean Power Plan as unlawful and indicated his unalterable decision to repeal it. In todays letter the groups note that Pruitt is unable to engage openly and dispassionately in the rulemaking proceedings, so his participation violates due process and bedrock principles of administrative law. The Clean Power Plan would reduce carbon emissions from power plants, the nations largest stationary source of planet-warming pollution. According to the EPAs own recent analysis, the rule could also prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths per year by 2030. However, in October Pruitt announced a proposal to repeal the rule without committing to any replacement. Signatories of the letter include the Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Defense Fund, Earthjustice and the Sierra Club. The groups letter comes after a coalition of 19 states and municipalities similarly demanded Pruitts recusal on Jan. 9. The Clean Power Plan would address the dirty power-plant pollution that chokes our communities and fuels catastrophic climate change. But Pruitts politically charged rhetoric shows he is willfully blind to the critical protections the rule would provide our lungs and our climate, Pardee said. His participation in the repeal proceedings makes a mockery of the regulatory process while our health and planet hang in the balance. For Immediate Release, January 30, 2018 Contact: Blake Kopcho, Center for Biological Diversity, (805) 708-3435, bkopcho@biologicaldiversity.org Cassie Burdyshaw, Turtle Island Restoration Network, (513) 292-3101, cburdyshaw@tirn.net Marin County Passes Resolution Opposing Offshore Drilling, Joining 25 Other California Communities Trump Plan to Expand Offshore Leasing Meets Strong Resistance in California SAN RAFAEL, Calif. The Marin County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution today opposing new drilling off the California coast and fracking in existing offshore oil and gas wells. The vote makes Marin County the 26th California jurisdiction to approve similar resolutions since April 2017, when President Trump announced plans to drastically expand offshore drilling. The resolutions respond to the Trump administrations proposal to open the Pacific Ocean to new oil leases for the first time in more than 30 years. The draft five-year offshore leasing plan released Jan. 4 would subject almost all federal waters to new offshore drilling, including the currently protected Arctic and Atlantic oceans and eastern Gulf of Mexico. This weeks resolution was sponsored by Marin County Supervisor Dennis Rodoni and supported by Turtle Island Restoration Network and the Center for Biological Diversity, which has been supporting communities passing a series of California city resolutions opposing offshore drilling and fracking. Our oceans and coasts provide habitat to sea turtles, whales, seabirds and other wildlife that depend on a healthy ocean ecosystem, said Cassie Burdyshaw, advocacy and policy director for Turtle Island Restoration Network, a Marin-based nonprofit. These marine species already face threats from ships, ocean pollution and industrial fishing. We dont want to put them at further risk. Trumps plan would sell oil leases throughout federal waters off California starting in 2020. But Californians have been mobilizing to make their concerns heard with rallies throughout the state planned for Feb. 3 and a large march and protest before the plans Feb. 8 federal hearing in Sacramento. Details on those events can be found at www.endangeredoceans.org. Californians are uniting against Trumps reckless assault on our coastal waters. Marin County and other California communities are forming a wall of opposition to Trumps efforts to endanger coastal communities and wildlife, said Blake Kopcho, an organizer with the Center. Californians wont stand aside and let him sully our beautiful coastline with oil spills and toxic fracking chemicals. The Marin County resolution calls for: A ban on new drilling, fracking and other well stimulation in federal and state waters off the California coast; No new federal oil and gas leases in the Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic oceans and the eastern Gulf of Mexico areas currently protected from new leases; and A rapid phaseout of all oil and gas extraction off the California coast on a schedule sufficient to respond to the climate crisis. There are more than 30 offshore drilling platforms and hundreds of miles of underwater oil and gas pipelines off Californias coast. Operators want permits to frack offshore wells, using chemicals toxic to wildlife. Separate lawsuits filed by the state of California and the Center challenging the federal governments approval of offshore fracking are pending in federal district court. For Immediate Release, January 30, 2018 Contacts: Elizabeth Forsyth, Earthjustice, eforsyth@earthjustice.org, (415) 217-2126 Michael Robinson, Center for Biological Diversity, michaelr@biologicaldiversity.org, (575) 313-7017 Rebecca Bullis, Defenders of Wildlife, rbullis@defenders.org, (202) 772-0295 Virginia Busch, Endangered Wolf Center, (636) 938-5900 David Parsons, former Mexican wolf recovery coordinator, ellobodave@comcast.net, (505) 275-1944 Maggie Howell, Wolf Conservation Center, (914) 763-2373 Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration's Fatally Flawed Mexican Wolf Plan Plan Ignores Science, Fails on Urgently Needed Recovery Actions TUCSON, Ariz. A coalition of wolf advocates today filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administrations deeply flawed recovery plan for the Mexican gray wolf, one of North Americas most endangered mammals. The lawsuit challenges the plan because it disregards the best available science in setting inadequate population goals, cuts off wolf access to vital recovery habitat and fails to respond to mounting genetic threats to the species. Mexican wolves urgently need more room to roam, protection from killing, and more releases of wolves into the wild to improve genetic diversity, but the Mexican wolf recovery plan provides none of these things, said Earthjustice attorney Elizabeth Forsyth, who is representing the wolf advocates. The wolves will face an ongoing threat to their survival unless major changes are made. The Trump administration issued the long-awaited recovery plan in November 2017. The plan ignored comments submitted by tens of thousands of people including leading wolf scientists who challenged the quality of the science used and asked for stronger protections and more aggressive recovery efforts. The best available science indicates Mexican wolf recovery requires at least three connected populations totaling approximately 750 individuals; a carefully managed reintroduction effort that prioritizes improving the genetic health of the animals; and establishment of at least two additional population centers in the southern Rockies and the Grand Canyon region. The new plan disregarded that scientific evidence by failing to consider additional recovery areas in the United States. Instead, it shifts much of the proposed recovery effort to Mexico, where adequate wolf habitat is not available. The plan also calls for inadequate wolf numbers and fails to provide a sufficient reintroduction program to address genetic threats. Mexican wolves are vital to restoring natural balance in the Southwest, but they need a strong, science-based recovery plan to address urgent threats, said Michael Robinson, a conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. Were gravely concerned that Trumps plan would cut wolves off from habitats in the Grand Canyon and southern Rockies and remove protections while theyre still imperiled. The final recovery plan leaves too much to chance and will likely result in relisting the Mexican wolf again sometime in the future, said Bryan Bird, Southwest director for Defenders of Wildlife. This is a political plan, not a recovery plan that meets the standards of the Endangered Species Act. This is a national issue. Mexican wolves help keep the American landscape intact and healthy. Our hope is that this legal challenge can help Fish and Wildlife Service create the best plan possible, based on sound science, to help save this critically endangered wolf, said Virginia Busch, executive director of the Endangered Wolf Center near St. Louis, Missouri. It is deeply disappointing to have waited 35 years for a new plan that is fatally flawed in so many ways. The content of the plan was dictated primarily by state wildlife agencies known to be antithetical to meaningful recovery of Mexican wolves. High-value habitats suitable for wolf recovery in the United States have been excluded from consideration. And reliance on a foreign country, where the U.S. government has no authority, to achieve full recovery is fraught with risk for the long-term survival of our southwestern lobos, said David Parsons, former Mexican wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Service is granting the very state agencies that have gone to extraordinary lengths to obstruct recovery too much authority over the time, location, and circumstances of wolf releases, said Maggie Howell of the Wolf Conservation Center. Too many opportunities, and quite frankly genetically irreplaceable wolves, have already been wasted under the states mismanagement critically endangered lobos deserve better. Background The critically endangered Mexican gray wolf almost vanished from the face of the earth in the mid-20th century because of human persecution. The entire population of Mexican wolves alive today descends from just seven individuals that were captured and placed into a captive breeding program before the species was exterminated from the wild. As the result of a reintroduction program, today there is a single population of approximately 113 Mexican wolves existing in the wild in the United States, located in the Blue Range area of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico. However, the reintroduced population suffers from high mortality due to illegal killing and compromised genetics because of its brush with extinction. In 2014 Earthjustice on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, retired Fish and Wildlife Service Mexican Wolf Recovery Coordinator David R. Parsons, the Endangered Wolf Center and the Wolf Conservation Center filed a lawsuit against the Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to develop a recovery plan. A settlement of that lawsuit led to issuance of the Mexican wolf recovery plan that the same plaintiffs are now challenging. The plaintiffs are asking a federal judge to order the government to develop a Mexican wolf recovery plan that legitimately responds to recovery needs for the species as the law requires. For Immediate Release, January 29, 2018 Contacts: Abel Valdivia, (510) 844-7103, avaldivia@biologicaldiversity.org Feds Protect Oceanic Whitetip Sharks Despite Trump's Reported Fears WASHINGTON The National Marine Fisheries Service today protected the oceanic whitetip shark as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The decision recognized threats from overfishing and bycatch in pelagic longline fishing gear as major reasons for drastic population declines. Todays listing responds to a petition from Defenders of Wildlife, with support from the Center for Biological Diversity, seeking federal protections of oceanic whitetip sharks after populations in some regions declined by more than 99 percent. Sharks have been in the news recently, from the Florida shark torture case to porn star Stormy Daniels revealing President Trump has an obsessive fear of sharks. This decision is hugely important given the role whitetip sharks play in healthy ocean ecosystems. While Trump may harbor irrational fears of sharks, these magnificent animals are actually far more threatened by humans than vice versa, said Dr. Abel Valdivia, a marine ecologist at the Center. Dont worry, Mr. President, whitetip sharks arent a threat and arent based around Mar-a-Lago. Oceanic whitetip shark populations are threatened by intensive fishing by foreign commercial fisheries across the global oceans. Oceanic whitetip sharks are being caught as bycatch in tuna and swordfish fisheries using pelagic longlines. They are also directly targeted because their relatively large fins are traded on the international market. Endangered Species Act protection would provide increased legal safeguards for oceanic whitetip sharks to further avoid sharks being caught in fisheries under United States jurisdiction. The Fisheries Service determined that specific protective regulations on take and trade may be published in a future ruling. Oceanic whitetip sharks are fascinating and under-appreciated animals, said Valdivia. Im pleasantly surprised that the federal government protected this species despite the presidents reported fears. In many portion of the species range, current U.S. fishery regulations prohibit retention of ocean whitetip sharks by persons under U.S. jurisdiction. Compliance with U.S. fisheries regulations could be improved. But the oceanic whitetip shark is a highly migratory species that spreads across ocean basins. Many pelagic longline fleets that catch the species have poor compliance with the enforcement of fisheries regulations. Lisbon International Advertising Festival has announced the executive jury panel for its third edition. Lisbon Advertising Awards executive jury. Image supplied. Executive jury Eva Santos global chief creative officer of Proximity Worldwide Luis Silva Dias chairman FCB Portugal and Chief Creative Officer of FCB International Jose Antonio Goncalves experience architect lead of Accenture Interactive Mike Wente chief creative officer of VML North America Corinna Falusi chief creative officer and partner Mother New York James Temple executive vice president and chief creative officer R/GA EMEA Hugo Rodrigues chairman and CEO of WMcCann Ilkay Gurpinar chief creative officer TBWA/Istanbul Alasdhair MacGregor vice president and executive creative director of international clients of BETC Lisa De Bonis executive digital director and partner of Havas London GLOBAL Registration opens for Lisbon Advertising Festival and jury president announced Thirsty for news and innovation Last week Ajaz Ahmed, founder and CEO of the acclaimed and much-awarded AKQA was named jury president.These 11 jurors will travel to Portugal in September in order to both evaluate in person the participants work and being speakers in the festival where they will discuss the most relevant themes that affect the advertising industry in a global scale.Ana Firmo Ferreira, the festivals CEO, justifies these choices: Lisbon is an elite festival in which we aim for the jurors to be the best of the best, worldwide. Where time is concerned, we are young. However, we are already a big festival with a huge importance on a global scale. This panel of excellence will help us remain young, but will also allow us to grow in terms of relevance in this industry, thirsty for news and innovation.Registration for the third Lisbon International Advertising Festival is already opened and the agencies, brands and production companies that sign up soon can enjoy a 15% discount on their subscriptions. Early crow period ends 31 May 2018. Click here for more information on the registration process.The event will take place in Lisbon on Thursday, 20 September 2018. M&C Saatchi Abel congratulates Makosha Maja-Rasethaba on her recent appointment as partner and head of strategy for the Johannesburg agency. Alan Bell, Makosha Maja-Rasethaba and Jerry Mpufane Makosha joined the agency six years ago. In her most recent post as Head of Insight for the Group, she was responsible for delivering locally relevant strategies and campaigns across a number of iconic South African brands, including Nandos, Bakers and Five Roses. She also played a key role in the agencys recent wins of Lexus and Windhoek.I have been so inspired by the agencys growth from start-up to a powerful force within the industry. In my new role, I look forward to continuing to grow our clients business, working alongside the agency partners and to mentoring young talent driving the transformation agenda which is critical for our industry, says Maja-Rasethaba.As a member of the Johannesburg agencys talented and experienced partnership team, Makosha will be working alongside managing director Alan Bell, executive creative director Adam Weber and Johannesburg chairman Jerry Mpufane to drive to agencys ambitions.M&C Saatchi Abel has an enviable reputation as one of the most strategic in the industry and this is due largely to the efforts of Makosha and her team, something I have been pleased to witness in action since joining the agency a year ago, says Bell.Robert Grace, founding partner and head of strategy for the M&C Saatchi Abel Group agrees that Makoshas skills are crucial to the agencys success. At the heart of every powerful brand or idea sits a clear and relevant insight. Makoshas breadth of experience and ability to not only uncover the richest possible insight, but also ensure it comes to life in the resulting work, is invaluable in delivering on our purpose of creating beautifully simple solutions in the increasingly complex and fragmented world of communications.Makosha takes over the position from Diana Springer, who will soon be launching Black & White, a strategic marketing consultancy within the M&C Saatchi Group.An appointment like this is hugely rewarding for us as an agency. It is testament to our ability to nurture, grow and retain exceptional talent, and proof that we have the right people to deliver the much-needed diversity of thought that delivers meaningful work. Says Jerry Mpufane. Restaurant group Spur's share price fell 7% to R26.01 on Monday morning after it warned shareholders of a decline in interim sales. Andrey Armyagov via 123RF The total group's sales fell 2.6% to R3.7bn for the six months to end-December from the matching period in 2016, with the sharpest sales decline of 12.2% suffered by Captain DoRegos followed by 9.3% at its flagship Spur Steak Ranches chain.CEO Pierre van Tonder said Spur had suffered a perfect storm of disasters in March which included " social media fall-out following a customer incident in an outlet in Johannesburg", coupled with a plunge in consumer confidence following President Jacob Zuma's Cabinet reshuffle."We believe we are on the right track to restoring Spur Steak Ranches to the growth trajectory it was on prior to March. Economic growth is critical to local business and the resolution of the political turmoil in the country will no doubt have a profound impact on our future," Van Tonder said.March's problems continued into its September quarter, leading to sales at its South African franchised restaurants falling 6.2%. "The second three months of the financial year to December showed a marked improvement, with sales declining only 0.2%," Van Tonder said.Spur is scheduled to release its interim results on 22 February, and it did not include a forecast for earnings in Monday's sales update. The group's number of outlets grew to 613 at the end of 2017 from 590 at the end of 2016. Excluding new restaurants, sales declined 6.6%.Its fastest-growing chain was RocoMamas, which grew sales 37.5%, followed by The Hussar Grill, which grew sales 24.1%. 2017 has been a very tough year for businesses and consumers. However, according to Morne Cronje, head of franchising at FNB Business, the franchise sector continues to perform well gradually year in and year out. "This is testament that franchising is robust and holds a key for employment and economic growth." Ian Allenden via 123RF The significance of online and social media Multi-brand franchisees Health and education Increased customization On-demand products/ services The franchising industry has steadily shown adaptability to the tough economy by growing the sector 3,6% over the past four years from contributing an estimated 9,7% to the countrys GDP in 2014 to its recent figure of 13,3%. This trend is expected to continue on the same trajectory in the short-term and could possibly improve should SA see better economic growth.According to a survey conducted by the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA), 78% of most franchisors are optimistic about future growth in their businesses. Although this translates to positive sentiments, the franchising is still, like other businesses, also vulnerable to the economic headwinds. As a result, franchisors need to keep abreast of their operating environment.Here, Cronje shares top trends to look out for in 2018:Traditional marketing is no longer the magic bullet as more people are starting to use social media to interact with brands, whether to express anger, inquire or to show appreciation. It is no longer about the question of should a business use social media or not, it is now more about how a business uses social media to better serve its customers.More franchisees are starting to jump into the bandwagon of having several franchisees on their belt not just having one, doing this helps to improve cash flow as well as the protection of the ups and downs in business.According to FASA, these two sectors are rapidly growing, because more people are starting to become health conscious, while on the other hand education is a priority for South Africa. As a result, there is a strong demand for these sectors.Consumers have gained control of what they want; it is no longer about what do you have on the menu, it is now about how your product or service can be tailor-made to what a customer really wants. For example, Brian Altriche, founder of RocoMamas with 61 franchise outlets is of the view that his business model clearly responds to the essence of this trend by allowing consumers to create their own burgers as they want.In this fast-paced environment, customers control their experiences by wanting products or services that speak to this need. Franchisors who want to expand their business should start exploring this trend.2018 will no doubt bring its challenges, however for every challenge there is a window of opportunity to explore. We are advising franchisors to scrutinise these trends carefully, it can definitely give them a boost for 2018, concludes Cronje. The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality is planning to embark on an electricity generation project that will see selected consumers across the metro equipped with solar panels - at no cost to either party. Instead, the cost for installing and maintaining these panels set to generate up to 250MW a year for 20 years will be paid for by investors from the renewable energy sector. This is outlined in an agreement on the municipalitys website, while the metro also advertised a call for investors inlast week.In a nutshell, the project would entail investors supplying, installing and maintaining photovoltaic rooftop panels at selected properties in the metro. The energy generated by these panels would be stored in the municipal grid for the property owner's use. The municipality, however, would not buy any excess energy produced.The [municipality] will not be signing a power purchase agreement with the [investor], but will only facilitate the flow of money between the [investor] and the participating customer, according to the agreement.By using this system, the project would not cost the municipality anything, municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said. The programme will by no means be free, but the investor will recover its investment through a legal agreement with the customer and be paid a portion of the electricity tariff, he said.The [municipality] will get paid its portion of the tariff.The idea will be to attract investors and encourage investment, thereby decreasing the burden of grid defectors and total loss of revenue.This is one step in the future plans for a sustainable energy source for the [metro].Blackwood Power chief executive Rory Stear lauded the municipality for the drive to expand its renewable energy sources. Stear, who has expressed his interest in contributing 50MW to the project if his application is approved, said the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality was by far the most proactive municipality in embracing renewable energy.Port Elizabeth should be the energy capital of the country, he said. This is a great lesson for other municipalities who should be doing the same.Using the municipal grid for power storage is also an innovative and cost-effective approach, he said. Storage is the biggest barrier to solar power, because the battery is extremely expensive. The benefit to the owner is huge.Blackwood Power installed 88 panels at Cheshire Homes Summerstrand premises in a separate project. [The initiative] was funded by the Ezethu Development Trust, manager Deidre Burger said. She said that it saved the home between R5,000 and R9,000 in the summer months.Service providers for the municipal project will be selected through a rigorous process. Only proposals that achieve the specified minimum qualification scores will be further considered, according to the agreement.The company with the highest [score] will be the preferred investor and [will] choose the capacity they want to sign up for. This process will be repeated until the total allocated capacity of 250MW is awarded.Community members and interested parties can submit comments on the agreement to az.vog.ortemalednam@kcabdeefVP or the Munelek Building in Harrower Road by 16 March. Tenisnaps via Wikimedia Commons . Cassava farmer arranges his tubers in line while he waits for buyers. Creating a dataset Huge chance for change Its also climate resilient, as it is predicted to improve yield in higher temperatures. Its role as a staple food will become ever more important, then, as climate change continues to take hold.But cassava, like many other crops, is vulnerable to viruses and other plant diseases. These diseases can affect cassava yields, cost farmers money, and threaten food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Two diseases, cassava mosaic disease and cassava brown streak disease, have become the largest constraints to cassava production and food security in sub-Saharan Africa resulting in losses of over $1bn every year.These plant diseases are not new to Africa and have been causing losses for many decades. However, a lack of infrastructure and engagement by trained plant disease experts with farmers means the farmers are not trained to recognise them in their early stages. Thats why we set out to create a disease-recognition app for smartphones. We tested the ability of an image recognition model, called a convolutional neural network, to accurately identify up to five different cassava diseases.The model is deployed using a mobile devices camera. Whats novel about it is that it can run entirely on a smartphone without the need for a wireless connection or access to large processing power. Once farmers have identified the disease using the app, we provide the necessary information so they can go ahead and treat their plants. Our results , based on research conducted in Tanzania, show that the image recognition model had up to 98% accuracy in identifying cassava diseases in the field.These results are promising as our method is much simpler to implement than traditional computer vision models. The model was also trained on a desktop with vastly smaller computing power than the typical supercomputer used in training image recognition models. These results highlight our methods potential to be a reliable, fast, affordable and easily deployable strategy for digital plant disease detection.We were also able to deploy the model on a smartphone without an internet connection, something no other mobile app for plant disease diagnosis has been able to do. For the continent of Africa where data costs are high for smallholder farmers the ability to provide a diagnosis offline is critical.Traditional disease identification approaches rely on the support of agricultural experts visiting a field and checking on crops. But these approaches are limited in countries with low logistical and human infrastructure capacity and are expensive to scale up.In such areas, smartphones offer new tools for in-field plant disease detection based on automated image recognition that can aid in large-scale early detection. This is a viable tool for Africa: smartphone adoption is on the continent.Our technique is suitable for providing help to smallholder farmers, for several reasons. Firstly, it is fast: a disease can be identified with the model in less than one second. Because the app is on a mobile device, it is also easily deployed over large areas farmers no longer need to wait for an agricultural expert to visit them and check their plants.We put the model, which works on Android phones, to the test in collaboration with research staff at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.There were six class labels for the model: three disease classes, two mite damage classes and one healthy class (that is, a lack of disease or mite damage on the leaf.)We then trained our model to identify the three diseases and two types of pest damage, or lack thereof. After training the model and loading it on to a phone app, researchers went out to test the app in the field. Staff from the institute would walk around fields holding the phone up to different cassava plants to see how the app responds. If no disease is recognised the app says the leaf is healthy.The model was able to identify diseases, pest damage and healthy plants with a high degree of accuracy up to 98% in some classes.This particular model is now being used by researchers at the institute. Planned steps in 2018 include designing the app to make it suitable for farmers in East Africa, especially female farmers. For example, the app is currently being designed in English and Swahili, with both text and voice features. Our app is linked to PlantVillage which is the largest source of free knowledge on crop health in the world.This kind of technology can be transformative for smallholder farmers, who produce 70% of Africas food supply. With access to information about diseases in their fields, this tool is an efficient extension system that can reach smallholder farmers with targeted diagnoses and advice.This article was originally published on The Conversation . Read the original article Headlines in 2017 were dominated by mismanagement, maladministration and fraud at state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and private companies. Responsible "These developments have shone a spotlight on the implications of actions taken by company executives," says George Bishop, CEO of Willis Towers Watson. "This should make all executives sit up and take notice because, at the very least, those implicated stand to be sued for negligence."The unfolding Steinhoff saga is a case in point, says Jason Grove, MD of Roxsure Insurance Brokers, a specialist provider of professional indemnity and directors and officers insurance."It was recently announced that South African investors would be joining a class action lawsuit brought by the Dutch Investors Association, the VEB, in which Steinhoff, its management board and its supervisory board are being held responsible for the losses."Due to the magnitude of those losses, Grove believes company directors will be held personally liable. The potential implications for executives at KPMG, Trillain, McKinsey and numerous SOEs are similar."This has heightened awareness around the need for professional indemnity and directors and officers insurance, as this cover provides financial protection to executives in instances of mismanagement such as errors, negligence or unintentional acts. Instances of fraud are not covered, though."This, says Grove, has presented an opportunity for insurance brokers who hold the requisite expertise to carve out a niche and deliver a valuable service."Few who reach the level of director realise the liability and responsibility that accompanies the title, especially in our highly regulated environment. Directors ultimately account for the actions of their company and how it's run - they're also responsible for any mistakes."Brokers therefore fulfil a vital advisory role, especially as companies aren't required to and generally don't indemnify directors or officers, or provide financial support in the case of litigation."It's up to the executive in their individual capacity to ensure adequate cover is in place to protect them in the case of legal action or, if they're found to have acted negligently, to pay the associated compensation. Those held liable who lack cover stand to lose everything," says Grove. Parliament's lawyers are engaging with Steinhoff's lawyers on the legal parameters of the briefing that the company will give to members of three parliamentary committees on Wednesday. Members of the standing committee on finance, the standing committee on public accounts and the public service and administration committee will be briefed by Steinhoff as well as the JSE, the Treasury, the Financial Services Board (FSB), the South African Reserve Bank, the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (Irba), the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) and the Public Investment Corporation (PIC)"It is an initial meeting for the committees to get a better sense of what happened at Steinhoff, what the role of the regulatory and statutory bodies and the JSE are in investigating the matter, and what role the government and our respective parliamentary committees need to play," finance committee chairperson Yunus Carrim, public accounts chairperson Themba Godi and public service and administration chairperson Cassel Mathale said."We are also interested to know about the co-operation between the regulators and other statutory bodies here and in Germany, the Netherlands and elsewhere," they said in a statement on Monday."The aim of the briefing is not to supplant the role of the Financial Services Board, South African Reserve Bank, Irba and other regulatory bodies who are legally mandated to investigate the matter, and have the forensic, technical and other capacity to do so. The briefing will not seek to pre-empt the outcomes of these very important investigations," the three chairpersons said."The briefing on Wednesday is not a commission of inquiry, but part of our necessary oversight role over the regulatory bodies that are investigating Steinhoff."We want them to clarify what they have done since the Steinhoff crisis broke out, the scope of their investigations, their timelines and when they intend to finish and report back to Parliament. We believe they need to be thorough but also swift and decisive."Of course, we understand that Steinhoff is being investigated by a range of organisations here and in other countries, there are court actions being considered against it and there are market-sensitive issues at stake. But within these constraints, we believe Steinhoff should still answer to Parliament in the public interest."After all, the collapse of Steinhoff shares has implications for public servants and any material losses would have to be made up for through the national fiscus because government employees have a defined benefit fund."Godi, Carrim and Mathale continued: "Our concern, though, is not just about government employees, but all workers and others who have lost out in what may well be the biggest corporate scandal the country has ever faced. We are also concerned about possible job losses in Steinhoff companies."The GEPF and PIC will also report on what implications the collapse of the Steinhoff share will have on them, what they have been doing since the crisis broke out and what lessons they have already drawn about their investment decisions."Over time, consideration will also need to be given to whether there is a need for policy and regulatory changes to reduce the prospects of the Steinhoff-type failures. The committees will consider how they jointly and separately take issues forward after the briefing.There are other parliamentary committees that also have oversight functions related to Steinhoff issues, such as the trade and industry, police, and justice and constitutional development committees. Our three committees will engage with them in this regard," said finance committee chairman Yunus Carrim, public accounts chairman Themba Godi and public service and administration chairperson Cassel Mathale. The perception of smart homes as the domain of wealthier home owners and tech junkies only is changing quickly as advances are making smart home technology increasingly accessible and user-friendly. Home security features Rise in demand predicted for SA Thereport revealed that the global smart home market almost doubled between June 2016 and June 2017 and by the end of last year, the global market was estimated to be worth $14.7bn. Statistics portal Statista is predicting a spike in this sector with forecasts of a value in excess of $40bn by 2020.Sandy Geffen, executive director of Lew Geffen Sothebys International Realty in South Africa, says: There is no doubt that the era of smart homes has officially dawned and, although South African consumers have been a bit slower on the uptake, they are beginning to sit up and take notice.However, whether or not home owners are yet seduced by the convenience, comfort and peace of mind these cutting-edge systems can offer, what they should not ignore is the fact that the biggest adopters of this technology are also the largest emerging home buying market millennials.It is therefore very likely that in the near future, smart systems will be at the top of the wish list for these buyers who have never known life without the internet; a generation for whom technology is an intrinsic part of their daily lives.Geffen adds that another reason not to summarily dismiss the technology is that one of the most effective features is already a priority for every South African household home security.Says Geffen: Most experts agree that the most effective way to prevent criminals from gaining access to your property is through a layered security system, and by skilfully incorporating security and surveillance features in your smart home network, you can tighten your security exponentially.Steven Jowell, managing Director of inHarmony Solutions in Cape Town, explains: One of the key security advantages is that you can monitor your home remotely, giving you more freedom and greater peace of mind.Using only an app or web browser on your phone, you can check on the status of the alarm, cameras or motion sensors at any time and from anywhere and, by installing a smart intercom and camera, you can answer your door from any location, making it appear as if youre at home.You can even allow guests access to your home while you are out and once the visitor has left, the status of entry points such as doors can be confirmed and the alarm reset.He adds that the remote features are especially advantageous for landlords of short-term accommodation like Airbnb properties.Although the local market for smart home systems is still relatively small, Jowell reports that there has been a perceptible increase in demand during the last year. Says Jowell: Statista research in the South Africa market has indicated that revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate of 37.1% in the next four years with an anticipated household penetration of 3.6% in 2018 that is expected to hit 9.8% by 2022.Its no longer a question of whether this technology will become mainstream in South Africa, but rather when. Unfortunately, the misconception that these systems are a financially crippling luxury persists, but this could not be further from the truth.There is now a wider variety of products available than ever before, with quality base systems starting at around R5000. Furthermore, its also not necessary to buy an entire system at once as additional components can easily be implemented in stages. In fact, this is advisable for first time buyers as it gives them time to get to understand the technology, get used to the new way of living and determine their future needs.This adjustment period is important as smart home systems can be completely tailored to your home and lifestyle, which allows you to decide which appliances and devices you want to automate and integrate and what level of control you need. However, the configuration in not cast in stone and can be changed by the user at any time if its not working for you.He adds that another advantage of the latest technology is that it can also be retrofitted into any home.Geffen concludes: Smart home technology is not only about being able to manage all your appliances from an app, switch on lights by voice activation and enjoy the convenience of having a pre-heated oven by the time you get home after a long day.It can exponentially increase your level of security and, most significantly, it prepares your home for a new generation of buyers. Recent polls indicate that up to 45% of Americans are saying that they have or are planning on investing in smart home technologies and although we are only beginning to embrace the technology, it cannot be denied that the future is now. The other day I saw a promotion for flights to South Africa and curiosity got the better of me. While looking at the various options, I remembered the hype made by the government to prop up the failing SAA. They said SAA was important for tourism, so I investigated the flights available with the tourism argument in mind. Would the closure of SAA impact things? Rands would be better spent on policing Various online travel sites have different options available I chose Expedia, which is one of the better ones that often show better prices and more choices. I first investigated the cost to fly out from LAX in Los Angeles on relatively short notice.The best option Expedia offered was Delta Airlines for $851 round-trip, taxes and fees included, but baggage fees excluded. The best price SAA offered for the same trip was $1,668. I then did a global search on a couple dozen other travel sites, but not one indicated the state-owned airline could offer the lowest airfare.Tourists tend to prefer to spend as little as possible on a flight and as much as possible at their destination. People are tourists, not because they love to fly, but because they want to explore other places. The bulk of the spending done by tourists happens after they get off the plane.Privately-owned Delta could fly two people to South Africa for the same cost, as flying one on SAA. The lower the airfare, the more an airline attracts tourists. One can say Delta prices encourage tourism to South Africa, while those of SAA discourage it. Given the typical tourist spend of something like R28,000 when they visit, lower airfares are extremely important to the country's GDP. Even though Delta changes half as much as SAA, they operate at a profit while SAA is still a money-hole.It doesnt take much thinking to realise that when it comes to tourism, the least important factor is whether one airline or another flies the passengers. An airline offering tickets for $851 attracts a lot more tourists than one offering the same flight for twice as much. Tourists care more about flying costs than they do about who owns the plane.There were 107 different flight options from LAX to Johannesburg using various cities around the world as a stopover. Of these 107 flight options, just 11 (10%) were SAA flights and 45 of the other flights were priced lower. Unless all of the others operate at 100% capacity, the closure of SAA would have little impact on tourism or airfare competitiveness.Was this just a fluke? Maybe. So I tested it using different dates out of a month. With departures in February, the lowest priced ticket was no longer Delta, but it wasnt SAA either. Ethiopian Airlines ticket was $759,30 while SAA was again almost twice as expensive at $1,460. On these dates, there were 149 flight options and SAA provided just 13 (8.7%) of them.Keeping the same dates, I then chose different points of origin. The lowest airfare Expedia offered starting in London was $673,80 to Johannesburg. SAA wasnt twice as expensive this time, only 23% more costly at $828 per ticket. There were 10 different flights to Johannesburg cheaper than SAA. SAA offered only 7.3% of the total flights available.I tried two more experiments using the same dates. To depart from Tokyo for South Africa, SAA becomes a more significant player, but even here they offer only 20 flight options out of 148 available, just 13.5% of the total. In addition, nine of the alternative flight options were priced within $50 of the SAA ticket prices. This was as good as it got for SAA in my experiment.I then chose, starting in Buenos Aires, one of the least competitive routes to South Africa with only 39 flight options available. Of these, while SAA offered 13, or 33% of the total, it wasnt the cheapest option by any means. LATAM Airlines offered numerous flights at $939, SAA was 81% more expensive with tickets at $1,699.Of course, airfares are notorious when it comes to fluctuation. Use different days and starting locations, and results will vary. For instance, using Berlin as the starting point with flights in March, I found 24 flights cheaper than SAA including esteemed private airlines such as KLM, Swiss International, Lufthansa and British Airways.If you do your own experiment, I suggest the results will be similar.When it comes to encouraging actual tourism to South Africa, SAA isnt critically important. While pricey SAA airfares discourage tourism, far more detrimental, according to surveys, is crime. The London Telegraph noted that crime figures may have deterred more than 22 million tourists from visiting the country over the past five years.Instead of throwing billions of rands at SAA, spending those squandered rands on policing would actually do a lot more to encourage tourism. As South Africa's maritime and shipping industry continues to benefit from technological interconnectivity, the sector is on the brink of a true digital evolution - but requires dynamic changes to be made to its policies. Photo by Ian Simmonds on Unsplash Digital transformation revolutionises maritime shipping A digitised shipping minimizes maritime shipping risk and error Enhanced connectivity means more security The maritime sector is undergoing its own digital transformation. The sector requires increased monitoring, and creates the perfect conditions for the internet of things (IoT) to thrive. IoT impacts all areas of shipping, from cargo carriers to cruise liners and fishing boats, explains Olivier Ondet, SVP IoT and Analytics, Orange Business Services.The secretary general of the African Shipowners Association, Funmi Folorunso, spoke at the South African Maritime Industry Conference (SAMIC) in Port Elizabeth, in April 2017, saying, South Africas maritime policy should be as dynamic as the industry is it is written for. Changes should be made.At the event, Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande said the following about the economic opportunities of the industry, It is projected that maritime has the potential to make a contribution of between R129bn and R177bn to the GDP by 2033, and in so doing, creating 800,000 to 1,000,000 jobs.Alongside the rise of the IoT, every aspect of shipping has been touched by the integration of automation and big data. Through the use of technological solutions, shipping companies are managing their fleets more efficiently, achieving fuel savings, and outsourcing more tasks to the shore.Big data shipping solutions are designed to monitor data which captures the input and output of the shipment, says Ondet. This data correlates against information such as weather and temperature and provides an accurate delivery time estimate, for example. Thus connectivity is critical to help increase accountability and transparency, especially when it comes to automated or unmanned ships.In addition to revolutionising life on board, digital transformation is also impacting on ports. IoT, cloud computing and enhanced connectivity are enabling new tools such as vehicle booking systems (VBS), with a mobile app designed specifically for the ports haulers. Other tools include apps that help reduce pollution and enhance efficiencies by optimising truck routes and cutting congestion around ports using Bluetooth, Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) and license plate readers to gather data in real-time.Nearly 96% of South Africas exports are conveyed by sea, and the commercial ports are channels for trade, as well as hubs for traffic between southern African and Europe, Asia, America and the east and west coasts of Africa, according to Brand South Africa, (2017).Thus these ports should be using new platforms to enable improved data sharing between different port stakeholders, combining data, interoperability of existing platforms and new apps within the supply chain. Essentially, the solutions are designed to synchronise goods and logistics processes at the port and reduce costs and delays. Furthermore, IoT apps are being used to enable smart tracking of containers and schedule operations, comments Ondet.For instance, Transnet National Ports Authority introduced a new port security system for South Africa, to safeguard customer cargo, port users, assets, and to track theft of cargo and damage, according to a Safety4Sea report, (2016). Thus the new system, apart from managing online and real-time operations, further strengthens the ports security dubbed as smart people ports.Using blockchain technology offers end-to-end bill of lading access by all entities in a supply chain, from freight forwarders and shipping carriers to port operators and regulators. Blockchain technology will assist South Africas shipping sector to effectively manage all transactions or issuing of new currencies with a higher accuracy, full transparency, quick processing, increased security and a paperless system. Essentially the technology can simplify all transactions between sellers, buyers of cargo, customs and port authorities with a shared database that runs a blockchain protocol.With the rise of blockchain and high throughput satellite services, we are entering an era of re-defining maritime connectivity, says Ton Ebbenhorst, business development manager of Satellite at Orange Business Services.This transformation opens up opportunities for maritime operators to capture intelligent data, improve their operations and make more informed decisions. Following on the rise of big data, the deployment of onboard applications and the management of integrated intelligence will ultimately change the way the shipping industry operates; making it greener and more efficient.Further, Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) is a geographic information system that ships use for navigation and it is required by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as an alternative to paper nautical charts. ECDIS was a step along the path to what todays connectivity enables real-time route planning and optimization. Ships can receive up-to-the-minute data and information about weather, incidents, potential obstacles and more, letting them re-route to a safer or calmer path if necessary, adds Ebbenhorst. Route planning also impacts fuel consumption and helps shipping companies save money.Innovative advances in satellite technology mean shipping companies can move large amounts of data back and forth faster and more conveniently than ever, while data analytics can be used to improve their operational efficiency.Being efficient and connected to the corporate network requires the same degree of emphasis on cybersecurity as it would in a land-based office. About 44% of ocean carriers have low levels of basic cybersecurity, while 95% of cybersecurity incidents are due to human error, according to Inmarsat, (2016). With vessels increasingly becoming extensions of the corporate network, a change in philosophy is needed.Businesses should think of vessels as branch offices rather than isolated silos, and should ensure crew is trained on cybersecurity. The human error element can be, if not eliminated, at least mitigated and minimized through smart training, says Ebbenhorst. For example, there are as much personal devices on board as in any office. Companies need to implement policies around bring you own device (BYOD) and the appropriate security processes around this.As the South African shipping industry looks to leverage on the benefits of the digital age, the future of the industry is in applications, which promise to simplify the shipping cycle. When application are fully adopted, they have the potential to vastly reduce costs and complexity of trading, which could save the industry in costing, reduce errors, reduce time spent in transit and overall improve inventory management, concludes Eric Piquet, head of business development and strategic projects in satellite at Orange Business Services. Children from all over the world are invited to share ideas about the future of mobility by drawing their dream cars and submitting their entries for the 12th annual Toyota Dream Car Art Contest before 1 March 2018. Toyota Toyota Prizes First place: PS4 to the value of R7,000 and R8,000 cash Second place: PS4 to the value of R7,000 Third place: Xbox One to the value of R5,000 Fourth place: Tablet to the value of R3,000 Fifth place: Makro voucher to the value of R2,000 National Contest Information Entry Period January 2018 1 March 2018 Target Applicant 15 years old and younger living in South Africa Theme Your Dream Car Age Categories (1) Category 1: Under 8 years old (2) Category 2: 8 11 years old (3) Category 3: 1215 years old Toyota This week, social media netizens were appalled by allegations of groping at the recent President's Club fundraising dinner, while celebrating the outcome of the #LarryNassar trial, and Melinda Gates' female startup fund support. Financial Times video on Youtube. Screenshot from Image Brochure for the Presidents Club Charity Dinner, as seen in thevideo on Youtube. Screenshot from AdAge WPP cuts ties with sexist charity dinner There is an association between rich, wealthy people and this sort of behaviour. It is quite extraordinary to me that in the 21st-century allegations of this kind are still emerging. People need to know there is a line and where it is. This is also about attitude. Every business deal, every dinner, every meeting, every hospitality booth, every AGM, literally every day in the office is a chance to ask wait, is that sexist? If that sounds patronising, its a reflection of the dire state of things. https://t.co/AzZWf7LSI7 Louise Ridley (@LouiseRidley) January 25, 2018 Olympic applause for sexual-abuse trial outcome She told Nassar, 'Its my honour and privilege to sentence you, and observed, at one point: Our Constitution does not allow for cruel and unusual punishment. If it did I would allow some or many people to do to him what he did to others. Larry Nassar wrote a 6 page letter to Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, telling how 'hard it is for him to listen to testimonies of his victims. This is what Judge Rosemarie did with the letter. pic.twitter.com/qvvJynxa57 Soheil Khanzada (@SoheilKhanzada) January 24, 2018 Imagine what kind of sentence Brock Turner would have received had Judge Aqualina presided over his case? Perhaps his victim would have received justice. #NassarSentencing Candice de Beer (@CandiceWiggett) January 25, 2018 Melinda Gates steps up to the gender equality plate If you have more diversity you have better financial performance... We've seen that teams that are more diverse in tech have outperformed. At tonights #MothInKenya event, storytellers from all over Africa spoke about their work to lift up communities and advocate for gender equality. The stories were heartbreaking, hilarious, hopefuland a reminder that our world is full of people working to brighten our future. pic.twitter.com/wOE588YfuX Melinda Gates (@melindagates) January 25, 2018 ICYMI, heres a brief overview of these top inclusion, equality and diversity topics and why they matter.Perhaps the fact that the black-tie, male-only dinner was opened with the words: Welcome to the most un-PC event of the year, or the fact that the nights auction catalogue featured an image of Marilyn Monroe at her most alluring, and included a night at Sohos Windmill strip club and a course of plastic surgery with the invitation to: Add spice to your wife, should have been a sign of things to come. Bloomberg reports that the Presidents Club, the 33-year strong UK charity at the centre of the groping allegations at the annual all-male fundraiser, is set to shut down in the wake of the furore over the claims that arose, with the worlds biggest advertising group WPP ending its connection to the dinner, and the Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital said to return donations received as a result.This comes after an investigative report by the Financial Times exposed the fact that multiple hostesses at the event were harassed, groped and insulted. Yes, two ofs reporters worked undercover as hostesses on the night, with others in the dining room. The 130 hostesses were reportedly told to wear skimpy outfits with matching underwear and high heels, and many of them were groped, sexually harassed and propositioned at an after-party.Watch undercover report Madison Marriages undercover investigation footage below:According to AdAge , WPP said it has traditionally sponsored a table at the dinner to support the event's fundraising for children's charities, and that the company and its attendees weren't aware of the alleged incidents at the event.Bloomberg adds that UK junior minister Anne Milton told angry lawmakers:Even more so in the age of #MeToo and #TimesUp.Next step: UK Prime Minister Theresa May is set to investigate gagging orders that prevent women reporting sexual harassment.The #MeToo #TimesUp sentiment further resonated in the sporting world, with former USA Gymnastics national team osteopathic physician Larry Nassar brought to trial for having been named in at least 156 sexual abuse lawsuits, filed against him by female athletes. Nassar was handed a jail sentence of 40 to 175 years.The Twitterverse was equally enthralled by victims testimony as they were by Judge Rosemarie Aquilinas act of overstepping her bounds as a judge and adopting the role of victim advocate. Vox reports that Aquilina assured Nassar his sentence means he will die in prison as it will be served subsequent to a 60-year sentence in another case for possession of child pornography.Reports Vox:Melinda Gates has added her voice to the venture capital diversity drive by backing the Aspect Ventures venture capital startup fund thats run by women.Its a strong move towards equality and inclusion in a sector still largely dominated by men.According to Fortune.com , Aspect Ventures cofounder Theresia Gouw reports:Gates also shared the following tweet that provided positive insights into the African female future:The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has a long legacy of boosting African infrastructure, so it's nice to see Melinda doing more in this regard in her personal capacity. Thats the true spirit of Ubuntu upliftment in action! KAMPALA, Uganda - A notorious Ugandan tabloid made its much anticipated return to news stands Monday after a two-month shutdown prompted by a story that Kampala was allegedly plotting to topple President Paul Kagame of neighbouring Rwanda. skantgarg via 123RF The Resurrection Edition. THE RED PEPPER OUT ON SALE TOMORROW. Get ready to get your copy. pic.twitter.com/V0JufncTq8 Red Pepper Uganda (@RedPepperUG) January 28, 2018 Some vendors in the centre of the capital Kampala said the Red Pepper sold out in minutes. The newspaper, which specialises in sensational gossip and political scoops, was closed in November. Eight of its editors and directors were charged with treason and defaming President Yoweri Museveni, his brother and the security minister.But last week Museveni pardoned them, clearing the way for the paper's return to the streets. The presidency said the pardon followed a promise from the paper's management to "become more professional".Arinaitwe Rugyendo, a co-founder of the Red Pepper, told AFP: "We are going to polish our style but we will not self-censor." He insisted the paper would continue to be "bolder than the rest".Best known as a scandal sheet exposing the sex lives of local celebrities and businesspeople, the Red Pepper has also cultivated a reputation as a media pioneer willing to publish stories of state corruption.The paper has attracted criticism outside Uganda for identifying alleged homosexuals in the conservative country where prejudice against sexual minorities has deep roots."The Red Pepper divides opinion. There are very many people who don't appreciate its style," said Peter Mwesige, executive director of the Kampala-based African Centre for Media Excellence.A 2017 report by Reporters Without Borders ranked Uganda ranked 112 out of 180 countries for media freedom."Beyond the flashier stories, Red Pepper has contributed by widening the horizons of what the media can publicly carry. There are lots of stories that have entered the public domain because Red Pepper has published them," said Mwesige."Stories on the military, the first family, and the ownership of property by public officials wouldn't have been exposed if not for Red Pepper."In central Kampala, people gathered round newsstands eager to read the front page editorial splash which declared "Our Story How Red Pepper 'Died' And Rose From The Grave After Two Months". A total of nine pages were dedicated to describing the editors' experience, comparing the reopening to a Biblical resurrection."I'm happy it's back," said Patrick Higenyi, a 46-year-old civil servant. "I think they can talk the reality rather than deceiving the country."Following the November shutdown some Ugandans celebrated on social media accusing the tabloid of ruining their lives with its scurrilous stories.But, said Mwesige, "To think you can sacrifice the freedom of Red Pepper but maintain media freedom is misguided." However, he was critical of the opaque, closed-door deal last week between Museveni and senior managers that paved the way for the Red Pepper's return."If there is ever a case of a chilling effect on the media, this is it," he warned.Source: AFP. BORDERLAND BEAT The Most Extensive and Reliable Source of Information Related to the Mexican Drugs Cartels. You will not find this level of coverage anywhere else, join us! Send information, pictures or videos, you remain 100% anonymous. Envia fotos, videos, notas, enlaces o informacion todo 100% Anonimo. General Mail Box: borderlandbeat@gmail.com Want to be a contributor or citizen reporter for Borderland Beat? We love to have you in our team, send us an email! WARNING: Posts may contain strong violent material, discretion is advised. COMMENTS: We do not publish all comments, and we do not publish comments immediately. Meepong Junior Secondary School in Selibe Phikwe performed against all odds to obtain an impressive national second position in the 2017 Junior Certificate Examination (JCE) results realised this week by Botswana Examination Council. Many prophets of doom predicted high rate of failures for many more years to come from all Selebi Phikwe Schools due to the poor economic situation caused by the closure of the BCL mine in 2016. But, against all odds the Meepong Junior Secondary School staff under the leadership of Dorcus Olebile refused to be intimidated and worked around the clock to outclass almost all the schools in Botswana with a 75.8 percent pass rate. They were only outperformed by except Orapa Junior Secondary who got first with a 77.1 percent pass rate. The current group started in 2015 and were the first intake to write the JC examinations having completed a three year term after some of their colleagues left the school on transfers. The move left the school remaining with only 487 students instead of operating at full capacity with 582 students against a total of 47 teachers in a class that had 42 students. Although Meepong has done well, they could not get a merit pass though, instead 5 students obtained A. In Botswana only two students got merit the whole country. This Tuesday, the school suspended classes and took to the streets bringing the usually quite mining town of Selibe Phikwe town to a celebratory mood. We are done with excitement and we have to focus on the next group which is writing at the end of the year, said the school head in an interview. Speaking to BG News, Olebile said for her school to have obtained second position did not come as a surprise as they had confident that they will do well. She is first to admit that success does not come as a chance, but rather though planned hard work. The elated Olebile states that they saw it coming as it was planned for. I must say our planning started years back as our results were not impressive. We increased both the learning and teaching focus and supervision at the beginning of 2016, but a dark cloud fell over us as the BCL mine closed two or so months before the final examinations, she said. According to her the mine closure brought its own serious challenges that the school had to deal with on daily basis amongst them absenteeism, students falling ill, gross indiscipline and loss of parents. This affected the students so much that their parents had to get involved by physically bringing them to school and wait for them whilst seating for their Form 3 examinations. As a result of all this challenges, the school results dropped to 55 percent in 2016. But that did not discourage us as the teaching staff, we decided to embark on a turn around strategy that will bring about good results. She said at the beginning of 2017 they decided to introspect both individually and collectively to see how best we can operate from the same ground so that we lift the morale of all. Our argument is that as Meepong our catchment areas are students from both Phikwe Primary and Reuben Mpabapanga schools which are right in the heart of BCL and we receive the best from this schools, there is no good reason of not performing well if we have set our bearings correctly. She futher noted that they still had to deal with other challenges key amongst them many transfers of students as some parents had to take their children, only to bring them back within the same school term citing various reasons. We also put in place a structure specifically to follow up the many students who were left on their own subsequent to their parents losing their jobs. As teachers we visited such students at their respective homes on basis not only to ensure that they do their homework, but as well as giving them counselling. Other Schools that finished on the top 10 from third positions are Bonnington (74.1), Nanogang (72.8), Mogobane (70.3), Tlogatloga (70.1), Makhubu (66.2), Phatsimo (64.2), Moselewapula (61.9) and Mannatlhoko (61.3) Acting Deputy Secretary General of BOFEPUSU Samuel Molaodi has revealed that the federation will not support any opposition party outside coalition of parties. Molaodi said Batswana have been taken for granted for too long, to still be experiencing vote splitting. He was responding to questions from the media on the federations take on the newly-formed party Real Alternative Party (RAP). RAP was registered in December last year. He said they acknowledge that the party says it comes with a different formula for politics. However, the important thing is for opposition parties to come together. BOFEPUSU stance has not changed to see all opposition parties united. Our hope is that whatever the new party is bringing it would infuse it into other opposition parties which are working together. We are not going to support any party that is a standalone in the coming general elections as we did in 2014. Our wish is for these parties to disband and form one party, said Molaodi. BOFEPUSU leadership was said to be divided over this position following the split of Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) last year which saw the formation of Alliance for Progressives (AP) by disgruntled members. Some had wanted the federation to rally behind the AP while others called for the federation to stick to its stance of united opposition and rally behind Umbrella for Democracy Change which BMD is an affiliate. Molaodi told the media on Wednesday that as elections approach BOFEPUSU would be compiling its Manifesto to indicate members needs and workers at large. He explained that any party that has policies that are in line with their demands as workers will enjoy their support. If incoming President Mokgweetsi Masisi listens to us we would also listen to his party, said Molaodi. Zion Christian Church (ZCC) and its leader Bishop Barnabas Edward Lekganyane have agreed to pay P45 000.00 as security for their appeal case against a Lobatse High Court decision barring them from holding disciplinary hearing against members. The security is a commitment by the Church to indicate that should he/she lose the appeal would be able to pay the cost if the application is dismissed with costs. ZCC and its leader Bishop Barnabas Lekganyane are appealing a decision by Justice Nthomiwa of Lobatse High Court which bars the church from proceeding with a disciplinary hearing against seventeen (17) members of Tlokweng Branch. Lawyers for both parties have also agreed that all documents that were used at the high court would form part of the Court of Appeal proceedings. A date for the appeal is expected to be set after the appellants have fulfilled their promise to pay the security. The 17 disgruntled members of Tlokweng Branch had taken the church to court to interdict the church on taking disciplinary hearing against them after they challenged the way things are run in Botswana. Justice Nthomiwa agreed with the church members that they have made a case and interdicted the church and its leader and restrained them from holding any disciplinary hearing against them in terms of the Notice to Attend a Disciplinary hearing dated 20th November 2015, pending the outcome of their case before Justice Mothobi. The applicants also wanted the court to interdict the Respondents (ZCC and Lekganyane) from holding such a disciplinary hearing pending the church and its leader listening to and addressing the grievances lodged by the Applicants with the church on April 8th 2014 and alternatively, the Respondents furnishing the applicants with particulars of the charges they are alleged to have committed. In a notice of grounds of appeal filed by Bishop Lekganyane and the church seen by Botswana Guardian, the appellants want the decision by Justice Nthomiwa set aside. According to the court papers the High Court erred and or misdirected itself by assuming jurisdiction on a matter involving theological/administrative disputes between church members. It is further argued that the lower court erred by holding that the 11 members (respondents in the appeal case) are entitled to an interdict restraining the church from conducting disciplinary hearing pending the outcome of the case before Justice Mothobi. The court a quo (court below) erred and/or misdirected itself by holding that the respondents are entitled to an interdict restraining the Appellants from holding disciplinary proceedings against the Respondents pending the Appellants listening and addressing the grievances lodged by the Respondents on the 8th of April 2014, says the court papers. In his judgement Justice Nthomiwa dismissed claims raised by Lekganyane and the ZCC during arguments that the applicants had withdrawn their case. If an agreement to settle had been reached it could have been confirmed in writing as is customary in this jurisdiction or at least, an application could have been made to court for confirmation of the oral settlement agreement. Of further note is that the Constitution of the ZCC does not exclude the right to have grievances heard. The ZCC as a voluntary organisation is also subject to rules of natural justice and the right to be heard is an important right, he stated. He also dismissed the point raised by the Respondents that the Applicants were not entitled to request for further particulars of their offence. He said the request for further particulars was a valid request which the church and its leader should have addressed to facilitate preparations for the subsequent hearing by the Applicants. Botswana Federation of Public, Private and Parastatal Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) is preparing its demands to be presented to incoming President Mokgweetsi Masisi. The Federation has expectations from Vice President Masisi as he prepares to assume the high office on April 1st 2018, which they will present to him in the form of documentation. BOFEPUSU Acting Secretary General, Mogomotsi Motshegwa said there are priorities that they would want Masisi to focus on among them rooting out corruption in the country. However, top of the list is for the incoming president and his administration to repeal all draconic laws that have closed the democratic space for workers. He stated that another demand would be for the suspension of advertising ban on private media houses which was imposed during the current administration. Laws like the Trade Dispute Act which has essentialised almost everyone in the public service; the intended amendment of Public Service Act whose intention is to totally kill the bargaining power of the workers in the country. We want Masisi to lift the advertising ban. Currently newspapers are retrenching because there is no revenue generated. Advertising is the lifeline of the media especially newspapers and without advertising, there is no business and people will lose their jobs. This is because government is the biggest advertiser and ever since government decided to withhold advertising in the private media newspapers, they have been struggling financially, said Motshegwa who is acting on behalf of Tobokani Rari who is currently in Italy to further his studies on labour issues until April this year. Motshegwa told a press conference in Gaborone that as the Federation they also want Masisi to improve labour relations in the country which are currently at their lowest ebb. As the Federation representing most of the public servants, BOFEPUSU expect Masisi to restore Public Service Bargaining Council (PSBC) which serves as Parliament for public servants. The PSBC has to be independent and operate without fear or favour, said the acting secretary general. He explained that each of the demands would have its own timeline given the fact that Masisi as head of state would be dealing with other matters of national importance. He said they are however aware of governments tendency of making promises but failing to implement them. In this regard as the federation we would be having monitoring tools in place. It is not that we are making these demands not knowing what government of the day is capable of. We would be watching closely to ensure that what we want is delivered. We believe that Masisi will heed these demands with the aim of taking a different approach to rectify the mess created by the one he is taking after being President Ian Khama, he stated. Local jazz music fraternity this week thronged social media with messages expressing their heartfelt condolences following the death of South African Jazz icon Hugh Masekela who died at age 78 after succumbing to prostate cancer. Having settled in Botswana during exile in 1980 and stayed in the landlocked country for more than four years, Masekela has influenced the growth of many local music makers, promoters and fans. Among other things Masekela did in Botswana was establishing a music school he named international school of music based in Extension 10 in Gaborone. Masekela left Botswana in 1985 with a local live band fearing for his life after the South African Defence Force (SADF) raided Gaborone looking for South Africans in exiles. The band he left with for London included the likes of John Selolwane, Banjo Mosele and Aubri Woki. His music in Botswana often entertained Botswana audiences and was felt through his soothing voice and an incredible sound of a trumpet. The one show that left many in awe and asking for endless encores was the last that the legend held in Botswana Craft where he performed alongside Socca Moruakgomo in 2014. Local music promoter Zenzele Hirschfield who worked alongside the music legend in most of the concerts and showcases locally has described the popular trumpeter as a man of integrity, reliability and poise. I met Bra Hugh when I was only 20 years and at the time I was clueless over most of the music challenges promoters face. He greatly influenced the direction I took regarding music promoting, she said. Hirschfield says that the South African trumpeter was very patient when facilitating and teaching music concepts. He believed in humankind and culture above all things. Bra Hugh believed we were all beautiful and unique in our own way that is why he would emphasise the use of no beauty modifiers, said Hirschfield. She added that Masekela believed Botswana culture was opulent and beautiful hence Batswana musicians being obliged to make it shine through music. Further, Hirschfield explained that Masekelas level of perseverance when seeking a certain project to be delivered was one trait all local musicians had to develop to triumph to the same success he achieved. He was a strong man and he would go on and pursue an unnerving task and I believe that is what set him apart from the rest, added Hirschfield. Masekela touched the hearts of many across Africa when he embarked on journey he called Africa Unite where he travelled to Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire) in 1973. He has released and issued a total number of 40 albums with his final one named No boarders which was released in 2016. Basadi Masimolole is a well-known face in the social scene, revered as a mean marketer and fashionista. However, she is now carving a new albeit similar path in her life, merging her passions to create a soaring brand known as Celebrating Africa. In an interview with BG Style, Masimolole shares that she left Multichoice where she was in marketing last year after eight years with the company. The plan was to take a break for a month and get back into the knick of things, she says. However, it lasted a bit longer than she had anticipated which was welcome as it accorded her time to reflect on her life, career and plans. She came up with the idea to create Celebrating Africa, a registered business, after realising that Africa is brimming with talent and untapped potential. She intends to work with brands that are exclusively African. She cites Choppies and Kwese as brands she has plans to work with, as their stories are exclusively African. We often talk about the monopoly aspect of Choppies but it is a brand that started in Botswana. Imagine how much we would capitalise if we celebrated that part. Choppies is now spreading across Africa and now India, we could be looking at ways of incorporating our dreams and ideals into the brand instead of talking it down, she says. She points out that the owner of Kwese, Strive Masiviya also inspires her. Before, there was just Dstv and now there is this African man who is making television accessible to all Africans. It is amazing. Those and other stories inspire her and she wants to work with small and big enterprises to change perceptions on Africa and get African brands and people out there on the global platform. We always say that Europe looks down on us but they rely on us to feed them with our narrative: what is it? How will we be taken seriously if we look down on ourselves? Her ideas lean heavily on the ethos of Black Consciousness, the African Renaissance and Pan Africanism. Coming back home, she points out that the challenge is that Batswana dont know how to blow their own horn. It is like taboo to point out that you are great and exceptional: we are expected to wait for other people. But look at Nigerians they are proud of their history, culture, languages and lifestyle. They are proud of their culture and that is how they have created a niche in business and culture. Now you hear people talking about a Nigerian sound: it sells the people and the country too, she adds. Masimolole is also working on creating a virtual agency to accommodate all the different interests. Masimolole is also studying psychology through UNISA. She says that she is passionate about helping people, especially as she comprehends the struggles that different people go through in life. I have my own fair share of challenges and pains so I understand when people are hurt and in pain, she explains. Her divorce a few years ago left her shaken to the core but she has lived to tell the story. It was a difficult time for me to deal with the emotions and everything but I got help. I did therapy and counselling, something that helped me go through the process. I started from the point of denial to acceptance, she says. Away from her projects, Masimolole is a socialite but finds solace in writing, a pastime she finds therapeutic. She also minds what she eats, jogs and does yoga: she candidly refers to herself as a health freak. Allyson Livingstone joins the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Photo/Mike Lovett Allyson Livingstone Allyson Livingstone is Brandeis Universitys new Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Education, Training, and Development. Livingstone will work with Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Mark Brimhall-Vargas; She has an extensive background in social work, equity and social justice consulting in education from pre-schools to colleges and universities. Her background is in community and college mental health, and she has served as a member of social work faculty at Simmons College and Salem State University. A native of Brookline, Massachusetts whose family immigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica, Livingstone studied religion as an undergraduate student at Haverford College. She also earned a Master of Social Work degree from New York University and a doctorate from Simmons College School of Social Work. BrandeisNOW caught up with Livingstone to discuss her hopes for her role at Brandeis: BrandeisNOW: What are your primary responsibilities in your new role? Allyson Livingstone: I will be offering ongoing training, education and support around equity, justice, multisystemic privilege, oppression and intersectionality to academic and non-academic departments and staff and student groups on campus. The purpose of this work is to move toward equitable outcomes for all in our community. In choosing my job title, I wanted to be clear that my responsibilities also involve equity and inclusion. Diversity efforts alone are not enough were diverse just by being in a room together. Equity and inclusion are about changing systems of privilege and oppression. BNOW: What are your goals for diversity, equity and inclusion at Brandeis? AL: Since I only just arrived and am new to the campus, I am working on meeting the many people in our community. In an institution, efforts to pursue equity happen in large part through building relationships. I want to develop relationships with people and departments. I want to meet folks and let folks get to know me. I need to learn from our community to understand how we can further advance equitable outcomes. I want to learn from individuals about their needs and how Brandeis can best pursue social justice. BNOW: How does your previous experience inform the work youll conduct at Brandeis? AL: I certainly draw on my experiences as a former student. As a student, I was marginalized based on my identity and I didnt always get what I needed with regard to equity, outcomes and justice. I think many students are still not getting what they need, either, and are struggling with being heard, accepted and brought to the table. As an educator I wasnt trained to deeply think about how privilege and oppression impacts the work that students do and the work that we do with students it certainly does. So, I want to learn from students and hear from them in real time to understand what they need with regard to equity and justice. BNOW: What about Brandeis is special to you? AL: I really appreciate that this space emerged, in part, out of resistance. The people who founded Brandeis recognized that exclusion was at work in their lives and in response they developed a community that reflected their truth. Today, Brandeis is still here, which is incredible. There was a movement of resistance breaking through the inner-workings of oppression and privilege. That is inspiring and so exciting to me. Its an expression of social action and justice. That ethos that narrative and ideology is an incredible foundation for this space. At last, a real Muji home to rest our head for the night Ever entered a Muji store and thought, "I could live in a place like this?" Well, at some point, the important people behind the cult-favourite Japanese retailer probably heard you (and millions of others) echoing the same sentiment, which brings us to this very moment. The world's first ever Muji hotel is finally here. Our prayers have been answered. Their maiden residence in Shenzhen, China is exactly what you would imagine a Muji abode to look like all of the 79 rooms rep classic wooden finishes, familiar grey sofas, and crisp white sheets, i.e. the Muji aesthetic in a nutshell. Here are five things to note about the minimalist hotel, before you go ahead and book a stay next time you're in Shenzhen. 1. A stay here is pretty pocket-friendly It's Muji after all we certainly wouldn't call it a luxury hotel. In exchange for fancy Smart TVs and an extraordinary turn-down service, they pride themselves on providing a stay governed by quality sleep. Practicality first. Think comfortable lighting and coil mattresses with optimum firmness. There are also the basic essentials stocked in the room, like toothbrushes, electric kettles, and even a wall-mounted CD players, all of which are Muji products. Room rates run from RMB 950 (SGD 197) to RMB 2,500 (SGD 518) per night. 2. You can get a decent workout here The hotel comprises of a small-scale gym equipped with the basic neccessities like treadmills, aero-bikes, and weights. While it isn't exactly the biggest fitness playground out there, this mini gym will suffice for the busy traveller looking to pencil in a short workout. 3. The hotel strongly encourages reading We never pegged Muji to be the bookworm type but this is probably our favourite part of the hotel their 24-hour library offers a sizeable collection of over 650 books catered to all ages and varying cultures. It is free to use for both the general public and hotel guests. 4. You won't have to worry about running out of anything Forgot to pack an extra set of clothes or your facial cleanser? Not to worry, the hotel is also home to one of the largest Muji stores in China, which takes up the second and third floor of the building. With everyday items like clothing, cosmetics, and skincare, you won't have to leave the hotel to get what you need. 5. There are more Muji hotels coming your way The hotel in Shenzhen certainly won't be the brand's last. Come March 2018, the brand's second hotel will open in Beijing, while its third is set to debut in Tokyo in 2019. Exciting times ahead, indeed. For more information or to book a stay at Muji Hotel Shenzhen, click here. Investors seem to have given up on the telecom sector after waiting for nearly a decade to make some money in stocks here. Kotak Institutional Equity (KIE), a leading brokerage, has decided to drop coverage on Bharti Airtel, the largest mobile telephony operator, citing a dismal financial outlook. The move raises a question mark over long-term financial viability of the sector and investor ability to generate decent return. The KIE decision is in the wake of launching a new round of aggressive price cuts to make further inroads into subscribers and the revenue base of older operators. KIE says the successive price cuts by Jio havr made it nearly impossible for the industry to raise revenue and recover the capital expenditure involved in rolling out a national network. "Jio's aggressive competition could continue for a very long time, until it reaches some undefined market share, revenue or profit targets. We are not sure if Indian market revenues will be sufficient by then for the industry to earn any decent return on investment," write analysts led by Sanjeev Prasad in their latest India Strategy report. The market frustration with the sector cane be understood. The older operators have seen steady decline in their revenues after the commercial launch of services by Jio in July 2016. For example, Idea Cellular's quarterly revenue rate is down 31.4 per cent, from a peak of Rs 9.5 trillion during the March 2016 quarter. In the same period, Bharti Airtel's consolidated quarterly revenue rate is down 20.6 per cent, while revenue at its Indian mobile division is down 27 per cent. The result has been a slump in sectoral profitability. Bharti Airtel's profit before interest and taxes (PBIT) at its India mobile division declined to a record low of Rs 1,671 million during October-December 2017, fromt Rs 32,667 mn during January-March 2016. This will translate into a loss at the net level when adjusted for depreciation. It's worse at Idea Cellular, a pure-play mobile operator unlike diversified Airtel. Idea reported a net loss of Rs 12,855 mn during the third quarter of FY18, against net profit of Rs 8,548 mn during the last quarter of FY16. "Incumbents are impacted by continued delay in revenue recovery, sub-par return on capital employed and continued elevated capex spends. Bharti and Idea are bound to see underperformance from current levels, as the wait for recovery has gotten longer again," say Naval Seth and Ashish Agrawal of Emkay Global Financial Services. In a way, Airtel and Idea have given away all the gains (in their finances) since they made their debut on the bourses over a decade ago. For example, Airtel had net profit of Rs 252 mn in its maiden quarterly result in March 2003. Idea reported net profit of Rs 1,168 mn in its maiden quarterly result, in March 2006. Analysts say the biggest challenge for the industry is to generate enough cash profit to pay for the recurring capital expenditure that operations demand. Idea's incremental annual capex has exceeded annual cash profits in the past two years; Airtel is likely to see the first annual shortfall in cash profit over three years in FY18. This could lead to leveraged balance sheets and downward pressure on stock prices. Jio has no such financial compulsion; it is part of a much bigger and diversified group. At the consolidated level, Reliance Industries reported cash profit of around Rs 420 trillion in FY17, more than twice Airtel's and Idea's combined capex for the year. Many analysts are, however, betting on Airtel to survive the onslaught, given its industry leadership and diversified business portfolio, including its Africa mobile business. Revenues from the India mobile business accounted for only 51 per cent of consolidated revenue during the first nine months of FY18. "In the current scenario, Bharti is relatively better placed to fight out competition but it would be a painful fight, with a leveraged balance sheet and continuous fall in India Ebitda (operating profit)," says Naval of Emkay Global. Others expect the emergence of oligopolistic competition, allowing survivors to raise rates and turn profitable. "The numbers of operators is falling fast and we will soon have a three-player oligopoly, if not a duopoly. This will allow survivors to raise tariffs (rates) beyond a threshold and turn profitable. What we are seeing now is a battle to survive that will go on for another two-three years before a new market share equilibrium emerges," says G Chokkalingam, managing director, Equinomics Research & Advisory. Many investors seem to believe in the theory -- the Airtel stock price is still up 30 per cent in the past 12 months, despite FY18 reporting one of the worst quarterly results in many years. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor A Delhi-bound IndiGo flight from the Kolkata airport had to return shortly after take-off when smoke was seen emanating from one of its engines. Flight 6E 616, with 174 passengers on board, took off from the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport at 2.38pm but returned to the bay at 2.57pm after the Air Traffic Control saw smoke billowing from its left engine, a security official said. "Full emergency was declared immediately and the flight landed safely," the official added. All passengers were safe and the incident was reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, IndiGo said. The airline added that the passengers were accommodated in a different aircraft, which departed nearly two hours after the incident, at 4.56pm. "The flight experienced high engine vibration in engine 2 immediately after take-off from Kolkata. The Captain-in- Command immediately alerted the base and took the decision to return to bay. All necessary SOPs were carried out. India's two top lawyers will be arguing in the Singapore Court of Appeal the case of Japan's Daiichi Sankyo Company and Ranbaxy Laboratories of India, according to a media report. Ranbaxy has taken on senior advocate Harish Salve who is also the first non-Queen's Counsel (QC) foreign lawyer, and the first from the Indian Bar, to be allowed to argue a case in the Singapore High Court, the Straits Times reported today. Daiichi has assigned on an equal stature advocate Gopal Subramanium for its team. The case involved some 20 Ranbaxy shareholders, including five young people, who had sold a controlling stake in the multi-national pharmaceutical company to Daiichi Sankyo Company in 2008. But in 2012, the Japanese pharmaceutical firm started arbitration proceedings in Singapore against the Indian firm, claiming it had been misled during negotiations for the sale agreement. The sellers of Ranbaxy, who were in two groups, then applied to the High Court to set aside the award on several grounds when Daiichi sought to enforce the order here. By a two-to-one majority, the arbitration panel in 2016 found in favour of Daiichi and awarded the company more than 500 million Singapore dollars. Under the law, a foreign counsel can be admitted to argue cases in court in Singapore on an ad hoc basis if he is a QC or holds a rank of equal distinction from any other country, and has special qualifications or experience for the purpose of the case, according to the Singapore daily. The Court of Appeal, in judgment grounds released last week, explained Salve's ad hoc admission, saying it "was satisfied that the need for the assistance of qualified Indian counsel had been amply demonstrated" in the circumstances of a case that had involved arbitration proceedings in Singapore. "Given our findings on the complexity of the Indian law issues, the court hearing the Singapore proceedings would definitely be more assisted by Indian counsel than by local counsel," the Straits Times quoted the judgement grounds. The Indian firm also sought to have Salve admitted so that "he might address difficult and novel Indian law issues inherent in the Singapore proceedings". The High Court turned down the application last year and Salve, represented by a leading Singapore law firms Rajah & Tann and WongPartnership for the two groups of sellers from Ranbaxy, then appealed to the apex court. They succeeded in the Court of Appeal last year before Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Judges of Appeal Judith Prakash and Tay Yong Kwang. Daiichi was defended by a team of lawyers led by Suresh Divyanathan, while Jeyendran Jeyapal served as lead counsel for the Attorney-General. Christopher Daniel was lead counsel for the Law Society of Singapore. In written grounds last week explaining its decision, the Court of Appeal said it found it relevant for Salve to represent the parties in their challenge. Noting that one group of sellers in the case were minors, it said their issue involved Indian public policy and accepted that Salve, having been Solicitor-General of India for three years, would have considerable experience in Indian public policy and broad experience in Indian law. It added that the Singapore case arose out of an international arbitration matter where the governing law was foreign law but the seat was Singapore. Stressing that not every such case governed by foreign law will see foreign counsel admitted, the top court clarified that "it is all a question of what the court needs to assist it in achieving a correct and just result in the case before it". "Given our findings on the complexity of the Indian law issues, the court hearing the Singapore proceedings would definitely be more assisted by Indian counsel than by local counsel," The Straits Times had Judge Prakash writing on the court's behalf. Softbank-backed Ola has launched its service in Australia, its first overseas market, as it looks to fulfill its global ambitions in line with the ride-hailing model peers and competitors such as Didi Chuxing, Grab and Uber have built. The company in a press note said that it has begun inviting private hire vehicle owners in the cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to sign up on its service. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Cyrus Mistry's counsel in his argument at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Tuesday said that the provision in Tata Sons' Articles of Association that gives powers to the principal shareholders to force a shareholder to sell his share is in contravention to the company law and invalid. He also said that the holding company's move to convert itself into a private company is a retrograde step as it will dilute the governance standards. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor In the first faint signs of rapprochement amid a pitched battle over Usha Martin, Rajeev Jhawar, one of the promoters, said, he was open to a settlement. The two promoter factions - Brij Jhawar, his son, Rajeev Jhawar, on one side and Basant Jhawar, with son, Prashant Jhawar, on the other - have an equal share in Usha Martin, which is the most prized entity with a turnover of Rs 36.05 billion in the group. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Srija Chatterjee, managing director, Publicis Worldwide, is among the few women heads of an advertising agency in India. At a time when Indian companies and boards are looking to introduce more women at the top, Chatterjee, who has worked for agencies such as Mullen Lowe and advertisers such as Marico earlier, believes the criterion for selection should be meritocracy and not gender. Women, she says, fall off the map too easily in advertising, resulting in fewer of them at the top. Chatterjee also believes that Publicis Worldwide will have to work harder to push up its ranking in the ... The southern states of India suffered one of their worst years of drought last summer. With the recent monsoon hardly favourable, these states stare at another tough year this time. The storage level at reservoirs in the region has dropped to 38 per cent, the lowest among the five regions of the country, show latest data. According to the water resources ministry numbers, despite having the highest level of storage among the regions, the level of water storage in the eastern region is lower than last year. The water storage level at 91 major reservoirs of the country for the ... A 30-year-old Indian-origin software engineer was found dead in the US state of Texas, according to officials. Venkannagari Krishna Chaitanya, who moved to the US three years ago, was living as a paying guest in Arlington, a suburb of Dallas in Texas, sources at the Indian Consulate said. When Chaitanya did not came out of his room for a long time, his landlord broke in and found his body. Chaitanya was working in Cognizant Technologies on a Southeast Airlines project. The authorities in the US have informed Chaitanya's family in Telangana about his death. "We are in touch with the family in India and coordinating transportation of the mortal remains to India as soon as possible," Houston Consulate General Anupam Ray's office sources told PTI. The cause of Chaitanya's death is "not known", sources at the Houston Consulate said, adding that his body has been sent for postmortem. The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Chief Secretaries of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Haryana on a contempt plea filed by Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, for their failure to curb violence by cow vigilantes in violation of top court's orders. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice AM Khanwilkar, and Justice DY Chandrachud issued the notice on Tushar Gandhi's plea that instead of putting down activities of cow vigilante groups, there was a multi-fold increase in their attacks. Seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against the Chief Secretaries of the three states, the petitioner sought their summoning to explain their position vis-a-vis the top court's directions on September 6, 2017. The contempt plea filed by Tushar Gandhi on December 1, 2017, refers to several incidents of targeted lynching of Muslims by the cow vigilante groups in the three states even after the Supreme Court's September 6 order. "There have been three gruesome incidents of targeted lynching in Rajasthan and Haryana in the last two months," Tushar Gandhi said in his contempt plea, pointing to the "thrashing" of three Muslim clerics in Delhi-Shamli passenger train. The top court's September 6 order last year had asserted that has to stop and directed states/Union Territories to appoint district nodal officers to take steps to prevent such attacks and act against perpetrators of such violence. Observing that was not "permissible", the court had said that "there has to be some kind of action". The court had also instructed state Chief Secretaries in coordination with the Directors General of Police to crack down on vigilante groups. "As far as highway patrolling is concerned, the Chief Secretary of each state, in consultation with the Directors General of Police, shall take steps and file affidavits by the next date of hearing," the court said in its September 6 order as it was told that most such violence by vigilante groups was taking place on the and state highways. A strong stench overpowers the smell of fish while travelling along the coast of the Arabian Sea at Porbandar towards Subhashnagar in Gujarat, a colony of sorts of fishermen. There are no concrete roads, streets lights are a rare sight and stray pigs are not uncommon around open drains in the area. Amidst this stands a temple of Santoshi Mata in a pool of sewage water overflowing from the open drain near it. Around the temple is where about a thousand families of fishermen live, surrounded by an unbearable smell.. Among them are four of the 291 fishermen who were released in two batches ... The unit of the on Monday termed the lodging of an FIR against Army personnel over the killing of two youth, allegedly in firing by jawans, in Shopian as "unfortunate and disgusting" asserting that nothing should be done that demoralises the forces. The issue was also raised in the state Assembly by a MLA who demanded the FIR be withdrawn as a magisterial probe was already ordered in the incident. The J&K Police had registered an FIR under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Ranbir Penal Code against personnel of the 10, Garhwal unit of the Army over the deaths of two youths, allegedly in Army firing, in Shopian last week. State spokesperson Virender Gupta in a statement termed as "unfortunate and disgusting", the lodging of the FIR against a major and other personnel on the charge of murder and attempt to murder by the state government when no FIR was lodged or enquiry ordered against the stone pelters. Significantly, BJP is ruling the state in alliance with the PDP led by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. "Nothing should be done that demoralises the forces who are fighting the Pakistan sponsored terrorism in the valley against many odds to restore peace and normalcy in state and save the integrity of the nation," Gupta said. He said Indian army was considered one of the most disciplined forces in the world and has played a unique role across the globe on the UN call. The circumstances that were created by the stone pelters in Shopian, subjecting Army convoy to heavy pelting, hurting a JCO and others and damaging vehicles, left no other option for the personnel but to resort to firing in self defence, the BJP leader said. He asked what business the so-called "innocent" mob had to attack the Army convoy with stones. "The forces are facing great resistance whenever they cordon an area in search of terrorists. The people of the area come out in a mob and attack the forces with stones and make their work extremely difficult," he said. Gupta rued that none of the Kashmiri leaders appealed against the obstruction of security operations to save the valley from destruction, he said. He said when the forces retaliate, then these leaders make a hue and cry and come in the defence of the mob. If the political class of the valley is so much against the forces then morality demands they shed away the security availed by them, the BJP spokesperson said. A BJP legislator also demanded the withdrawal of the FIR saying a magisterial probe was already ordered. "The FIR registered against the Army personnel should be withdrawn. A magisterial probe has already been ordered into the incident and the law should take its course," BJP MLA R S Pathania said in the state Assembly. He said it was a sensitive issue and the BJP's point of view was that loss of human life was condemnable. "There is a consensus on the magisterial probe and criminal action should be taken against the guilty. But naming the Army personnel in the FIR (without completion of the inquiry) and levelling serious offences should not have been done," he said. Questioning the claim that Army resorted to unprovoked firing, he said several personnel were injured besides a number of vehicles were also damaged in the stone-pelting by the mob. The BJP leader also questioned the opposition's "silence" on his party's demand for adopting a resolution condemning Pakistan's recent unprovoked and indiscriminate shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) which left 14 persons including seven civilians dead and over 70 others injured. The remark triggered a heated exchange between opposition and BJP members as the former accused the saffron party of playing politics on the issue. "It was the opposition which raised the border shelling issue on the floor of the house and forced the parliamentary affairs minister (A R Veeri) to give a statement," Conference MLA Ali Mohammad Sagar countered. On the Shopian incident, Pathania attacked the opposition for setting a 15-day timeline for the completion of the magisterial inquiry and said the party would have appreciated if the members had called for an impartial probe. He lauded Sagar for his remark that restoration of peace should be the priority of all the members. Invoking former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's 'Insaniyat, Kashmiriyat and jamhooriyat' comment, he said it was like a commandment for the party. The drink kombucha was previously only popular in hipster cafes, but is now vying for space on the supermarket shelves. Many claims are made about the health benefits of drinking kombucha, but what does the science say? For those of you who havent tried it, kombucha is a quirky-tasting drink. Depending on whats added to it, its best described as a sour apple cider, perhaps with vinegary notes. Kombucha is an ancient beverage that was originally consumed in China more than 2,200 years ago for its detoxifying and energising properties. As trade routes expanded, ... Corporate Governance is in the interests of companies as it enhances their image, acceptability and profitability, says Ministry of Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas Shri Injeti Srinivas, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, said, The challenge before India is to figure out a way to internalise Corporate Governance. Corporate Governance is in the interests of companies as it enhances their image, acceptability and profitability." Shri Sriniwas said this at a Cooperation Agreement signing ceremony between the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) at the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, New Delhi today. DG & CEO, IICA & Joint Secretary, MCA Shri Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh and Mr Jun Zhang, Country Head, IFC were the signatories. Presiding over the signing ceremony, Shri Injeti Srinivas, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs said, Good governance is the key to sustainability of any initiative, be it companies or the Government." He said currently India is the 6th largest economy in the world and in the next decade India will be in the three largest economies of the world. He said that companies will compete for ratings in Corporate Governance if the Corporate Governance norms play an important role in their value. Shri Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary, MCA and DG & CEO, IICA welcomed the house and spoke on the collaborative framework of the Cooperation Agreement covering many areas. He flagged the importance of the National Voluntary Guidelines on social, environmental and economic responsibilities of business. Corporate Governance is important because there are so many companies but not enough time to track them all. Corporate governance can become the basis of indexing companies and also to ensure compliance. Mr Jun Zhang, Country Head, IFC, shared that India is IFCs strongest partner in terms of investment. He also underlined the fact that Corporate Governance is the most critical factor to know if the investment is a success or a failure. Ms Preeti Malhotra, Member, Board of Governance, IICA, said proper implementation of the laws is the key to good Corporate Governance. Ms Vladislava Ryabota, Lead CG, IFC World Bank briefed the house on IFCs past collaborations with IICA, covering training as well as major conferences. IFC looks forward to continuing the engagement under the present agreement. She also emphasised on the need for training of board members to work as a team. Earlier, Dr Niraj Gupta, Head, School of Corporate Governance and Public Policy, IICA, welcomed the house. Vote of thanks was extended by Ms Geeta Singh Rathore, Chief Administrative Officer, IICA. IICA-IFC Collaboration Framework IICA - IFC Cooperation Agreement covers two years duration. The programme to be pursued under the agreement is committed to strengthen the corporate affairs and Corporate Governance practices in India by enhancing the capabilities of key professionals engaged in the process. The focus of the programme will be to strengthen the institution of Independent Directors, Women Directors and other Corporate Governance Professionals. The programme also aims at supporting IICA and Ministry of Corporate Affairs in instituting a Corporate Governance Index for monitoring the improvements in compliance and governance practices of public as well as private sector yearly. The indexing of the practice is likely to provide a competitive and enabling environment for constant improvements in tune with the reform process of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Dr. Harsh vardhan inaugurates high performance computing (HPC) facility at Noida Facility to propel Indias ranking to Top 30 in the list of hpc facilities in The World Union Minister for Earth Science, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has urged scientists and researchers to strengthen fundamental science and move towards solution science. Dedicating to the nation, the High Performance Computer (HPC) System named Mihir (meaning Sun) at the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) at Noida today, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that with this facility, Indias capacity in weather forecasting will improve. The Minister said that the HPC facility will be Indias largest HPC facility in terms of peak capacity and performance and will propel Indias ranking from the 368th position to around the top 30 in the Top 500 list of HPC facilities in the world. He also pointed out that India will now also be ranked 4th, after Japan, UK and USA for dedicated HPC resources for weather/climate community. Dr. Harsh Vardhan expressed confidence that soon India will be able to match the capacities of these four nations. Stating that Indias scientific research capabilities can be compared to the best in the world, he pointed out that Government sponsored National Laboratories top the institutions contribute most in terms of number of research papers in the field of Earth Sciences. Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated that the Ministry, in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is providing district-level agro meteorological advisories to farmers through 130 agromet field units. Presently about 24 million farmers receive these advisories with information of weather forecasts on district level. These services will now be extended to block level (for about 6500 blocks) by establishing district centres (630 centres) with the help of ICAR KrishiVigyanKendras. It is planned to reach out to about 45 million farmers by July 2018, he said. In this regard, the Minister also referred to the Union Cabinets approval to the National Monsoon Mission. Recounting some of the other achievements of Ministry of Earth Science, Dr. Harsh Vardhan referred to a Rs. 500 crore project in Koyna for putting in place an earthquake warning system. Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, MoES, Dr M. Rajeevan said that at present, forecasts are being made for the district level, but efforts are being made to take it down to the block level. The new HPC facility is expected to improve the following services: Weather forecasts at block level over India which can predict extreme weather events. High resolution seasonal/extended range forecasts of active/break spells of Monsoon. Very high resolution coupled models for prediction of cyclones with more accuracy and lead time. Ocean state forecasts including marine water quality forecasts at very high resolution. Tsunami forecasts with greater lead time. Air quality forecasts for various cities Climate projections at very high resolution. This new HPC facility will not only help in meeting the operational requirements of the MoES but also support the research and development activities in MoES and other academic institutions working on various problems related to Earth Science. The Ministry of Earth Science has developed several services for societal benefits catering to a variety of sectors of economy by building state-of-the-art systems for multi-hazard risk reduction from cyclones, floods/droughts, heat/cold waves, earthquakes and tsunamis. The Ministry has acquired the HPC facility of 6.8 Peta Flops (PF) and has been installed at two of its constituent units: 4.0 Peta Flops HPC facility at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune and 2.8 Peta Flops facility at NCMRWF, Noida. The HPC facility Pratyush at IITM was dedicated to the nation on January 8, 2018. This facility is part of Ministrys continuous endeavor to provide world class forecast services to the citizens of India through its various operational and research and development activities. The Ministry holistically addresses all aspects related to the Earth System Science for providing weather, climate, ocean, coastal state, hydrological and seismological services. The services include forecasts and warnings for various natural disasters. In addition, the ministry also has the mandate to undertake ocean surveys for living and non-living resources and exploration of all the three poles (Arctic, Antarctic and Himalayas). The services provided by the Ministry are being effectively used by different agencies and state governments for saving human lives and minimizing damages due to natural disasters. REPORT ON BIBLIOMETRICS ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH IN EARTH SCIENCE RELEASED Dr. Harsh Vardhan also released the report titled Bibliometrics analysis of research in the field of Earth System Science on the occasion. He emphasized that on an average, Indian researchers contribute about 5% of papers in Earth Sciences published worldwide and Indian researchers contribute about 7% of highly cited papers published in Earth Sciences worldwide. After releasing the report, the Minister said that Indias scholarly output has shown a growth of 11.8% (Compound Annual Growth Rate) during 2006-2015, registering a sharp increase from 5.6% (1995 to 2005). The Minister underlined that in terms of number of research papers during the recent decade (2006-2015), India stands 1st in Himalayan Research, 9th in Atmospheric Sciences, 9th in Geosciences, 15th in Ocean sciences, 16th in Antarctic Research and 25th in the field of Arctic Research. The Minister also stated that institutes that top in various fields include - NGRI, Hyderabad in Geosciences, IITM Pune in Atmospheric Sciences, NIO Goa in Ocean Science, NCAOR Goa in Antarctic and Arctic Sciences and Wadia Institute Dehradun in Himalayan Science. Dr. Harsh Vardhan also pointed out that some universities come very close to the top positions and cited Annamalai University in Ocean Sciences and IIT Kharagpur in Geosciences as examples. Expert analysis of global research outputs is an essential prerequisite to understand global structure and dynamics of research and development and integrate it into policy documents. Latest tools and techniques of Bibliometrics and Scientometrics are routinely used for such analysis. Understanding the importance of this activity, a project was taken up for the first time in the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) to carry out intensive analysis of research landscape of Earth System Science in India and the world, in two time periods: 1996-2005 and 2006-2015. Publication of the report titled Bibliometrics analysis of research in the field of Earth System Science is the outcome towards that end. The report will help us to understand research development scenario in Earth System Science, and the position of India in international landscape. The Study was performed on the following six topics which are of relevance to the Ministry of Earth Sciences, in two time periods, 1996 to 2005 and 2006 to 2015. Antarctic Research Arctic Research Himalayan Research Atmospheric Science & Technology Geo-science and Technology (Geo Research) and Ocean Science and Technology (Ocean Research). Some other key findings: Global research in Earth System Science published 340,905 papers between 1996 and 2005 and 571,616 papers between 2006 and 2015, a nearly 70% increase between the two decades. Annual research output in all subject areas increased in the 20-year period. The proportion of internationally collaborative papers also increased from 27.6% to 36.7%. Between 1996-2005 and 2006-2015, the level of international collaboration increased in the most recent period in all six subject areas. On an average 20-30% of research papers published by Indian researchers come from international collaborations. Among the funding agencies in research, DST, MOES and CSIR contribute maximum number of research papers. Director, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Dr. K.J Ramesh, the Head of NCMRWF, Dr. E.N Rajgopal, Project Director, Dr. Praveen Kumar, Joint Secretary, MoES, Dr. Vipin Chandra were among those in the gathering. GeM 3.0 launched Government e Marketplace announces National Sellers On-boarding Campaign Government e Marketplace (GeM), has been envisaged by Government of India as the National Procurement Portal of India. GeM strives to keep pace with ever-evolving technological challenges and stake holder aspirations and in line with this endeavour, GeM is coming up with a scaled up third version. The GeM 2.0 was launched as a pilot in August 2016 and its success led to this massive transformation program - GeM 3.0 which would offer standardised and enriched catalogue management, powerful search engine, real time price comparison, template-based Bid and RA creation, demand aggregation, e-EMD, e-PBG, user rating, advanced MIS and analytics and more. Some of the notable enhancements in the 3.0 version: Market Based generic requirements across all government agencies Standardisation of specifications of both products and services enabling empirical price comparability Completely transparent transactions across all ranges Generic standards established through universal service levels and cost comparison enabled Open and dynamic market place with rating based on performance of user on website National Sellers On-boarding Campaign Coinciding with the migration to the 3.0 version, National Sellers On-boarding Campaign has been launched to train sellers/ service providers for transition from GeM 2.0 to GeM 3.0. All MoU signed 20 State Capitals will be trained by GeM MSP trainers along with Business Groups CII, ASSOCHAM and PHDCII. Senior Officers from GeM will visit these states to facilitate the transition. More than 200 people were trained and supported in registering during the walk-in Training cum Registration Centre organised on 27th and 28th in GeM Office (Delhi) from 10am to 6pm. The officers of GeM and training team guided the sellers in registration on the new portal and listing of products. The GeM Contact Centre is also fully functioning during to handle any queries from the sellers. Commenting on the campaign, Smt. Radha S. Chauhan, IAS, CEO, GeM said, We are proud to launch this campaign on a day of national importance. Redefining purchase/procurement; enhanced GeM 3.0 platform, delivered and to be operated by Intellect Design Arena Ltd Managed Services Provider (MSP) and its consortium partners will further the Digital India vision of transparency, openness and fairness. GeM 3.0 has undergone a digital transformation with superior technology and ability to scale from the previous version. This will bring together many sellers and service providers for products and services across the country under one roof, truly making it a digital tool of empowerment and entrepreneurship. This initiative gives a huge uplift for growth of MSMEs, manufacturers & service providers. As Digital India aims to bring in maximum transparency by minimising Governments human transactional interface, the launch of the Sellers On-boarding Campaign will streamline the procurement of goods and services making it an easy, go-to portal for sellers and service providers". Global Recognition for Dr Vinod Paul, Member, NITI Aayog WHO confers the prestigious IhsanDogramaci Family Health Foundation Prize Dr Vinod Paul, Member, NITI Aayog has been awarded the prestigious IhsanDo?ramac? Family Health Foundation Prize by the World Health Organisation (WHO). He is the first Indian to receive this global honour, which is conferred in recognition to his services in the field of family health. The award, confirmed by the WHO Executive Board on 27thJanuary, will be presented to Dr Paul formally at the World Health Assembly to be held in Geneva, Switzerland in May 2018.He was chosen unanimously from six other shortlisted candidates from Algeria, China, Malaysia, Mexico, Russian Federation, Uzbekistan. The WHO Board resolution acknowledges Dr Paul as an internationally renowned researcher, clinician, educator and public health advocate in the area of family health, with a special focus on newborn health. He has made distinguished contributions towards improving the health and well-being of families, especially in developing countries. Dr Pauls efforts brought the long-neglected issue of newborn health to the centre-stage of strategies for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through significant contributions to important documents used globally on family health. Instrumental in establishing the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in 2005-06, Dr Paul is recognized world over as a leading expert in universal health coverage and human resources for health. He has published numerous articles on various issues, including on womens, childrens and adolescents health, in international peer-reviewed journals as well as several books and monographs. His book on paediatrics is the standard textbook for medical students in India and several other countries. A well-known name in public health circles in India, Dr Paul has played a key role in formulating national child health guidelines and programmes in the country. Prior to joining as Member, NITI Aayog, Dr Paul was head of the Department of Pediatrics at AIIMS, New Delhi. MoS Dr Jitendra Singh visits river Devika project site in Udhampur The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh visited the site of River Devika Cleaning Project in Udhampur today, which has been included in Government of Indias National River Conservation Project (NRCP). He was accompanied by Member of Parliament Shri Shamsher Singh Manhas, Deputy Commissioner Shri Ravinder Kumar and other senior officers. He was informed that the cleaning process around river Devika had already started and the civil work of construction of cremation ghats etc, will be undertaken after the appraisal of the DPR by IIT experts, which may take some more time. Earlier in the morning, Dr Jitendra Singh arrived at the venue of the 3-day Vision 2018" exhibition, where he went around each of the stalls depicting achievements of different Ministries and Departments over the last 3 years of the Union Government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Addressing the students on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh urged upon them to spend sufficient time in stalls depicting achievements of ISRO and other scientific departments. This, he said, might promote their hidden aptitude for scientific research and work. Dr Jitendra Singh said, in the field of space technology, India has covered an incredible journey, beginning from singing of hymns of "Chandamama" to achieving a supremacy and credibility wherein even the most advanced nations of the world like USA and Russia today approach Indian scientists to launch their satellites from Indian Launching Stations like Sriharikota. Dr Jitendra Singh said that we have vindicated our pledge to use Atomic Energy for peaceful purposes and today India has set an example as a nation with nuclear energy being major source for its ever-increasing needs. In the field of economy, Dr Jitendra Singh said, under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the entire world is looking up to India to give a lead. It was evident more than enough at World Economic Forum at Davos. The Government of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) sign $250 Million Loan to Improve Rural Connectivity in the 5 States of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal under PMGSY. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India today signed a $250 million loan to finance the construction of 6,254 kilometres all-weather rural roads in the States of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal under the Prime Ministers Rural Roads Program (PMGSY). The First Tranche Loan is part of the $500 million Second Rural Connectivity Investment Program for India approved by the ADB Board in December 2017. The program is aimed at improving rural connectivity, facilitating safer and more efficient access to livelihood and socio-economic opportunities for rural communities through improvements to about 12,000 kilometresRural Roads across the 5 States. Mr. Sameer Kumar, Khare, Joint Secretary (Multilateral Institutions), Department of Economic Affairs in the Governments Ministry of Financesigned the loan agreement on behalf of Government of India.Speaking on the occasion, Mr Khare said that the ADB-funded investment program will provide continued assistance to the PMGSY and support the Governments long-term goal for rural development. He said that the programme is likely to have a transformative impact in terms of rural economy and would also bring in greater efficiency in terms of access and connectivity for the rural people in the five States. Under the project, about 2,000 technical personnel would be imparted training on road safety and maintenance. Mr. Kenichi Yokoyama, Country Director of ADBs India Resident Mission who signed the agreement for ADB, said that the investment program will support the Governments drive for innovative approaches to reduce costs, conserve non-renewable natural resources, and promote the use of waste materials in rural road construction.He said that road maintenance will be ensured through the provision of a 5-year post-construction maintenance in each civil works contract. The investment program builds on the $800 million ADB-financed first Rural Connectivity Investment Program in 2012 that added about 9,000 kilometres of all-weather rural roads in the same States. In view of increased rainfall and storm surges in the project States, the road designs will take into account these climate risks with measures such as greater elevation of road embankments, slope protection, and better drainage in flood-prone areas. Women were extensively consulted during the project design and will gain some key benefits, including improved access to healthcare, livelihoods, and schooling. The ?Government of India and World Bank sign $100 Million Project to Boost Rural Economy of Tamil Nadu The Government of India and the World Bank today signed a $100 million Loan Agreement that is expected to promote rural enterprises, facilitate their access to finance, and create employment opportunities for youth, particularly women, in selected blocks of Tamil Nadu across 26 districts, directly benefitting over 400,000 people. The Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project will create an enabling environment for producer organizations and enterprises to promote businesses across select value chains. Based on the analysis, communities will identify commodities and subsectors in the value chain for preparing business plans. Thirty percent of the financing for these business plans will be through a matching grant program from the project and the remaining 70 percent will be leveraged from other financial institutions. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance said that the Government of India is committed to help create an enabling environment of institutional reforms, policies and investments which are key factors that will help India attain speedy and inclusive rural transformation. He said that the Project will enable producer organizations and enterprises especially women entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu, build businesses that will help them access finance, markets and networks and generate employment. ?The Agreement for the project was signed by Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India; Mr. Praveen P. Nair, Project Director on behalf of the Government of Tamil Nadu; and Mr. Junaid Ahmad, Country Director, World Bank India, on behalf of the World Bank. ?It will also specifically support eligible households from socially and culturally disadvantaged groups harness their existing assets, skills, and resources; break their entry barriers to value-added economic activities; enhance their ability to access finance, markets, technology, and related support services; help them graduate to value-added economic activities with higher returns such as garment manufacturing and food processing units, eco-tourism ventures, and businesses around creative industries. Mr. Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director for India said that World Bank-financed State Livelihood Projects, which have so far reached over 35 million people, have given the rural poor a greater sense of identity, and better services and livelihood opportunities. He said that this Project will build on those achievements and support Tamil Nadus rural enterprises access finance, build business skills and create jobs. The Project will be operational in 120 blocks across 3,994 villages in 26 Districts of Tamil Nadu with 411,620 direct beneficiaries. It will work with targeted households that are already part of Self-Help Groups (SHGs). The project will be rolled out in a phased manner 26 blocks will be taken up for implementation in all project districts in the first eight months, followed by 52 blocks by the end of 12 months, and the remaining 42 blocks by the end of 18 months from initiation of project implementation. ? Selected innovations and start-up ideas will also be tested or scaled up under a newly created platform known as the Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Marketplace. This platform will identify, showcase and celebrate innovative solutions related to themes that have the potential to impact rural economic growth in the state. Innovative ideas related to promoting rural artisans, local nutritious food systems and traditional health practices will be considered. The project will draw lessons from several rural livelihoods programs in India and build on the successes of the recently closed Tamil Nadu Empowerment and Poverty Reduction Project. ?Mr. Hans Raj Verma, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu said that the Project will support building an ecosystem that will provide business development services to entrepreneurs in rural and semi-urban areas for promoting rural enterprises and creating employment opportunities. He said that it will specifically target at least 60 percent women entrepreneurs from the SHG network in Tamil Nadu who have the potential to move into the next level of economic integration. ? ?An e-governance architecture with the use of ICT along with a robust Management Information System (MIS) will help monitor and track results real time. The $100 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 5-year grace period, and a maturity of 19 years. Union Home Minister visits UT Chandigarh The Union Minister Shri Rajnath Singh visited the Union Territory Chandigarh today. During his day long visit, the Home Minister launched new projects and also interacted with the officers of the Chandigarh Administration. Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the multi-storeyed 300 bedded Infosys Foundation Red Cross SARAI at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh. The Sarai aims to help the ailing patients & their caregivers who are from economically weaker sections. The land was made available by the PGIMER to Red Cross Society, Chandigarh who signed an MoU with Infosys Foundation to construct the Sarai. The Union Home Minister had laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Sarai on 9th September, 2016. Fitted with modern energy saving and energy efficient equipments, this facility is likely to ease the hardships of visiting patients and their families at PGI. The Sarai consists of 300 Beds, 36 Dormitories and 13 Private rooms. There are lifts and ramps available making it easily accessible for the differently-abled. Theres a separate wing on the 3rd floor exclusively for women. The charges for Dormitory are Rs.100 per person per day and for a Private Room is Rs. 500 per day. Later on, the Union Home Minister launched the Administrative Block & Auditorium in GMCH, Sector-16, Chandigarh. Built at a cost of Rs 12 crores, the Administrative Block covers an area of 54,537 sq.ft that has five floors and a basement. The Auditorium has been built on an area of 10,510 sq.ft at a cost of Rs 4.50 crores. The double storey Auditorium consists of an Administration office library, foyer and green rooms. During the visit, Shri Rajnath Singh held a meeting with the senior officials of Chandigarh Administration. The Home Minister was apprised about the major achievements made by Chandigarh in the past and the future needs of the city through a presentation. The Home Minister lauded the efforts of the Chandigarh Administration for consistent development and achievements made by the city beautiful. He further assured on exploring the possibilities of fulfilling the demands of the city for the prosperity of its citizens. The Governor of Punjab & Administrator U.T Chandigarh, Shri V.P. Singh Bandore and Member of Parliament, U.T, Chandigarh, Smt. Kirron Kher, were also present. The FBI's deputy director, Andrew McCabe, is stepping down after having been accused by President Donald Trump of being a Democratic partisan, a government source confirmed on Tuesday. McCabe is stopping work immediately but will remain on the FBI payroll until March to obtain retirement benefits, the source confirmed. McCabe, 49, was expected to leave sometime early this year when he became fully eligible for a pension, after two decades in the bureau. Trump targeted McCabe with critical tweets after it emerged that his wife had received a campaign contribution for a race in Virginia in 2015 from an ally of Trump rival Hillary Clinton. McCabe and fired FBI director James Comey had key roles in the FBI's probe of Clinton in the 2016 election, which ultimately cleared the Democrat of criminal wrongdoing in her misuse of a personal email server while she was secretary of state. Both were also involved in the initial stages of an ongoing investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russians during the election. Trump has repeatedly dismissed collusion allegations as "fake news" and has accused the FBI of bias for pursuing the probe, now in the hands of special prosecutor Robert Mueller -- himself a former FBI director. The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said today that Russia, Kuwait and nine European countries have agreed to speed up their contributions to help fill a shortfall left by the Trump administration's decision to greatly reduce crucial US funding. Commissioner General Pierre Krahenbuhl of the UN Relief and Works Agency also said it has received no specifics about reforms sought by the United States, suggesting notably surrounding the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital were at play. UNRWA, which serves some 5 million Palestinian refugees and their descendants, had a budget of over $1 billion last year. This covered long-running programs, including education, as well as emergency funds for crises such as the war in Syria. The US has been the largest donor, giving one-third of the total budget. The Trump administration withheld half of the first installment of payments this year, demanding reforms as a condition for future aid. The Trump administration has committed $60 million this year far short of the $360 million that the US provided last year and Krahenbuhl said he has no sign that other US funding might be on the way. "Evidently, that is a very severe and dramatic change in the parameters of funding from the United States," which he called a "stable, predictable and most-generous contributor to UNRWA over decades." "It is clear that we have a very big task on our hand to fill that gap," Krahenbuhl told reporters in Geneva. UNRWA responded by calling on donors to speed up their funding, and Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Russia, Belgium, Kuwait, the Netherlands and Ireland have taken steps to do so, he said. Others were considering similar action. "Advancing contributions is extremely important to help us address the first few months," he said. "Of course, a shortfall of 300 million can only be addressed with obtaining additional income from other sources over the year." The comments today came as UNRWA said it is seeking $800 million for emergency operations in Syria, the West Bank and Gaza Strip this year. UNRWA sought $400 million each for Syria and the Palestinian territories. In an appeal last week, the agency sought an additional $500 million. "We signed our new framework agreement with the US in the beginning of December in which every aspect of our relationship from funding to reform discussions was covered and agreed," Krahenbuhl told The Associated Press. "They did not explain the current decision by reform- related elements." He said he believed the funding cut was linked to the Trump administration's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and a subsequent vote by the UN General Assembly to denounce the decision. "It is very clear that the decision by the United States was not related to our performance," he said. "This has to be part of the debate that took place around Jerusalem. Saudi Aramco, the state oil company of Saudi Arabia, is considering entering India as part of its Asian expansion, Nikkei said on Tuesday, citing Aramco's CEO who said that plans for an Indian refinery are crystallising. "Saudi Aramco is looking at additional investments in China, and India is also a very important destination which we are giving great consideration, and (where we are) currently in discussion with some companies," Aramco CEO Amin Nasser told the Nikkei Asian Review in an interview. The Saudi government has said it plans to sell about 5 per cent of ... Asserting the United States determination to finish off the Afghan Taliban, President Donald Trump has ruled out for now talks with the organisation that has unleashed a wave of carnage on Afghanistan in recent days. "Innocent people are being killed left and right" by the Taliban, he told the members of the UN Security Council at a White House lunch on Monday. "Bombing in the middle of children, in the middle of families -- bombing, killing all over Afghanistan." "So there's no talking to the Taliban", he said. "We do not want to talk to the Taliban." "We're going to finish what we have to finish," he said. "What nobody else has been able to finish, we're going to be able to do it." The latest round of attacks in Kabul by the Taliban that have claimed at least 125 lives were a direct challenge to Trump, starting days after he had asserted on January 16 that the US troops had made "tremendous strides" in fighting the Islamic State (IS) and the Taliban and that the South Asia policy he had announced last August was "working far more rapidly than anybody would understand." Taliban terrorists attacked the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul during January 21-22, killing 22 people, including 14 foreigners. On Saturday, they struck again with an ambulance loaded with explosives killing at least 103 people and injuring 235 Meanwhile, IS killed at least four people in an attack on the outpost of a British organisation, Save the Children, in Jalalabad on Wednesday. On Monday, IS terrorists attacked a military base in Kabul, killing 11 soldiers. Trump's statement on Monday ends for now elements of ambiguity in Washington's approach to talks with Taliban. For example, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said last August that the US would support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions. However, Trump left open the possibility of talks under different condition in the future. "There may be a time, but it's going to be a long time.," he told the Security Council members. "We're all out, and that's taking place right now, and it's a whole new front." Trump has raised the stakes in fighting the Taliban by acting against Pakistan, which he has accused of helping the terrorist organisation. The administration has announced that it is withholding security assistance to Islamabad estimated over $1 billion till it stops supporting the Taliban. The Washington visit was organised by Permanent Representative Nikki Haley to persuade a skeptical Security Council to act against Iran, which the US alleges is violating the terms of the 2015 agreement to stop developing nuclear weapons and is fomenting trouble in the region. She took them to a military base to show what she said were evidence of Iran's violations. Trump had criticised the UN during his presidential campaign saying it caused problems rather than solving them and that it was a "good time" club. Since then, he has taken a more conciliatory tone. Despite setbacks like being criticised by the General Assembly for wanting to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and failing to get the Security Council to censure Iran over the anti-government protests and alleged nuclear activities, he has had victories. The Security Council went along with the US in imposing the toughest sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programmes and the General Assembly has cut the UN budget for 2018 and 2019 by $285 million. On Monday, Trump said, "My administration is proud to work with you. We've already done a tremendous number of coalition-building, and the United Nations Security Council, in particular, is very important to us." The United States announced on Tuesday it was lifting its ban on refugees from 11 "high-risk" countries, but said those seeking to enter the US would come under much tougher scrutiny than in the past. Applicants from 11 countries, unnamed but understood to include 10 Muslim-majority nations plus North Korea, will face tougher "risk-based" assessments to be accepted. "It's critically important that we know who is entering the United States," said Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. "These additional security measures will make it harder for bad actors to exploit our refugee program, and they will ensure we take a more risk-based approach to protecting the homeland." The 11 countries, hit with a ban in October in the Trump administration's revised refugee policy, have not been identified officially. But refugee groups say they comprise Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Speaking anonymously, a senior administration official told journalists that the policy of enhanced security assessments for the 11 countries was not designed to target Muslims. "Our admissions have nothing to do with religion," the official said, adding that there is "nothing especially novel" about tougher screening for countries deemed to have a higher level of risk. Donald Trump has pursued a much tougher stance on immigrants and refugees from all countries since becoming president one year ago. His predecessor Barack Obama set refugee admission in fiscal 2017, which began on October 2016, at 110,000. When Trump took office a year ago, he slashed that to 53,000, a number that was cut again to a maximum of 45,000 in fiscal 2018. But refugee arrivals this year could come in significantly lower than that, due to the backlog from the 120-day halt and a slowdown in processing because of generally tougher applicant reviews. DHS would not explain what the tougher vetting measures for the 11 countries would include. But all applicants are being asked to supply more detailed histories and evidence of their past activities, and many are having to allow access to personal electronics and social media accounts. The move comes as Trump presses for a sharp turn in overall US immigration policy that critics say will result in a 50 per cent cut in arrivals each year and bias admissions away from African, Asian and Muslim countries. Last week, Trump proposed to end the 27-year-old "green card lottery" program that aims to diversify the source of immigrants, leading to an upturn in those from Middle Eastern and African countries. He also proposed to tightly limit the family members who can join immigrants to only spouses and younger children. Until now, such "chain migration" could extend to immigrants' parents, grandparents, siblings and extended family. The White House said the policy was necessary to protect national security from terror and crime threats. (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 moguls of global business, who met recently in Davos for the World Economic Forum, may not like Donald Trumps style. But, if a series of reports by The New York Times and other outlets are to be believed, Trumps pro-business policies are making it easier for them to forgive his foibles. Klaus Schwab, the head of the forum, put it this way as he introduced President Trump before his Jan. 26 speech: On behalf of the business leaders here in this room, let me particularly congratulate you for the historic tax reform [that is] fostering job creation while ... Tension has gripped Haryana's Palwal district after a statue of Baba Saheb Ambedkar was found damaged on Monday. The incident came to light when some people in Ambedkar Park noticed one of the hands and legs of the statue broken and found a bottle of wine near it. As the news spread, members of the Dalit community gathered in the park and demanded action against the miscreants. Soon police also reached the spot and tried to pacify the crowd by assuring strict action against the culprits. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Park Committee chief Chhatrapal said that was not the first incident of damaging the Ambedkar' statue in Palwal. "Many times such incidents have taken place. Such incidents have been carried out by mischievous and anti-social elements," he said. A complaint has been filed against unknown persons in the matter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Educational reform organization Chrysalis on Tuesday announced that it has raised pre-series A funding from Indian sector focused impact investor Gray Matters Capital. Boutique investment bank Unitus Capital acted as an exclusive financial advisor to Chrysalis, while impact investment management firm CBA Capital supported Gray Matters Capital in this transaction. The amount raised will be used by Chrysalis to build on its research and development, and to strengthen its multi-channel approach to take its ' for Human Potential' movement to every child in the country. This will further intensify their efforts to bring change in the system comprising of K-12 schools, which have 250 million children enrolled of which 100 million are in the private school segment. "Our mission is to stand up for the child, by reforming the Indian education system in a way that every child realizes his/her human potential. In our estimation, we have more than 15,00,000 schools failing in this regard. We have established a roadmap to bring in a fundamental change in the system by engaging five principal mediums - policy makers, government schools, private schools, parents and public, by open-sourcing our intellectual property selectively," said founder and CEO, Chrysalis, Chitra Ravi. "We are committed to this mission and were seeking investors who were aligned to it. We found the right fit in Gray Matters Capital, which has a vision to transform human lives using education as a medium," she added. "We see Chrysalis as one of the most innovative, mission driven and student centric educational enterprises in India, which has the potential of bringing about a tangible change in the way education is imparted in our schools. This investment is a validation of the work put in by Chitra and her team in addressing the critical need to improve quality across the education spectrum. We are proud to fund a woman led enterprise like Chrysalis," said India CEO, Gray Matters Capital, Ragini Bajaj Chaudhary. ThinkRoom, the flagship product of Chrysalis is a child-centric academic programme based on human potential framework, which has been developed in-house through 16 years of intense pedagogic research. It aims to help every school student to discover his or her potential while developing academic excellence and replaces programmes and textbooks whose focus is limited to academic outcomes. ThinkRoom offers a comprehensive solution to schools, including learning material with child focused curriculum, teacher assistant tools, student assessments and tech-enabled teaching and home learning applications. In line with its goal of 'Education for Human potential' for every child, Thinkroom, which currently caters to over 250,000 students in 500+ schools spread across 11 Indian states, will be reaching out to Affordable Private Schools (APS), which charge an average monthly fee of Rs 1750 per student. Last year, Chrysalis had introduced 'Buzzle Cards' that help impart core concepts of Mathematics and English using Augmented Reality (AR) through the Buzzle AR Beta app. The app animates images on the cards making the learning experience immersive for the student. Gray Matters Capital had funded the development of this educational innovation through its edLABS initiative. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) YSR Congress Party leader Subrahmanyam Reddy has joined the ruling Telugu Desam Party in the presence of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at his residence on Monday. The Chittoor leader joined the rival party along with his supporters. The chief minister welcomed him and his supporters to the party and called Reddy a "decent and dignified man". Naidu also sanctioned funds for the development of Kuppam assembly constituency, from where Reddy had contested thrice against him and lost on all occasions. "I am sanctioning all funds needed for all-round development of Kuppam constituency. I have Laid CC roads, provided current, building drainages and only housing is pending," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's foremost online holiday marketplace GoFro has partnered with Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT) to support the rising tourism in the country. Abu Dhabi, which is now becoming one of the preferred choice for Indian travellers with steep rise in tourism is last two years, welcomed over 3, 50,000 Indian visitors last year. The Abu Dhabi Tourism Board is expecting to a significant increase in number of tourist this year with new attractions coming to the destination. The average length of stay for Indian visitors is 2.8 nights, which shows that people are keen to explore Abu Dhabi. DCT partnered with GoFro, to leverage company's unique travel marketplace model with packages and customised travel option from all leading travel companies of the country. The partnership will enable travelers to get travel advice from local travel experts from Abu Dhabi and help them to customize travel plans. GoFro has been successfully offering best travel solutions for offbeat travel destinations and the marketplace model also ensures that travelers get competitive price with packages from the leading travel companies of the country. "We are thrilled to have partnered with DCT - Abu Dhabi and offer the best experience of the country to every traveller. Tourists can plan a perfect holiday with travel advice from local destination experts. Travellers are now looking for off-beat travel destinations and we have been working along with tourism boards, travel companies and destination experts to offering the unique experience to every traveler," said chief officer GoFro, Mohit Sardana. "We are confident that we'll get the desired mileage from the marketing campaign that has been undertaken with GoFro and we look forward to a sustainable alliance," said country manager, Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) - Abu Dhabi, Bejan Dinshaw. Louvre Museum is the latest attraction in Abu Dhabi, the beautifully designed art and civization museum, is going to attract lot of travelers to Abu Dhabi, this year. Adventure activities such as Dessert Safari and Camel trekking, is a must do for millennial travelers. Yas Waterworld has now become another popular attraction amongst travelers. Yas Marina Circuit and Ferrari World are also finding favour with the new age travelers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Government of India signed a USD 100 million loan agreement with World Bank on Tuesday, here in the National Capital Region. The loan agreement is expected to promote rural enterprises, facilitate their access to finance, and create employment opportunities for youth, particularly women, in selected blocks of Tamil Nadu across 26 districts, directly benefiting over 400,000 people. However, to promote businesses across select value chains, the Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project will create an enabling environment for producer organizations and enterprises. This project will support building an ecosystem that will provide development services to entrepreneurs in rural and semi-urban areas for promoting rural enterprises and creating employment opportunities. It will specifically target at least 60 percent women entrepreneurs from the Self-Help Groups (SHG) network in Tamil Nadu who have the potential to move into the next level of economic integration. Further, the project will be operational in 120 blocks across 3,994 villages in 26 Districts of Tamil Nadu with 411,620 direct beneficiaries. It will work with targeted households that are already part of SHGs. An e-governance architecture with the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) along with a robust Management Information System (MIS) will help monitor and track results real time. USD 100 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction & Development has a five-year grace period, and a maturity of 19 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a USD 250 million loan agreement on Tuesday, a notification from the Ministry of Finance read. The first tranche loan is part of the USD 500 million Second Rural Connectivity Investment Program for India approved by the ADB Board in December 2017. The Second Rural Connectivity Investment Program is aimed at improving rural connectivity, facilitating safer and more efficient access to livelihood and socio-economic opportunities for rural communities through improvements to about 12,000 kilometres of rural roads across the five states mentioned. The loan agreement on behalf of the government was signed by Joint Secretary (Multilateral Institutions), Department of Economic Affairs, Sameer Kumar Khare. Khare said that the ADB-funded investment program will provide continued assistance to the PMGSY and support the government's long-term goal for rural development. He also said that the programme is likely to have a transformative impact in terms of rural economy and would also bring in greater efficiency in terms of access and connectivity for the rural people in the five states. Under the project, about 2,000 technical personnel would be imparted training on road safety and maintenance. Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission, Kenichi Yokoyama, who signed the agreement for ADB, said that the investment program will support the government's drive for innovative approaches to reduce costs, conserve non-renewable natural resources, and promote the use of waste materials in rural road construction. He said that road maintenance will be ensured through the provision of a five-year post-construction maintenance in each civil works contract. The investment program builds on the USD 800 million ADB-financed first Rural Connectivity Investment Program in 2012 that added about 9,000 kilometres of all-weather rural roads in the same states. In view of increased rainfall and storm surges in the project states, the road designs will take into account these climate risks with measures such as greater elevation of road embankments, slope protection, and better drainage in flood-prone areas. Women were extensively consulted during the project design and will gain some key benefits, including improved access to healthcare, livelihoods, and schooling. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The study was published after Anglia Ruskin University conducted a research on 18 physically healthy adults walking in groups and compared them to those who either walk alone or do not walk. The results showed that those who conducted workout sessions in the group continued with it even after six months. The World Organization also recommends that adults must undertake 150 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity per week. Professor Catherine Meads of Anglia Ruskin University said, "Walking in groups is a safe and inexpensive intervention that can be delivered easily and successfully in the community. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) highlighted five key tax related challenges that the digital sector expects to be addressed in the Budget announcements. These five issues have been widely regarded as the biggest impediments towards the growth of the digital sector and are critical for the entire start-up ecosystem. Angel Tax: Share premium paid by investors for subscribing to shares in a private company is taxable in the hands of the company at 30 percent (exclusive of surcharge and cess) if and to the extent it is more than the FMV. The main issue of contention is the valuation of the company or calculating Fair Market Value [FMV] under Section 56(2). Valuation is based on valuation certificate by a valuer recognized by the government. Valuers in India look at traditional methods of valuation which apply to mature companies with regular cash flows. Valuation of start-ups is a critical factor given that intellectual property and other intangibles involved at the start-up stage. Most technology start-ups raise money before monetization and there is no underlying actual cash flow analysis available for traditional valuation methods. Most start-ups are almost always asset light and do not have assets in their books to justify their intrinsic value. Tax authorities refuse to accept Discounted Free Cash Flow (DCF) Method for calculating valuation of start-ups, even as that is most common process of valuation and is recognized under Rule UA(2) as one of the 2 methods of valuation for unquoted equity shares. Consequently, in many cases the authorities calculate FMV to be as low as Rs. 1 or even Rs. 0, leading to high tax demands. While the original regulation has exception provisions for start-ups, the eligible criterion for start-up has numerous conditions like maximum turnover of Rs. 25 crores, maximum five years of existence, nature of A critical criterion is certification of eligible start-ups by the Inter-Ministerial Board of Certification. The fact that since 2016 only 74 start-ups have been certified 'eligible' by the Inter-Ministerial board highlights the ineffectiveness of the exception provisions. The association stated that while the digital sector is not averse to paying taxes, taxation should be on actualised gains and not notional gains. Given the high rate of failure of start-ups, this is a critical aspect of taxing the fast evolving tech sector; or we run the risk of killing the goose even before it lays a golden egg! Taxation of ESOPs: For digital start-ups initiating at an uncertain stage, ESOPs is the most common and popular incentive offered to employees at the stage of scaling up of From the employees' perspective, in the context of liquidity of their stock, there is an expectation that the company may go public or may be acquired by a bigger player. This allows companies to attract best talents who are also willing to take the risk of joining a start-up. Typically, most ESOPs have a vesting period (during which the employee should continue to be in the employment of the company) and after completion of the vesting period, the employee may exercise his option to acquire shares by paying an exercise price. Under present provisions, at the time of such exercise of options and grant of shares, the difference between the 'FMV' of the shares and the exercise price paid is taxed in the hands of the employee and the employer is subject to withholding tax obligations on the same. Unfortunately, when stock is issued under an ESOP scheme in start-ups, there is no certainty on how much value / benefit may be realized when the employee actually is able to sell the stock, or whether the employee will at all be able to sell it, given in most cases these are unlisted stocks! Thus, taxation of stock issued under an ESOP scheme is purely on a notional basis, and in cases the taxable amount may be way higher than the salary payable to the employees! Currently, employers either (a) withhold from the monetary payments made to the employees (b) ask the employees to furnish a cheque for the required amount or in worst case scenario (c) bear the tax cost themselves. The association stated that ESOPs are an efficient way to remunerate and incentivize employees to join start-ups and share the risk with the founders. Keeping this in mind the high risk scenario in which both founders and employees work in a start-up, the withholding tax should be done away with and shares should only be taxed on realisation. Multiple registration and filing under GST: Like all service sectors, the digital sector too is plagued by the challenge of state-wise multiple registrations and filing burdens. What makes matters worse for the digital sector is the fact that most Indian companies are start-ups who simply do not have the bandwidth to undertake such exercises. IAMAI urges the authorities to take note of this factor and allow single registration for digital services, as has supposedly been proposed for banking and financial services. Anomaly in GST Rates: Internet services digitalize conventional services. For example, Edu-tech provides education via digital platform; health-tech allows online doctor consultancy and ordering medicines, etc. However, under GST, while education and health are tax free, all digital services are taxed at 18%. Even telecom services like internet access are taxed at 18 percent, which is higher than the tax one pays for a meal in a restaurant. IAMAI urges GST rates to be lowered/rationalized for digital services to be at par with offline counterparts for such services to be more affordable. This will help such services be more popular in the rural areas. TCS and unlevel playing field for e-commerce: The onerous burden of TCS imposed on online marketplaces is a step brotherly treatment of one of the most popular and fast developing digital service. TCS forces marketplaces to pay taxes on behalf of sellers, a responsibility that their offline counterparts do not have to bear. The fact that e-commerce facilitates inter-state transaction mean that these platforms have to bear the additional burden of multiple registration and filing on behalf of the sellers as well! The additional problem with TCS is that small scale seller whose annual revenues are lower than the taxable threshold too will have to register under GSTN and will have 1% of their revenues deducted as tax for every transaction conducted online. This alone is a big disincentive for small-scale sellers to conduct businesses online. This runs contrary to the vision of USD1 Tn Digital economy that envisages e-commerce to reach market size of $150 Billion by 2024. IAMAI urges the authorities to rectify this provision and provide online marketplaces fair and equal grounds for conducting businesses in India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Tuesday allegedly fired a long-range ballistic missile towards Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, according to Houthi-controlled Saba news agency. It is the second time a missile has been fired by the Houthis on the Riyadh airport. In November last year, Saudi air defence forces blocked and shot down a missile fired by the rebels at the airport, as per media reports. The missile attack comes a few days after Saudi-led coalition forces had intercepted a Houthi missile fired from Yemen, in Najran province, on January 20. Continued missile attacks from Houthi rebels in Yemen have forced Saudi Arabia to cut off air, sea and land links from its neighbour. The defence forces have also halted Yemen's financial aids and food and fuel imports as well. On December 4, former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed in Sanaa after days of intense fighting between Houthi rebels and his loyalist forces. Before killing Saleh, Houthi rebels had reportedly blown up his residence. Both Saleh forces and the Houthi rebels are battling to capture the capital city. The loyalists of Saleh last week had proposed for the talks with the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis to end the three-year conflict in Yemen. The conflict in Yemen, which began in 2014, has claimed more than 100,000 lives so far. Saleh was overthrown in the ensuing conflict and had reportedly fled to Saudi Arabia for a while. The fighting further intensified in 2015, when clashes broke out between Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi's government forces and Saleh loyalist forces. The Saudi-led coalition forces, which is backed by the United States, has interfered in the conflict upon Hadi's request since then, and are carrying out regular airstrikes against the Houthi rebels. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India Chitranganee Wagiswara on Tuesday advised the governments of India and Sri Lanka discuss the fisheries issues. Wagiswara's statement comes days after Colombo said the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Amendment) Bill would be detrimental to the traditional fishing rights of Indians. "Fisheries issue is something for which we need to talk to each other. We have to speak to each other and have fisheries talks. Our fisheries ministers visit each other and a joint working group is discussing how to sort this issue," the Sri Lankan envoy told ANI. Meanwhile, Managing Director, Sri Lanka Tourism promotion bureau, Sutheash Balasubramanian told ANI "Fisheries issues are different we need to talk each other. Fishermen from Tamil Nadu area coming for fishing in our territory naturally our fishermen are issue over it and their livelihood as well." "Solution is to talk to each other to see how we can sort out the issue and hope we do it soon," he added. On Jan 26, Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Mahinda Amaraweera said, "Sri Lankan parliament has approved the amendments (to the Foreign Fisheries boats Regulation Act) to increase fines on foreign vessels poaching in the country's waters. The draft Bill for amending the Fisheries Act No 59 of 1979 (Foreign Fisheries boats Regulation Act) was presented in Parliament for approval on Jan 24. The Act aims to prevent illegal fishing activities in the Sri Lankan waters and protect the fisheries and aquatic resources of the country's coastal belt. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Afghanistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mahmoud Saikal on Monday accused Pakistan's premier intelligence network, ISI of training one of the Kabul attackers on Tuesday. "Abdul Qahar, the father of one of the terrorists involved in last week's attack on Kabul Intercontinental Hotel, concedes his son was trained in Balochistan province by the ISI," Saikal wrote on Twitter. The Taliban claimed responsibilities for the attack. Pakistan had denied its involvement. A mid-level diplomat at the Afghan embassy in the US alleged the attack was planned by Pakistan. "A clear proof that the attack on the hotel was planned in a madrasa on Pakistan's soil. Abdul Qahar, the father of one of the suicide attackers, is an eyewitness of the story," wrote Majeed Qarar, the cultural attache at the embassy of Afghanistan on the micro-blogging site. "The night vision goggles found with Taliban attackers in Maiwand's Afghan National Army (ANA) base were military grade goggles (Not sold to the public) procured by Pakistan army from a British company and supplied two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants in Kashmir and Taliban in Afghanistan," he posted in another tweet. The Afghan Ambassador to the US, Hamidullah Mohib, did not respond to questions made by his cultural attache. In an op-ed, Marvin G. Weinbaum, director for Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies at the Middle East Institute said the Taliban appeared to have chosen urban guerrilla warfare to demonstrate their undiminished strength as a fighting force. "The Taliban are intent upon undermining the public's confidence that their government and its foreign allies can offer Afghans basic security," he said. Pakistan on Monday has called for a "credible and inclusive" peace initiative with Afghanistan to end the political instability and suicide attacks on the other side of the border that separates both the countries. According to the Express Tribune, Islamabad is pinning hopes on Kabul to announce a comprehensive peace initiative during a regional conference that is scheduled to take place in Kabul next month. The meeting will be attended by Afghanistan's neighbours and also other international countries to arrive at a consensus on how to end the chaos in the country. It also seeks Afghanistan to be on the driving seat for any peace talks with the Afghan Taliban and other insurgent groups. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained frosty due to the latter's constant blame on Pakistan's non-cooperation on tackling terrorism and insurgency and also sending terrorists to Afghanistan for conducting suicide attacks over the years. Pakistan is mulling to send a high-level delegation to Afghanistan in order to iron out differences between both countries and ensuring constant cooperation in various fields, ahead of the Kabul Process conference. This comes at a time when Afghanistan has been ravaged by a series of deadly terrorist attacks during the last few days, particularly in Kabul. A group of attackers stormed the Marshal Fahim Military University in Kabul, killing five soldiers and injuring 10 others earlier in the day. On Saturday, Taliban militants detonated an explosive-laden ambulance in a busy area close to Kabul's infamous Chicken Street, killing 103 people, as confirmed by the Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI). Around six people were killed when a car bomb exploded outside the 'Save the Children' office. The Islamic State (IS) has reportedly claimed the responsibility on Thursday. Also, at least 22 people, mostly foreigners were killed, when the Taliban militants stormed a luxury hotel on January 20. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Mumbai session court on Tuesday framed charges against actor Sooraj Pancholi under section 306 (abetment of suicide) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) in connection with actress Jiah Khan suicide case. Jiah was found hanging in her room on June 3, 2013 at her Mumbai residence by her mother Rabiya. The actress left behind a suicide note blaming Sooraj for the extreme step. In October 2013, Jiah's mother had moved the Bombay High Court and sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the case while alleging that her daughter had been murdered. Following the Bombay High Court's orders, the CBI took over the probe from the Maharashtra Police in July 2014. Earlier, Jiah's mother sought a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe which was rejected by the Bombay High Court. She then approached the Supreme Court which refused to intervene in High Court's order. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Clarifying his earlier statement, Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi on Tuesday said the Kasganj violence is a big issue but it cannot be compared to what is happening in Kashmir. Earlier on Monday, the Uttar Pradesh Minister described the violence that had taken place in the state's Kasganj district as a 'minor incident'. Speaking to ANI, Shahi said, "When people compared this incident with Kashmir issue then I said it is indeed a big issue but cannot be compared to what is happening in the valley. It is an important issue and the government is taking it seriously". He added that action will be taken against those responsible for the incident. "No one is permitted to indulge in activities like that," Shahi stated. Yesterday, downplaying the loss of lives and damage to property, Shahi told ANI, "A small incident has happened which has claimed only two lives. The state government is taking stock of the situation and a probe in the connection is underway." Meanwhile, a Muslim shopkeeper's store was burnt down in communal violence-hit Kasganj on Monday. The shop owner said even though he was the only Muslim shopkeeper in the area, he never had issues with anyone. "I have been living and working here for the past 20 years. Even though I am the only Muslim among a Hindu majority, we never had any problems," he added. The police have begun its investigation into the matter. One person, identified as Chandan Gupta, died and two others were injured in the Kasganj violence that broke out on Saturday after a youth died during a clash on Friday. At least 112 people have been arrested in this connection. Five buses and three shops were torched and a farmhouse owned by a local resident had been vandalised. The clash broke out after an unauthorised bike rally was taken out by RSS-affiliated students' group Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the city to commemorate the Republic Day, and allegedly stones were pelted at them during the roadshow. On another note, the internet services, which were suspended in Kasganj region after the violence, were restored on Tuesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A faith healer, who was earlier held in connection with the murder and rape of a seven-year-old girl in Kasur, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his house, under unknown circumstances near Lahore on Monday. The incident took place at Peerowal Road, about 280 km from Lahore. According to The Express Tribune, the devotees of Baba Shabir found him hanging and had informed the police. On receiving information, police reached the spot and shifted the body to D.H.Q. hospital for autopsy. According to his nephew Muhammad Umer, Shabir had become depressed after being held in connection with the death of the seven-year-old minor, who was raped and murdered before her body was dumped on a trash heap in Kasur earlier this month. Pakistani authorities on Thursday termed the accused of rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl, Imran Ali, as a potential serial killer. A special anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Wednesday placed Imran in police remand for 14 days. He will be presented again before the court on February 8. During the hearing, Imran admitted to killing and raping eight more girls in Kasur. The Geo TV reported that Judge Sajjad Ali allowed a 14-day long physical remand to give time to the police to match Imran's DNA with seven other victims. The minor, who was a resident of the Kasur district of Pakistan's Punjab province, was kidnapped on her way to a tuition centre on January 4. Five days after her disappearance, she was found raped, dead and buried in a garbage dump on January 9 near Kashmir Chowk. According to the initial post-mortem report, the minor was strangled to death after being raped multiple times. As per the autopsy, the girl had marks of torture on nose, neck, and other parts of the body, the report said. This incident incited huge protests in Kasur and other major cities of Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday paid tribute to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 70th death anniversary, here at Gandhi Smriti. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948. This day is also observed as 'Martyrs Day' by the nation. Earlier, President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to their respective Twitter handles to share thoughts about 'Bapu'. President Kovind wrote, "On Martyrs' Day, we gratefully remember Mahatma Gandhi and the countless freedom fighters who sacrificed their all for our Independence #PresidentKovind." "We bow to all those martyrs who have sacrificed themselves in service of our nation. We will always remember their courage as well as dedication towards the nation," Prime Minister Modi posted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dalit leader and Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani has decided to campaign against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka. Speaking at an event to mark the 56th birth anniversary of slain journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, Jignesh Mevani said, "An alliance of all mainstream political parties and concrete people's alliance should come together to defeat 'chaddidharis' in the state." Mevani said he would tell the Dalits in the state not to vote for the BJP. "In April, I'll be in Karnataka for two weeks, will tell 20% Dalits in the state that not even their 20 votes should go to them (BJP)," added Mevani. Mevani recently made headlines after being denied permission to hold a Yuva Hunkar rally in New Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti on Tuesday asked the opposition not to politicised the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj. The Union Minister told ANI, "The incident means that anti- elements can't tolerate Tiranaga Yatra. UP government is taking strict action. Such incidents will not be tolerated. It should also not be politicised." Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vinay Katiyar said miscreants who support Pakistan, can go to any extent to defy the Indian tricolour and are the ones behind the Kasganj violence. On Monday, a Muslim shopkeeper's store was burnt in Kasganj. "I have been living and working here for the past 20 years. Even though I am the only Muslim among a Hindu majority, we never had any problems," the shopkeeper said. The police are investigating the matter. One person, identified as Chandan Gupta, died and two others were injured in the Kasganj violence that broke out on Saturday after a youth died during a clash on Friday. The clash broke out after an unauthorised bike rally was taken out by RSS-affiliated students' group Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the city to commemorate the Republic Day, and allegedly stones were pelted at them during the roadshow. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bengaluru-based tech company Vahan has developed a customizable, intuitive, Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven virtual assistant that operates through messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger to deliver a range of support to a large workforce targeting companies like Flipkart and Club Mahindra with the ultimate aim of improving sales performance and end-customer experience. Around one billion frontline workers serve in the ride-sharing, delivery and logistics, retail, banking and hospitality industries, globally. For companies heavily dependent on this workforce to deliver services to the end customer, employee engagement at scale is critical. But how do you engage and support thousands of employees who are spread across thousands of kilometres in multiple locations and fluent in different regional languages? "We are building Siri for the workforce, a virtual assistant for workers to improve engagement and productivity. The assistant is conversation-based and allows the user to talk to it in natural language in text or voice," said co-founder, Vahan, Mohammed Abdoolcarim, a Stanford University engineer who was product lead on Siri, Apple's AI-driven assistant software. The company has partnered with companies like Flipkart and Club Mahindra to cater to the varied needs of their large geographically distributed workforce. With services like announcements, sentiment surveys, training, automated FAQ and HR related support and more, Vahan's virtual assistant, available in five major vernacular languages has already reached around 30,000 employees in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and West Bengal. "Around 96 percent of smartphone users in India are on WhatsApp, which includes frontline workers who form the base of businesses in delivery, logistics, retail and hospitality. By building our tech into an existing app, we've made it easier for these workers to be able to access our service without having to download another app," said Vahan co-founder and CEO Madhav Krishna, a machine learning engineer from Columbia University who has worked in multiple successful technology companies in New York. Vahan has been working with Flipkart to provide personalised training to each individual based on their mistakes as identified through customer feedback on the Flipkart app. A Flipkart senior management executive said the company had seen a significant increase in customer satisfaction ratings after using Vahan's assistant. He added that there has been immense buzz and excitement about Vahan in delivery hubs and a never-before-seen adoption with any other learning or engagement product. A Flipkart delivery executive told Vahan he had learnt a lot from the app especially with customer-facing issues like how to make deliveries, how to wish the customers, and how to speak to them. In the case of Club Mahindra, the platform is being used for specialised skill building of their sales executives. "Today, there is no shortage of technology providers, however, with Vahan we have experienced a high degree of expertise and engagement right from need identification, and customised content development to seamless deployment," said corporate manager - Learning and Development, Club Mahindra, Sidhant Kashiva. In the past year, Vahan has raised investment from Gokul Rajaram, ex-Google executive, Mekin Maheshwari, ex-CPO of Flipkart, and Vir Kashyap, co-founder at Babajob. "By 2020, India's workforce will grow to around 900 million. We need to be ready for this future with skilled people who can deliver at a global standard," said Abdoolcarim. "In the next five years, Vahan's goal is to reach 15 million distributed workers across the globe. We want to help close the economic gap and change lives for the better. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A district president of Gurugram Karni Sena, Davender, was sent to a five-day police remand on Tuesday, after he was found involved in the incidents of school bus attack and bus torching, in an anti-'Padmaavat' protest. Davender, a resident of Bhondsi village, was under judicial custody till January 29. Gurugram Karni Sena chief Thakur Kushalpal was on Saturday detained by the Haryana police in connection with the incidents of violence during the release of movie 'Padmaavat'. So far, at least 47 miscreants have been arrested by the Gurugram Police in the recent violence. On January 24, a school bus was attacked by a group of men, who were protesting against the release of the film in Gurugram. The protesters threw stones at the bus, which was carrying students, teachers and other staff members of G.D. Goenka World School. The protesters have also torched a state bus on Highway-8 in Gurugram. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters on the occasion of Martyrs' Day''. "On Martyrs' Day, we gratefully remember Mahatma Gandhi and the countless freedom fighters who sacrificed their all for our Independence," tweeted President Kovind. The Prime Minister also took to his twitter handle and said, "We bow to all those martyrs who have sacrificed themselves in service of our nation. We will always remember their courage as well as dedication towards the nation." January 30 marks the assassination of Bapu Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in 1948 by Nathuram Godse. This day is observed as Martyrs' Day to pay homage to the people who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dmitry Peskov, the chief spokesman to Russian President Vladimir Putin is unaffected by the release of the "Putin List" by the US Treasury Department that was made public late on Monday. Peskov's name is revealed in the list, which also includes Putin, Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. "I feel nothing about it [regarding his name on the list]. I am pretty much indifferent to that," he was quoted by the TASS agency. Meanwhile, The Treasury Department denied the "Putin list" as a sanctions list. "No restrictions are being imposed on the listed individuals. This move creates no obstacles for business contacts with US citizens provided that these individuals are not subject to sanctions," the US Treasury Department said in a statement. Earlier, the Trump Administration released a list of Russian politicians and businessmen, who have "flourished" under Russian President Vladimir Putin's rule. The US Treasury Department published the list through the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAASTA), which was meant to punish Russia for its alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential elections, the annexation of Crimea and the ongoing military operations in eastern Ukraine by the Russian forces, according to CNN. The list consists of around 114 Russian politicians and 96 businessmen and industrialists, who are having "extremely close" ties with Putin, Medvedev, Peskov and Lavrov. The Treasury Department stated that the list was "based on objective criteria drawn from publicly available sources." The names of Russian businessmen and industrialists matched a list of 96 Russian billionaires, which was compiled by Forbes magazine last year. Each of them is believed to have assets totalling to at least USD 1 billion or more. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A woman in Thane district's Bhiwandi city has claimed that her husband has given triple talaq to her on Rs. 100 stamp paper. The woman, Shabnam, said on Monday that she was caught unawares when she received the divorce papers on Rs. 100 stamp paper. "My husband used to beat me because he used to demand dowry and I was not able to give it to him. I had no idea about anything. I was at home when I got divorce papers on Rs. 100 stamp paper. The papers were delivered to me through the post office. I was unaware of anything," said the victim. Bhiwandi police have registered a case against five people in this regard. "I want justice and I would request the authorities to take strict actions against people like him," she said. The incident comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged political parties to help in passing triple talaq bill in Rajya Sabha. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least seven people were killed and 18 others were injured when a Russian fighter jet struck a market in northern Syria's Idlib province on Tuesday. "A Russian fighter jet struck the market in Ariha town in the province," White Helmets civil defence agency director, Mustafa Haj Yusuf told Anadolu Agency. Yusuf added that the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russian forces had intensified air attacks in Idlib for the last few days. "Regime (Assad forces) and Russian forces carry out around 100 airstrikes every day," he said. Airstrikes in Idlib province are common. Several airstrikes in the region have killed scores of people. In May last year, Russia, Iran and Turkey signed an agreement to set up de-escalation centres to prevent airstrikes in different parts of Syria. De-escalation zones include the Idlib province, some parts of Latakia, Hama and Aleppo provinces, Homs, Eastern Ghouta, Daraa and al-Quneitra provinces in southern Syria. Syria has been embroiled in a civil war since 2011. Protesters have for long been demanding the resignation of Assad over his autocratic rule. While UN officials say more than 1,00,000 people have been killed in the civil war, Syrian officials say the death toll is closer to 10,000. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Inspector General (IG) Sanjeev Gupta on Tuesday said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the violence that erupted in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj last week. He also said that a magisterial inquiry has been ordered to probe the violence. Fresh violence broke out in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj town yesterday when a shop was set on fire by unidentified men. "A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe Kasganj clashes and also magisterial inquiry has been ordered," Gupta told ANI. Earlier in the day, Inspector General took out a bike rally to check the law and order situation and also conducted raids at different locations where they arrested five people in the state in connection with the fresh violence. While, Police vigil had to be intensified after the incident. One person, identified as Chandan Gupta, died and two others were injured in the Kasganj violence that broke out on January 26. The clash broke out after an unauthorised bike rally was taken out by RSS-affiliated students' group Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the city to commemorate the Republic Day and allegedly stones were pelted at them during the roadshow. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suraj Pal Amu, who was referred to Rohtak's Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) due to ill health, has been discharged and brought back to Gurugram's Bhondsi jail on Tuesday. Amu was admitted to the hospital, after he complained of ill health on the day he was to be produced before a Haryana court over his statements on the recently released film 'Padmaavat'. He was sent to judicial custody on January 26 over the same. He was taken into preventive detention. The Supreme Court is also hearing a plea filed against Amu over his anti-Padmaavat protest. The BJP leader is infamous for offering Rs 10 crore bounty for beheading actress Deepika Padukone and director Bhansali in November 2017 for allegedly distorting historical facts and showing Queen Padmini in a bad light in the film. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least three militants belonging to the terror outfits Islamic State (IS) and the Taliban were killed in separate operations in the East of Afghanistan. At least two IS insurgents were killed in a drone strike of the US forces in Achin district, reported Khaama Press, citing the Afghan Military, as saying. In the meantime, the officials added that one Taliban insurgent was killed during the clashes which broke out between the insurgents and the Afghan forces during an operation in Laghman province. No comments have been received from either the IS or the Taliban by far. This comes as counter-terrorism operations, including airstrikes, are underway in some restive districts of Nangarhar province. Laghman, however, has been among the relatively calm provinces in the East, the report said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Trump Administration has released a list of Russian politicians and businessmen, who have "flourished" under Russian President Vladimir Putin's rule. The US Treasury Department published the list through the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAASTA), which was meant to punish Russia for its alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential elections, the annexation of Crimea and the ongoing military operations in eastern Ukraine by the Russian forces, according to CNN. The list, which has been dubbed as "Putin list", consists of around 114 Russian politicians and 96 businessmen and industrialists, who are having "extremely close" ties with Putin, Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev, chief spokesman Dimitry Peskov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The Congress had pushed to release the list to take strict actions against Russia. The list was released by the Treasury Department shortly before midnight. US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement, "Since the enactment of the CAATSA legislation, we estimate that foreign governments have abandoned planned or announced purchases of several billion dollars in Russian defence acquisitions." The Treasury Department stated that the list was "based on objective criteria drawn from publicly available sources." The names of Russian businessmen and industrialists matched a list of 96 Russian billionaires, which was compiled by Forbes magazine last year. Each of them is believed to have assets totalling to at least USD 1 billion or more, according to the Treasury Department. Franz Klintsevich, the first deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council's Defence and Security Committee slammed the publication of the list. United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday planned to meet and speak with special counsel Robert Mueller soon, in connection with the Russian collusion investigation. In a surprise move, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was reportedly stepping down from the post, two months before he was supposed to retire. McCabe had constantly criticised Trump and Republicans in the past, in connection with Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States President Donald Trump said on Monday that the U.S. would not hold any talks with Taliban as they were killing innocents in Afghanistan. "They are killing people; innocents are being killed left and right. Bombing in middle of children, in the middle of families, bombing all over Afghanistan. So we don't want any talks with the Taliban," President Trump said here at a lunch with UN Security Council ambassadors. The U.S President's remarks came after the Taliban had claimed responsibility for Sunday's suicide car bombing in Kabul. The attack claimed 103 lives and wounded 163 others. President Donald Trump had called for "decisive action" by all countries against the Taliban after the attack. "All countries should take decisive action against the Taliban and the terrorist infrastructure that supports them. The Taliban's cruelty will not prevail," RadioFreeEurope Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) quoted Trump as saying in a statement, issued hours after the attack. This bombing is the latest in a string of deadly attacks that had taken place in Afghanistan during the past 10 days. Last Wednesday, an office of 'Save The Children' organisation in Jalalabad city of Nangarhar province came under attack, just four days after terrorists stormed Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel and killed 18 people, including 12 foreigners. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) ban on a few Chinese active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) manufacturers is unlikely to impact the credit profile of the Indian pharmaceutical formulators rated by India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra). The ban was imposed on account of significant deviations in regulatory compliance set by Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. These API manufacturers do not supply to the large (revenue above INR10 billion at end-FY17) and mid-sized formulators (INR2.5 billion-10 billion) rated by the agency, as these API manufacturers are not approved suppliers. This is based on our channel checks and discussions with management of rated formulators. Also, in terms of the products sourced from indigenous contract manufacturers, there has not been any instance of API sourced from the banned manufacturers. Some of Ind-Ra rated large pharmaceutical formulators have reduced Chinese API imports to 10%-15% of total API consumed in FY17 from 20%-25% in FY12, due to quality deviations. However, India's dependence on API imports from China has not moderated much (Figures 1 and 2). Many small and mid-sized manufacturers where backward integration may not make economic sense continue to be heavily dependent on imports (40%-45% of total API consumed). Economies of scale along with less stringent environmental norms have enabled Chinese APIs to remain price competitive compared to indigenously sourced APIs. Even formulators with a high level of backward integration (above 70%) are likely to have a high dependency on China for imports of key starting materials. To de-risk their commercial portfolios, formulators typically source APIs, intermediates and starting materials from two or more credible suppliers with clean regulatory track record. APIs used in the manufacture of formulations sold to regulated markets such as the US, Europe and UK are pre-approved by the United States Food and Drug Association, European Directorate for the quality of medicines and UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, respectively. Moreover, each formulation sold to these geographies has an approved primary and secondary API source. APIs from Chinese manufacturers are generally preferred for commoditised formulations while high value critical formulations are manufactured using an indigenous API source. Thus, the agency believes that events like these necessitate the need to fast track policies to promote indigenous, cost-effective API production infrastructure and reduce import dependence. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tech Mahindra's consolidated net profit rose 12.8% to Rs 943 crore on 2.2% rise in revenue to Rs 7776 crore in Q3 December 2017 over Q2 September 2017. Earnings before interest, tax and depreciation (EBITDA) margin rose 1.8% to 16.3% in Q3 December 2017 compared with Q2 September 2017. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 29 January 2018. Vineet Nayyar, Vice Chairman, Tech Mahindra, said that the focus on digital transformation, continuous reskilling of workforce to meet the future demands of market space is showing encouraging results. The quarter results also demonstrate company's focus on execution, which is key in an otherwise unpredictable macro business environment. C P Gurnani, CEO & MD, Tech Mahindra, said that the company has continued to clock steady growth in the quarter across revenue, profits and new business. The company's commitment to 'DAVID' strategy (digitization, automation, verticalization, innovation, disruption) has yielded marquee deals in the digital space. On a consolidated basis, Wockhardt reported loss after tax of Rs 41 crore in Q3 December 2017, lower than loss after tax of Rs 54 crore in Q3 December 2016. Sales rose 1.01% Rs 1005 crore in Q3 December 2017 over Q3 December 2016. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 29 January 2018. MOIL said that the meeting of board of directors of the company will be held on 5 February 2018, to consider the proposal for buy back of the fully paid-up equity shares of the company. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 29 January 2018. IOCL announces Q3 results today, 30 January 2018. Shares of Amber Enterprises India will be listed on the bourses today, 30 January 2018. The issue price of the initial public offer (IPO) was fixed at Rs 859 per share. Overall, the IPO of the company had received bids for 81.5 crore shares as against 49.27 lakh shares on offer. The IPO was subscribed 165.42 times. The company had fixed the price band of Rs 855 to Rs 859 per equity share. The IPO was open for subscription from 17 January 2018 to 19 January 2018. Amber Enterprises India is the leading room air conditioner (RAC) original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and original design manufacturer (ODM). KPIT Technologies' board of directors approved a draft composite scheme for amalgamation of Birlasoft (India) with the company and demerger of the engineering business of the company into KPIT Engineering (KEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, to be renamed as KPIT Technologies, in terms of the draft scheme and an implementation agreement, and other agreements that are to be executed between the company, Birlasoft and other parties. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 29 January 2018. Pursuant to the proposed merger, shareholders of Birlasoft will receive 22 equity shares of the combined KPIT-Birlasoft for every 9 equity shares of Birlasoft, and the combined KPIT-Birlasoft will be engaged in the ITSS business, and pursuant to the proposed demerger, KEL's shares will be listed and shareholders of combined KPIT-Birlasoft will receive one share of KEL for every one share they hold in the combined KPIT-Birlasoft. After the proposed demerger, the existing promoters of the company propose to acquire sole control and substantial shareholding in KEL from the Birlasoft promoters. The board has also approved the company executing an agreement, pursuant to which Birlasoft's promoters propose to acquire joint control over the company along with the company's existing promoters, subject to an open offer being made under the provisions and such other terms and conditions that have been agreed between them. Welspun Corp said that it has received additional orders for supply of 232 kilo metric tonnes (MTs) pipes, including a large order. With these additions, the company has current order book of 1,279 KMTs valued at Rs 8200 crore. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 29 January 2018. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tech Mahindra rose 0.4% to Rs 607.80 at 9:20 IST on BSE after consolidated net profit rose 12.8% to Rs 943 crore on 2.2% rise in revenue to Rs 7776 crore in Q3 December 2017 over Q2 September 2017. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 29 January 2018. Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 94.53 points, or 0.26% to 36,188.72. On the BSE, 58,000 shares were traded in the counter so far, compared with average daily volumes of 3.46 lakh shares in the past two weeks. The stock had hit a high of Rs 610.40 and a low of Rs 593.60 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 613.35 on 25 January 2018. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 357.60 on 29 May 2017. Tech Mahindra's earnings before interest, tax and depreciation (EBITDA) margin rose 1.8% to 16.3% in Q3 December 2017 compared with Q2 September 2017. Vineet Nayyar, Vice Chairman, Tech Mahindra, said that the focus on digital transformation, continuous reskilling of workforce to meet the future demands of market space is showing encouraging results. The quarterly results also demonstrate company's focus on execution, which is key in an otherwise unpredictable macro business environment. C P Gurnani, CEO & MD, Tech Mahindra, said that the company has continued to clock steady growth in the quarter across revenue, profits and new business. The company's commitment to 'DAVID' strategy (digitization, automation, verticalization, innovation, disruption) has yielded marquee deals in the digital space. Tech Mahindra offers innovative and customer-centric information technology experiences. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tube Investments of India has established a Global Depository Receipts Programme by executing a Depository Agreement on 29 January 2018 with the Bank of New York Mellon, New York, USA pursuant to which BHYM will be acting as the Depository for the GDRs being issued in respect of 42,23,460 (representing 2.25% of the company's paid up capital) underlying equity shares of the company allotted pursuant to the scheme of arrangement for demerger between TI Financial Holdings (formerly Tube Investments of India - demerged company) and the company (resulting company). Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Fifteen newly-recruited Yemeni soldiers were killed in a suicide car bombing at a military checkpoint in Shabwa province on Tuesday, an official said. "The suicide assailant died on the spot after detonating his explosives-laden car at a military checkpoint in Nokhan area of Shabwa province, killing 15 soldiers," the local government official told Xinhua news agency. He said the targeted checkpoint was manned by a special Yemeni Army unit backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the government officials blamed it on the Yemen-based Al Qaeda branch. Al Qaeda militants are intensifying drive-by attacks on security checkpoints in Yemen's southern provinces as UAE-backed government forces tighten military operations against their hideouts. In the past months, government forces and the UAE armed forces operating in Aden province launched an anti-terror offensive to root out Al Qaeda militants from their strongholds in the neighbouring province of Abyan. The UAE-backed anti-terror campaign has dislodged Al Qaeda militants from several villages in Abyan and in the neighbouring Shabwa province, with more than 50 of them arrested and imprisoned in Aden. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thirty six people, including two children, were killed and several were missing after a bus with around 50 passengers crashed through a bridge railing and plunged into a canal in West Bengal's Murshidabad district on Monday morning, officials said. Nine injured passengers were admitted to the Baharampur Medical College and Hospital. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has rushed to the spot. The Malda-bound public transport bus fell off the Nalini Buske bridge into the Gobra canal in Balirghat area around 6 a.m. After hours of intense effort, the bus was fully fished out of the canal by deploying four cranes, with hundreds of villagers as also anxious relatives of the passengers gathered on the canal banks. "Two bodies were found floating in the canal. Later, 34 more people were found dead after the bus was partially lifted from the canal and rescuers managed to enter and extricate the bodies," said a civic official. The dead included two children. Seven bodies have been identified, the police said. There were ghastly scenes at the spot as mangled limbs and other body parts of the victims were found protruding out of the bus, as it was being lifted. Lifeless bodies of a number of passengers were seen in sitting position, testifying to the suddenness of the tragedy. Slippers and bags floated in the water. The dead bodies were being sent to the Baharampur Medical College and Hospital for post mortem. The air hung heavy at the spot as also the hospital with the cries and wails of the bereaved, who found the sudden loss of their dear ones unbearable. Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force and state Disaster Management Group, divers along with district officials were manning the rescue operation, which was still on. Police were yet to confirm the number of passengers who were in the bus at the time of the accident. But an injured said close to 50 people were in the ill-fated bus that started its journey from Shikarpur in Nadia district. Banerjee, who reached the spot in the evening along with Transport Minister Subhendu Adhikari and other officials, visited the hospital and discussed with the doctors about the condition of the victims. She also spoke to some of the injured and assured their kin of the best possible treatment. Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister announced compensation of Rs five lakh each to the bereaved families. She visited the hospital and discussed with the doctors about the condition of the victims. She also announced compensation of Rs 50,000 to Rs one lakh for the injured . Following the incident, angry locals pelted police with stones and torched two police vehicles, accusing them of arriving late for rescue operations. Stones were hurled at a fire tender that was sent there to put out the fire. Police lobbed teargas shells and baton-charged the protesters. Primary investigation suggests the driver lost control of the vehicle, the police said. --IANS bdc/ssp/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eight members of a family were killed and another person was injured when a mine exploded on Tuesday as a vehicle was passing through the tribal region of northwestern Pakistan, an official said. The mine exploded as the vehicle was travelling through the Kurram Agency bordering Afghanistan at around 8 a.m., regional administration spokesperson Arbab Ali told Efe news. He said that five women and three men were killed in the explosion while another person was wounded and taken to hospital in Peshawar. The explosion occurred in an area which is predominantly Shia, a community which has been targeted several times, although Ali said that the victims from Tuesday's attack were all Sunnis. In June, 25 people were killed and a 100 injured in a double explosion in Kurram market. In March, a car bomb explosion near a Shia mosque for women in Parachinar, the capital of Kurram Agency, left 22 people dead. According to the South Asia Portal, there has been a decline in violence in Pakistan with 1,260 terror-related deaths in 2017 (540 civilians, 208 security force members and 512 alleged terrorists), the lowest figure in a decade. --IANS soni/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government is learnt to have told a Parliamentary panel that the view of Attorney General K.K. Venugopal against filing an appeal in the Bofors case in the Supreme Court was not binding on the CBI, and the investigating agency is expected to take a call on the matter in the next few days. The issue came up on Tuesday at a meeting of a sub-committee of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which quizzed CBI Director Alok Verma, CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana and Secretary Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) Ajay Mittal. Sources said the CBI is likely to decide in the next three days whether it will file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the case or it will go ahead as a respondent in an existing case. They said Mittal is learnt to have told the panel that Attorney General Venugopal's view against filing a SLP in the case was not binding on the Central Bureau of Investigation and the agency was free to file an appeal. Venugopal had told the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) that CBI should not file a SLP as it is likely to be dismissed. The opinion was shared by CBI with the PAC sub-committee which is looking "into the non-compliance of certain aspects of a 1986 Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report on the Bofors Howitzer gun deal". The sources said that BJP member Nishikant Dubey submitted two "evidences" which supported CBI moving ahead in the case. Dubey is learnt to have said that the Income Tax Tribunal had given an order in 2010 which said that kickbacks were given in the Bofors deal. He also said that in 2014, Delhi High Court rejected former External Affairs Minister Madhav Singh Solanki's plea for quashing an FIR against him as an offshoot in the Bofors scam. The CBI wanted to file an SLP challenging the Delhi High Court order of May 31, 2005, quashing all charges against Europe-based Hinduja brothers in the Bofors case. The DoPT had sought legal opinion from the Attorney General on the CBI's intention to proceed with the SLP. In a letter to the DoPT Secretary, Venugopal said: "Now, more than 12 years have elapsed. Any SLP filed before the Supreme Court at this stage, in my view, is likely to be dismissed by the Court on account of the long delay itself." Venugopal also said the CBI can proceed as a respondent in the criminal appeals pending before the Supreme Court, filed by private persons (Ajay Kumar Aggarwal and Raj Kumar Pandey), challenging the same High Court judgement. In October last year, the CBI had sought the central government's permission to file a petition that could lead to reopening of the Bofors case. A petitioner files an SLP to seek a special permission to be heard in the apex court in appeal against any judgment or order of any court or tribunal in the territory of India. The alleged corruption in the Bofors guns deal had created a scandal in 1989, leading to the fall of the Rajiv Gandhi government. Kickbacks were alleged, but no evidence was found. The Parliamentary sub-committee on defence attached to the PAC had in July last year suggested that the case of irregularities in purchase of Bofors guns should be reopened as there were many "loopholes" in the investigation in past. The CBI officials had then told IANS that it could re-investigate the Bofors case only if a court order allowed it to. Several MPs of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have also raised the issue in Parliament to re-open investigation in the case. The CBI had also said it would look into the facts and circumstances mentioned in an interview of Michael Hershman, the first secret Bofors investigator of the Fairfax Group deployed by the Indian government. Hershman, during an interview to a TV news channel, said he was ready to testify and assist the Indian agencies in the Bofors case. Hershman said V.P. Singh, then Finance Minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government, had hired him in 1986 to probe certain issues involving suspected violations of currency control laws by about a dozen wealthy Indians. At that time Hershman ran Fairfax Group, a private investigation firm. The deal for 410 Bofors Howitzers was sealed in March 1986. In 1986, then Finance Minister V.P. Singh ordered an investigation. To do so, Singh had got in touch with private investigation group Fairfax. --IANS bns-ao/ps/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bromwich Albion confirmed the signing of defender Ali Gabr on loan through the end of this season from Egypt's Zamalek club. Albion has an option to permanently sign the 29-year-old Egyptian for an agreed-upon fee on Monday, reports Efe. "I'm here to help the team and do my job. I'm very happy and excited to be here," Gabr said after the signing. Gabr is to join his compatriot Ahmed Hegazi, a former rival from the top team in the Egyptian Premier League al-Ahly FC who moved to Albion in the summer transfer window. Albion's technical director Nick Hammond said: "He's a player that we first identified at the African Cup of Nations where he played alongside Ahmed." Hammond added that Gabr, who is to wear the number 16 jersey, was "a well-structured deal" for the English team. Albion is currently in the 19th position in the English Premier League table with 20 points after 24 rounds. --IANS sam/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One person was killed and another injured in Amethi on Tuesday when bike-borne assailants opened fire near a private bank, triggering tension in the area. The assailants fled after firing many rounds in the air. Superintendent of Police (SP) K.K. Gehlot has suspended the station house officer (SHO) of Jagdishpur for dereliction of duty as the incident happened a few meters away from the police station. The deceased has been identified as Ashfaq and the injured has been identified as Satai, who was former village head of Shankarganj. Angry locals surrounded the community health centre (CHC) where the injured is being treated. They staged a demonstration and protested against the state government and district administration. Senior police and district officials along with heavy police deployment were at the crime scene, an official said. Prima facie, police said the incident appears to be a case of an old rivalry stemming from a land dispute. All major entry and exit points into the district have been sealed in hunt for the culprits, the official added. Prohibitory orders have been clamped under section 144 of the IPC which bars gathering of more than four people at public places. Locals have downed shutters and the situation is tense. Amethi is the parliamentary constituency of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. --IANS md/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Barring stray incidents of attempts by miscreants to disturb peace, the situation in violence-hit Kasganj district of Uttar Pradesh remained peaceful on Tuesday. Police teams led by Inspector General (IG) Sanjeev Gupta raided some houses in Baddu Nagar and picked up four suspects for interrogation. In a related development, a young man rumoured to have been killed in the communal clashes surfaced on Tuesday and trashed reports of his death. The 24-year-old youth, Rahul Upadhyaya, said his death was falsely reported and after he was informed of this by a friend he has come forward to announce that he is fine. Upadhyaya was the second youth who had been reported to have been killed in the violence along with Chandan Gupta. The news had gone viral on social media, fuelling anger among the people of the violence-hit district. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in an oblique reference to the Kasganj violence, on Tuesday said that lumpen elements and lawlessness will not be tolerated in the state. "My government will make lives of such people who disrupt peace miserable," he told a gathering at an event in Gorakhpur, his one time parliamentary constituency. Meanwhile, notices of impounding of property were pasted on the houses of 13 accused who are absconding. Under pressure from locals, police also released eunuch leader Pooja Kinnar, who was picked up for questioning by police on Monday night. Eunuch groups had alleged victimization and had alleged that police were unnecessarily harassing their leader and trying to implicate her in the rioting. Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sadar, Devendra Pratap Singh informed that so far 38 persons arrested for violating prohibitory orders have been granted bail. Superintendent of Police (SP) Piyush Srivastava, who was posted in Kasganj only on Monday informed that a total of 113 persons have been arrested under various charges. District officials said that the town by and large remained calm and some shops and markets which were closed since the violence broke out on the Republic Day, during the 'Tiranga Yatra', opened for some time on Tuesday and that internet services which were banned from Friday were restored on Tuesday evening. The countryside however remained tense with some places witnessing some attempts by miscreants to disrupt peace. Some disturbance was reported from Ganjdundwara and Amapur, following which some families migrated to safer places. Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, Anand Kumar told IANS that a peripheral wall of an Eidgah was damaged by some miscreants in the wee hours of Tuesday but the local communities came together and sorted out the issue. "The locals showed enough maturity and told the police that the damaged wall will be repaired with their funds," the high-ranking official informed. He also said that there was no violence after evening on Republic Day though there have been stray incidents where some mischief makers tried to torch some vehicles or vacant wooden kiosks. He added that a SIT with the "best and most competent investigators" was already in place to look into all aspects of the violence and assured that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. Police patrolling has been increased and the Rapid Action Force (RAF) continues to be deployed at sensitive places. Two companies of RAF and seven companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have been stationed in the district. Director General of Police (DGP) O.P. Singh also issued a circular to all district police chiefs to ensure that communal harmony is maintained in their respective districts. The circular has also directed SPs and SSPs to step up vigil in communally sensitive areas and ensure police presence and patrolling there. The circular, the first since Singh assumed charge of the top post, has directed police officials to be proactive in reacting to 'small flash points' and 'settle them promptly' so that they do not flare up into big incidents. --IANS md/rn/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A BJP leader, who put a reward of Rs 10-crore on the "Padmaavat" maker and his heroine's heads -- has been sent back to a Haryana prison after his medical reports confirmed that he was fine, police said on Tuesday. Kunwar Surajpal Singh Ammu was arrested from his upscale DLF residence here five days ago, over his alleged role in the violence in Bhondsi area on the Gurugram-Alwar National Highway on January 24. Ammu has been making headlines after he announced the bounty to behead actress Deepika Padukone and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali over their movie. On Monday, Ammu was referred to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Rohtak after he complained of chest pain and uneasiness. Ammu was brought back to the Bhondsi jail here late on Monday as his ECG showed "no abnormality and vital organs found normal". He was detained on January 25 and later arrested under sections of preventive detention, after a school bus carrying children was pelted with stones and a Haryana Roadways bus was burnt by agitators from the Rajput community who protested against the "Padmaavat" release. Ammu's detention was extended up to February 2 by the order of Gurugram's Deputy Commissioner of Police Deepak Gahlawat, police PRO Ravinder Kumar told IANS. A General Secretary of the Shree Rajput Karni Sena that has been waging a war against the movie ever since its inception, Ammu would be presented in a Sohna court on February 3. He was admitted in Gurugram's government-run Civil Hospital late on Sunday night after he complained of chest pain and uneasiness. He was under the observation of Dr Naveen Kumar and his team. He was referred to Rohtak's Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma PGIMS after some medical tests. Police had also arrested 18 people for the Bhondsi violence. So far, a total of 47 people have been arrested for protesting against the movie and for their alleged involvement in violence. The protesters had claimed the film hurt the Rajput community's sentiments' by showing a dream sequence between Rani Padmini, played by Deepika and Sultan Alauddin Khilji, portrayed by Ranveer Singh. In November, Ammu had announced the bounty in protest against the movie which the Rajput community claims distorts history. He also threatened to break the legs of actor Ranveer Singh, who played the role of Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji in the movie. On November 21, Ammu was booked for criminal intimidation. On November 29, Ammu sent his resignation to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit chief Subhash Barala, stating that he was upset with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's "attitude towards the Rajput community". His resignation is pending before the party disciplinary committee. "Padmaavat" released nationwide on January 25, barring in a few states. --IANS pradeep/in/pgh/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the BJP are miffed with Bareilly District Magistrate Raghvendra Vikram Singh who criticized mobs which ran into Muslim areas raising anti-Pakistan slogans. Singh's now deleted Facebook comment slamming "forces running into minority dominated localities and raising anti-Pakistan slogans", like in Kasganj on Republic Day, is under fire from leaders in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Several BJP leaders not only denounced the bureaucrat for his remarks but also demanded action against him. One MLA, Rajesh Mishra, told the media that such an official had no business remaining in the chair for even a minute and that he will raise the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and Adityanath. "His mentality as reflected in the Facebook post clearly shows he is working against our values and hence should be acted against," Mishra said. The Facebook post said that forced entry of people into minority areas and sloganeering against Pakistan were disturbing the law and order. Official sources told IANS that Adityanath had reportedly ticked off the District Magistrate over telephone on Tuesday. He has also been reportedly summoned to Lucknow. The controversial post has since been deleted, apparently under pressure from the government. --IANS md/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned if it was possible to strike a balance on linking with the disbursal of benefits under the social welfare schemes and protecting the data on individuals from being aggregated. If the government says that linking of with social welfare schemes has helped in weeding out ineligible beneficiaries and plugging the pilferage of utgoings, the five judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice wondered if it was "possible for the court to maintain some balance". "I am not saying that this (concern raised by the petitioner) is not a serious point of concern," said Justice Chandrachud, noting schemes like the rural job guarantee scheme are "large social welfare schemes" that involves the identity of the beneficiaries and "how would we discount the concern of the State." Having said this, he however asked: "Is it possible for the court to maintain a balance. Some where to draw a point, if government says that linking of with social welfare schemes has helped (in plugging pilferage)." The constitution bench is hearing challenges to the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar scheme on the touchstone of the fundamental right to privacy on a batch of petitions by former Karnataka High Court Judge K.S. Puttuswamy, Magsaysay awardee Shanta Sinha, feminist researcher Kalyani Sen Menon and others. The court's observation came as senior counsel Shyam Divan, appearing for Justice Puttuswamy and others, assailed the way the government was collecting information on individual by mandating linking of Aadhaar with every aspect of life. He described it as "aggregation" of information as some kind of "digital dictatorship". Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing for another petitioner, said that the government has conducted an audit as to how successful is digital thumb impression reading is, and report reveals that in 49 per cent cases, it has failed. He said that the said report should be placed before the court. He wondered how the linking of Aadhaar with driving licence and health care could be justified. Pointing to the magnitude of the control that government gets over an individual through Aadhaar, Divan said that it is violative of the notion of limited governance, constitutionalism and rule of law. The hearing will continue on Thursday. NGOs working in the agriculture sector on Tuesday accused the BJP-led central government of trying to cover up the agrarian crisis in the country --which they said was caused due to its "flawed policies and inaction" -- with propaganda. A bunch of non-government organisations along with Yogendra Yadav-led Swaraj India released 'Green Paper on Farmers, Farming and Rural Economy 2018' to highlight farmers' plight and expose what they dubbed the government's "false claims". Tearing into the government for making 12 "major blunders" in farm-related areas, Yadav said the National Democratic Alliance government in power since 2014 was the "most anti-farmer" government in the history of independent India. "The Economic Survey 2018 pointed out decline in rural wages, lower prices for agricultural produce, even below MSP (Minimum Support Price). Even farmers' income are either stagnant or declining in the last four years," Yadav told the media here. "We are not saying that the previous governments did anything good for farmers but the present government is actually bringing them down. However, it is busy in showing off, indulging in publicity, and betraying the promises it made to farmers. It is the most anti-farmer government since independence." Kiran Kumar Vissa of Rythu Swarajya Vedika said the government's various schemes had failed to provide relief to farmers but private companies and traders. Private insurance companies made windfall gains through Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the ambitious crop insurance scheme brought by the government, he said. The government was not serious about 'market intervention scheme' and 'price support scheme' -- mechanisms to support farmers in the wake of price fall -- as the allocation was low, Vissa said. "After farmers' protest, the central government came up with 'market assurance scheme'. But it asked the states to take responsibility. However, the states said it was not possible to implement this on a large scale unless the Centre allocates funds," he said. These activists said the government not only reneged on its pre-poll promise of 50 per cent profit on input cost of agricultural produce but also brought down the routine annual increment in the MSP. "The BJP-led government has tried to wash its hands off drought-relief efforts. It has also diluted different environment laws protecting 'adivasis', besides regulating livestock markets, which dealt a severe blow to farmers," Yadav said. The government had stopped releasing funds for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which would aggravate rural distress, these activists said. They demanded the government should implement MSP for all agricultural produce, including milk and eggs. "Also, the MSP for the existing produce under the MSP system should be increased. The government should declare debt-relief package, and form statutory Farmers' Income Commission to ensure basic living income to farmers," said Avik Saha of Jai Kisan Andolan. --IANS spk/tsb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinese efforts to exert covert influence over the West are just as worrying as Russian subversion, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has said. Mike Pompeo told the BBC that the Chinese "have a much bigger footprint" to carry out such covert activities than the Russians. The US intelligence community accuses Russia of interfering in the 2016 presidential election. Pompeo said he believes Russia will target the 2018 US mid-term elections. "I have every expectation that they will continue to try and do that but I'm confident that America will be able to have a free and fair election (and) we will push back in a way that is sufficiently robust that the impact they have on our election won't be great." Talking about China, Pompeo said: "The Chinese have a much bigger footprint upon which to execute that mission than the Russians do. "China's reach ranged from traditional espionage (human and cyber)." Pompeo also accused Beijing of influencing American companies seeking access to its market, the BBC report said on Tuesday. Earlier this year, former CIA officer Jerry Chun Shing Lee was arrested on charges of retaining classified information in a case thought to be connected to the dismantling of the agency's spy operations in China. In the two years before Jerry's arrest, some 20 informants had been killed or jailed. The US spy chief said "countries could collectively do more to combat Chinese efforts to exert power over the West". "We can watch very focused efforts to steal American information, to infiltrate the US with spies -- with people who are going to work on behalf of the Chinese government against America," he said. Pompeo said that even though there has been co-operation in counter-terrorism efforts between Washington and Russia, he still saw Moscow primarily as an "adversary". "I haven't seen a significant decrease in their activity," he said. He also said North Korea may have the ability to strike the US with nuclear missiles "in a handful of months". --IANS soni/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday launched the Startup India-Odisha Yatra. The Chief Minister said the Yatra van would travel to 60 educational institutions across the 16 districts of the state. He said selected ideas would be put to three days intensive acceleration programme and the best 50 innovators would be provided incubation and mentorship support to convert their ideas into startups. During the yatra, 500 innovative ideas were likely to be pitched. The Chief Minister expressed his happiness that in the last eight months 175 startups were registered with the Startup Odisha initiative and the government was fast moving towards the mission of 1000 Startups by 2020. The yatra will cover educational institutions in Khorda, Cuttack, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Koraput, Rayagada and Ganjam districts. Besides, 10 boot camps will be organised during this period at Fakir Mohan University, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Government Engineering College-Keonjhar, KITT, NIT, Vikram Dev College, Government Engineering College-Kalahandi, MST-Berhampur and BPFTIO-Cuttack. Boot Camps, ideation workshops and idea pitching sessions would be organised for the benefit of innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs. The winners of the boot camps would get cash prizes, legal consultation, advisory services and mentorship support. MSME Minister Prafulla Samal said the main objective of the yatra is to create awareness about the startup eco-system in tier 2, tier 3 towns and encourage the aspiring entrepreneurs and youth to set up their ventures in the state. He added that the yatra would be of one month's duration and will conclude with a grand finale in Bhubaneswar. MSME Secretary L.N. Gupta informed that during the period, Startup Clubs would also be formed at each of the educational institutions falling on the yatra route. These clubs would function under the supervision of a Professor in-charge and three to four volunteers. --IANS cd/in/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Narendra Modi government's claim to be able to create 75 lakh jobs by March is "outrageous" as it is "simply not possible" in India's context, former Finance Minister P. Chidmabaram said on Tuesday. The Congress leader said if India can create 75 lakh jobs in the formal sector, it must have created another 75 lakh jobs in the informal and agriculture sector but it is not possible to achieve as India would need five times of its current GDP to create 150 lakh jobs in a fiscal. "Take this new theory that we will create 75 lakh jobs by March in this country. I mean, you are exposed. "Let's look at the numbers. In 2014-15, the EPFO (Employees Provident Fund Organisation) numbers jumped by 23 lakh. It was when economy grew by 7.5 per cent. "In 2015-16, EPFO numbers jumped by 25 lakh as the economy grew at 8 per cent. In 2016-17, it is expected to jump by 75 lakh. How can it jump by 75 lakh?" Chidambaram said during a panel discussion here at the release of his latest book "Speaking Truth to Power". "China's GDP is five times India's and it creates 150 lakh jobs. The argument is India's non-farm payroll jobs contributed to 75 lakh jobs? Which means farm sector and informal sector, there would be another 75 lakh jobs, or we would be creating 150 lakh jobs?" the former Finance Minister demanded to know. "The attempt to use payroll as a measure was a good one but to use it to extrapolate and make such outrageous claims that India's economy created 75 lakh jobs, hark. We can only measure non-farm employment or what we call payroll jobs with fixed salary, wages etc. You can extrapolate from what you can measure and then extrapolate it over the entire economy," he explained. He said that jobs are the number one concern today. "If we are creating 75 lakhs jobs, how come this is number one concern? It is the concern that led Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mewani and Alpesh Thakore to be able to mobilise their supporters (in Gujarat). "You may dismiss it as caste mobilisation. Yes, caste is a convenient term to mobilise but the real driving force behind they mobilisation was jobs," Chidambaram said. --IANS mak/him/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death toll in the bus accident in West Bengal's Murshidabad district rose to 42 on Tuesday as rescue workers recovered six more bodies from a canal into which the vehicle fell, an official said. The bodies have been sent to Baharampur Medical College and Hospital (BMCH) for autopsy. A Malda-bound bus with more than 50 passengers crashed through a bridge and plunged into the Gobra Canal in Murshidabad's Balirghat area on Monday. As many as 36 bodies were recovered from the canal till Monday night after which the rescue operation had to be suspended due to darkness. Two of the eight injured passengers died in the hospital later on Monday while the condition of the other six still remain critical. On Tuesday, divers carried on with the operation to look for the those who are still missing. The reason for the accident is yet to be ascertained. One of the accident survivors said he saw the driver talking on phone while driving just before the accident occurred. "I saw he was using his cell phone while holding the steering with his left hand. I asked him to be careful as the bus was going at a high speed. Moments later, it crashed against the railing and fell into the driver," the shaken passenger recalled. The shattered bus was partially lifted out of the canal by deploying cranes, with hundreds of villagers and anxious relatives of the passengers gathered on the canal banks. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the spot along with Transport Minister Subhendu Adhikari and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the bereaved families. She also announced Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh for the injured. --IANS mgr/pgh/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking a grim view of the suicide by an 84-year-old peasant demanding fair compensation for his acquired lands, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday warned its ruling ally BJP that Dharma Patil's funeral pyre will destroy the BJP government. Condemning the incident which happened in the state government Mantralaya where the Dhule-based 84-year-old Patil consumed poison on January 22 and succumbed during treatment six days later, the Shiv Sena launched a vitriolic attack on the BJP. "This is not governance. The Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) should run the state, not the BJP. Your administration stands on the dead body of Dharma Patil. His funeral pyre will reduce your chair to ashes," the Sena said in editorials in party organs 'Saamana' and 'Dopahar Ka Saamana'. It pointed out how Fadnavis was delivering speeches in Davos at the World Economic Forum summit when farmers in the state were committing suicide. "What's the use of foreign investment in such circumstances? Merely making speeches will not solve the questions of food, shelter and clothing. Patil has been 'murdered'," the Sena said. It added that though Patil was no more, his death had sparked a new flame in the minds of the farmers suffering injustice. Recalling the sequence of events, the Sena said Patil was offered a compensation of just Rs 400,000 for his five acres of prime, fertile land, while a neighbouring farmer with a plot of fewer than two acres was given Rs 20 million (Rs 2 crore). "He sought justice at the district level, then approached Mantralaya, where he was again ignored for three months. There were 600 mango trees flourishing on his land, plus a well, drip irrigation, electric pumps, and all he wanted was adequate compensation. By giving Patil this meagre amount (Rs 400,000), the government played a cruel joke on him," the Sena said. When the matter erupted into a crisis, the government attempted to 'bribe' him with Rs 1.50 million compensation, which Patil's family refused and asked for a fair compensation, it said. "In the name of projects for 'vikaas', government-appointed 'agents' grab control of such land. Those farmers who strike deals through 'agents' get huge compensation, the rest have to settle for paltry amounts. This is the scenario," the Sena said. The government machinery was also equally responsible for Patil's suicide and the concerned minister and officials should be charged with murder, it said. Accusing the erstwhile Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government, the Sena said during their 15-year rule 15,000 farmers committed suicide. So all former Chief Ministers and officials should be similarly booked. "This government is cheating farmers in the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj... In a similar situation, he would have thrown off his ministers and courtiers from mountain cliffs," the Sena said. A team of surgeons from Medanta: The Medicity, Gurugram, last year successfully implanted a 3D-printed vertebra in a 32-year-old woman -- helping her walk again after a bout of disabling spinal tuberculosis. The 10-hour-long surgery was the first-of-its-kind for reconstruction with a 3D-printed titanium implant in India, and third in the world. Not just healthcare, 3D printing, or Additive Manufacturing (AM), has the potential to transform many industries in the years to come and sensing the mammoth opportunities, key players are now arriving in India with their 3D solutions and technologies. Although in a nascent stage, market intelligence solutions firm 6Wresearch predicts that India's 3D printer prototyping and materials market will hit $79 million by 2021. In a bid to take industrial manufacturing in India to a new level, printing and PC major HP Inc this month brought its acclaimed Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) 3D Printers to India. "While verticals like automotive, defence and manufacturing in general will be the key focus for us, healthcare is a promising area for HP Inc in the long term in India," Sumeer Chandra, Managing Director, HP Inc India, told IANS. Starting from Rs 2.4 crore, the HP printing solution includes pre- and post-processing unit, the 3D printer and initial consumables. According to Alexandre Lalumiere, Director, Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ) 3D Printing, 3D printing is the building block when it comes to transforming healthcare. "Industry is yet to fully understand what this technology can achieve -- but beyond prototyping, the firms are now looking at building customised implants, prosthetics and fixtures that will transform regenerative medicine globally, including in India," Lalumiere told IANS. Global spending in 3D healthcare printing has grown exponentially in the last couple of years. Riding on growing R&D investments and improved healthcare infrastructure associated with the development of 3D printing products, the healthcare 3D printing market globally is forecast to hit $2.2 billion by 2024, says Global Market Insights Inc. According to Samson Khaou, Managing Director, Dassault Systemes India Pvt Ltd, in today's complex and competitive global marketplace, Indian companies are striving to be a recognisable force that can offer the best "price-to-performance" offering. "3D Printing takes companies a step ahead in this competitive journey. For example, an automobile component manufacturer was able to reduce materials requirements by approximately 35 per cent when virtual testing revealed routes to a better, stronger, light-weighted design," Khaou told IANS. In another case, a waste treatment provider cut design cycles and development costs by 40 per cent while reducing the time to market by 50 per cent, he added. Dassault Systemes is hearing a lot about 3D printing -- whether it is to print a prosthetic arm, or designing the favourite chocolate toppings, manufacturing a bridge on-site, or even printing an entire car. "This technology is effectively used in manufacturing process in the aviation and automotive industry and can enhance production times as well as product performance in terms of strength, weight and environmental impact -- improvements that are impossible to obtain with traditional methods," the Dassault Systemes executive emphasised. Imaginarium, an Indian 3D printing and prototyping company, is catering to a number of industries like healthcare, jewellery, and automotive and consumer products. "We are working with medical specialists to bring personalised healthcare solutions. Using MRI scan, we can recreate internal organs like heart or kidney in 3D so that a doctor has a tangible organ to test on before the surgery," said Tanmay Shah, Head of innovations at Imaginarium. The technology can be used to create implants and prosthetics and with growing consumer demand, there will soon be mass scale customisation in India when it comes to 3D printing. "In India, there is a certain level of technology R&D happening in academic institutions as well as start-ups, who are working on building their own machines. But compared to the world, we are still some distance away from making industrial-grade 3D printing machines," Shah noted. Meanwhile, Dassault Systemes is planning to roll out a "Marketplace" on Additive Manufacturing. "The Marketplace will enable 3D printing of the product that can be delivered to a customer's location with the click of a button. The solution will be (useful) for all businesses: Small and mid-sized, entrepreneurs, and also large enterprises that want to improve their marketplace mechanisms to improve training in their departments," Khaou told IANS. (Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in ) --IANS na/vm/sac (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan and India are considering a proposal to release elderly prisoners, those with disabilities or women prisoners on humanitarian grounds held in each other's jails, even as tensions simmer between the two South Asian rivals over ceasefire violations along the borders, the media reported on Tuesday. During a high-level discussions in past weeks, officials from both countries deliberated over a plan to release imprisoned citizens that fall in the following three categories: Prisoners over 70 years of age, mentally disabled and hearing or speech impaired persons and female prisoners. According to an official document of Pakistan's Interior Ministry and Foreign Office obtained by Dawn, India's Ministry of External Affairs had summoned the Pakistan High Commissioner to New Delhi a few days ago and proposed that both countries should accelerate the process to exchange prisoners of the three categories. In a meeting held in Bangkok on December 26 last year, the National Security Advisors (NSAs) of New Delhi and Islamabad had also agreed to take steps for the imminent release of prisoners who are elderly or disabled or females, on humanitarian grounds, the documents show. The NSAs had also agreed on a proposal to revive the mechanism of Pakistan-India Joint Judicial Committee on Prisoners, which has been inactive since October 2013. Interior Ministry sources told Dawn that at least 40 Pakistani citizens were in Indian jails who fit the criteria of the three categories. Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Faisal said the proposal to exchange prisoners had been under consideration, however "they could not be implemented due to LoC (ceasefire violations) and tensions between the two countries" so far. He said the proposals were currently being discussed at the Interior Ministry level. --IANS ahm/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Give your home a makeover, invest in soft furnishings in Indian prints like Ikat and paisley with matching serve ware and use bed sheets with dobby designs, quirky motifs and animal prints this year, suggest experts. Sonam Gupta, Design Head of Tangerine and Abhinav Aggarwal, Director at By Adab, have listed few trends: * The furniture this year will adorn darker browns and they will be polished with metallic handles. * Globally, the soft furnishings and serve ware will be block printed in more Indian prints of Ikat and Paisley. However, the blending of tropical prints in luscious green and blue with applique work will be the highlight this year. * You will also find a lot of decor pieces in brass and some complimented with marble to create an up-to- the-minute look. * This year hues of white will be out. The idea of all white kitchen, bedroom and the soft furnishings, which at sometime felt eternal, will be seen very less of. * Solid colors will be included in minimalism and will be replaced by varied ethnic and exotic prints. They will be coupled with mosaic, scroll, fret, chevron and paisley patterns which will be seen on walls, ceilings, floor, furniture as well as fabric decor in appropriate measure. Minimalism will be replaced with maximalism to create a more pleasant and swarming atmosphere. * Heavy, unnatural colours like red and maroon will be used nominally. Unsophisticated yet absolutely mesmerizing shades of earth like tans, browns and rust will be much in use. * Using light fabrics will help getting in more natural light into your room. Using slipcovers in the shades of peach, grey, red and black for your sofas, love seats and armchairs look trendy and classy. Use fabrics that are washable and durable. * Add a touch of class to your bedroom by using bed sheets with dobby designs, quirky motifs and animal prints in fine yarns and high thread counts. This will make you feel calm and add a contented look to your room. * Choose placemats and runners that match the furniture of your room which give a touch of elegance and a melodious look to your sweet room. --IANS ks/nv/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) State-run India Oil Corp (IOC) on Tuesday declared a near doubling in its net profit at Rs 7,883.22 crore for the third quarter ended in December over the same period last year, mainly on the back of higher sales. The company had reported a net profit of Rs 3,994.91 crore in the same quarter of the last fiscal. The rise was even sharper sequentially with the oil marketing company (OMC) posting a profit after tax of Rs 3,696 crore in the previous quarter. IOC's revenue for the quarter in consideration increased to Rs 1,30,865 crore as compared to Rs 1,15,630 crore in the corresponding quarter of 2017, the company said in a stock exchange filing following a meeting of its board of directors. The OMC posted a higher gross refining margin (GRM), on converting each barrel of crude to petroleum products, for the April-December period of the fiscal at $8.28 per barrel as against the GRM of $7.36 for the same nine months of 2017. The refiner said it has accounted for a lower budgetary support of Rs 2,249.92 crore for the first nine months of the current fiscal (April-December), compared to Rs 3,879.73 crore received in the corresponding period of 2017. Indian Oil said that during the first quarter it settled its liability for entry tax in Haryana. "During the quarter April-June 2017, the company has settled its liability for entry tax in Haryana, including interest, and consequently, an amount of Rs 2,808.05 crore, being no more provision required has been written back," it said. Following the government's October 2017 decision on revised pay and allowances of employees, IOC said on Tuesday that it has provided for an estimated liability on the account. "The pay revision implementation is in process and the company does not anticipate any major change in liability on this account," the oil marketer said. The IOC Board on Tuesday also declared an interim dividend for the fiscal as well as to issue bonus shares. "Board of IndianOil has declared an interim dividend of Rs 19 per share of Rs 10 each (that is, at 190 per cent on the paid up equity share capital) for the financial year 2017-18," the filing said. "It is further informed that the Board has recommended issue of bonus shares in the ratio of 1:1," it added. The IOC stock was trading at Rs 415.40 a share at 3.16 p.m. on Tuesday, up Rs 16.65, or by 4.18 per cent, on its previous close on the BSE. --IANS bc/in/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Jharkhand Budget for 2018-19 was on Tuesday passed in barely 16 minutes without any discussion and the assembly was adjourned sine die a week ahead of schedule. When the House assembled at 11.00 a.m, the opposition members once again raised the issue of removal of Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma, Director General of Police (DGP) D.K. Pandey and Additional DGP (ADGP) Anurag Gupta. The first-half of the day's sitting got washed out due to the ruckus over opposition's demand. In second-half, when the House reassembled at 2.00 p.m, the opposition members once again trooped into the Well of the House demanding removal of the officials. Speaker Dinesh Oraon asked Congress legislator Sukhdeo Bhagat to move a cut motion over the issue, but the MLA refused, citing that the House was not in order. At this stage, the state government tabled all the departments' budgets together and got those passed in 16 minutes without any discussion. As per the provisions, the departments' budgets have to be discussed separately before being passed by the assembly. Thereafter, the Speaker adjourned the House session sine die, though it was scheduled to last till February 7. The session which started on January 17 could not function for a single day as the opposition was adamant on their demand to remove the three top officials. The opposition has accused Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma of doing nothing to prevent fraudulent withdrawals from the Chaibasa treasury as the then Deputy Commissioner of West Singhbhum in the early 1990s. The fraudulent withdrawals that took place in the Animal Husbandry Department were linked to the fodder scam. DGP Pandey drew the wrath of opposition members following a shootout in Latehar district in 2015, in which reportedly innocent persons were killed on the pretext of a gun battle with Maoists. As for ADGP Gupta, the opposition alleges that he used unfair means to influence the Rajya Sabha polls in 2016. --IANS ns/nir/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A meeting between BJP's Delhi leaders with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the sealing of businesses in residential premises in the capital ended in chaos on Tuesday, with the two bitter rivals blaming each other. Kejriwal accused a BJP delegation led by Delhi unit President Manoj Tiwari of walking out of the discussion instead of trying to come up with suggestions that could be presented to the Lt. Governor. "All our MLAs and Councillors had gathered for the meeting with the BJP delegation. But they refused to have a discussion in front of everyone," Kejriwal told the media. "There is nothing confidential about it. It is nobody's personal issue. It is a public matter. I begged them to sit down, discuss and together find a solution to the sealing drive. They just walked out," he said. "It was a very good opportunity... Both political parties could have discussed the matter and then approached the Lt. Governor to propose a solution," he added. The sealing of shops and businesses -- even doctors' clinics -- located in residential premises is being carried out by a Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee. It is being implemented by the BJP-led municipal corporations. The BJP accused the AAP of sabotaging the meeting. "The AAP had over 150 supporters at the meeting. We wanted a meeting in a closed room. They misbehaved with our women Mayors and our MLA Vijender Gupta and disrupted the meeting. This is is highly condemnable," Tiwari told reporters. "When we spoke about the 351 roads (to be notified under mixed use or commercial categories), their MLAs started shouting and didn't let us talk." Tiwari added: "The Chief Minister started speaking in a way as if he was addressing a public rally." He said a complaint had been filed at the Civil Lines police station against what he said was an attack on his party leaders. CPI-M state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Tuesday brushed aside fraud allegations against his son, even as the opposition has alleged that the ruling Left was trying to hush up the matter. Addressing reporters at Thrissur, Balakrishnan said: "This issue has occurred in Dubai and before us here (in Kerala) there are no issues. "I do not know why the Arab person is travelling here on this issue, It's better for him to tackle this in his country. Moreover Binoy is in Dubai. No one has met me on this issue," said Balakrishnan, and added that it's not correct to use the party forum to discuss the issue. "You felt that this issue is going to be a big issue. Don't worry, everything is fine," added the top CPI-M leader. Meanwhile, state BJP general secretary K. Surendran pointed out that hectic damage control operations are currently going on to settle the issue of Rs 13 crore alleged fraud committed by Binoy Balakrishnan, the elder son of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, with a Dubai-based company. A three-page letter, dated January 5, from H.I.A.Al Marzooqi, sponsor of the Dubai company which was made available to the media states that he has started legal procedures against Binoy for the alleged fraud. "The UAE national and his counsel was in Alappuzha for the past two days as two legislators and a few top CPI-M leaders are engaged in hectic parleys to settle the issue," said Surendran. The issue had surfaced in the state assembly last week with the Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala taking the case up, which led to angry exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches, forcing the opposition to walk out. On Tuesday, former Congress state Minister K.C. Joseph raised the issue with the Speaker, pointing out that the video of the Kerala Assembly proceedings of January 25 does not contain the issue of Binoy that was raised by Chennithala in the House. Replying, Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan said that after Chennithala raised the issue a few members had complained that some statements of his needed to be expunged. "According to the general norm, when a complaint is raised it has to be looked into and once that is done it will be put up," said Sreeramakrishnan. Meanwhile, eyebrows have been raised after Ram Kishor Singh Yadav, the counsel of Al Marzooqi, has booked the Trivandrum Press Club hall here to hold a press meet on February 5 to "explain the real facts" and share documents related to the controversial case in UAE involving Kerala persons. Yadav is the additional advocate general of Uttar Pradesh. A senior Congress leader on condition of anonymity told IANS that what's happening now is that a "settlement" is going on and if not why should someone book a press meet one week in advance and let that be known to the world. The image of the CPI-M in general and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in particular has taken a severe beating over the issue, especially as the CPI-M state secretary is all set to seek another three-year term in office. The issue also comes ahead of the assembly by-election at Chengannur, following the death of its legislator K.K. Ramachandran Nair early this month. --IANS sg/rn (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lawyers smeared with black ink the face of a builder accused of stocking old currency notes totalling over Rs 96 crore when he was produced in a court here, police said. Bar Association General Secretary Bhanu Pratap Singh tried to pacify the irate lawyers but they refused to retreat and also thrashed the accomplices of the builder, Anand Khatri. They called the builder a "traitor" for stocking currency demonetized in 2016. Police had requested policy custody for the 10 persons accused of hoarding the old currency. When they were brought before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, some lawyers approached them and smeared Khatri's face. When the other accused tried to react, the lawyers thrashed them. It was only after Bhanu Pratap Singh intervened that the lawyers retreated and the police whisked away the accused. Police had demanded police custody for the accused claiming that the phones confiscated from them were locked and the police needed their custody to unlock them for further investigation. Police told the magistrate the network of the accused was spread in some foreign countries. The court granted two-hour police custody but insisted on the presence of a lawyer during interrogation and medical examination before and later. After the two-hour remand, all the accused were sent back to prison. Along with the National Investigation Agency, the Uttar Pradesh Police seized more than Rs 96 crore from Kanpur on January 16. --IANS mr/soni (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a case against a Muslim man who had "forced a Kerala woman to change her religion and attempted to take her to Syria to join the Islamic State", an official said on Tuesday. The woman, in her complaint to the police, also alleged that the accused, Muhammed Riyaz Rasheed, raped and married her through deceitfully. The anti-terror agency filed an First Information Report in the case on Sunday following Home Ministry's January 24 order. The central government made the submission in an affidavit filed before the Kerala High Court on Monday, saying it took suo motu action and entrusted the investigation into the case to the NIA taking seriousness of the alleged offence. The NIA, which took over the case from Kerala Police, booked nine persons under charges unlawful activities prejudicial to the maintenance of communal harmony. The centre's move comes in response to a petition filed by the 25-year-old woman, hailing from Pathanamthitta district of Kerala and settled in Gujarat, seeking NIA probe into the alleged forceful religious conversion and attempt to traffic her to Syria after marriage. Earlier this month, the Ernakulam Rural police had arrested two persons in connection with the case. In her petition to the police, the woman had alleged that accused Muhammed Riyaz Rasheed from Thalassery in Kannur district in Kerala pretended to be in love with her when she was studying in Bengaluru in 2014 and forced her to convert to Islam and married her through deceit by forging documents. She also accused Rasheed of raping her, recording her objectionable videos on phone and threatening her to become disciple of televangelist Zakir Naik. The investigation so far done by state police revealed that the accused further received funds for all such activities, an NIA official said. --IANS rak/ahm/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian online cab aggregator Ola on Tuesday announced its entry into the international market, starting with Australia, to take on its American rival Uber. "Ola will make its international expansion, with Australia being the first country. We have begun recruiting private hire vehicles and drivers in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth from Tuesday, with rides expected to begin in the coming weeks," a company spokesperson told IANS. The company sees "immense" potential in Australia for ride-sharing, which combines technology and innovation, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bhavish Aggarwal said in a statement here. "We aim to create an affordable travel experience for citizens and contribute to a healthy mobility ecosystem in Australia," Aggarwal said. The spokesperson, however, declined to comment, stating "strategic reasons" when asked about the investment going into Australian operations and an exact timeline of when the operations would begin in the country. According to Ganesh Raju, the startup leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India, it is "certainly difficult" for consumer-focused businesses to succeed in their overseas ventures, due to legal obligations in other countries. "Business-to-business (B2B) companies generally find it easier to succeed in markets abroad, but historically business-to-consumer (B2C) companies have not seen any merit in going to other markets and dealing with their regulations, market conditions, unless they had a good local partner," Raju told IANS. For a majority of B2C companies, cracking the Indian market itself takes a long time, with Indian market being so huge, he said. For consumer-oriented startups, challenges while entering foreign markets involve the legal liabilities, which are usually far more stringent in developed countries than in India, Raju said. "A lot of spending has to go into popularising the brand to local consumers when consumer-focused ventures go abroad," he added. In 2015, Paris-based long-distance ride sharing platform Bla Bla Car, a popular service in Europe, entered into Indian market but could not gather much popularity as Indians weren't aware of the brand. Founded in 2011, Ola has been competing against Uber in the Indian ride-hailing market. The Indian firm will be taking on Uber, which is the largest ride-hailing platform in Australia, apart from other online cab aggregators operating in the country like GoCatch and Taxify. Headquartered here in Bengaluru, Ola currently has over 125 million users in India, operating in over 110 cities. On the other hand, San Francisco-based Uber operates in over 633 cities worldwide. In October last year, Ola had said that it raised $1.1 billion (Rs 7,150 crore) through investors like SoftBank, Tencent Holdings Ltd, a leading Chinese internet firm, and other US-based financial investors. SoftBank is also the largest shareholder in Uber, after the Japanese telecommunications company recently bought over nearly 15 per cent of the company's stakes. --IANS bha/him/vd (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.) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday allayed fears that people from any religion, minority or caste had anything to fear in the country. "I believe it does not matter whether a person is from any religion, sect, caste or follows any religious belief, all are safe in India and will remain safe," he told the media during a one-day visit to Chandigarh. This was in context of apprehensions expressed in certain quarters that people from certain religions and castes, which are a minority, were feeling unsafe due to the growing domination of the majority Hindus. "I appeal to everyone that people should get out of the mindset of thinking on lines of caste, religion, being a minority or majority. They should just think that they are (all) Indians. "As Home Minister, I can assure you that any person from any caste, religion, panth (sect) is safe in this country," he said. The Home Minister also warned Pakistan not to misconstrue India's position on friendly relations with neighbouring countries. "Our decency (shaleenta) should not be misconstrued. India is not a weak country. India is a strong nation. "Pakistan is our neighbouring country and it should promote friendly relations with us. India has always taken the initiative to maintain friendly relations. "Only three-four days back, the Pakistan Rangers came. Our DG BSF was there and there was a flag meeting. They assured that there will be no ceasefire violation but ceasefire violation is happening again from the Pakistan side," Rajnath Singh said. He said that fencing work was going on (along borders) all over the country. --IANS js/him/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit out at the BJP-led NDA government for offering money to churches in Congress-ruled Meghalaya ahead of the assembly elections. "You will find the BJP has a lot of money. These days their leadership believes that everything can be bought," he said drumming up support for his party candidates in the seven assembly constituencies in Jaintia Hills district. "I am very sad to hear that the BJP offered money to our churches in what I consider to be a huge sum...," said Gandhi, who travelled 60 km to Jowai, the district headquarters of Jaintia Hills. The Congress President is scheduled to meet Church leaders of various Christian denominations over breakfast on Wednesday. Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, state Congress President Celestine Lyngdoh, Lok Sabha member Vincent H. Pala and others accompanied the party leader. On January 7, Union Tourism Minister K.J. Alphons announced a tourism package of Rs 70 crore to develop religious and spiritual circuits in the state. But the Presbyterian Church and Catholic Church, besides the opposition Hill State People's Democratic Party, raised their eyebrows on the offer. Election to the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly will be held on February 27. "There is no price, there is no amount of money that can buy the people of Meghalaya. The BJP may buy a few leaders here and there as few leaders may defect to the BJP or their proxy the NPP (National People's Party)," the Congress President said. Five former Congress legislators -- Rowell Lyngdoh, Prestone Tynsong, Coming One Ymbon, Sniawbhalang Dhar and Ngaitlang Dhar -- had defected to the NPP founded by former Lok Sabha Speaker late Purno A. Sangma. Another Congress legislator Alexander Hek, who was a Health and Family Welfare Minister in Mukul Sangma-led government until he was sacked last year, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. Stressing that neither the NPP nor the BJP can change the future of Meghalaya, Gandhi said: "A vote to NPP is like voting for the BJP, but they will not be able to change the future of Meghalaya. "...I am here to tell you that the Congress is going to work together with our different cultures, ideas when everybody feels that they can express what is in their hearts and say what they want and happily live in india that embraces them." Noting that the Congress will defend the idea of Meghalaya, Gandhi told his party workers and supporters that "when we defend your culture we are defending the idea of Meghalaya and also the idea of plural and inclusive India that we love". Exhorting his party workers to work hard so as to ensure the victory of Congress candidates, Gandhi told the gathering about his relationship with northeast. "My grandmother (Indira Gandhi) was fond of northeast, so was my father (Rajiv Gandhi) and I intend to come here often and spend a longer period with you and understand your culture and customs and understand deeply what Meghalaya is," he said. --IANS rrk/him/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Romania's first woman Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and her cabinet were sworn in before the head of state on Monday. Dancila, a 54-year-old Romanian deputy of the European Parliament from the part of Social Democrat Party, is the first female prime minister in the history of this eastern European country. "I hope that with the investiture of the third cabinet proposed by the parliamentary majority, the government hopping will also end, which last year led to the degradation of the social climate, to a mood that can not be beneficial to the development of a society," Xinhua quoted President Klaus Iohannis as saying. Dancila's cabinet, the third Social Democratic government in less than 13 months, won the vote of confidence in the parliament earlier, with 282 votes in favor, 136 against and one abstention, much more than the required 233 votes. Dancila announced to have the first meeting with her cabinet members this evening at the Victoria Palace, headquarters of the Romanian Government, with the first government meeting to be held on Wednesday. The Social Democrats won more than 45 per cent of the votes in the general elections at the end of 2016. Together with the Alliance of Democrats and Liberals, it has an outright majority of 250 seats in the 465-member parliament. "My term's goal is that, in 2020, Romania will be in the top half of the ranking of the strongest economies in the European Union, so that the youth should no longer leave Romania, and those who already left wish to come back home," Dancila told the parliament before the voting. She called on the political class to show maturity, while reminding that Romania is celebrating the Great Union Centenary this year and next year is going to take over the Presidency of the EU Council. "I'm totally open to dialogue with all political forces, with the Romanian president, to generate consensus in respect to such major topics for our country that are about our national interest," said Dancila. When talking about foreign policy, Dancila said she intended to expand the European dimension in terms of the governing act. "I will pay special attention to Romania's strategic partnerships and, in particular, to our partnership with the US," she said. She urged Romania to show "total openness" in international cooperation and in the diplomatic relations with other states. The ruling majority was also supported in the voting by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, whose leader Kelemen Hunor said earlier the union's lawmakers had decided to give their vote to the Dancila's cabinet, in order to "give the coalition another chance." The against votes came from main opposition the National Liberal Party, as well as the Save Romania Union and the People's Movement. Dancila has 27 members in her cabinet, including four deputy prime ministers and 25 ministers, with two of deputy prime ministers also serving as minister of the environment and minister of regional development and public administration, respectively. The voting was held after ministers who were nominated had been heard separately in the relevant parliamentary committees. The ministers will take the oath at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace late Monday. --IANS qd/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu is expected to launch a Rs 2,600 crore special package for the leather and footwear industry which is expected to generate around three lakh jobs, said a Council for Leather Exports official on Tuesday. Prabhu will launch it while inaugurating the 33rd edition of India International Leather Fair, Mukhtarul Amin, Chairman, Council for Leather Exports, told reporters. Amin was here to brief the media about the India International Leather Fair 2018 in which 475 companies from India and overseas are participating. The fair will be held at the Chennai Trade Centre here. According to him, the Council for Leather Exports is working on various programmes to utilise the Rs 2,600 crore grant given by the Central government within three years - the stipulated time. He said the special incentive package will be for human resource development in the sector, setting up of mega leather, footwear and accessories clusters, integrated development of leather sector, leather technology, innovation and environment protection, promotion of Indian brands overseas and others. Amin said the industry was now looking at diversifying its markets by focusing on the US and Russia - big markets for leather products. He said the Council had engaged experienced consultants in the US to promote Indian leather products there and also arrange meetings with potential buyers. He said the Bangladesh leather industry had become a major threat for Indian exporters owing to cash incentives given by the government and cheap labour there. Further, leather goods from Bangladesh were not subject to duty by importing countries. According to the Council for Leather Exports, the Indian leather industry was pegged at $17.66 billion and exports accounted for around $5.67 billion during 2016-17. --IANS vj/pgh/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russia will set a polling station at its Embassy in Pyongyang to enable one citizen, based in North Korea, vote in the Russian presidential election. The polling station will be opened in the Consular Department of the Russian Embassy for Russian citizen Vladimir Li, Sputnik news agency reported on Tuesday. The Russian presidential election is scheduled for March 18 and the official poll campaign kicked off on December 18. --IANS soni/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A sweeping anti-corruption campaign in Saudi Arabia has generated an estimated $106.7 billion in settlements, the Kingdom's Attorney General said. Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said 56 of the 381 people called in for questioning since November 4 remained in custody. The others had been cleared or admitted guilt and handed over properties, cash, securities and other assets, the BBC reported on Tuesday. More than 200 princes, politicians and wealthy businessmen were detained in a crackdown on "systematic corruption" launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in November. He has been accused of using the investigation to remove opponents and consolidate his power. Those detained were accused of bribery, money laundering as well as extorting officials. Earlier, billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, owner of the Arab satellite television network MBC Waleed al-Ibrahim and former chief of the Royal Court Khalid al-Tuwaijiri were released from detention at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh's diplomatic quarter. The men insisted they were innocent, but Saudi officials said they had agreed to financial settlements after admitting unspecified "violations". Others known to have been freed include Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, a son of the late King Abdullah who reportedly had handed over more than $1 billion in assets and State Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf, who was cleared of any wrongdoing. Al-Mojeb said he had "refused to settle" with the 56 individuals still being detained "due to other pending criminal cases or in order to continue the investigation process". They are believed to have been transferred to prison from the Ritz-Carlton, which will reopen to the public next month. Last week, Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said the money recovered through the settlements would be used to fund a $13.3 billion programme to help Saudi citizens cope with the rising cost of living. --IANS soni/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) State Bank of India's subsidiary is planning to launch a credit card for farmers for which it has initiated a pilot launch in three states, an official said on Tuesday. "SBI Cards and Payment Services has started a pilot launch of credit cards for farmers in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Applications are coming in. On the basis of the success of this pilot project, it would like to launch it nationally," SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar said here. According to him, it would be different from the existing Kisan Credit Card. --IANS bdc/pgh/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Central government to furnish details of Haj pilgrimage aspirants who are above 65 years and have applied for it five times without success. Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chadrachud sought the details of such applicants in a tabular form by the next date of hearing on February 19. As an ad-interim measure, the court directed the filing of the statement with regard to the "fifth time applicants, who have crossed the age of 65 years and are below 70 years, and have never been able to go for pilgrimage". The order came on a petition by the Kerala State Haj Committee seeking rationalisation of allocation of Haj quota, contending that Kerala has more applicants but lesser allocation of Haj seats while Bihar has lesser number of applicants but more quota of seats. Appearing for the Central government, Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand said the petitioner has not been able to flag the violation of Constitution's Article 14 which guarantees equality before law. The Centre had on January 5 defended its Haj policy under which a quota is allocated on the basis of the Muslim population in each state and contended that it was not discriminatory and based on objective criteria. The court was told in the last hearing that the Haj policy was formulated by the Central Haj Committee after consulting 31 State Haj Committees. Kerala State Haj Committee has moved the top court questioning the allocation of Haj quota on the basis of Muslim population saying that it deprives Muslims in smaller states including Kerala from undertaking the pilgrimages to Makkah and Madinah. The court was told that Bihar gets the quota of 12,000 pilgrims but only gets 6,900 applicants to go for pilgrimage and Kerala get a share of 6,000 seats while there are 95,000 applicants for Haj. The Saudi Arabian government allows India to send 1.7 lakh Haj pilgrims which in turn are distributed to the states in proportion to their Muslim population. --IANS pk/him/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and ministers from the Cauvery Delta region will meet Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and urge him to release the river river water to save the state's paddy crop, it was announced on Tuesday. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by Palaniswami and attened by his cabinet colleagues on Monday. According to an official statement, the water inflow to the Mettur Dam had gone down and hence sufficient water could not be released for irrigation. The statement said a letter seeking an appointment to hold talks on Cauvery river water sharing had been sent to the Chief Secretary of Karnataka and the Karnataka Chief Minister's Principal Secretary. --IANS vj/ahm/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Presidents of the opposition Congress' state unit and tribal outfit INPT on Tuesday filed their nominations for the February 18 Assembly polls, while the ruling CPI-M changed one candidate. In a surprise development, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Tuesday night held a closed-door meeting with Congress Tripura unit Working President and former royal family scion Pradyot Kishore Deb Burman at the latter's palace here. Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee chief and former Minister Birajit Sinha filed his papers from his old Kailashahar seat in northern Tripura. Sinha, elected to the Assembly five times since 1988, later told the media that the Congress is the only alternative to the ruling Left Front led by Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in Tripura. Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) President Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl filed papers from Ambassa. Former militant turned politician Hrangkhawl was elected to the Assembly for three consecutive terms in 1998, 2003 and 2008. INPT in association with another tribal-based National Conference of Tripura (NCT) has fielded 14 candidates and announced to nominate more candidates if there is no electoral alliance with the Congress and other parties. CPI-M Central Committee Member Gautam Das said here on Tuesday night that the Left Front has nominated Nimal Biswas in Khowai in western Tripura in place of Biswajit Datta, admitted to hospital few days back due to serious illness. Biswas is a former State Secretary of CPI-M's student wing Student Federation of India. After his meeting with Assam Minister and BJP incharge of Tripura elections Himanta Biswa Sarma and party's central observer Sunil Deodhar, ex-royal Deb Burman told the media that it was a "courtesy call and nothing political". "However, I sincerely want the Left parties to be ousted from power in polls," Deb Burman said. "We want to see Pradyot Kishore Deb Burman in the Rajya Sabha," Sarma told the media at the royal palace in presence of Deb Burman. Elections to the 60-member Tripura Assembly will be held on February 18. --IANS sc/tsb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 70th death anniversary at Gandhi Smriti, a museum dedicated to him. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, students from several Delhi-based schools, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma and Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan were also present on the occasion to remember the father of the nation. Earlier in the day, the President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead 70 years ago on January 30, 1948, by Nathuram Godse. Modi and Cabinet Ministers Arun Jaitley, Smriti Irani and Mahesh Sharma also took to the social networking site to pay tributes. "We bow to all those martyrs who have sacrificed themselves in service of our nation. We will always remember their courage as well as dedication towards the nation," the Prime Minister tweeted. --IANS rak/ahm/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinese President Xi Jinping was elected deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) by a unanimous vote at the first session of the 13th regional people's congress of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Tuesday. Xi was nominated by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as a candidate for deputy to the 13th NPC, which was put to a vote at the regional congress, Xinhua news agency reported. Xi was among 58 deputies elected to the new NPC at the regional congress. The 13th NPC will open its first annual session in Beijing on March 5. Spanning across northern China, Inner Mongolia connects eight provincial regions, borders Russia and Mongolia, and is home to 55 ethnic groups. Deputies said Xi's election in an ethnic minority border region "showed a new ethos of the CPC Central Committee: maintaining a close tie with the people, advancing poverty alleviation, pushing for the Belt and Road Initiative and other key state programmes". --IANS soni/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Disgruntled BJP leader Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday launched "non-political" platform "Rashtra Manch" to raise "troubling issues" concerning the Narendra Modi government with leaders from several other parties in attendance. Addressing a news conference, the former Union Minister said there were many problems before the country. "It is not a political party today and nor shall it become a political party in the future. This is a movement and it is nationwide movement about some of the issues troubling us. We decided not to remain silent and have decided to struggle," he said. The leaders present at the launch of the platform included BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, Trinamool Congress' Dinesh Trivedi, Janata Dal-United leader Pavan Varma, Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury, Aam Aadmi Party's Sanjay Singh, Nationalist Congress Party's Majeed Memon and Rashtriya Lok Dal's Jayant Chaudhary. Yashwant Sinha alleged that there was an atmosphere of fear in the country and their main commitment is "to save democracy and all its institutions". "We are told we are living in an age of communication but we are living in an atmosphere of fear. The whole country is living in fear, specially those of the ruling party. except me and Shatrughan Sinha. Where has the party of Atalji (Bihari Vajpayee) and (L.K.) Advaniji reached," he said. "The government machinery is being misused to create fear. It appears that speaking truth is now blasphemy," he added. The octogenarian leader said whether there is performance or not, there is belief that things can be managed with propaganda. "If facts are not in our favour, we will have ordered facts." He said the government has claimed success on foreign policy but India's relations with Nepal and Maldives "are in tatters" and there are reports of military build up by China in Doklam. Referring to farmers, he said they had been reduced to the "status of beggars". Sinha said they will take up the issues of concern to the people of the country. "We got rid of our fear and we have come together. We are not afraid. We could not have come together if we did not plan to counter the propaganda." Shatrughan Sinha said he had joined the platform for not having a forum to raise the voice within the party. "If we could have spoken there, if we were heard there or given opportunity to speak, then today this platform would not have been formed," he said. He added that his decision to back the front should not be viewed as anti-party activity as it was in the national interest. With representatives of several parties present, the platform which was launched on the 70th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, is being seen as another forum for opposition parties coming together against the Modi government in the run-up to the electoral battles this year and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Former diplomat K.C. Singh was also present. --IANS aks/ps/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Saudi-backed Yemen government is preparing to flee from the de facto capital Aden as fighters from the armed wing of a political movement demanding secession for southern Yemen seized large parts of the city after three days of fighting, the Guardian reported on Tuesday. The Southern Transitional Council (STC) has been seeking secession from the rest of Yemen for years. Until recently it received support from the UAE, causing a fracture in the Saudi-UAE alliance that intervened in Yemen against Houthi rebels that captured the north of the country. Last week, the STC gave President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government an ultimatum - either dismiss Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr and his cabinet or face being overthrown. The STC accused Hadi's government of "rampant corruption" resulting in a "deteriorating economic, security and social situation never before witnessed in the history of the south". At least 36 people have been killed and 185 wounded due to the violence in Aden since Sunday, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. In addition, 14 soldiers were killed on Tuesday in a suicide attack by suspected Islamist extremists in southern Yemen, a senior military official said. The hostilities in Aden erupted early on Sunday when pro-government troops prevented STC supporters from entering the city for a rally. Separatists have dispatched additional forces from the central province of Marib and the southern province of Abyan, security sources said. The forces from Abyan marched on Aden after clashes with loyalists on the way. Despite hailing from the south himself, Hadi has lost much of his support to the STC amid Yemen's economic crisis. He currently lives in Saudi Arabia. Yemen's war has claimed more than 9,200 lives since Saudi Arabia and its military allies joined the conflict in March 2015, triggering what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. --IANS ahm/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As Budget 2018 approaches, the first order of business for those in defence will be to examine the allocations made. Once again, there will be debates around the appropriateness of defence spending, if amounts allocated are reasonable, if a higher spend is warranted even though we know it goes towards revenue expenditure, and, most importantly, if we have enough money to buy the equipment we need to ensure that our armed forces are combat ready. In light of increased security threats and the observations made in the recently tabled Parliamentary Standing Committee Reports on Defence ... With reference to Seating arrangement (January 30), the government seems to have more than compensated Rahul Gandhi, the president of the Congress party, by accommodating him in a front row seat at the Central Hall of Parliament during the Presidents address to the joint sitting of both Houses on Monday. It may be recalled that the Congress party had fumed over Gandhi being given a seat in the sixth row at the Republic Day parade held at Raj Path, New Delhi. However, it was quite interesting to learn that L K Advani, the founder member and former ... Congress President will kick-off a two-day election campaign in a way truly unique in Congress-ruled Meghalaya from Tuesday, with a musical festival showcasing the cultural diversity of the northeastern state. Election to the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly will be held on February 27. Gandhi who will be arriving on Tuesday will travel by road to Jowai, the district headquarters of West Jaintia Hills, about 60 Km from Meghalaya's capital Shillong, to drum up support for his party candidates in the seven assembly constituencies, Congress Lok Sabha member Vincent Pala told journalists on Monday . He said the Congress president will return to Shillong for an executive committee meeting of the Meghalaya Congress and will attend the music concert "Celebrate Peace and Way of Life" a celebration of Meghalaya's music, culture and way of life of the people of the state. "The musical festival would be a celebration of peace and way of life in Meghalaya since at present, the country has seen many things happen which are against the Constitution," AICC Coordinator in-charge elections in Meghalaya, Yashomita Thakur said. "What to eat, how to live...it is being imposed. The people of Meghalaya believe in the spirit of secularism. We want to spread through this music concert the message of peace, liberty and secularism," she told journalists. Pala said that Gandhi will hold a breakfast interaction with various religious heads and leaders of indigenious faith believers belonging to the tribal Khasi and Jaintia, besides traditional chiefs On Wednesday. He will held address the women folk in the afternoon at St. Edmund's College after an interaction with senior journalists. Pala said the Congress President will be touring across Meghalaya to drum up support for his party nominees in all the 60 assembly constituencies. Gandhi would also visit Garo Hills, which was once considered the stronghold of the People's Party founder late Purno A Sangma on a date to be re-scheduled for campaign. "Our party president's visit to Tura was postponed for now because the Special Protection Group (SPG) has rejected the Pawan Hans chopper available to fly him to Tura due to its age factor," Pala said. "Pawan Hans chopper available to ferry Gandhi for the day was over 20 years old and the SPG rejected the idea to take him to Tura. However, Gandhi will take the Pawan Hans chopper on Tuesday from Guwahati to Shillong, he said. Pala said that the Congress President will visit Meghalaya three times during this election. Gandhi's visit is significant for the Congress that has witnessed the exit of seven legislators while three other senior legislators, including four-time Chief Minister D.D. Lapang, have declared themselves "retired" from electoral Of the seven legislators who quit the party, five have joined the People's Party. Alexander Hek, who was Health and Family Welfare Minister in the Mukul Sangma government before being sacked in 2017, joined the BJP, while Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council Chief Executive Member P.N. Syiem joined the newly-floated People's Democratic Front. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December kicked off the campaign for the BJP here and attacked the Congress-led government, saying it had created scam after scam while BJP was only for development. Seeking the electorate's vote in favour of BJP, Modi said: "The BJP's agenda is development, speedy development, and all-around development." Following Modi's campaign, BJP President Amit Shah launched the campaign in Garo Hills and voiced confidence that the party will overthrow the Congress. Amid heightened political activity in Nagaland following a call for deferment of the Assembly polls, 10 MLAs of the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) have resigned from the party and the House, an official note said today. Assembly polls in the restive state are slated for February 27. The resignations were submitted yesterday, the day 11 political parties, including the NPF, its ally BJP and the Congress signed a joint declaration not to contest the elections, bowing to the demand of tribal bodies and civil society groups that the protracted Naga political problem be resolved first. Speaker Imtiwapang accepted the resignations and the seats were declared vacant, a note from the Assembly secretariat said today. The MLAs said they had resigned heeding the "wishes of the Naga people for solution to the Naga political issue before the election". "We have resigned in view of the resolution passed by the Nagaland Assembly on December 15 last year urging the Government of India to resolve the Naga political issue before the elections, and in support of the people's desire for solution before election," they said. They said an agreement was also reached between civil societies, apex tribal organisations and political parties in Nagaland yesterday to seek deferment of the elections. The MLAs who put in their papers are Noke Wangnao, Tokheho Yeptho, Pangnyu Phom, Neikiesalie Nicky Kire, Zhaleo Rio, C M Chang, Deo Nukhu, Pohwang Konyak, Namri Nchang and Neiba Kronu. With their resignation altogether 13 MLAs - 12 of the NPF and one independent-- have resigned from the Assembly. Out of the 13 who resigned two have joined the BJP. Neiba Kronu told PTI that the MLAs have also submitted their resignations to NPF president Shurhozelie Liezietsu. Asked about their joining another party, he said, "We are for the common call of the Naga people for 'solution before election', and we will decide on the party affiliation only if election is to be held." The 10 MLAs who resigned have been seen actively participating in the official engagements of the newly formed Nationalist Democratic Peoples Party, which has declared Lok Sabha MP and fromer chief minister Neiphiu Rio as its chief ministerial candidate. Earlier in the day, the BJP did a U-turn, backing out of the joint declaration saying it was up to the party's central leadership to take a call on the issue. The BJP also suspended its state executive council member Kheto Semaparty, who had signed the joint declaration. The NPF is now left with 35 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly, while the BJP has four. There are seven independent MLAs, while 14 seats are now vacant. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As many as 1085 new ration outlets were opened in Jammu and Kashmir during the past two years, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Choudhary Zulfikar Ali said today. While 875 ration outlets were opened in Kashmir valley, 210 were opened in Jammu region, Ali said in a written reply in the Legislative Assembly. He said 195 ration outlets were opened in Budgam district of Central Kashmir followed by 162 in Srinagar, 143 in Kupwara, 121 in Anantnag, 86 in Pulwama, 54 in Baramulla, 51 in Shopian, 47 in Bandiora and 16 in Kulgam. In Jammu region, 115 ration outlets were opened in Rajouri district followed by 71 in Kathua, 11 in Jammu, eight in Reasi, two in Poonch and one each in Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts, he said. No new ration outlet was opened in Kargil and Leh districts of Ladakh region, Ganderbal in Kashmir and Samba and Udhampur in Jammu region during the last two years, the minister said. He said the commission for fair price shop dealers has been fixed at the rate of Rs 143 per quintal 25 per cent share is borne by the state government and 75 per cent by central government under priority household and AAY category. Moreover, the state government is bearing 100 per cent commission at the rate of Rs 143 per quintal under non- priority household category including Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Food Entitlement Scheme, he said. Ali said the state share of 25 per cent is being released regularly since inception of the National Food Security Act. However, there is an outstanding of Rs 26.68 crore under central share which would be released as soon as the funds on this amount are received from the central government. The minister said an amount of over Rs 54.89 crore was spent to provide free ration to migrant families in Jammu division during the past four years. While Rs 9.2 crore was spent during 2014-15, Rs 8.90 crore was spent in 2015-16, RS 17 crore in 2016-17 and Rs 19.75 crore in 2017-18, he said. In Kashmir division, he said a total of Rs 42.05 lakh were spent during 2016-17 (Rs 17.12 lakh) and 2017-18 (24.93 lakh). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two of the four historians named by the Shree Rajput Karni Sena in a panel to watch "Padmaavat" have said the film does not hurt the sentiments of any caste and nobody should have a problem. R S Khangarot, the principal of Agarwal PG College in Jaipur, and B L Gupta, a retired professor of history at Rajasthan University, watched the movie in Bengaluru yesterday. "The film has nothing to do with history. I do not think it will hurt any section of society. The character of Rani Padmini in the film is not like the one in history," Khangarot said. Gupta seconded the view of Khangarot. "I feel that nothing in the film would hurt the sentiments of any particular caste. Nobody should have a problem," he said. Both the historians, however, said it was their personal opinion. Ahead of the release of "Padmaavat" on January 25, the Karni Sena had named four historians in the six-member panel and demanded that the film be screened for them. The other two historians are Jaipur's Roshan Sharma and Delhi's Kapil Kumar. The others in the panel are Vishwaraj Singh, a member of the erstwhile royal family of Mewar and Jagmal Singh, a member of the erstwhile royal family of Banswara. Khangarot and Gupta claimed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had in Decmber last year asked them to review the film but they could not watch it then. Vishwaraj Singh said he too was approached by the CBFC chairman. Shree Rajput Karni chief Sena Mahipal Singh Makrana said it made no sense that "Padmaavat" was screened for the historians after it was released. He said the panel was set up when the film had not hit the screens. Shree Rajput Sabha chief Giriraj Singh Lotwara said the historians, who watched the movie, claim it was not based on history, "then why the producers have named the protagonists on historical characters?" The Karni Sena has been at the forefront of protests against the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed movie, alleging that the makers had distorted history. The group was not happy with censor board chief Prasoon Joshi's decision to clear the film with modifications and three disclaimers, and continued with the protests even after the film's release. The film, starring Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati and Ranveer Singh as Allaudin Khilji, hit the screens on January 25, after months of stiff opposition from right-wing groups. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 36 people have been killed and 185 wounded in two days of heavy fighting between separatists and government troops in Yemen's interim capital of Aden, the Red Cross said. Heavy fighting intensified at night after the two sides used tank and artillery on the second day of an attempted "coup" in the southern port city, military sources said. The Saudi-led military coalition which supports the government called Tuesday for an immediate ceasefire and an end to "all forms of armed conflict", in a statement cited by Saudi state agency SPA. It said it would take "all necessary measures to restore security and stability" after earlier calls for restraint went unheeded. The flare-up has added yet another dimension to one of the world's most complicated conflicts, a civil war that has left thousands dead and millions on the brink of starvation. The head of the International Committee for the Red Cross mission in Yemen, Carlos Batallas, said on Twitter yesterday that the clashes in Aden had killed 36 people and wounded 185. The ICRC did not provide figures on civilian casualties. Residents were hunkered down at home as five separatist fighters were killed by snipers and four soldiers died in clashes, military sources said, with tanks and heavy artillery entering the fray. The clashes came after separatist forces seized government buildings in what Yemen's prime minister called an attempted coup. At night, pro-separatist security forces advanced in some areas and were just one km away from the presidential palace in Aden, security and military sources told AFP. They also seized two military camps near Aden international airport which remained closed for the second day, the sources said. Aden has served as the headquarters of Saudi-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government since it was forced out of the capital Sanaa by Huthi rebels three years ago. The separatists -- who want the return of the independent South Yemen that existed before 1990 -- supported Hadi's forces against the Shiite rebels, but tensions between them have risen in recent months. Fighters from both sides have been deployed in most areas of Aden, paralysed for a second day after 15 people were killed and dozens wounded on Sunday. Universities, schools and shops stayed closed, an AFP photographer said. The hostilities erupted early Sunday when pro-government troops prevented supporters of the separatist Southern Transitional Council from entering Aden for a rally. Separatists have dispatched additional forces from the central province of Marib and the southern province of Abyan, security sources said. The forces from Abyan marched on Aden after clashes with loyalists on the way. After the separatists seized the government headquarters on Sunday, Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher denounced a "coup... in Aden against legitimacy and the country's unity". He urged the Saudi-led coalition to intervene in its defence. The coalition launched air strikes against the Iran- backed Huthi rebels in March 2015 and sent troops to support Hadi's forces, fearing that Tehran would gain a foothold in the country on Saudi Arabia's southern border. On Sunday, security sources said pro-separatist units trained and supported by the UAE had taken over the government headquarters after clashes. The International Committee of the Red Cross said fighting continued overnight. "All night shooting in Aden #Yemen, including heavy weapons," Alexandre Faite, the head of the ICRC delegation in the country based in Sanaa, said on Twitter. "Those in southern part of city, including (ICRC staff) still unable to get out." UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed urged all parties to return to "calm and dialogue". The negotiator is to step down in April after three years overseeing UN-brokered negotiations between the government and rebels, none of which have stemmed the violence. More than 9,200 people have been killed in Yemen since the Saudi-led coalition intervened. The separatists joined forces with Hadi's government to oust the rebels from southern provinces in 2015, but tensions have soared since a secessionist governor's sacking last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nearly 8,000 private schools across Haryana today remained shut in protest against the alleged lack of security to teachers and other staff members. The school administrations were protesting against the lack of security to management members and teachers, following the killing of a school principal, Ritu Chhabra, by a Class-12 student in Yamunanagar recently for reprimanding him. "Around 8,000 private schools today remained shut in Haryana," National Independent Schools Alliance member Shrichand said. "There is no policy or rule for the safety of school staff in Haryana," Shrichand, also the president of Panchkula private school federation, said. He lamented that there was no word from the government on the death of the principal of the Yamunanagar school. "Nobody from Haryana government said a single word on the death of the principal and commented that it was wrong," said Shrichand. Representatives of schools also presented district-wise memorandum to the respective administration in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari and other party leaders walked out of a meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the issue of sealing alleging "misbehaviour" by AAP MLAs and "anti-social elements" present there, a charge denied by the AAP. Tiwari alleged that woman mayors of BJP ruled North and East MCD Preety Agarwal and Neema Bhagat respectively were also "attacked" at the chief minister's residence and accused the AAP government of acting as "urban naxalites". The Delhi BJP delegation including Tiwari, party MPs and MLAs from the city, went to Kejriwal's residence to discuss the issue of a sealing drive but the meeting soon ended in chaos, with Delhi BJP general secretary Ravinder Gupta even filing a police complaint against some AAP MLAs accusing them of attacking his party leaders. "This incident makes it clear that this government is not serious over issues like sealing faced by the people of Delhi. They are in the role of urban naxalites," Tiwari said. The BJP leaders also showed a video alleging that Kejriwal "provoked" his men to "catch" members of the BJP delegation who were walking out of the meeting. "We were around 20 people while Kejriwal was sitting there with around 150 men including AAP MLAs. There were also anti-social elements and bouncers who attacked me, our women mayors, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta and other members of the delegation," Tiwari told reporters. Kejriwal trashed the BJP's allegation. "These are baseless allegations. If any MLA has misbehaved with them, I will throw him out(of AAP)," he said. Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta alleged that he was assaulted by some AAP MLAs and others at the chief minister's residence. He later underwent a medical examination at Aruna Asaf Ali hospital. "Today is the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Kejriwal paid tributes to Mahatma with an attack on Opposition leaders," he said. A complaint filed by Delhi BJP general secretary Ravinder Gupta with Civil Lines police station named AAP MLAs Jarnail Singh, Akhilesh Tripathi, Rajesh Rishi and Jitender Tomar. The chief minister welcomed the delegation with a bouquet but latter got them "thrashed", Tiwari rued expressing his anguish over the incident. "When I was speaking, AAP MLA Jitender Tomar shouted me down. I was insulted in the presence of the chief minister but I still continued. But soon, we felt it was better to leave as they were in a dangerous mood," the Delhi BJP chief said. He said that the delegation walked out of the meeting to avoid an "escalation" following the treatment meted out to them. Tiwari said that he will write to Arvind Kejriwal asking him for a public debate at Ramleela ground on the issue of sealing drive. "Today he insisted on debating the issue in a gathering of hundreds of people. I am going to write to him for a debate over the issue at Ramleela ground with public in attendance," he said. He said that the BJP will continue its struggle to stop the sealing drive, and demanded that the Delhi government call a special session of the Assembly on the issue. "We have lost hope in Arvind Kejriwal. So, we will meet the Lt Governor and the Union Urban Development Minister for a solution to this problem," he said. The sealing drive is being carried out by municipal corporations since last month against properties violating civics norms. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Asian Development Bank will give a loan of USD 250 million to the Indian government for construction of all-weather roads in five states under the Prime Minister's rural road development scheme. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India today signed a $250 million loan to finance the construction of 6,254 kilometres all-weather rural roads Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal under the Prime Ministers Rural Roads Programme (PMGSY), an official statement said today. The first tranche of loan is part of the USD 500 million Second Rural Connectivity Investment Programme for India approved by the ADB Board in December 2017. The programme is aimed at improving rural connectivity, facilitating safer and more efficient access to livelihood and socio-economic opportunities for rural communities through improvements to about 12,000 kilometres Rural Roads across the 5 states. Kenichi Yokoyama, Country Director of ADBs India Resident Mission who signed the agreement for ADB, said the investment will support the Indian governments drive for innovative approaches to reduce costs, conserve non-renewable natural resources, and promote the use of waste materials in rural road construction. Road maintenance will be ensured through the provision of a 5-year post-construction maintenance in each civil works contract, he said. This investment programme builds on the USD 800 million ADB-financed first Rural Connectivity Investment Programme in 2012 that added about 9,000 kilometres of all-weather rural roads in the same states. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today broke his silence on Kasganj violence promising action against those involved even as politics brewed over the clashes with Union minister Giriraj Singh claiming that media would have chosen a "different" line if the killed youth was from the majority community. Another BJP hardliner Vinay Katiyar, known for his controversial utterances, also waded in the row saying there were some "miscreants who support Pakistan" who could go to any extent to defy the tricolour. "Our government is committed to provide security to each and every citizen. Anarchy has no place in the state," Chief Minister Adityanath told reporters here, his first comments on the clashes. Adityanath warned of "strict action" against the perpetrators of violence. Meanwhile, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that he felt the violence was pre-planned. "Had the deceased been Mohammad Ismaayil instead of Chandan Gupta, there would be been a different debate in the media... We have to change this mindset," Giriraj Singh told reporters here. The Union minister said he felt the Kasganj incident was "pre-planned" adding that the Adityanath government would not spare anyone involved. Giriraj Singh also referred to Bareilly District Magistrate Raghvendra Vikram Singh's comments on Facebook that appeared to blame right-wing groups for provoking communal clashes. "I have come to know that a bureaucrat has made some remarks on why some are raising 'Pakistan Murdabad' slogans. I want to ask why not raise Pakistan Murdabad slogan. We raise this slogan as Pakistan kills our soldiers and is involved in spreading cross border terrorism," the minister said. The DM's now-deleted post said a "strange trend" that had begun of late was to visit Muslim majority areas and raise slogans against Pakistan. "Why? Are they (Muslims) Pakistanis?" The same thing had happened in Khailam village of Bareilly. Then stones were thrown, FIRs lodged," the officer's post had said. A short service commission Army officer before joining the civil services, Raghvendra Vikram Singh, 59, was last year posted as the district magistrate of Bareilly, about 100 km from Kasganj. He put up the Facebook post on Sunday, just two days after 22-year-old commerce student Chandan Gupta died in communal clashes that broke out in a Muslim-majority locality of Kasganj during a 'Tiranga bike rally' by members of the local unit of the RSS-affiliated students' group ABVP. Minister of State for Food Processing Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said the incident should not be politicised. BJP MP Vinay Katiyar, however, told a channel that those who "support Pakistan" were behind the violence. "Earlier, there were no communal clashes in Kasganj district as all lived in harmony. But it has come to light that there are some miscreants who support Pakistan and will go to any extent to defy the tricolour. They need to be dealt with strictly," he said. Katiyar claimed Gupta, who died of a bullet injury, was killed by the "supporters of Pakistan". "Nothing like this had happened in the state under Yogi Adityanath's government, this is a first such incident which has taken place," Katiyar asserted expressing confidence that action will be taken. Stray incidents of violence were reported from the western Uttar Pradesh town which continued to be tense with a heavy deployment of RAF and PAC personnel to keep a check on rumour mongers and trouble makers. A shopkeeper's store was burnt down in the communal violence-hit district last night. "I have been living and working here for the past 20 years. Even though I am the only Muslim among a Hindu majority, we never had any problems," the shopkeeper said. Meanwhile, a middle-aged person, Rahul Upadhyay, today scotched rumours being spread on the social media that he was killed in clashes. "One of my friends informed me about rumours on the social media about me getting killed during the violence, but I was not present in Kasganj. I had gone to my village and am absolutely fine," Upadhyay said. The Uttar Pradesh government has come under fire over the clashes with even Governor Ram Naik terming the Kasganj violence a "blot" on the state. Opposition parties have also attacked the state government over the clashes. The Adityanath government has already replaced the district's Superintendent of Police. Director General of Police OP Singh has said those behind the violence will be dealt with under the ambit of the National Security Act. Over 100 people have been sent to jail under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for their alleged role in the violence. A Peace Committee has been formed by the district administration. It has been doing the rounds of the troubled areas requesting people not to pay heed to rumours. Some illegal arms were also recovered during raids, an official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's new envoy to China Gautam Bambawale today held talks with a top Chinese media regulator to deepen Sino-Indian cooperation in films and media industry after the massive success of Aamir Khan's Secret Superstar and Dangal in this Communist nation. Bambawale met Zhang Hongsen, Vice Minister, State Administration of Press Publication Radio Film & TV (SAPPRFT) an organisation in-charge of films and discussed cooperation on films and media as a means of strengthening people-to- people contacts, Indian Embassy here said. He reported to have urged the minister to allow more Indian films to be screened in China considering the massive success of Aamir's meeting. In his interview to state-run Global Times, Bambawale pointed to the success,Aamir's Dangal and Secret Superstar in China to show the goodwill for India and asked China to allow screening of more Indian films to enable Chinese to understand India better. Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan is due to be released next month. Since it's release on January 19, the Secret Superstar made Rs 460 crores (Over USD 76 million) till yesterday, according to the official figures the film. "AamirKhan's latest film 'Secret Superstar' has taken Chinese audiences by storm within four days of its release, becoming a hot topic against the relatively cooler China-India relationship," the commentary reflecting positive sentiments in India China relations said. "Chinese filmgoers' appreciation ofAamir's films reflects the common aesthetic pursuit of the two countries, which should be extended from the cultural aspect to broader areas, including politics and the economy," it said. A recent report by the Post said "while the Buddha has long had a deep impact across the Himalayas, Rabindranath Tagore's stories have enthralled Chinese readers since the early 20th century, and then Bollywood stars Raj Kapoor and Nargis got them humming Indian film songs in the 1950s. Most recently, however, Aamir has drawn a new generation of Chinese fans to the power of Indian storytelling." Aamirwas in China for the past few days promoting the film. He became a household name in China after the success of 'Dangal' last year which raked up over Rs 1,100 crore since it was released in China. It was only the 33th film in China's history to cross RMB one billion and won rare praise from Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping for its theme. Aamir's earlier movie "3 Idiots" was also successful, specially with school and college kids as it dwelled on the theme of monotonous approach towards education focussing just on academic success. Over 3,300 new cinemas opened across the country over the past five years, with the number of screens soaring to 31,000, Lin Minjie, general manager of China Film Equipment Company had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Continuing with the crackdown on dissidents in the wake of its RK Nagar by-poll defeat, the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu today removed its Coimbatore Lok Sabha MP from a key party post while expelling more than 150 office bearers there and in Kancheepuram district. AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam and co-coordinator K Palaniswami said in a joint statement that AP Nagarajan was being "relieved" as the presidium chairman of the party's Coimbatore urban unit. They also expelled 155 office-bearers of the party, including 137 from the party's Kancheepuram West and its sub-units. Eighteen of those belonging to Coimbatore Urban were also shown the door. Palaniswami and Panneerselvam, who merged the factions led by them in August 2017, had last month warned of action against those who go against the party line, following its loss in the December 21 RK Nagar assembly bypoll which was won by sidelined party leader TTV Dhinakaran. They had earlier too expelled a number of functionaries, while stripping some of the key aides of Dhinakaran of party posts. The members were being expelled from AIADMK as they went against party principles and "brought disrepute" to it, Panneerselvam and Palaniswami said in the statement. They asked their party workers not to have any truck with those expelled. Yesterday, the two leaders had sacked as many as 117 office-bearers of Sivaganga district. The near 20 per cent volume growth that the domestic aviation market has been witnessing so far this fiscal may continue to next year as well with volumes likely to fly past the 150-million mark in FY19, up from 125 million in FY18, says an industry report. According to a projection by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (Capa) India, domestic passenger volumes are poised to touch 125 million by this March, growing 18-20 per cent and may clip at the same rate and reach the 150 million-mark by March 2019. "Domestic air traffic is expected to grow 18-20 per cent and touch 125 million in the year to March 2018. The domestic volume will reach 150 million in March 2019," Capa India head Kapil Kaul said here today. According to the aviation regulator DGCA data, as many as 117 million passengers flew in calendar year 2017. The number of international passengers is expected to increase by 12 per cent reaching around 65 million by March 2018 and may touch 75 million by March 2019, he added. He opined that if the government lifts the bilateral restrictions for international operations, this segment can grow nearly 15 per cent over the next three-five years. However, Kaul warned that the rapid volume growth may put profitability under pressure. "Growth may be tempered to 15 per cent if some capacity additions are delayed," he warned, adding the fleet of low-cost carriers may reach 376 aircraft by March 2019. Indigo alone will spend over USD 500 million in FY2019 to acquire 8-9 A320s and most of its planned ATRs. About the Air India privatisation, he said bids are likely to be out mid next month and the process may be over by July. He expects two non-aviation companies and four domestic airlines-Jet Airways, IndiGo, Vistara/Tatas and Spicejet to bid for the national carrier. Meanwhile, addressing the Capa summit here, Ajay Singh, chairman of Spicejet ruled himself out of the race for the national airline saying his airline is "too small" for a large carrier like Air India. He, however said "despite its many problems" the flag carrier "is a good asset" which wouldn't have any dearth of bidders. On fleet expansion, Capa says the domestic airlines are expected to induct 124-130 aircraft by March 2019, an increase of 25 per cent. Of this, around 22 aircrafts will be utilised for regional connectivity scheme (Udan) and around 25 aircraft are expected to be used for international operations. On the financial profile of the airlines, he said the next year would look like FY18, with consolidated industry losses of USD 430-460 million, and a prospect of increased losses if fuel exceeds USD 70 a barrel. Of the total losses, the full service carriers may report losses of USD 900-925 million, while the no-frills ones will book a profit of USD 468-515 million in FY19. The agency sees the combined industry loss at USD 350-425 million in FY18 primarily due to the estimated compensation of USD 62-87 million received by industry from aircraft makers due to the engine issues. But led by IndiGo, low-cost carriers are expected to report USD 450-500 million profits including USD 62-87 million compensation on engine issues. The only exception to this will be AirAsia India which is expected to be profitable in next fiscal. Full service carriers are projected to report USD 825-850 million losses this fiscal with both Air India and Vistara losing money. Jet Airways is expected to either break-even or report a modest profit, subject to Q4 performance, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Odisha Police has agreed with neighbouring states to intensify the inter-state anti-Maoist operations in the identified areas having strong presence of the rebels, government officials said. The state police gave its nod to further intensify operation at the Inter-State Coordination Meeting held at Hyderabad yesterday under the chairmanship of the senior security advisor of the MHA, they said. The meeting was attended by senior police officers from the state, including Director General of Police R P Sharma. "It was decided in the meeting to further intensify the inter-state anti-LWE operations in identified inter-state areas having strong presence and activity of CPI(Maoist) cadre members," a senior officer, who participated in the meeting said. The cut-off areas in Malkangiri district and Sunabeda reserve forest area in Nuapada district were the focus areas from Odisha perspective, he said adding that these two places had been the cause of concern for the state police. The broad parameters of the proposed inter-state operations, which were discussed and outlined in the meeting, mostly included strategic redeployment of security forces, upgradation of security and civil infrastructure, upgradation of intelligence and greater synergy with the security forces of the neighbouring states and the central armed police forces, he said. There has, however, been progressive improvement in Odisha in the LWE situation. "In the present scenario no CPI(Maoist) activities have been noticed in six districts of Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj and Nabarangpur. The Maoist activity has been contained to a large extent in Nuapada, Boudh, Nayagarh, Keonjhar, Sambalpur, Deogarh and Sundergarh districts," the officer said. The problem continues to be of concern in parts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Bolangir and Bargarh districts in terms of movement and violent activities of CPI(Maoist) ultras, he said. The Maoist violence has significantly declined over the years in the state. Compared to 68 such incidents in 2016, 52 incidents have been reported in the state during 2017, the police said. The number of civilian killings by Maoist has also come down in Odisha. Compared to 23 civilian killings reported in the state in 2016, 17 civilians died in Maoist violence in 2017. In 2017, seven CPI(Maoist) cadres were neutralized, 35 arrested and 26 surrendered, the officer said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today launched Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign in the state in presence of Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein and his cabinet colleagues. Khandu said the year-long campaign is a part of an ambitious plan of the state government to eradicate measles and control rubella. Starting February 1, vaccination camps will be set up at educational institutes and community centres across the state, Khandu said. He appealed to the parents to visit the camps with their children to make this initiative a success. The chief minister also directed the health officials to reach out to every child in the age group of nine months and 15 years. "It is our duty to immunize our children, especially girls, from deadly diseases so that our future generation grows up hale and hearty. I appeal to my fellow citizens to lend their cent percent support to the campaign," he said, adding that the programme aims to vaccinate five lakh children. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam's Finance Department has launched a programme seeking suggestions for the state's budget for the year 2018-19 from the common people. The programme initiated by Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been launched simultaneously at select educational institutes in Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup, Dhemaji and Golaghat districts, an official release said here today. The programme will gradually cover 12 other districts, covering 42 schools, colleges and universities over a period of one week. People can share their budget ideas through two government websites, https://assam.mygov.in/ and http://finance.assam.gov.in by February 16 next. The state government has also decided to that Assam Budget 2018-19 would be an e-Budget, instead of the conventional paper-based one, the release said. Budget copies are generally printed for use by MLAs, officials, media and people. But everybody would be able to access the e-budget in a computer or mobile phone. Assam Budget 2018-19 will also lay significant stress on girl child, differently abled and elderly people, the release added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Motorsports, auto gaming arena and autonomous vehicle display will be among the key attractions at the upcoming 14th edition of the biennial Auto Expo, according to industry body SIAM. The expo, from February 9-14, will see 24 new launches and unveiling of over 100 vehicles. Besides, there will be 12 startups participating in the event, the majority being in the electric vehicle space. "There are many events happening for the first time, including Motorsports, auto gaming arena, future decoded (virtual reality zone) and autonomous vehicle display which will show what the future would be like," SIAM President Abhay Firodia told reporters here. The expo, co-organised by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), CII and Auto Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), will be held at the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida, The components show will be held at Pragati Maidan in the Capital from February 8-11. Firodia further said that during the expo, visitors will get a chance to see what an autonomous vehicle powered by artificial intelligence is and how it will benefit the consumer and increase safety. He said: "There are a 100 exhibitors in the show, up from 88 in the previous expo. Interestingly there are 12 startups, compared to two last time which shows the kind of change that is coming over in economic thinking in India." On Budget expectations, ACMA President Nirmal K Minda said the auto components industry is looking for a growth oriented budget, while wishing that GST rate on all components would be rationalised to 18 per cent. Currently there are two slabs of 18 and 28 per cent, he added. Firodia said the automotive industry contributes 18 per cent to the GDP and provides employment to 32 million people, so the role of the sector in economy is very large. "We also hope that considering that the industry needs to spend significantly on R&D, government needs to encourage it by reinstating 200 per cent weighted deduction on R&D expenditure," Minda said. From 2017-18, the weighted tax deduction on research and development (R&D) expenses has been reduced to 150 per cent from 200 per cent earlier. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bajaj Auto on Tuesday said workers at its manufacturing plants at Akurdi and Chakan in Maharashtra have gone on an indefinite hunger strike. Earlier this month, the company had received a notice from the workers union - Vishwa Kalyan Kamgar Sanghatana - for an indefinite hunger strike at the two plants from January 29. In a regulatory filing, Bajaj Auto said the main reasons for the indefinite hunger strike as mentioned in the letter are the pending issue of eight workmen dismissed from the services for various acts of misconduct in 2013-14. Moreover, the workers were demanding the reinstatement of six dismissed workers who according to the company "did not report at the place of transfer/ deputation in spite of court orders" and delay in conclusion of the wage review process which is due with effect from April 1, 2016. "The matter is pending before the Industrial Court, Pune and High Court of Bombay," the two wheeler major said. The company further said that "inspite of considerable progress made in concluding the wage review process, the union has chosen to adopt tools of hunger strike etc for pursuingt heir unreasonable and unrealistic demand". Bajaj Auto claimed that production at both the plants continued to be normal. According to the union leaders, the company management was to revise the three-year wage agreement with its over 1,000 permanent employees at the Chakan plant in 2016 but it has still not moved on the issue. The Bihar cabinet today approved a grant of Rs 105 crore for the Bihar Mahadalit Vikas Mission, set up with the objective of devising and implementing schemes designed especially for the most deprived sections among the Scheduled Castes. The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Principal Secretary of Cabinet Secretariat Department Brajesh Mehrotra told reporters here. The Mission was set up in 2008 vide a notification of the state government as an autonomous body functioning under the SC/ST Welfare Department. Other decisions taken at the cabinet meeting include construction of a high security jail in Phulwarisharif block of Patna district at an estimated cost of Rs 56.72 crore, the principal secretary said. Maoists and notorious criminals from prisons across the state would be lodged in this jail. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior BJP MP from Maharashtra Chintaman Wanaga died in New Delhi today, said doctors at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. He was 67. The presentation of the Union Budget on February 1 is unlikely to be affected by Wanaga's death, sources in the parliamentary affairs ministry said. An obituary reference would be read out by the speaker on February 1 when the House meets. There are no sittings of Parliament today and tomorrow. Last year, the government went ahead with the budget presentation despite the demise of IUML leader E Ahamed, who had collapsed during the president's address to the joint sitting of the two Houses. The House did not meet the next day as a mark of respect. Wanaga, a three-time MP, was brought dead to the hospital around 11.15 am after collapsing in his Ferozeshah Road residence in the national capital. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. His body will be taken to his village in Kawad in Talasari where the last rites will be performed tomorrow noon, family sources said. "He was brought to RML hospital around 11.15 am. We tried to resuscitate him for 30 minutes but he could not be revived. He was declared brought dead at around 11.45 am," the hospital's medical superintendent Dr V K Tiwary told PTI. The cause of the death is being investigated, sources added. Wanaga, who was born on June 1, 1950, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Palghar in Maharashtra. He was a member of the 11th and the 13th Lok Sabha as well. An advocate by profession, he was the Thane district president of the BJP from 1990 to 1996. He was a member of the parliamentary standing committee on rural development and the committee on welfare of SCs and STs. In his early days, Wanaga stayed in the Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra at Talsari. He was closely associated with right-wing leader Madhavrao Kane and studied law in a college in Bhiwandi. In 1996, he was elected to the Lok Sabha as an MP from the Dahanu (ST) constituency and re-elected in 1999. In 2009, he was elected MLA from the Vikramgadh Assembly constituency. Wanaga fought for the formation of a separate Palghar district, which came into existence on August 1, 2014. He had also vigorously taken up the issue of Dahanu Nashik railway link, but it is yet see light of day. Condoling his death, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said Wanaga was a very good functionary of the party and did a good job in the tribal belt of Thane district. "He took whatever role the party gave him and worked for the party even during hostile conditions. His demise is very sad and unfortunate...my condolences on behalf of the party and the government," he said. He added that Wanaga had appeared unwell the past few days. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, too, expressed grief over the senior leader's death. "Shocked and saddened to know about the sudden demise of our MP from Palghar Shri Chintaman Vanga ji who was known for his simplicity," Fadnavis tweeted. Several other leaders, including Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan, Maharashtra minister Vinod Tawde and MP Supriya Sule, also condoled his demise. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Goa is all set to become cashless and digitised from October this year, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said here today. Making this announcement at a function organised by the NABARD ( Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development), Parrikar said the details of the "hundred per cent digitisation" would be unveiled in the state budget 2018-19 which will be placed before the Legislative Assembly next month. "We are going full scale into the digital payment mode. Six months after April 1, 2018, we will have 100 per cent digitisation," the chief minister said. He said no government payments will be accepted in cash, except for emergency requirements, from October onwards. The state government has fully shifted to digital payment transfer mode or e-mode, he said. "To accept the payment through digital mode, we will require a large number of Point of Sale (PoS) machines. We have already signed an agreement with the State Bank of India to provide 650 PoS," he said. Parrikar said the 650 PoS machines may not be adequate and that he is "going to take a step ahead", but didn't elaborate. "....Nitty-gritties would be spelt out in the state budget," the CM said. "There would be hundred per cent digitisation by September 30, 2018, which means from October 1, no cash would be accepted at the government counters," the chief minister said. Parrikar said digitisation is the best thing that can happen to our country. "Less cash means less corruption, less cash (means) less evil and at the same time an improvement in the state income," he said. Parrikar said though the market was short of excessive cash post demonetisation, the cash could start building up over a period of time. "The Reserve Bank should monitor how much cash is deposited because you cannot withdraw more than Rs two lakh (from bank account) now. So they know that by recovering Rs two lakh each time, the cash starts getting into the cupboards where it is kept with some naphthalene balls," the BJP leader said. In a lighter vein, Parrikar said one can identify whether the cash is genuine just by smelling it. "You can make out whether cash (notes) is official or is black money just by smelling it. If you smell naphtha, you can be sure that this is stocked cash," he said. Making a u-turn, BJP's Nagaland unit today backed out of a joint declaration signed yesterday by all parties in the state to boycott the upcoming Assembly polls which also led to suspension of a state party leader. As the move by the BJP's state unit to be part of the declaration left its central leadership red-faced, Union minister Kiren Rijiju went into damage control mode, saying elections are a constitutional process and the Central government is bound by the Constitution. Rijiju, who is the minister of state for home, is also BJP's election in-charge for Nagaland. The BJP also suspended its state executive council member Kheto Semaparty, who had signed the joint declaration. Representatives of 11 political parties, including the ruling Naga People's Front, its ally BJP and the Congress yesterday signed the declaration not to contest the February 27 assembly elections, agreeing to the demand of tribal bodies and civil society groups that the protracted Naga political problem be resolved first. The Nationalist Democratic Peoples' Party, Nagaland Congress, United Nagaland Democratic Party, Aam Admi Party, National Congress Party, Lok Janshakti Party, Janata Dal (United) and National People's Party were the other parties who signed the joint declaration. State BJP chief Visasolie Lhoungu told PTI in Kohima that he had asked Kheto to attend yesterday's meeting but had not authorised him to sign the joint declaration. "We had authorised two party leaders to attend the meeting but had also said that if there is anything regarding the elections, the party's national leaders should be consulted," he said. "Since Kheto had signed the documents without any consultation with the central leaders, he has been put under suspension," Lhoungu said. He, however, said the BJP favours an early settlement to the Naga political problem but the Assembly election is a different issue and the state unit of the party is awaiting directions from the central leadership in this regard. Asked if the BJP accepts the common call for 'solution not election', Lhoungu said, "The final decision on the matter will be taken only after BJP central leaders hold discussions with the core committee of Naga tribal organisations and also the Naga nationalist political groups." The discussions will take place soon and the filing of nominations will depend on the outcome of the meeting, he said. Rijiju, who put out a series of tweets, said the Centre attaches utmost importance to the long pending Naga issue. "Holding of timely election is a constitutional process. The central government is bound by the Constitution," he said. Rijiju said the Centre fully understands the sentiments expressed by the Core Committee of the Nagaland Tribal Hohos and Civil Organisations (CCNTHCO) but "election boycott is not the solution". "Let's have faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji's commitment. Govt of India attaches utmost importance to the long pending Naga issue. We believe that peaceful election in Nagaland will facilitate the ongoing peace talks and strengthen our commitment," he said. The Core Committee has also called for a total shutdown on February 1, when filing of nomination begins. The Naga Hoho, an apex Naga tribal body, earlier this month sought the prime minister's intervention for postponing the elections, saying the vexed issue should be resolved first. Civil society groups in Nagaland have also launched a campaign 'Solution before Election'. Expectations for lasting peace soared in Nagaland, which had been hit by insurgency for decades, after the Centre and the NSCN-IM signed a framework agreement in 2015. The NSCN-IM has been engaged in peace talks with the interlocutor of the central government since 1997, when it announced a ceasefire agreement after a bloody insurgency movement which started in Nagaland soon after the country's independence. During a visit to the state in November 2017, President Ram Nath Kovind had said the state was at the threshold of making history as a final agreement on the Naga political issue would soon be arrived at and lasting peace achieved. Rijiju along with BJP national secretary in-charge of North East Ram Madhav, who were in Kohima yesterday, held discussions on pre-poll alliance as well as seat sharing for the ensuing elections, state party sources said. The BJP's media cell convener K James Vizo confirmed that the two leaders were here to discuss the status of pre-poll alliance and also seat sharing for the elections. Vizo said Rijiju and Madhav held meeting with Chief Minister T R Zeliang and NPF president Shurhozelie Liezietsu over pre-poll alliance and also deliberated on seat sharing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh has finalised its candidates for the February 24 bypolls in two Assembly constituencies. Bai Sahab Yadav and Devendra Jain have been selected to contest from bypoll-bound Mungaoli and Kolaras Assembly seats, respectively, but their candidature is awaiting final approval, the party said. Their names have been sent to the BJP Parliamentary Board for clearance, state BJP chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan told reporters today here. The Congress, which currently holds both the seats, has fielded Brajendra Singh Yadav from Mungaoli (Ashoknagar district) and Mahendra Singh Yadav from Kolaras (Shivpuri district). They will file their nominations tomorrow. "We decided our candidates two days back and they are going to file their nomination papers tomorrow," said state Congress spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi. The Congress and the BJP have already started campaigning for the bypolls, which are expected to test their popularity ahead of the Assembly elections slated by end-2018. While the Congress is aiming to retain both the seats, the saffron party is trying hard to wrest them. Both the Assembly segments fall under the Guna Lok Sabha constituency, the pocket-borough of Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. Scindia, the party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha, is being pushed as the chief ministerial face by a section in the Congress, which is out of power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003. Aware of the high stakes involved in the bypolls on his home turf, the 47-year-old former Union minister has been touring the two seats in a bid to ward off the saffron challenge. The bypolls were necessitated due to the death of sitting Congress MLAs Mahendra Singh Kalukheda (Mungaoli) and Ram Singh Yadav (Kolaras). The counting of votes will take place on February 28. On its part, the BJP has fielded state Cabinet ministers for campaigning. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, keen to snatch the seats from the Congress, recently announced a slew of measures for the people of the region. These included financial assistance for tackling malnutrition among the members of the Saharia tribe who form a major chunk of population in Kolaras and Mungaoli. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Calcutta High Court today directed the West Bengal police not to arrest BJP leader Mukul Roy in connection with a complaint over the death of a person in January, 2015. Roy, who was in the Trinamool Congress before joining the BJP, was directed by the court to cooperate with the investigation by the state police and to appear before the investigating officer as and when asked. A division bench comprising justices Joymalyo Bagchi and R Bharadwaj heard a petiton by Roy seeking anticipatory bail in the case and directed the police not to arrest him in connection with it. The bench directed the state to produce all medical records relating to the treatment of Mrinal Kanti Singha Roy and also his death certificate on February 14 when the matter will be taken up for hearing again. Singha Roy had allegedly suffered a road accident on June 8, 2011 at around midnight while returning home at Kanchrapara from Halisahar in North 24 Parganas district and was treated at a nursing home there and then at a private hospital in Kolkata. Following his release from the hospital, Singha Roy, said to be a mentor of Roy during his initial days in politics, was kept in a lodge under the supervision of Roy, who then in TMC, according to the complaint. Singha Roy's sister Sonali alleged that he was shifted to the Kolkata hospital and then was kept in the lodge under instructions of Roy instead of being taken home following his release. It was stated that during his stay at the lodge, Singha Roy suffered a throat infection and died after prolonged treatment at the city hospital. Sonali alleged that she had learnt from the hospital that Singha Roy had suffered internal haemorrhage, which they claim could be from serious injury and suspected Roy's role in the matter. Lawyers for Sonali Singha Roy told the division bench that her attempts to lodge a police complaint had failed, following which she had moved the local court which directed the police to file an FIR. Challenging the FIR, Roy had moved the high court seeking anticipatory bail. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Can the government not have "legitimate concern" that the benefits of its social welfare schemes are reaching the right persons or verify whether the beneficiaries are even alive or not, the Supreme Court asked today. The question was posed by a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, after a senior lawyer said this concern cannot justify the "aggregation" of personal and biometric details of all citizens which can lead to their profiling and surveillance on them. "They (Centre and states) seem to be using it (aadhaar details) for social welfare schemes... you (lawyer) made the point that it was capable of being used for profiling," the bench, also comprising Justices A K Sikri, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan, said. The bench, which is hearing petitions challenging Aadhaar, said if the government was "confining itself to social welfare benefits" and checking whether people receiving benefits are alive or not without profiling the citizens, then can it not have "a legitimate concern in ensuring that the identity of beneficiaries is maintained". Senior lawyer Shyam Divan, appearing for petitioners challenging the validity of the government's flagship Aadhaar programme and its enabling Act of 2016, said that even this concern cannot justify the "aggregation" of personal and biometric details of citizens. The bench then referred to the government's response that it has been saving money by using Aadhaar in several schemes like MGNREGA, direct benefit transfer (DBT), LPG and kerosene distribution and asked: "Aggregation for ensuring social welfare benefits. Why wouldn't that pass the muster?" During the day-long hearing, Divan referred to a judgement of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in a Russian case related to interception of telephone communications and said it has been held that such interception violated the human rights conventions. The ECHR held that if there was a system of surveillance in place, without effective remedies, an individual did not have to specifically show that he was under specific surveillance and the mere existence of a law itself was a violation of privacy rights, Divan said. He referred to another judgement of the ECHR in a case relating to retention of data. In this, the ECHR had held that holding fingerprints and DNA samples constituted "personal data" and retention of fingerprints may in itself give rise to important private life concerns, Divan said. He said various state governments like Madhya Pradesh and Orissa have been collating personal and biometric details for creating the State Residents Data Hub (SRDH), which will also contain the details collected while enrolling people for Aadhaar. "Right from 2012, UIDAI encouraged the establishment of State Resident Data Hubs and there was budgetary allocation for various state governments," he said, adding that SRDH software was deployed and Aadhaar data was added and enriched with local data from other sources. Such aggregation of data in SRDH may lead to religion and caste-based profiling and the citizens' right to privacy would be infringed, Divan said. Referring to the nine-judge bench verdict on the right to privacy, he said the aggregation of data would result in destruction of privacy rights and there was a grave danger that the State will amass the pervasive power. The advancing of arguments remained inconclusive and would continue tomorrow. Earlier, the apex court had said there was a need to strike a balance between individual's privacy rights and the State's responsibilities at a time when the nation faced threats of terrorism and money laundering and to keep a tab on welfare expenditure. The apex court had on December 15 last year extended till March 31 the deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar with various services and welfare schemes of all ministries and departments of the Centre, states and union territories. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court today asked the police to resolve and act against those involved in the recent arson attacks on the properties of lawyers in the national capital. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar directed the police to find out the culprits involved in setting fire to the vehicles of some senior lawyers, including Kirti Uppal, the president of Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA). "We have tremendous confidence in the police. I am sure that the police will resolve the issue," it observed after it was informed that today, an advocate received a hoax call warning of a bomb threat in the Delhi High Court. It directed the police to file a status report about the steps they have taken regarding the incidents of arson attacks before the next date of hearing on February 8. Delhi Police standing counsel Rahul Mehra informed the court that the probe in connection with the incidents, that had occurred on January 4, 9 and 22, has been transferred to the special cell. Mehra, however, submitted that the report with regard to the forensic analysis of the evidence gathered from the site of the attacks is awaited. The lawyers, who have been at the receiving end of the arson attacks are those who had represented a woman lawyer, who was allegedly assaulted by policemen and dragged out of her house, after a stalking case was lodged against her by a woman purportedly over a property dispute. On January 9 and 22, arson attacks were carried out on the properties and cars of senior advocates Vikas Pahwa and Kirti Uppal, by using inflammable substances. Uppal's Hyundai Tucson car that was parked outside his house in south Delhi's Nizamuddin West was set on fire by unidentified miscreants. On January 4, two cars -- a Maruti Swift and a Honda Amaze -- parked in the east Delhi house of advocate Ravi Sharma were allegedly torched by unidentified persons. The court was hearing the plea filed by Delhi High Court Bar Association seeking a court-monitored SIT probe into the incidents. The association has also sought appointment of a special investigator to probe the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A delegation of ministers from delta districts, led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami, plan to meet Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over releasing the state's share of Cauvery water to 'save' samba paddy crop, an official release said. A meeting convened by Palaniswami here yesterday took a decision in this regard, it said. The meeting, attended by deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, among others, decided that a delegation of ministers from the Cauvery delta districts plan to meet Siddaramaiah and take up the issue. Tamil Nadu has formally requested Karnataka to facilitate an appointment with Siddaramaiah to raise the issue of releasing its share of water from Cauvery to 'save' the samba crops in Tamil Nadu, the release said. "In the meeting, it was decided that the Tamil Nadu chief minister and ministers from delta districts will meet the Karnataka chief minister in Bengaluru and insist on releasing water from Cauvery to save the samba crops," it said. The proposal was being made in the interest of the delta farmers, the release added. "In this connection, a written communication as well as a telephonic request has been made with the chief secretary of Karnataka and the principal secretary to the chief minister (Siddaramiah) seeking his appointment," with Palaniswami-led Tamil Nadu delegation, it said. The proposal comes days after Palaniswami wrote to Siddaramiah, urging him to release Tamil Nadu's share of water from river Cauvery as per the 2007 final award by a disputes tribunal. Palaniswami had written to Siddaramaiah on January 13, saying Tamil Nadu had received only 111.647 tmcft of Cauvery water as on January 9 at Biligundulu as against the due of 179.871 tmcft, leaving a deficit of 68.224 tmcft. As per the 2007 order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, Tamil Nadu has to receive 192 tmcft (1,000 million cubic feet) of water every year as its share from the inter- state river. Palaniswami said the storage in the Mettur reservoir in Salem district, which caters to the Cauvery delta region, as on January 12, was a "meagre" 21.27 tmcft even as utilisable storage there was 16.27 tmcft. This was "grossly inadequate" to meet irrigation needs of standing crops and drinking water needs in summer, he had said. "After reserving the minimum needs of drinking water supply and perennial crops, Karnataka can release at least 15 tmcft to Tamil Nadu to make up a part of the shortfall," Palasniwami had told his Karnataka counterpart. This water was required to meet the crucial needs of the standing crops in the Cauvery delta, Palaniswami had asserted. He had also urged Siddaramaiah to instruct the officers concerned to release 7 tmcft of water immediately and the balance within a fortnight from the existing storage, to save the standing crops. This should be done taking into consideration the plight of a large number of Delta farmers who depend on the success of their crop to meet their livelihood, he had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Global property consultant CBRE today launched a technology centre in Gurugram to develop software solutions for real estate sector. CBRE Digital & Technology Centre, spread over 23,000 sq ft, is the fourth digital hub set up by the consultant across the world and first outside the US. "It is a matter of proud for us that India was selected for this world-class facility. This centre will support Asia Pacific as well as US business," CBRE Chairman (India and South East Asia) Anshuman Magazine told reporters here. CBRE has hired 120 software engineers to run this centre and has plans to add more, CBRE's Chief Digital and Technology Officer Chandra Dhandapani said. The new digital & technology hub will serve as the firm's primary software development centre in Asia Pacific, with a focus on CBRE's next generation technology suite. Smart technologies that leverage mapping, augmented reality and data analytics will be supported and pioneered at the facility. "This centre will not only pioneer a new generation of best-in-class technology solutions to address the growing digitisation needs of the realty sector but serve as a major drawcard for India's world class digital talent," Magazine said. He said rapid urbanisation would drive real estate sector and technology would play a major role in managing new cities. "At CBRE, we believe that technology is a key enabler in enhancing the services and experiences we provide for our clients. This Digital & Technology Centre will serve as a catalyst for the development of next generation technologies that help our clients achieve their aspirations through real estate. This centre will give us access to world class digital talent that India is well known for," Chandra said. CBRE said that the centre also marks a sizeable investment in India by the world's largest real estate corporation. The state-of-the-art Gurugram site will host software engineers, application developers and data analysts. This centre will enable the consultant to meet the full spectrum of its occupier and investor clients' needs, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinese customs officials have intercepted a batch of insects from logs imported from France which could severely damage local trees. The Agriotes paludum insects were caught in oak logs imported from France in Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province, the Jiangsu Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said yesterday. It is the first time that the species was intercepted in China, state-run Xinhua agency reports. The Agriotes paludum usually reside in dead tree branches or under tree bark. They can accelerate the ageing of trees, undermining agricultural and forest safety. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The City of London Corporations Special Adviser for Asia Sherry Madera has embarked on a four-day visit to India to promote financial sector cooperation. Madera, who recently launched the corporations Asia Next Decade campaign to focus the Citys attention on expanding ties in the region, will hold meetings in New Delhi and Mumbai in the lead up to the Union Budget on Thursday. The corporation, the municipal governing body of the financial district of the British capital, has made some recommendationsto the Ministry of Finance and Indian tax authorities alongside UK India Business Council (UKIBC) and Confederation of British Industry (CBI). "Reducing tax uncertainty for international institutional investors and multinational corporations is critical to improving the investment climate in India. It's no secret that nothing frightens investors more than uncertainty, and uncertainty around tax is no exception to this rule," Madera said yesterday on the eve of her India visit. "International businesses welcomed the announcement in the 2015-16 Budget text of a phased reduction of corporate tax rates from 30 per cent to 25 per cent by 2019-20, and we at the City Corporation were pleased when an initial reduction to 29 per cent was made, she noted. Madera indicated that many UK investors would like to see the drop to 25 per cent happen sooner than 2019-20 and that such a measure would bring India in line with globally competitive economies. The corporation also flagged pending arbitration cases, involving the Vodafone Group and Cairn Energy, which need to be resolved. "Disputes such as these not only lead to financial losses but also can challenge the reputation of India as an investment destination, warned Madera. The City of London Corporation, which provides local government and policing services for what is known as the "Square Mile" of London, said the City remains attractive to Indian businesses despite the challenges of Brexit. "London is strengthening its dominance as the leading destination for Indian investment in the UK, with nearly half of the fastest-growing Indian companies now based in London, with tech accounting for nearly half of investment," noted Madera. While praising India's recent jump of 30 places in the World Banks Ease of Doing Business rankings and welcoming the introduction of the Goods and Service Tax (GST), she urged the Indian government to consider "simpler compliance and regulatory procedures for GST". "I would like to see the Indian government simplify the process of filingreturns, which would generate more industry confidence and lead to a smoother implementation," she added. The corporation, which is marking the 10-year anniversary of its representative office in Mumbai this year, said it is "deeply encouraged" by the messages coming from the Indian government on improving the taxation framework to stimulate investment and economic growth. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Class 9 student has alleged that he was sodomised by four boys, including two of his classmates, for the last two years, police said today. Three boys have been detained. The police were informed about the incident today by a government school. The incident came to light after a teacher saw the victim quarrelling with the four boys in the school. He asked them over what they were arguing and the victim narrated his ordeal, police said. The boy told the teacher that he was sexually assaulted by them for the last two years, following which the school's principal and the victim's parents were informed, they said. The police have registered a case. The fourth boy is at large. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As many as 21 children had a narrow escape when their school van hit a road divider this morning after the driver lost control over the vehicle in outer Delhi's Mongolpuri, the police said. The children were students of a government school. The driver was arrested following the incident. It is suspected that he was driving the van at a high speed which led to him losing control over the vehicle, the police said. The vehicle was carrying the children to school when it hit the divider. The van's two tyres got stuck in the divider, they said, adding the passersby rushed to the vehicle nabbed the driver and handed him over to police. The children who sustained minor injuries were taken to a nearby hospital and were discharged after first-aid. The arrested driver was later granted bail, the police said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakurlaunched integrated power development scheme at Nagrota Bagwan today to provide 24x7 power supply in 54 towns of the state. "The Rs 110 crore centrally sponsored scheme is for 54 towns of the state in the ratio 90:10 by the Centre andstate government, respectively. "This will include strengthening of power distribution system, setting up new transformers, besides upgrading 33 KV and 22 KV Electric sub stations in the state and maintaining electric lines to prevent transmission losses. The electric power in all 54 towns selectedwill be strengthened for providing round the clock powersupply to the people of the state," the chief minister said. He further said that the six towns selected in Kangra district with base at Nagrota Bagwan are Kangra, Nagrota Bagwaan, Yol, Dehra, Palampur and Dharamshala. The scheme envisages to strengthen the basic infrastructure and upgradation of power supply and sub stations. The total funds for these towns were 14.27 crore, which includes a sum of Rs 3.42 crore for Nagrota Bagwan town only for upgradation and improvement of power system. The chief minister also inaugurated a bridge over Dhaloon Khud in Nagrota Bagwan constituency, completed with an outlay of Rs.1.88 crore. Earlier, Thakur was accorded rousing reception when he arrived for the first time at Nagrota Bagwan assembly segment, the segment was the strong power hold of ex-Transport Minister and one of the top congress leaders of Himachal, G S Bali. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today broke his silence on Kasganj communal clashes promising stringent action against culprits while the Centre sought a report from his government on the violence that left one dead and atleast two others grievously injured. "Our government is committed to providing security to each and every citizen. Anarchy has no place in the state," Adityanath told mediapersons here. He said strict action would be taken against the perpetrators of violence and asserted that none of the guilty would be allowed to go scot free. The strife hit western UP town appeared limping back to normal with the administration claiming to have foiled an attempt by miscreants to foment fresh trouble by damaging a dome-like structure on the wall of an Eidgah. Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, meanwhile, waded into the row over the clashes claiming that the media would have chosen a "different" line if the youth killed was from the minority community. Another BJP hardliner Vinay Katiyar stoked a controversy blaming "those who support Pakistan" for the killing of the youth. Last week, at least three shops, two buses and a car were torched after a youth, Chandan Gupta, was killed in clashes following stone-pelting by a mob on a motorcycle rally taken out to celebrate the Republic Day. As many as 118 people were arrested in connection with the violence. The Union Home ministry today sought a comprehensive report from the state government on the incidents and steps taken to restore peace. The UP government has also been asked to provide details of the steps taken to punish the culprits, an official said. Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that he felt the violence was pre-planned. "Had the deceased been Mohammad Ismaayil instead of Chandan Gupta, there would be been a different debate in the media... We have to change this mindset," Giriraj Singh told reporters. The Union minister said he felt the Kasganj incident was "pre-planned" adding that the Adityanath government would not spare anyone involved. He also referred to Bareilly District Magistrate Raghvendra Vikram Singh's comments on Facebook that appeared to blame right-wing groups for provoking communal clashes. "I have come to know that a bureaucrat made some remarks on why some are raising 'Pakistan Murdabad' slogans. I want to ask why not raise Pakistan Murdabad slogan. We raise this slogan as Pakistan kills our soldiers and is involved in spreading cross border terrorism," the minister said. The DM's now-deleted post had said a "strange trend" that had begun of late was to visit Muslim majority areas and raise slogans against Pakistan. "Why? Are they (Muslims) Pakistanis?" The same thing had happened in Khailam village of Bareilly. Then stones were thrown, FIRs lodged," the officer's post had said. BJP MP Katiyar told a channel that those who "support Pakistan" were behind the violence in Kasganj. "Earlier, there were no communal clashes in Kasganj district as all lived in harmony. But it has come to light that there are some miscreants who support Pakistan and will go to any extent to denigrate the tricolour. They need to be dealt with strictly," he said. Katiyar claimed that Gupta, who died of a bullet injury, was killed by the "supporters of Pakistan". "Nothing like this had happened in the state under Yogi Adityanath's government, this is a first such incident," Katiyar asserted expressing confidence that action will be taken. Kasganj MLA Devendra Singh Rajput, who is also from the BJP, in a letter to Adityanath demanded that Gupta be accorded the status of a martyr. He said the killers of the youth should be tried for treason and strict punishment given to them. "Two family members of the deceased should be given jobs. A traffic roundabout about should be named after him and his bust size statue should be installed there," he demanded. Stray incidents of violence were reported from Kasganj which continued to be tense with a heavy deployment of RAF and PAC personnel to keep a check on trouble makers. Some miscreants tried to create trouble by damaging a dome-like structure on the wall of an Eidgah in Amanpur, 25 km from the district headquarters but the police and administration controlled the situation immediately, District Magistrate RP Singh told reporters. A shopkeeper's store was burnt down in the communal violence-hit district last night. Meanwhile, a middle-aged person, Rahul Upadhyay, today scotched rumours being spread on the social media that he was killed in clashes. "One of my friends informed me about rumours on the social media about me getting killed during the violence, but I was not present in Kasganj. I had gone to my village and am absolutely fine," Upadhyay said. The UP government has come under fire over the clashes with even Governor Ram Naik terming the Kasganj violence a "blot" on the state. Opposition parties have also attacked the state government over the clashes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Colombia's last rebel group, the ELN, today called for a new ceasefire and the resumption of frozen peace talks with the government as the prospect of open conflict flared anew following a string of deadly attacks. The ELN, or National Liberation Army, said it "hopes" the government will attend peace negotiations that had been set for tomorrow in Ecuador's capital Quito. It offered "to agree to a new and better bilateral ceasefire," it said in a statement read in Quito by its chief negotiator, Pablo Beltran. President Juan Manuel Santos yesterday declared the suspension of the peace talks after three bomb attacks on police stations in Colombia killed seven officers and wounded dozens. He also ordered his security forces to act with "maximum determination" against the rebel group. The developments threatened to re-ignite an armed conflict that had been on the path to peaceful resolution following a historic November 2016 peace deal with Colombia's biggest insurgent group, the FARC. A similar deal with the smaller ELN -- estimated to number 1,800 fighters -- has remained out of reach, however. A previous ceasefire with the ELN expired on January 10 without any breakthrough, leading the government to say it was suspending talks. The ELN then returned to targeting security forces and oil installations, and Colombia's military retaliated with an offensive resulting in dozens of deaths and arrests. The three weekend bombings targeted police stations in three locations: two in the Caribbean port city of Barranquilla and one in Santa Rosa, in the department of Bolivar. The ELN claimed responsibility for the worst of the attacks, which killed five officers and wounded 41 in Barranquilla on Saturday as police were assembling for roll- call. Santos' government put the blame for all three on the ELN. The United States condemned the attacks and another, apparently unrelated one, near the border in neighbouring Ecuador that left 28 police and civilians wounded. Today's ELN statement did not refer directly to the bombings, but said the rebels were "responding to the military offensive. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Independent Rajya Sabha member and NDA representative Rajeev Chandrasekhar today charged the ruling Congress in Karnataka with playing 'catastrophic divisive politics' as they do not have anything to boast of on development. One example of this was the recent Police communique directing withdrawal of cases registered against "innocent minorities" on charges of rioting among others, which,he said, 'exposes the Siddaramaiah government's policy of appeasement.' "This is a clear attempt of appeasement at the cost of security to people and overall national security," he said. Moreover, this was not just a bid by Congress to ensure their vote bank was safe, but also one to 'aggravate' religious divide in Karnataka, he told PTI. The state government had later amended the words to 'innocent people' and clarified that the comminique referred to all minorities. "Moreover the government's Tipu Jayanti celebrations saw communal tensions in Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada," Chandrasekhar said, referring to the state-wide protests against it on November last year. He said another example of the state government playing divisive politics was on the separate religious status for Lingayats, "which they have been stoking ahead of the coming assembly election, purely to divide Lingayats for electoral gains." The demand for a separate religion tag to Veerashaiva/ Lingayat faiths has surfaced from the numerically strong and politically-influential community, amidst resentment from within over projecting the two communities as the same. While one section has demanded separate religion status, assertingthat Veerashaiva and Lingayats are the same, the other group wants it only for Lingayats as they believe that Veerashaivais one among the seven sects of Shaivas, which is part of Hinduism. Targetting the Congress government, Chandrasekhar said that instead of ensuring citizen-centric governance, it has the knack of approving 'flashy' expensive projects like the steel flyover and pod taxi, "which serves no purpose." He alleged that the sole purpose of the government in announcing Rs 2,491 crore worth projects for Bengaluru was a ploy to mislead citizens ahead of the coming assembly polls. Chandsrasekhar said Bengaluru has become a city exploited by Congress and added that a cabal of builders and contractors were deciding where public money was going to be spent and citizens have no say in it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A city court today accepted a Gujarat government application seeking withdrawal of a 1996 attempt to murder case against 39 accused, including BJP leaders and senior VHP functionary Pravin Togadia. The case related to the attack on then BJP minister Atmaram Patel, who was considered close to former chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela. The application under CrPC section 321 (withdrawal from prosecution) was moved way back in 1998 by the then BJP government led by Keshubhai Patel. The plea was moved nearly two years after an FIR was lodged against them for attempt to murder and other charges. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate J M Barot today accepted the application after which the 22-year-old case stood withdrawn. The court had, in the first week of this month, issued non-bailable warrants against the accused for non-appearance in the case. Following this, Togadia and others appeared before the court to get the warrants cancelled. The warrants were issued as the court had then not yet passed its order on the government's application. At an event organised by the BJP at the Sardar Patel Stadium here on May 20, 1996, Atmaram Patel and several other leaders of the party were attacked allegedly by Keshubhai Patel loyalists. Atmaram Patel was considered close to Vaghela, who had rebelled at that time after the first BJP government was installed in Gujarat in 1995. The BJP had then made Keshubhai Patel the chief minister instead of Vaghela, who was also a strong contender for the post. Atmaram Patel, then a minister, was stripped and assaulted by alleged Keshubhai Patel loyalists. A complaint was lodged by Atmaram Patel with the Naranpura police station following which police had registered a case of attempt to murder and rioting against 39 people, including Togadia and some BJP leaders. The investigation was later handed over to the Ahmedabad City Detection of Crime Branch (DCB). The court had issued several summonses in the case, but none of the accused responded after which it issued NBWs. Togadia had attacked the BJP government over the NBW, saying it was a "conspiracy" to silence him. The VHP international working president had told media he was being victimised for criticising the central government over a host of issues, including construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Catalan lawmakers are scheduled to vote today on a bid by Catalonia's ousted separatist leader Carles Puigdemont to form a new government, setting the stage for a fresh showdown with Spain's central government which removed him from office. Puigdemont moved to Belgium shortly after Catalonia's parliament declared independence in October and he faces arrest if he returns to Spain for leading the secession bid in the wealthy northwestern region that is home to some 7.5 million people. But last week the new speaker of the Catalan parliament nominated Puigdemont to lead Catalonia again, with the regional assembly set to begin debating on his candidacy at 3.00 pm (1400 GMT) under tight security. Puigdemont's supporters have been encouraged to demonstrate outside of the assembly at that time, bearing paper masks with a likeness of his face which could be downloaded off the internet. The Catalan parliament speaker maintained the session of parliament even though Spain's Constitutional Court ruled on Saturday -- in response to a lawsuit filed by the central government -- that Puigdemont must be present at the assembly to be chosen as the region's chief. The court also warned that swearing in Puigdemont at a distance, by videoconference as some of his supporters have proposed, would not be valid. And it ruled Puigdemont must ask a Supreme Court judge leading the investigation into his role in Catalonia's independence push for permission to attend the parliamentary session. Puigdemont appealed the ruling and the Constitutional Court will begin considering his arguments today at 1.00 pm (1200 GMT), just before the investiture debate in the Catalan parliament begins. The parliament debate comes three months after the assembly's failed declaration of independence on October 27, which deeply divided Catalans and triggered Spain's worst political crisis since the country returned to democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy moved to stop the crisis by imposing direct rule on the semi-autonomous region, sacking its government including Puigdemont, dissolving parliament and calling snap elections. But in a major setback for the central government, separatist parties once again won a majority of 70 seats in the 135-seat parliament in the December polls. While separatist parties won less than half the vote, 47.5 percent, they benefited from electoral rules which give greater weight to rural areas, where support for independence is higher. Separatists argue Puigdemont was given a democratic mandate for the independence declaration during a contested referendum, which the courts and the central government declared illegal, and want to see him reinstated. But Madrid remains fiercely opposed to his return to power. "A fugitive, a man who tried to unilaterally liquidate national sovereignty, can't be president of anything," Rajoy told Cope radio station yesterday after the court's ruling. Catalan parliamentary speaker Roger Torrent could decide at the last minute to put off the session of parliament to form a new government. But under Catalonia's electoral law, it must be held at the latest ten days after the assembly opened a new session -- meaning it has to happen by tomorrow. If Puigdemont is absent, Torrent could risk criminal charges and disobey the court by trying to swear in the former leader again remotely. He could also open the session of parliament and then announce that a new candidate needed to be picked since it is not possible to go ahead with Puigdemont's investiture from abroad. A top lawmaker with the separatist Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party, Joan Tarda, said over the weekend it may be time to "sacrifice" Puigdemont although there is no obvious alternative choice. A stalemate over another candidate could eventually end up in new elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Customers and bank employees today foiled a loot bid by six armed miscreants who barged into a bank here, police said. The incident happened at UCO Bank's Muzaffara bazar branch and the robbers injured two employees of the bank while retreating, the police said. Begusarai Sadar Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mithilesh Kumar said around half a dozen armed miscreants barged into Muzaffara bazar branch of UCO Bank under the jurisdiction of Veerpur police station area today afternoon and tried to loot cash from the branch. Customers and bank employees raised an alarm, put up a resistance and stopped the miscreants from looting the bank, the DSP said. The miscreants shot at bank's deputy manager Vijay Kumar Singh and injured another employee of the bank Sujeet Kumar by hitting him with the butt of a pistol after they failed to loot the bank, the DSP said, adding, the miscreants also damaged the hard disk of the CCTV cameras installed so that they could not be identified. They were admitted to a nearby private hospital, the DSP said, adding, both of them were out of danger. An investigation has been initiated, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today his government will move the Supreme Court seeking a "temporary ban" on the ongoing sealing drive in Delhi, after his meeting with BJP leaders on the issue ended in hostility. A BJP delegation, led by its Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari, walked out of the meeting at Kejriwal's residence, alleging the AAP government wanted to "divert" the attention. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta, alleged that AAP leaders and workers misbehaved with the visiting members of the BJP delegation during the meeting. Gupta charged that AAP workers entered into a scuffle with BJP workers. He said a police complaint against AAP legislators and others over the incident has been filed. The complaint filed by Delhi BJP general-secretary Ravinder Gupta with Civil Lines police station named AAP MLAs Jarnail Singh, Akhilesh Tripathi, Rajesh Rishi and Jitender Tomar. Tiwari said the BJP delegation walked out of the meeting as Kejriwal had converted it into a "public rally". "We sensed their dangerous mood and felt that he was not interested in finding a solution to the problem," he charged. Kejriwal said he was "sad" that the BJP did not participate in the meeting. He announced the Delhi government will approach the Supreme Court seeking a temporary ban on the drive being carried out by the saffron party-led civic bodies against properties allegedly violating the civic norms. "I am sad that this meeting could not take place. We will go to the Supreme Court for a temporary ban on sealing this week," he said. Kejriwal said if the Centre, the L-G and the BJP wanted, not a single shop would have been sealed in the national capital, alleging that the saffron party was doing on the issue. "Although the BJP delegation had come for a discussion over sealing, they did not raise this issue in the meeting. "Manoj Tiwari raised only two issues - unauthorised colonies and 351 roads, which have nothing to with the ongoing sealing drive. On 351 roads, there is no sealing yet, but despite this, BJP is raising this issue again and again," Kejriwal told reporters at his official residence. He also said the BJP was diverting the attention from the sealing drive. The chief minister said all the three municipal commissioners have sought two more days' to submit a survey report to the government to change the land use of 351 roads to commercial and mixed land use so that there is no sealing on these roads in the future. "If the survey report comes in two days, we will submit it in the Supreme Court in this week," he said. On the BJP's claim that AAP MLAs attacked its leaders during the meeting, Kejriwal said that the BJP was levelling "baseless allegations". "If any MLA has misbehaved with them, I will throw him out (of the AAP)... Recently, I had written to the L-G on the sealing issue and suggested four steps to give a relief to traders, but it is unfortunate that the Centre and L-G is not taking immediate step to stop the sealing," Kejriwal said. He added that BJP leaders wanted a "closed-door" discussion, but he denied it, saying there should be an open discussion on sealing drive that's why he had also called AAP MLAs and councillors for the meeting. Meanwhile, Kejriwal visited markets in Chandni Chowk and other areas and interacted with traders hit by sealing drive. He said he will visit other markets later in the day. Civic bodies have undertaken the sealing drive initiated by a Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee. Commercial premises have been sealed for failing to deposit conversion charges according to provisions in Master Plan 2021. The AAP has demanded that the Central government should either bring an ordinance or amend Delhi Master Plan 2021 to stop sealing. The BJP, on the other hand, demanded that the AAP dispensation should come out with a notification on mix land use to give a relief to the city's traders. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shimmering ghagras, colourful turbans, gravity defying moustaches and majestically decorated camels defined the opening day of the annual Desert Festival being held here. The three-day festival which began yesterday and is organised by Rajasthan Tourism, and District Administration of Jaisalmer attracted thousands of tourists from all over the country and the world to the 'Golden City'. The festival brought forth a paraphernalia of the artistic and cultural riches of the desert amidst a crowd that immersed itself into the vibrant mood of the festival, despite the scorching heat. "There are 8,000 to 9,000 people at the venue at any given time, and the entire festival has over 40,000 people visiting," district administrator Bhagirath Singh told PTI. The festival kicked off with the 'Shobha Yatra' - a procession of folk dancers, musicians playing dhols and shehnais, and ornately decorated camels mounted by men handsomely dressed in the traditional Rajasthani attire. The procession began from the picturesque Gadisar lake and skirted through the narrow, winding lanes of the Jaisalmer city to the Shahid Poonam Singh Stadium. Bystanders and foreign tourists were seen enthusiastically joining in the celebrations, trying to match steps with the dancers. The festival has become an annual winter event since 1979, since the local administration first started organising it with the hope of attracting tourists to the barren desert of Jaisalmer. The National Film Award winning Bengali movie 'Shonar Kella' in 1974 first captured the interest of tourists, who began to visit the city in order to see the 12th century fort of Jaisalmer, which is built in yellow sandstone. The 'Golden fort' - which appears to rise out of the desert - provided the perfect backdrop for the various cultural events and competitions. The events included a turban tying competition for Indians and foreigners. While most local participants deftly wrapped colourful turbans around their head in under a minute, foreign tourists were seen struggling with the length of the cloth, entangling themselves in the nine yards of the colourful fabric, drawing peals of laughter from the onlookers. Rob Carter, a 35-year-old UK resident managed to tie a near-perfect turban in under three minutes. "This is my second visit to India. My wife found out about the Desert Festival while planning this trip, and we decided to give it a go," said Carter. "I love that they gave us the turban after the competition," he said. Other events, including the moustache competition, Mr Desert competition, and a beauty pageant competition provided tourists a chance to immerse themselves in the vibrant culture of Rajasthan. "All the events at the festival are being judged by district level government officers instead of elected local political representatives to ensure that there is no bias," Singh said. Folk dances of different parts of India, including Kashmir, Punjab and Gujarat, performed with the illuminated Jaisalmer Fort glowing against the night sky, and a thin cloud of dust hanging over the audience, marked the end of the first day of the Desert Festival, which closes on January 31. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan today said if the Shiv Sena wanted to join hands with the anti-BJP parties, it would have to first snap its ties with the NDA and quit power. The former chief minister indicated the Shiv Sena can have a formal alliance with the Congress, subject to approval by his party's central leadership. "The Shiv Sena is in power with the BJP today and if it separates and wishes to come with the anti-BJP parties, we would think and a proposal (for alliance) may be sent to the high command in Delhi," he told reporters. Chavan was here in Central Maharashtra to attend a party convention. The Sena, the oldest constituent of the NDA, recently announced that it would contest the 2019 Maharashtra assembly and Lok Sabha elections on its own. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party is currently part of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra. Chavan said all parties which are against the Sangh ideology should come together to defeat the BJP. "All parties which share anti-Sangh ideology should come together in the forthcoming elections. This would make it easy to defeat the BJP. "In May 2014 elections, only 31 per cent of the electorate voted for the BJP, while the secular and anti-RSS votes got divided. This enabled the BJP to record a thumping majority (in the Lok Sabha polls)," the former Union minister said. Replying to a question, he said in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Shiv Sena was in alliance with the BJP but it fought the Assembly polls in Maharashtra, held later the same year, alone. "Some days ago, the Shiv Sena declared it would go alone in the upcoming elections. "But I personally feel Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) and other (BJP) leaders would not let that happen," Chavan said. However, state unit Congress president Ashok Chavan said there was no possibility of a tie-up between his party and the Shiv Sena, considered ideologically rival outfits. "There are no chances of the Congress and the Sena joining hands in Maharashtra in the coming days," he said in Satara in Western Maharashtra. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Election Commission is unlikely to reiterate its demand for powers to initiate contempt proceedings against people and parties for making allegations against it without credible evidence. Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat told PTI that after the government told the poll panel that it won't be appropriate to grant contempt powers, it has not reiterated its demand. "Today, we don't have any such thing in mind to reiterate our demand," he said. He said contempt powers were sought to counter "unfounded, baseless allegations which vitiate the atmosphere and affect the minds of the electorate". The government had recently told Parliament that the EC's demand was examined from legal and constitutional angles. The Law Ministry had also taken into account judicial pronouncements in this regard. "It has been opined that the conferment of power of contempt on the Election Commission may be inconsistent with the law laid down by the Supreme Court," Minister of State for Law P P Chaudhary had told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply in July last year. In a letter in April, the Commission had urged the law ministry to amend the election laws so that it could use the 'Contempt of Courts' Act against such parties. The letter had come close on the heels of the AAP questioning the impartiality of the EC. "Some even accuse the Commission of working in favour of the winning political parties... In order to address the emerging situation, there is a rationale and a strong-felt need that the Election Commission may also be given power to punish for its own contempt," the poll watchdog had said. It had pointed out that several election management bodies, including those in Kenya and Pakistan, have "direct powers" to initiate contempt proceedings. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former union minister E V K S Elangoavan today opposed any move to remove a stone inscription installed by his great grandfather and father of rationalist leader E V Ramasamy "Periyar" at a temple here. Elangovan visited the Lord Kasturi Aranganathar temple, under the control of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious Charitable Endowments department, this morning and submitted a petition to the authorities in this regard, temple sources said. A former state Congress chief, Elangovan said he learnt that some Hindu outfits were demanding removal of the stone since it was placed by Periyar's family. The petition, submitted on behalf of the family, stated that Venkatappa Naickker, father of Periyar, decades ago donated the stone inscription and it was installed in the front portion of the temple and it should not be removed. Temple sources said the officials informed Elangovan that the stone might be temporarily removed in view of proposed renovation work but assured it would be re-installed at the same place. Some locals claimed that Venkatappa had placed the stone as a mark of gratitude to the God for blessing him and his wife with the male child (Periyar). Periyar (1879-1973) was a rationalist leader and fountain of Dravidian ideology who led the Dravidian Movement in Tamil Nadu championing the cause of subaltern classes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The EU said today it was "shocked" by revelations that German automakers helped finance experiments that exposed humans and monkeys to diesel fumes. Brussels said the test were "unethical and unacceptable" and urged Germany to investigate them, the latest scandal to hit its car manufacturers. "We are shocked by the as everybody else. We take note of the German authorites aim to investigate the matter and we hope that they will," European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a daily briefing. Industry commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska, who is leading the EU's response to the Volkswagen "Dieselgate" emissions testing scandal, made a similar call for action. "Testing diesel emissions on humans and monkeys is unethical and unacceptable for any European company in 21st century," Bienkowska said on Twitter. "Again: just the fault of a few individuals, or rather a systemic problem of company culture? Time to invest in zero emissions. #cleanairnow". On Monday the Sueddeutsche and Stuttgarter Zeitung dailies reported that a research group funded by Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW had ordered a study in Germany measuring the effects of inhaling nitrogen oxide gases on 25 healthy human beings. The revelation came just days after the New York Times wrote that the same organisation locked 10 monkeys into airtight chambers and made them breathe in diesel exhausts from a VW Beetle while watching cartoons in 2014. Germany Chancellor has strongly condemned the controversy, which follows VW's admission in 2015 that it had manipulated 11 million diesel cars worldwide, equipping them with cheating software to make them seem less polluting than they were. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The EU summoned ministers from France, Germany, Britain and six other polluting member states for a "final chance" today to comply with air quality standards. Brussels could follow through on threats to take them to the European Court of Justice, the bloc's highest tribunal, if they fail to change course. EU Commissioner Karmenu Vella "will give ministers the opportunity and the final chance to find solutions", European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told reporters yesterday. "Otherwise the cases will follow their way to the court," Schinas warned. Summoned are the ministers of France, Germany, Britain, Spain, Hungary, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania. These countries are deemed regularly to exceed emissions limits set to protect Europeans against particulate matter and azote dioxyde. But a total of 23 of the 28 EU member countries exceed air quality norms, the European Commission said. The problem affects more than 130 cities in Europe. Throughout the bloc, fine particulates were responsible for three out of four premature pollution deaths (399,000 out of 487,600) in 2014, according to EU figures. "From asthma and heart disease to lung cancer, poor air quality has triggered chronic health conditions in millions of Europeans," Vella said earlier this month. The EU estimates that air pollution costs the bloc 20 billion euros (USD 24.7 billion) a year in health costs. "To reduce this figure we need member states to comply with the emissions limits which they have agreed to," Schinas said. "If this is not the case the Commission as guardian of the (founding EU) treaty will have to take appropriate action," he added. Vella said today's meeting was taking place because the commission "cannot sit by" when member states fail to take the right measures for years. Steps needed include establishing incentives for the transport, energy and agricultural sector as well as in urban planning and building design, Vella said. "I trust that the ministers will be on the same page," Vella said ahead of the gathering. Bulgaria and Poland, which have also failed to take action against particulate matter, are not being summoned because they have already been taken before the top court. Michele Rivasi, a Greens Party member of the environment and health committee in the European Parliament, urged the commission to stand firm. "The European Commission must not waver in respect to the legislation on the thresholds of pollution emissions," Rivasi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The French mountaineer who was saved in a daring night-time rescue on a Pakistan peak nicknamed "killer mountain" flew home today, vowing to come back to scale other mountains. Elisabeth Revol was rescued by an elite group of Polish climbers who scaled part of the 8,125 metres (26,660 feet) mountain Nanga Parbat in darkness overnight Saturday and Sunday to reach her. They were unable to reach a second climber, Polish national Tomek (Tomasz) Mackiewicz, however, making the "terrible and painful" decision to leave him behind. "Good bye Pakistan. I will come again to climb mountains of Pakistan but not Nanga Parbat," Revol said in a departure message shared by the Alpine Club of Pakistan. "Thanks to all official(s) including Pakistan Army, Alpine Club of Pakistan and local authorities," she was quoted as saying in the message. "Revol left Pakistan at 3:00 am local time on Monday night with an aim to come back soon," Karrar Haidri, a spokesman for Alpine Club of Pakistan, confirmed to AFP, adding that she had flown to her home country. The French-Polish pair ran into trouble after making a late descent to a camp Thursday. They were trapped on the side of the mountain for the night without a tent, battered by frigid temperatures and high winds during the winter season. The rescue mission was launched after the missing alpinists were located Friday by fellow mountaineers using binoculars. They spotted Revol attempting to climb down while Mackiewicz appeared to be crawling due to frostbite. The team of Polish climbers with support from the Pakistani military launched the rescue attempt Saturday afternoon, flying in from the base camp of K2 -- the world's second-highest peak -- to reach the stranded duo. Pakistani climber Karim Shah, who was in contact with the expedition, said the rescue effort was unmatched in the climbing world, with the team ascending 1,200 metres in complete darkness along a treacherous route without a fixed rope. The rescue team were part of a Polish expedition seeking to become the first mountaineers to summit K2 in winter, when good climbing days are rare and storms can send temperatures plummeting. The team was evacuated by helicopter after a five and a half hour descent down the mountain to Nanga Parbat's Camp One early Sunday. Revol was later flown to Pakistan's capital and hospitalised with reports of "severe frostbite on her hands and feet." Nanga Parbat, in northern Pakistan, is the world's ninth-highest mountain at 8,125 metres (26,660 feet). It earned the nickname "killer mountain" after more than 30 climbers died trying to climb it before the first successful summit in 1953. In July last year a Spaniard and an Argentinian were presumed dead after they went missing while trying to summit Nanga Parbat. The first winter ascent of the mountain was only managed in 2016. K2 remains the only "8000er" yet to be conquered in winter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As the nation observed the 70th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi today, a claim has been made in the Supreme Court that the alleged conspirators were hanged even before the murder trial had attained legal finality from the top court. The apex court, which is seized of a PIL seeking re- investigation into Gandhi's assassination, has been told that the two alleged conspirators -- Nathuram Godse and Narayan Dattatraya Apte -- were hanged on November 15, 1949, 71 days before the Supreme Court of India came into existence on January 26, 1950. In an affidavit, Mumbai-based Dr Pankaj Phadnis, a trustee of charitable trust Abhinav Bharat, has countered the report of senior advocate Amarender Sharan, who is an amicus curiae in the matter, has not supported his plea to reopen the investigation into Gandhi's death. Gandhi was shot dead on January 30, 1948 at Birla House in Lutyens' Delhi. The petitioner said both Godse and Apte were hanged after the High Court of East Punjab confirmed their death sentences on June 21, 1949. But the privy council did not grant permission to their families to file an appeal on the ground that it would not have been decided before January 26, 1950 when the Indian Supreme Court was to be born, he claimed. Phadnis, in his reply to the report of the amicus curiae, referred to lawyer Rajan Jayakar, who studied the original records of the trial while curating an exhibition to mark the Supreme Court of India's golden jubilee in 2000. He quoted Jayakar as saying "the privy council was part of the British Parliament. While appeals from England were heard by the House of Lords, those from British colonies were heard by the judicial commission of the Privy Council." During the British rule, Privy Council was the highest court of appeal in India, which was later known as the Federal Court of Appeal. After the replacement of the Federal Court with the Supreme Court of India in January 1950, the Abolition of Privy Council Jurisdiction Act 1949 came into effect. Phadnis said "on October 26, 1949, the Privy Council did not grant leave (permission to file the petition) to the families of the accused, including Godse, who had filed the SLP. "They had refused to grant leave on the ground that even if they did admit the petition, it would not have been decided before January 26, 1950 when the Indian Supreme Court was to be born. Once the Supreme Court of India came into existence, the jurisdiction to hear the SLP would lie with it." Thus, the Mumbai-based researcher claimed that "Gandhi murder trial has not yet attained legal finality."To support his contention, Phadnis referred to the Supreme Court's 2017 judgement in the December 22, 2000 Red Fort attack case in which it was held that an open court hearing is mandatory even at a review stage in cases where death penalty has been awarded. "Let alone an Open Court hearing, Narayan Dattatraya Apte, accused no. 2, who claimed to be innocent, was not even left alive for 71 days to be able to reach the doorstep of this Hon'ble (Supreme) Court," he said in the affidavit. Phadnis, who gave point-wise reply to counter the amicus curiae's report, said the State of Dominion of India chose to refuse to allow the Supreme Court of India to adjudicate the matter of murder of Mahatma Gandhi. "It (Dominion of India) ought to have waited for the Supreme Court of India to come into existence, which event was scheduled to happen within just three months of the decision of the Privy Council on October 26, 1949. In an act of indecent haste which raises suspicions, the State of Dominion of India hanged Godse and Apte on November 15, 1949," it said. The affidavit said Godse and Apte were two very different individuals. "Godse had confessed to his crime. His hanging may have been irregular but not illegal. The hanging of Apte, when he was claiming to be innocent and had a legal right to have his claim of innocence adjudicated by the Supreme Court of India, was definitely illegal," it said, adding that "this illegal hanging had material consequences for minor innocent children of Apte." The researcher said the mentally-challenged son of Apte is said to have died within a year of his hanging and his one- year old daughter is said to have not survived her childhood. "The blame for untimely death of these two minor innocent defenceless children must surely lie on the Respondent, who illegally killed their father. They were murdered as surely by the Respondent as was the Mahatma by Godse," it said. Phadnis stressed that Gandhi's case was a fit case for invocation of the extraordinary powers of the apex court under Article 142 of the Constitution to bring about a final legal closure by posthumously adjudicating the claim of innocence of Apte. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Union minister Salman Khurshid today recalled the importance of Mahatma Gandhi, killed this day 70 years ago, and said the Father of the Nation would be relevant as long as love and truth were important. Khurshid was speaking on the 'Relevance of Gandhi in Today's India', organised by the Delhi University Students' Union, on the North campus. "If love, truth, friendship are relevant today, Gandhiji is also relevant," he said at the function held to mark the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The Congress leader said purity and trust were two dimensions that Gandhi epitomised. In this context, he referred to "beautiful and powerful concepts" such as the Jihad, which he rued had been turned into "unwholesome ideas". "The biggest tragedy in the country is that beautiful and powerful concepts like Jihad have been converted into unwholesome ideas," he said. "Exceptionally evil people had converted Jihad into an excuse for creating mayhem and for warfare. But Jihad is an internal thing where you purify yourself, and is no different from Gandhi's attempts at purifying himself," he said, adding that purity and trust were two dimensions Gandhi held on to. Speaking on the occasion, historian Mridula Mukherjee said "the greatest living Hindu" was killed by a "fanatical Hindu" this day in 1948. "There is a need to nip evil ideologies like fascism, racism, fundamentalism of certain types and communalism and we cannot lower our guards or take them lightly," she said. She condemned any ideology that divided the people and led them towards violence. "It does not matter what the uniting principle of an ideology is, but if it leads us to consider some human beings as inferior to others, it is not right," Mukherjee said, referring to attacks on civil liberties in recent times. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 35-year-old man wanted in eight criminal cases today surrendered before a court in Sangrur, police said. The court sent Ravi Deol to police remand till February 3, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Sangrur, Mandeep Singh Sidhu said today. The SSP said that Deol, who was running his own gang, was facing eight cases, including attempt to murder and possession of drugs, in Sangrur, Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib districts. Deol had also uploaded his Punjabi songs on YouTube when he was at large. His surrender comes in the backdrop of Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora asking youths to shun the path of violence. Following the gunning down of Punjab's most wanted gangster Vicky Gounder, the DGP had appealed youths not to be lured by crime as it never pays. "Criminals have a limited life," Arora had said. In an intelligence-based operation, the Punjab Police on January 26 had eliminated gangsters Gounder and his associate Prema Lahoria. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior diplomat Thanglura Darlong was today called back to his parent cadre before completion of his tenure as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in South Asian University, according to an official order. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the premature repatriation of Darlong, a 1988-batch officer of Indian Foreign Service, OSD/Chief Liaison Officer, South Asian University, New Delhi to his parent cadre, the order issued by the personnel ministry said. The ACC had in October 2015 approved his appointment as the Chief Liaison Officer for three years. The South Asian University has been established by eight member nations of the South Asian Association for Regional Co- operation (SAARC) -- India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The university, which started its operations from the academic year 2010, offers post-graduate and doctoral programmes in various disciplines including development economics, computer science, biotechnology, mathematics, sociology, international relations and law. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief G A Mir today alleged that the PDP-BJP government in the state had no clear road map to deal with the "deteriorating" security situation in Kashmir. He also claimed that the government had not learnt its lessons and was indulging in rhetorics while the ground situation continued to be grim in the Valley. "The state is passing through a worst phase of political uncertainty amid deteriorating security situation. This is because of the lack of a clear road map to deal with the situation in Kashmir and at our borders with Pakistan and China," Mir said at a party convention in Udhampur. He alleged that the government was making false claims of improving the political situation in the state. "It failed to hold the Anantnag Lok Sabha bypoll last year and the panchayat elections are delayed time and again," Mir said. "The present unprincipled and opportunist alliance of the ideologically opposite political forces (PDP and BJP) has pushed the state into mis-governance and misrule. The partners are going in different directions and are driven by their political interests almost on all sensitive issues, including that related to the security scenario," he said. "The PDP and BJP are together only for the sake of power. Their approach is almost opposite," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Global telecom industry body GSMA today announced appointment of former Trai officer Manoj Misra as senior public policy director for India. "Misra brings to GSMA a combination of deep market knowledge and broad experience in the telecommunication sector, which will be critical as he works with GSMA members to identify opportunities and implement strategies and initiatives that would benefit the local mobile industry," said Alasdair Grant, Head of Asia Pacific, GSMA. Misra's earlier stint was with Vodafone India, where as general manager and head of regulatory and external affairs, he engaged with government officials and national regulators to lobby and support the telco's commercial activities. He also undertook relationship building and public affairs work with government and public authorities, a company statement said. Prior to Vodafone, Misra was deputy advisor (financial analysis) for Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), where he developed cost-based pricing models for telecommunications network services, advised on matters of revenue share and examined issues related to competition. "His appointment comes at a critical time for the development of public policy in India, and his experience will add depth to the ongoing debate about fundamental industry issues, including the future regulatory regime, treatment of data, improvements to socio-economic development that the industry can make and the cost-efficient deployment of networks," Grant said. The Department of Telecom has started the process of formulating new telecom policy which aims to look at new horizon for development of the sector over the next five years. The draft of the policy will be soon released for wide public consultation. Misra holds a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from the University of Lucknow, and is a CA with The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), New Delhi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief and Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed today said his group will observe a 10-day 'Kashmir solidarity Ashra' starting from February 2. "We will hold rallies, conferences and seminars across Pakistan to show solidarity with the Kashmirs," Saeed said. Saeed, who was listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008, was released from house arrest in Pakistan in November. The US Department of the Treasury has designated him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a USD 10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice. He claimed he had spent 10 months under house arrest only because he raised voice against the alleged "Indian atrocities" and Pakistani government's "impotence". Saeed's JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people. It has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014. Early this month, the US has told clearly to Islamabad that Saeed is a "terrorist" and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, reacting strongly to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's remarks that there was no case against the Mumbai attack mastermind. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A senior Hamas official has died in Gaza three weeks after shooting himself in the head in what officials described as an accident, the Palestinian Islamist group announced today. Imad al-Alami, a former member of Hamas's highest political body and its ambassador to Iran, died overnight, a Hamas statement said. His funeral will take place in Gaza today, with large crowds expected. Alami was wounded on January 9 while "inspecting his personal weapon in his home" in Gaza, Hamas said at the time. There was no independent confirmation of the circumstances of the incident. Alami had been a senior member of Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, for decades. Israel had accused him of planning multiple attacks. In 2003 while believed to be based in the Syrian capital Damascus, the United States labelled him a "specially designated global terrorist." He lived in exile for more than 20 years but returned to Gaza in 2012. His home in Gaza was bombed by Israel during the most recent war between the two sides in 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High Court today issued notice to the Centre and state government on a public interest litigation seeking a probe by the National Investigation Agency into the sale of unlicensed pistols by some persons who were recently arrested by the Tamil Nadu police. The petitioner, Karmegan, an advocate, submitted that the accused allegedly had links with the Islamic State terror group and used the money from the sales for such organisations. Illegal arms sales had reached an alarming level and it would lead to law and order problem, besides destroying peace and harmony in the country, the petitioner submitted. A division bench of the court's Madurai bench comprising Justices N Kirubakaran and Tharani, issued notice to the union home secretary and state officials directing them to file their reply by February 16 and posted the case to that date. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a relief to former chief minister Ajit Jogi, the Chhattisgarh High Court today allowed his petition challengingthe recommendations of a high-powered panel that had rejected his claim of belonging to a tribal community. The court also ordered constitution of a new high-powered caste scrutiny committee to examine Jogi's caste status. On the basis of the earlier committee's observations, Jogi's Scheduled Tribe (ST) caste certificate had been cancelled by the Bilaspur district administration, following which he moved the high court. Jogi has termed the HC order as a "victory of truth". "Allowing Jogi's writ petition, a bench of Chief Justice T B Radhakrishnan and Justice Sharad Kumar Gupta directed that a fresh high-powered caste scrutiny committee be set up to examine Jogi's caste status," Jogi's lawyer Shailendra Shukla said. The high court allowed the petition on the ground that the previous committee was not constituted as per law, he said. The committee, headed by IAS officer Reena Babasaheb Kangale,was formed by the state government on the Supreme Court's order to verify the authenticity of Jogi's tribal status. The panel had last June rejected Jogi's claim that he belonged to tribal 'Kanwar' community and recommended cancellation of his ST certificate. The Bilaspur district administration then cancelled Jogi's ST certificate. On November 21 last, the division bench of Chief Justice T B Radhakrishnan and Justice Sharad Kumar Gupta had reserved its order on Jogi's petition after hearing it. Jogi's caste status was challenged in court by senior BJP leader and incumbent chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribe (NCST) Nand Kumar Sai and another leader Sant Kumar Netam. Jogi, a former Congress stalwart, served as the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh after it was carved out of Madhya Pradesh, i.e. from November 2000 to November 2003. He had served as the Congress MLA from Marwahi seat, reserved for the ST category. In 2016, he parted ways with the Congress and formed a new outfit---the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh. "The HC decision came as a good sign for me at a time when Assembly elections are slated later this year. Today, on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi ji, the truth has emerged victorious," Jogi told reporters. He said the court decision once again proved that "conspiracy and lies are always defeated by truth". Reacting to the HC order, Chief Minister Raman Singh said the government would follow the directions of the court. The opposition Congress, however, has alleged a nexus between the BJP government and Jogi. "Decision by Chhattisgarh HC on Ajit Jogi's caste identity Case is an indictment against the Chattisgarh government which does not even know that a constituted committee needs to be notified in the gazette. It is a hand in glove act of the Raman Singh government- that we have always suspected," Leader of Opposition T S Singhdeo tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 'Delhi is yours. You need to protect it', the Delhi High Court today told the AAP-led city government and other authorities over their "failure" to curb defacement of public and private properties in the national capital. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said defacement of properties can only be stopped if people were made aware of the penal provisions of such acts. "Unless the public is educated, they would not stop," the bench said while advising the AAP government, civic bodies and other authorities to initiate awareness campaigns on the matter. "Delhi is yours. You need to protect it. You will have to run awareness campaigns through various modes, including the print, electronic and social media. "You can use animation films, jingles etc which can be played at metro stations as well as in the media. Posters can be displayed at public places," it said. The court's observations came on a plea by advocate Prashant Manchanda, seeking a complete ban on defacement of public properties allegedly by the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) poll candidates. The lawyer has also apprised the bench about defacement in other parts of the city. Meanwhile, the court also expressed serious concerns over defacement by lawyers during their respective Bar elections and asked senior advocate Kirti Uppal, president of Delhi High Court Bar Association, to look into it. Delhi Police's lawyer was also advised by the bench to take positive steps to deal with the issue of defacement with a view to spread legal awareness among the public. It also directed the authorities to prepare comprehensive guidelines, agreed to by all stakeholders. The court during the hearing of the plea also took serious note of the abstinence of 22 candidates who failed to make any contribution towards cleaning the massive defacement done by them during the 2017 Delhi University poll. The court, however, appreciated DUSU president Rocky Tuseed's participation in the cleanliness drive. It issued showcause notices to the 22 candidates, asking why punitive actions should not be taken against them for failing to participate in the cleanliness drive. The court has fixed the matter for February 20. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian professionals joined other highly-skilled migrants at a protest opposite Downing Street here today against the UK government's "unfair and inhumane" visa policies. The Highly Skilled Migrants group claims to represent over 600 doctors, engineers, IT professionals, teachers and their families in Britain and has raised over 25,000 pounds to challenge the UK Home Office in the courts where necessary. "We are a group of highly skilled migrants who have been suffering because of injustice done by the Home Office.This group was formed coincidently on different social media platforms because of the unfairness and inhumane policies the Home Office had been bringing," the group said in a statement. The protest today focussed on the issue of indefinite leave to remain (ILR) applications being delayed or turned down by the UK Home Office on the basis of a section of the UK Immigration Act which is aimed at criminals and tax evaders. The professionals, who entered the UK on a Tier 1 (General) visa years ago, are entitled to apply for ILR after five years of lawful residency in the UK. While the visa category used by numerous IT professionals from India among others was discontinued in 2010, the applicants are eligible to apply for permanent residency in Britain if they meet the necessary requirements. "Skilled migrants with excellent educational and professional skills are being refused ILR on the ground of 'tax error rectification' because of small errors they have made in their tax returns in the past, which they have long ago rectified and paid off," claims Aditi Bhardwaj, one of the organisers of the protest. Most protesting professionals, who are from countries outside the European Union (EU), claim to no longer have any ties to their country of origin as they have made their lives in the UK over the past many years. They are also protesting against the long delays in processing of these ILR or permanent residency documents. The UK Home Office claims it resolves all visa applications "as quickly as possible". "It is vital, however, that the correct decisions are made, particularly with complex Tier-1 applications that require detailed consideration and verification of evidence with HMRC. These robust checks are essential to avoid the potential abuse of our immigration or tax system. Where such abuse is identified, we will act accordingly," a spokesperson said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Korean auto major Hyundai plans to invest over USD 1 billion (around Rs 6,300 crore) in India in the next three years on new products, development of powertrain and setting up of a new office building. The company, which operates here through its wholly-owned arm Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), plans to launch an electric vehicle next year and is also gearing up for the possible comeback of its popular model Santro around Diwali this year. HMIL has lined up nine products to be introduced between 2018 and 2020. "Our total investment till 2020 will be over USD 1 billion," HMIL Managing Director and CEO Y K Koo told PTI in an interview here. He further said, "The investments will be on nine new products to be launched between this year and 2020, powertrain development and setting up of our new office building in Gurugram," he said. Elaborating on the new products to be introduced, he said, "Two will be completely new models, one will be an electric vehicle, two facelifts and four will be full model changes of existing products." Electric vehicle Commenting on the company's foray into electric vehicles (EV), Koo said, "Our first EV in India will be launched next year. At the moment we are yet to finalise whether it will be the Ioniq EV sedan or the full electric version of SUV Kona."Currently, the company is doing a market study on customer preference which would help in deciding which model to launch. In the meantime, he said the company is awaiting clarity from the government in the form of an EV policy so that it can plan the road ahead keeping in view the 2030 target of 40 per cent of all personal vehicles being EVs. "We will import our first EV as CKD (completely knocked down) units and assemble at our Chennai plant. Later on, depending on market response, we will consider manufacturing here in India but that will take time," Koo said. Stressing on the need for government support for EVs, he said the current GST rate of 12 per cent must be reduced to 5 per cent in order help popularise the eco-friendly technology. With battery being an important component for success of EVs in India, Koo said HMIL is keeping the option open of partnering with local firms for sourcing of electric vehicle battery, besides considering other alternatives like importing from China or South Korea. Possible return of Santro brand Koo said among the two completely new products its plans to launch, one is a compact family oriented car codenamed AH2. When asked if it would be launched as 'Santro', Koo said that "is a possibility" but the company is yet to take a final call on the matter. "It would be launched near Diwali this year. So we will take a final call on the Santro badge at around that time. However, I must admit that we are under a lot of pressure from dealers, customers and market to bring back the Santro brand," he added. If Santro had continued in the market, he said this year would have marked completion of 20 years of the model in India. The car was launched in the country in September 1998. Sharing details about the product, he said the hatchback would be wider and taller than the i10 model. The car will be powered by a petrol engine with options for factory-fitted CNG engines. It will also have automated and manual transmission options. Koo also said HMIL is preparing for the introduction of its compact SUV codenamed Qxi sometime next year. The vehicle will be powered by a 1-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Production plans On plans to set up a new manufacturing plant in the country, Koo said the company can manage with the current facility till the next three years. He added that with exports to some big markets like Algeria not doing well, more units from the Chennai plant could be adjusted for the domestic market. "We can increase the current production capacity at Chennai plant to 7.13 lakh units. Even with domestic market growing at 7-8 per cent, with flexible production at the plant, we can manage by 2020," Koo said. He, however, declined to comment when asked if HMIL would use group firm Kia's upcoming plant in Andhra Pradesh. The company, which is completing 20 years in the Indian market, sold 6.78 lakh units last year in the country with a market share of around 16.5 per cent in the passenger vehicle segment. "We would like to have a market share of around 17 per in the domestic market by 2020," Koo said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India has effectively imposed certain redlines on Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative in South Asia, a US expert has said. India is the only major country in the world to have opposed Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI focuses on improving connectivity and cooperation among Asian countries, Africa, China and Europe. "India has effectively imposed certain red lines on the Belt and Road Initiative in South Asia, said Andrew Small, senior transatlantic fellow, German Marshall Fund of the US. India skipped the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) in May last year due to its sovereignty concerns over the CPEC, a flagship project of Silk Road project, officially called OBOR. During a hearing of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, he said that India has drawn those red lines in Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh. "There are areas where India says there are things that we're not comfortable with. This isn't just an economic choice," Small said. Small said China worked very hard politically to get Moscow's acquiescence to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Eurasian Union merger. "It's even as we think we'll hear, managed to reach some sort of terms with Japan. It really didn't put those political efforts with India in the first phase, he noted. "They were bounced into a plan that they had no stake in shaping as CPEC was moved under the auspices of the BRI and to India's surprise, and I think China has now seen some of the repercussions in the region to that, not just the fact that it is the only major country not to send significant representation to the BRI forum, Small said. India is the most significant country that's actually pushing back against Chinese efforts, he said. "Now, India is very well aware of its limitations and these aren't just the financing available to the Indian side, it's also, of course, India has a lot of infrastructure development to do at home," he noted. According to another expert, Gwadar port in Pakistan's Balochistan province poses a security threat to India. "Gwadar, I would say the challenge is probably more for India than the US in the near-term that if China was to put more military capability into Gwadar or nearby, it would certainly serve as a way to kind of monitor Indian Naval activities in the Arabian Sea, and I think already causes Delhi great concern, said Daniel Kliman, senior fellow, Asia-Pacific Security Program, Center for a New American Security. An off-duty Indian-origin doctor had an "oh boy" story when he helped deliver a healthy baby boy while on a trans-Atlantic flight from Paris to New York at 35,000 feet, according to media reports. Dr Sij Hemal, 27 a second-year urology resident at Cleveland Clinic's Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, immediately went into doctor mode when Air France flight attendants asked if there were any doctors on the flight to a 41-year-old who had gone into labor a week early, Cleveland 19 reported. Hemal started in New Delhi, stopped in Paris and was heading to New York, where he would catch a connecting flight to Cleveland -- his final destination. Urologist Hemal was hoping to drink a glass of champagne and take a nap on a plane from Paris to New York on December 17, but instead helped deliver a healthy baby boy named Jake during the flight, the report said. Together with Dr Stefanie Ortolan, a pediatrician from France, the pair managed to deliver baby Jake after just 30 minutes of pushing, Hemal said. He did not know that she was pregnant. He said the mom's bump was covered with a blanket. "As a urologist, I was excited. I thought it was kidney stones, but later found out that she was 39 weeks pregnant," he said. Hemal said there was no time to land the plane and the best decision was to deliver the baby in the air. Hemal used a shoestring to tie and cut the umbilical cord for baby Jake. "This has been a team effort and certainly a flight I will never forget," he said. Although Hemal's practice area is urology, he delivered seven babies during medical school although never on the floor of a jetliner. "We're trained to stay calm and think clearly in emergency situations," he adds. "I just tried to think ahead to what might go wrong, and come up with a creative solution." After Jake arrived, Hemal said he FaceTimed his parents. "'Look I'm flying first class,'" he told his parents. "I wanted to surprise them and tell them I was flying first class. I'd never flown first class before. And ... umm ... by the way I also just delivered a baby! It was one of those moments I"ll never forget," he said. For his efforts, Air France delivered a travel voucher and a bottle of champagne to Hemal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Israeli army has said it was creating a unified command in Palestinian areas adjoining annexed east Jerusalem after a rise in attacks launched from the area since 2015. "The goal is to create a single regional brigade that will coordinate counterterrorism activities," the army's website said yesterday. The army, the Israeli police and the Shin Bet security agency will work over the next two years to improve coordination along the Israeli barrier which surrounds the city on three sides, it said. Then a unified army brigade will be placed in charge of West Bank villages immediately east of the barrier, including Abu Dis and al-Azariya, it added. Left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the changes would also cover Palestinian areas within Jerusalem's city limits, such as Shuafat refugee camp and Kufr Aqab. The army said top officers had been drafting the plan for the past year. That would long predate President Donald Trump's controversial December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. A proposed Israeli bill would remove Shuafat camp and Kufr Aqab from the Jerusalem municipal area, shifting city limits to encompass major Israeli settlements currently in the occupied West Bank. Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said that would add 150,000 Israelis to Jerusalem's population, strengthening its Jewish majority. Israel occupied the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, in the Six-Day War of 1967. It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community. It sees the entire city as its indivisible capital, while the Palestinians see the eastern sector as the capital of their future state. Prominent members of Netanyahu's coalition openly oppose the idea of a Palestinian state and advocate annexing most of the West Bank. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian teenager today in the occupied West Bank in a village north of Ramallah, the Palestinian health ministry said. It said the 16-year-old was hit in the head during clashes with soldiers, and named him as Laith Abu Naim. The ministry said he was shot in the village of Mugheer. A spokeswoman for the Israeli military confirmed that "violent riots are taking place in this area and burning tyres and stones were thrown at the soldiers". She said she was unable to confirm that any Palestinians had been hit by gunfire. Nineteen Palestinians have been killed since US President Donald Trump's controversial declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital on December 6, most of them in clashes with Israeli forces. One Israeli, a settler in the West Bank, has also been killed since then. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A sessions court here today framed charges against Bollywood actor Sooraj Pancholi for allegedly abetting actress Jiah Khan's suicide. Judge K D Shirbhate framed charges against the 27-year- old actor under section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code, to which he pleaded not guilty. "Sooraj pleaded innocence and the examination of witnesses will start from February 14," his lawyer Prashant Patil said. According to the chargesheet, Khan, best known for her performance in film 'Nishabd' starring Amitabh Bachchan, was found hanging at her residence on June 3, 2013 by her mother Rabiya. She had left the house of Sooraj Pancholi, where she had been staying for the last two days, in the morning the same day, it said. According to the CBI, Pancholi had "hidden facts and fabricated information" during questioning. Sooraj Pancholi, the son of Bollywood couple Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, had refused to undergo polygraph or brain-mapping tests which the agency wanted to conduct to get to the bottom of his alleged role in the incident. The CBI said a three-page note seized by the Mumbai Police, which earlier probed the case, on June 10, 2013, was written by Khan which narrated her "intimate relationship, physical abuse and mental and physical torture" allegedly at the hands of Pancholi which led her to commit suicide. It said the letter was not signed and even not addressed to Sooraj Pancholi but it incriminated him. In October 2013, Rabiya Khan had moved the Bombay High Court alleging that her daughter had been murdered and sought a CBI probe, which was granted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) professor was booked today on charge of sexual harassment of girl students, two days after students demanded his sacking. "K. Babulu is booked for sexual harassment on the basis of a complaint lodged by JNTU Registrar Subbarao who forwarded a letter handed over to him by 20 girl students," said Sarpavaram police station house officer Chaitanya Krishna. No arrest is made yet. Krishan said investigation is underway. According to sources, district collector Kartikeya Misra had heard the students and special deputy collector Seetamaha Laxmi, who conducted a preliminary inquiry, and subsequently asked JNTU Vice Chancellor VSS Kumar to hand over the case to police. Students had given the varsity authorities a deadline of 11 A.M which expired yesterday to act against the professor. The professor sexually harassed 20 students while conducting the viva voce tests three days ago, following which a complaint was submitted with the JNTUK Vice-Chancellor, protesting students had claimed while speaking to PTI. The VC had offered to remove the professor from conducting viva voce tests but this was rejected by the protesting students, they had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) elections scheduled for tomorrow, two groups--one touted as "progressive" and the other "pro-administration"-- will fight it out for various posts of the teachers body. While Prof Sonajharia Minz of the School of Computer and Systems Sciences from the 'liberals' panel will be contesting for the JNUTA president's post, Prof S Srinivasa Rao from the School of Social Sciences will represent the other panel. Both the groups have fielded candidates for the posts of vice president (two posts), secretary, joint secretary (two posts), treasurer and school representatives. JNUSU Joint Secretary Shubhanshu Singh said presidential candidate Sonajharia Minz represents "progressive group", while the other candidate represents the "administration". Ever since M Jagadesh Kumar took over as vice chancellor of the prestigious university, there have been hostilities between JNUTA and the administration on various issues, especially appointment of dean of School of Social Sciences and removal of Prof Nivedita Menon from chairpersonship of the Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory (CCPT). Other varsity professors and students said that the administration has fielded candidates who are closer to them so that there would not be any dissent from the teachers body. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Odisha Governor and Chancellor of Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT), Burla, SC Jamir, has appointed Atal Chaudhuri, a Jadavpur University professor, as its vice-chancellor. At present, Chaudhuri is working as a professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering of Jadavpur University in Kolkata. Chaudhuri will be the vice-chancellor for a period of three years till further orders, a Raj Bhavan release said. Chaudhuri completed Master of Engineering from Jadavpur University and later did his PhD in engineering from the same university. He has been a professor for more than 20 years in his career spanning more than 32 years. Chaudhuri was also the head of the department of computer science & engineering in Jadavpur University. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's spy agency ISI trained a terrorist involved in the attack on Kabul's iconic Intercontinental Hotel in which over 20 people were killed, a top Afghanistan envoy has alleged. Afghanistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mahmoud Saikal, made the serious allegation against the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in a tweet yesterday. "Abdul Qahar, father of one of the terrorists involved in last week attack on #Kabul Intercontinental Hotel, concedes his son was trained in Chaman of #Balochistan Province of #Pakistan by the Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan. Qahar is currently in custody of Afg authorities," Saikal tweeted. On January 20, Taliban men armed with Kalashnikovs and suicide vests attacked the landmark Intercontinental Hotel and killed around 25 people, going from room to room searching for foreigners during the more than 12-hour ordeal. A mid-level diplomat at the Afghan Embassy in the US has alleged that the attack was planned by Pakistan. "A clear proof that the attack on Kabul's Inter (Con) Hotel was planned in a madrasa, on Pakistan's soil. Abdul Qahar, the father of one of the suicide attackers is an eyewitness of the story," tweeted Majeed Qarar, Cultural Attache at the Embassy of Afghanistan. "The night vision goggles found with Taliban attackers in maiwand's ANA base were military grade goggles (not sold to public) procured by Pak army from a British company & supplied 2 Lashkar-e-Tayyeba in Kashmir & Taliban in Afghanistan. Lashkar-e-Tayyeba is an int'l terrorist org," he said in another tweet. The Afghan Ambassador to the US, Hamidullah Mohib, did not respond to questions on the tweet by one of his cultural attaches. The hotel attack was followed by a Taliban-claimed ambulance bombing on January 27 in the Afghan capital that claimed over 100 lives. The continued attacks in Afghanistan by the Taliban prompted severe condemnation from the US as well as the UN Security Council, which have sought to bring to justice the perpetrators of the attack. US President Donald Trump also asked all countries to take decisive action against the Taliban and the terrorist infrastructure that supported them. "I condemn the despicable car-bomb attack in Kabul today (Jan 27) that has left scores of innocent civilians dead and hundreds injured. This murderous attack renews our resolve and that of our Afghan partners," Trump had said, ruling out having talks with the Taliban. In an op-ed, Marvin G Weinbaum, Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan Studies at the Middle East Institute, said that the Taliban appear to have chosen "urban guerrilla warfare" to demonstrate their undiminished strength as a fighting force. "The Taliban is intent on undermining the public's confidence that their government and its foreign allies can offer Afghans basic security," he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shahid Kapoor believes playing Maha Rawal Ratan Singh was the biggest risk of his career as people did not know much about the character's journey but he is glad that "the hero" of "Padmaavat" is rightfully getting his due. The 36-year-old actor said there were many people who questioned him for taking up the role, as Padmavati (Deepika Padukone) and Sultan Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh) were already popular. "It was one of the biggest risks of my career to take a role like this where for one-and-a-half years nobody knew what it is... So many people had told me why are you doing this film. I knew my character is an underdog in the film, I'm happy that the hero of the film is getting so much love. "Out of the three characters, people know a lot about Padmavati, about Alauddin Khilji, but nobody knows about Rawal Ratan Singh. Now you know his journey was also so spectacular," Shahid said in a group interview. The actor said he felt "validated" with the praise that the film, which released after delays and controversies, has received. "Everyone is talking about it being the top grosser but it's a great film. We have come a long way, journey of a year and a half... There was a point we were wondering will it be able to release properly. It's been a turbulent and emotionally draining journey. "... I feel validated that the film has come out and people have said so many beautiful things about it," Shahid said. "Padmaavat", earlier titled "Padmavati", was in the eye of the storm as several Rajput groups and politicians were up in arms against the film over an alleged dream sequence between Khilji and Padmavati, a claim repeatedly denied by the director and the team. The film was stuck with the censor board for a while and had to miss its December 1 release last year. It arrived in the theatres on January 25, minus the 'i' in the title, and several disclaimers and modifications. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A court in Himachal Pradesh today extended till February 5 the judicial custody of nine police personnel, including an IG rank officer, in connection with the custodial death of an accused in the rape-and-murder case of a minor in Kotkhai on July 4 last year. Inspector General of Police Z H Zaidi, Deputy Superintendent of Police Manoj Joshi and six other police officers were arrested by the CBI on July 29 for the death of Suraj in police custody. Superintendent of Police D W Negi was arrested on November 16. Zaidi was heading a Special Investigation Team (SIT) which investigated the rape and murder of the minor in Kotkhai on July 4, whose body was found two days later. The case later came to be known as "Gudiya" rape-and- murder case. He had arrested six people in the case, but one of the accused, Suraj, died in police custody. The police had initially claimed that Raju, another accused in the case, killed Suraj. But when the High Court on July 19 handed over the case to CBI, the agency arrested Zaidi and seven other police officers. The 16-year-old girl had gone missing in the Kotkhai area on July 4 and her body was found from the Halaila forests on July 6. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A landmine explosion today ripped through a car killing at least eight members of a family, including two minor girls, near northwest Pakistan's restive tribal Kurram agency bordering Afghanistan, officials said. The family was travelling from Muqbal area near the border to attend a funeral when their vehicle hit the landmine killing three women, two minor girls and three men on the spot. The car was completely destroyed in the blast, hospital sources were quoted as saying by the Express Tribune. One person was also injured in the blast. The injured was shifted to a District Hospital in Parachinar for medical assistance. The security officials have cordoned off the area and started search operation. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Kurram is one of the seven districts along the Afghan border in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which have long been home to local and foreign Islamist militants. Islamic militants operate in the area, and the Pakistani military has carried out several operations there, trying to rout the extremists. Earlier this month, the region was the target of suspected US drone strikes, which mainly took out members of Haqqani militant network that is allied with Afghan Taliban and operates on both sides of the border. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The latest technologies in the building and construction sector will be on display at the ninth Edition of 'Build Intec 2018', beginning here from February 2. The full Gurjan Calibrated plywood made of gypsum board particles, with technology from Iran and Oman, would also be on display. "The plywood, with Iran and Oman technology, is stronger than available plywoods in the market and will not bulge and shrink," Build Intec chairman M Karthikeyan told reporters here today. Also on display would be a new type of MSand (Manufactured Sand), with more strength, he said. Karthikeyan said that there would be 300 stalls from 250 exhibitors from across the country. This edition of the fair was expected to generate business worth Rs 100 crore, up from Rs 80 crore last time, he said With GST advantage, more machinery manufacturers from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, New Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are participating in the event, V Sundaram, President, Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA) said. On expectations from the budget, he said CODISSIA has suggested that the Finance Ministry bring down the interest rate to eight per cent, as banks are flush with funds. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Facing stiff competition from Bangladesh and Vietnam on export of leather goods, the Council for Leather Exports (CLE), today said it was eyeing newer markets to boost the trade volume. "We export leather to various countries, with a majority of it to Europe.. We are facing stiff competition from Bangladesh, Vietnam.. Hence, we plan to focus on newer markets like United States, Russia," CLE Chairman, Mukhtarul Amin told reporters here. Elaborating further, he said the Government of Bangladesh has set a target of USD 5 billion. "They have also announced cash assistance (incentive) on exports of leather products. Initiatives like these are a threat to our exports," he said. CLE, represents the traders' community. Vice-Chairman of CLE P R Aqeel Ahmed said about 50 leather traders would take part in a leather expo scheduled to be held in Moscow in March. "The focus is on newer markets like Russia, United States of America.. We are also discussing with Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) to enhance trade," he said. To a query, he said there was a proposal to tap markets in Central America, Africa apart from Russia and United States. Responding to another query, he said the leather exports which earlier recorded de-growth in the last four years have recorded a 1.48 per cent growth in the April-December 2017 period as compared to same period of last year. "Our aim is to register 10 per cent growth in the coming financial year (2018-19)," he said. Top officials of Council for Leather Exports and Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) were here to announce the 33rd edition of three-day India International Leather Fair (IILF) scheduled to begin from February one in city. "This year we are expecting participation of more countries than previous years. The third edition of the designer fair will be conducted along with IILF this time," Amin said. For the first time a raw material sourcing exhibition was also planned during the three-day meet, he said. "Raw material suppliers from various countries will be coming to take part in that event," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today hit out at Goa's accusation that his state was diverting the water of a Mahadayi tributary into the Malaprabha river basin. The reaction comes a day after Goa Assembly's Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo levelled the allegation after visiting Kanakumbi at the border of Karnataka and Goa with Speaker Pramod Sawant, yesterday. Alleging that the Goa leaders were indulging in mischief, Siddaramaiah said there was "no violation." "Let them (Goa leaders) say whatever they want to say but there is a tribunal to decide," Siddaramaiah told reporters here. "The matter is pending before the tribunal. It will decide whether we have violated its order or not. Just because their deputy speaker says so that does not mean that there was a violation," Siddaramaiah said. At least 45 TMC ft of water originate in Karnataka, he said. "Nearly 200 TMC water (in the river) straightaway goes to the sea. All that we are asking for is 7.5 TMC, which the Goa leaders are not ready to share," Siddaramaiah said. "We have not violated any regulation. No work is going on there as has been projected. Our state respects law and constitution," he clarified. Lobo has alleged that there was a total diversion of water from Mahadayi tributary at Kanakumbi by Karnataka government by constructing underwater canals. "Whatever water is flowing down to Goa from there is just seepage," he has alleged, adding if the diversion was not stopped, the Mahadayi in Goa will run dry. Lobo has said a resolution against it is likely during the Goa Budget session. The Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal, which is hearing the dispute between Goa and Karnataka over the sharing of the river water, should be asked to inspect the site at Kanakumbi so that it knows the reality, Lobo said. The dam at Kanakumbi is one of the projects proposed by Karnataka and opposed by Goa. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Maharashtra government today ordered a probe into inadequate compensation awarded to an elderly farmer who committed suicide while protesting over the payout given to him for a plot of land. Chief Secretary Sumit Mullick will probe the circumstances under which the farmer, Dharma Patil, died, state Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said after a cabinet meeting. The 84-year-old resident of Dhule, North Maharashtra, consumed a poisonous chemical at the state secretariat here on January 22 and died at a government hospital on Sunday night. He was protesting against inadequate compensation for a plot of land acquired by the government for a project in Vikharan, Dhule district. Shiv Sena minister Diwakar Raote raised the issue in the cabinet meeting here and blamed the previous Congress-NCP government for Patil's death. Raote said if the previous Congress-NCP government had committed mistakes while awarding compensation to farmers in Vikharan, there was no need for the present dispensation to repeat those mistakes. "We know the Congress government had finalised the amount of compensation and it was disbursed in our tenure. Thus, the previous government (led by Congress) should be held responsible for the death of Dharma Patil and for not resolving his grievances," Raote told reporters here. "However, our ministers have been trying to protect the officials who actually are responsible for the whole issue," he added. Raote said the need of the hour was to take corrective steps and provide relief to farmers whose land had been acquired for a power project in Dhule district. This will ensure such incidents are not repeated. Mungantiwar said the chief secretary has been asked to submit a report at the cabinet meet next week. The government will take strict action against officials found guilty in the investigation. The chief secretary will probe why Patil was awarded a meagre compensation. Besides other things, he has also been asked to probe if agents are active to "manage officials" to receive higher compensation from the government, official sources said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Major General Sanjeev Narain took over as the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area here today. A recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Major General Narain is a 1982 batch Infantry Officer from The Rajput Regiment. Before the current assignment, he was Major General General Staff (MGGS) at Headquarters Army Training Command in Shimla. He has a vast experience of command and administration, having commanded an Operational Infantry Division in Jammu & Kashmir besides having tenanted numerous important Instructor and Staff assignments, an official release said. It said he has also served as a Military Observer with the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission after the first Gulf War. Major General Narain took charge from Major General KS Nijjar, the outgoing GOC. Pointing out that Major General Nijjar had taken over as the GOC on December 5, 2015, the release said and under his stewardship, a number of issues pertaining to welfare of serving and retired Armed Forces personnel had been resolved successfully. The General has enjoyed excellent relations with the State Governments of both Karnataka & Kerala as a result of which the Civil- Military Co-operation in both the states had been at "an all time high", it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A majority of the 122,000 workers affected by the closure of a crisis-hit 15-billion-pound pension scheme have signed up to a deal to switch to a new pension plan backed by Tata Steel UK. It was confirmed that around 97,000 members returned their option forms to indicate if they agreed to move their retirement funds from the British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS) into the new plan, with just 14 per cent choosing to remain with the old scheme. "As part of one of the largest pension consultations conducted in the UK, option packs were issued to the Schemes membership of around 122,000. Just under 97,000 members completed and returned option forms, of which 86 per cent were from members choosing to switch to the New BSPS," a BSPS statement said. An estimated 25,000 members who did not respond in time will stay on in the present scheme to start automatically moving with it into the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) at the end of March as part of a deal struck between the Indian steel giant and the UKs Pensions Regulator last year. Allan Johnston, chairman of the BSPS trustees, said: "I am pleased so many scheme members took the time to choose the outcome that was best for them based on their personal circumstances". "The New BSPS offers benefits that for most members are the same or better than the PPF and around 83,000 members have chosen to switch to the New Scheme," the statement said. Tata Steel UK also welcomed the outcome of the consultation exercise as a "positive choice" by a majority of the workers. "Although much work is still needed to deliver a secure future in our UK business, the progress with pensions is welcome," a company spokesperson said. "We are also pleased to note the trustee expects the new scheme to pass the agreed qualifying conditions to go forward," he noted. Steel workers had welcomed the agreement struck in September 2017, with unions committing to persuading their members to sign up to the new scheme. They have now expressed concerns that a failure to respond in time could hit some of the workers hard. "Community warned the government that thousands of BSPS members would default into the PPF against their interests simply because they failed to return a form," said Alasdair McDiarmid, Operations Director at the steelworkers' union Community. His group had called for action to be taken to ensure those who did not respond to the consultation would automatically join the new BSPS2 as they would be better off in the new scheme. "This scandalous inaction means that thousands of steelworkers will now be worse off in retirement," he said. An agreement to detach the BSPS from Tata Steel's UK business involved the Indian company offering to pay 550 million pounds into the now-closed BSPS and give the fund, which is set to transfers to the PPF, a 33 per cent stake in its UK business. The so-called Regulated Apportionment Arrangement (RAA) signed by Tata Steel with the trustee of the BSPS was seen as crucial to clear the path for the UK arm of the Indian steel major's merger with German giant ThyssenKrupp. "The RAA is one important milestone in Tata Steel UK's journey towards a sustainable and enduring future, with pension obligations, whose risk profile would be consistent with the underlying business," Koushik Chatterjee, Tata Steel's group executive director, said last year. The BSPS had been the main barrier to any future plans for Tata Steel in the UK, which still owns the Port Talbot unit in south Wales Britain's largest steelworks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Corporates should come forward to support the cause of girl in India and other countries by utilising the financial, technical and human resources available with them, Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai has said. Overwhelmed by the "love and support" she has been getting from Indians, she is also keen to visit India to meet businessmen, activists and political leaders in the country, who want to work on helping educate and empower girls. Malala, who was here to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting last week, met a number of government and business leaders from across the world and said many of them expressed their commitment in joining hands with her to help send the girls who have not been able to go to school. The 20-year-old, who was shot at by Taliban at the age of 15 for defying the ban on girls going to school and went on to get a Nobel Peace Prize and become the UN Messenger of Peace, said she is a big fan of India and wants to learn more about the country's culture and values. She has co-founded Malala Fund that seeks to invest in girl across the world, while one of its initiatives Gulmakai Network - named on Malala's pen name that she used while writing blogs against Taliban regime - supports the work of champions across the world. Malala said she is very keen on expanding to India this Gulmakai Network, which seeks to engage with locals in every country who are keen to work on its cause. In an interview, Malala told PTI she got a lot of support from leaders and civil society members present at WEF and she gave a message to the government leaders that they should increase their funding for girl education. "There is a lack of funding and it is actually declining and it is really unfortunate that rather than seeing a positive increase in funding for education, it is declining. "This is shocking and alarming and we have to push the governments to increase the funding for education," she said. Malala, who also met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said she was happy that Canada has announced support for global partnership for education. "I hope that in coming months at G7 and G20 meetings, all the developed countries will increase their support towards girl education and women empowerment. "I have heard many people saying that these summits have no outcome but I think this year at least they are giving more attention towards women and their education and empowerment," she said. Malala said she is seeing a positive change and it may take a while in terms of businesses and corporates, but they have the resources and technology and all the things that are needed. "We need to think how we can encourage them to invest in education. These big companies have amazing people and all the technical resources as well. They have done research and they have the data and we must think how can we use them and get their support and encourage them to invest in girl education. "I have had good meetings here (at WEF) and I am hopeful that we can build up on this group of corporates, activists and NGOs, as well as government leaders who can come together and say education is our priority and we will invest in future generation," she said. Malala exhorted them to commit that they will give the girls quality and safe education. "These are the people who are making decisions on future generations and about eliminating poverty and improving health but how is that even possible if we ignore millions of girls who cannot even go to schools. "No plans will work unless you invest in girl education," she said. Asked about her views on the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' scheme in India and some corporates investing their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funds in girl education in the country, Malala said these are good initiatives and other governments should also introduce such campaigns. "They all need to work to help improve quality of life, health and education for girls," she said. Appreciating those working hard in India for such issues, Malala said there are local activists in various countries who are doing this work and she wants to connect with them through her Gulmakai Network. "We need to find how can we use technology to improve access to education. I am talking to local leaders as they know problems and can think of solutions at local levels. "So we are expanding our Gulmakai Network to India as well as to Latin America. I am really excited for our work in India and I hope that all businesses and corporates and local leaders who are out there, will join hands in this and we will work together for quality education of every child," she said. In her message to "all young girls in India", Malala said they should believe in themselves, focus on education and get quality education and should stand up to bring the change in their country. "That's their country, their villages and they have to shape them up. They should come forward to bring the change they want," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A local court today awarded life imprisonment to a man for murdering a four-year-old boy in 2015. District and Sessions Judge R N Bawankar also slapped a fine of Rs 8,000 on the convict Mohammad Salim Khan after holding him guilty under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) of the Indian Penal Code. Assistant Public Prosecutor Ujjwala Moholkar said Khan, who sold onions and potatoes at Turbhe market, and the victim's father knew each other. "On July 11, 2015, the victim and his father had gone to Turbhe market where they met Khan. The victim was left with Khan as his father had gone out for a brief period," the court was told. "When the victim's father came at the designated spot, Khan and the boy were not there. Khan took the boy and later killed him and dumped his body in a water-tank in Navi Mumbai. He then fled to his village in Uttar Pradesh. Police traced Khan and apprehended him from his village," the court was informed. According to the prosecution, the victim's father owed Rs 45,000 to Khan and hence he murdered the boy. After hearing of arguments, the judge convicted Khan and sentenced him to life imprisonment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rating agency Moody's today affirmed the ratings for state-run ONGC as 'stable' following the oil major's recent acquisition of majority shareholding in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL). The transaction remains subject to requisite approvals from the shareholders of ONGC. ONGC has acquired 51.11 per cent equity stake in HPCL from the centre for a consideration of Rs 36,915 crore to be paid in cash by January 31, this year. "Moody's Investors Service, affirmed Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd's (ONGC) 'Baa1' local and foreign currency issuer ratings, and the 'Baa1' ratings on the senior unsecured bonds issued by ONGC Videsh Ltd and ONGC Videsh Vankorneft Pte Ltd, both guaranteed by ONGC," the rating agency said. "The outlook on all ratings is stable," it added. ONGC's 'Baa1' issuer ratings are primarily driven by its standalone credit profile. Moody's noted that ratings reflects ONGC's position as the only integrated oil and gas company in India with significant reserves, production and crude distillation capacity, post the acquisition. Besides, it also incorporates substantial operating cash flow generation capacity as well as weakened but still appropriate credit metrics for its ratings following the HPCL acquisition. Further, Moody's expects that the company will not be asked to share fuel subsidies as long as the oil prices stay below USD 60-65 per barrel. "The rating outlook is stable reflecting Moody's expectation that the company will lower its borrowings through sale of stake in IOC and GAIL," the agency said. "Further, the stable outlook also incorporates our expectation of benign oil price environment and that the company's growth plan will continue to be executed within the tolerance level of its current ratings," it added. However, the agency noted that likelihood of a ratings upgrade for ONGC in the next 12 -18 months remains low given the high leverage. Moody's said that ONGC may finance HPCL equity stake will be funded by up to Rs 25,000 crore of incremental borrowings, with the balance being cash on hand. "The payment of acquisition price will result in ONGC's net borrowings increasing by Rs 36,915 crore, irrespective of the mix of debt and cash used for such payment," it said. Accordingly, post-acquisition, ONGC's proforma net borrowings for the fiscal year ending March 2018 will increase to Rs 1,26,500 crore as against Rs 47,200 crore without the acquisition. It can be noted, post-acquisition the ONGC board had approved fresh debt raising of Rs 35,000 crore. "ONGC's proforma credit metrics for fiscal 2018 will also weaken with retained cash flow/net debt declining to 28 per cent from 68 per cent without the acquisition," the agency said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mothers with their endosulfan-hit children staged a 'dharna' in front of the Secretariat here demanding speedy disbursal of compensation and implementation of the rehabilitation package. At least 300 members of the endosulfan-affected children reached the state capital this morning from Kasaragod, the northernmost district, to participate in the token protest. Social activist Daya Bai inaugurated the sit-in protest along with former minister and CPI leader, Binoy Vishwam. Those identified as victims in the medical camps should also find a place in the beneficiary list, they said adding if the Kerala government fails to find a solution, an indefinite agitation would be launched from March 15. The Supreme Court had in January last year directed the state government to disburse compensation and rehabilitation package for endosulfan pesticide victims within 3 months. A bench headed by then Chief Justice J S Khehar had ordered the government to provide a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of persons who died following exposure to the pesticide and those who became bed-ridden or mentally- challenged. The order had been passed on a petition by CPI(M)'s youth wing Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) seeking country-wide ban on sale and production of endosulfan in its present form or any other derivative in the market. Endosulfan, an off-patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide, was used widely on crops like cashew, cotton, tea, paddy, fruits and others until 2011, when the Supreme Court banned its production and distribution. The health effects of the chemical include neurotoxicity, late sexual maturity, physical deformities, poisoning among others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The toll in the bus accident in Murshidabad district rose to 41 this morning after five more bodies were fished out during a search operation. Some of these bodies were found stuck on the waterbed and the others were floating, a senior official of the state administration said. The passenger bus had rammed into the railing of a bridge and plunged into Gogra canal at Balirghat area of the district around 6 am yesterday. The search operation that was called off last night due to poor visibility resumed at 7 this morning, the official said. "The search will continue till the time we are convinced that there are no bodies stuck anywhere," he said. Thirty-six bodies were fished out and eight people were rescued after nine hours of operations yesterday by deep divers of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Management personnel. "We have so far managed to identify 35 persons. The bodies of the six unidentified persons are kept in the morgue of Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital. We have been receiving calls from relatives of passengers," he added. There is no confirmation on the total number of passengers travelling in the bus, but it could be around 50, Murshidabad District Magistrate (DM) P Ulaganathan told PTI. Those rescued are undergoing treatment at the Murshidabad hospital, he said. "The district magistrate and senior police officers, including the SP, are monitoring the situation," Ulaganathan added. Asked about eye witnesses' claims of the bus driver speaking on his phone while speeding, the DM said, "It is still not clear what the reason was. But there was fog in the morning and visibility was poor. We are looking into the matter." Another state administration official said forensic tests would be conducted on the bus to ascertain the causes of the accident. "Forensic experts will check whether there was any problem with the engine of the bus," the official said. Expressing grief over the accident at a programme on the outskirts of Kolkata, West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi today urged people to join 'Safe Drive, Save Life' campaign of the state government. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with state transport minister Suvendu Adhikari had rushed to the district yesterday to supervise rescue operations. Banerjee, who stayed back at Baharampore last night, had announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the family of those killed in the accident, Rs 1 lakh for the critically injured and Rs 50,000 for the injured. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deputy Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir Nasirul Islam today alleged that Muslims in India were being "harassed" under pretexts such as love jihad and cow vigilantism. He also asked the ruling PDP to break its alliance with the BJP, and seek the removal of "draconian laws" such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). "Muslims are being harassed under various pretexts such as love jihad and cow vigilantism... They are being targeted," the cleric told reporters here. He also alleged that Muslims in the country were living a "pathetic" life and that they should demanda separate country. "In India, Muslims are the second largest community. Pakistan was formed with a population of 17 crore. If it continues like this, then they should demand a separate country within India," Islam said. Following the remarks, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, in Punjab, said: "I also want to appeal to those plagued with mentality of casteism, religion and minority should come out of it and they need to ponder over it. All should believe that we are Indian." On the PDP-BJP coalition in the state, Islam said, "Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti should seek the removal of draconian laws such as the AFSPA from the state and also break her party's alliance with the BJP." The cleric also alleged that the chief minister's assurance in the Legislative Assembly that the probe into the Shopian killings will be taken to a logical conclusion was an "eyewash". Two civilians were killed in army firing on stone pelting protesters in Shopian on January 27. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Elections are a constitutional process and the Central government is bound by the Constitution, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said today, a day after all parties in Nagaland decided not to contest the February 27 polls. The union minister of state for home, who put out a series of tweets, said the government attaches utmost importance to the long pending Naga issue. "Holding of timely election is a constitutional process. The central government is bound by the Constitution," he said. Rijiju is also BJP's election in-charge for Nagaland. His comments come after all parties in Nagaland, including the ruling Naga People's Front, yesterday decided not to contest the elections, agreeing to the demand of tribal bodies and civil society groups that the Naga political problem be resolved first. Rijiju said the Central government fully understands the sentiments expressed by the Core Committee of the Nagaland Tribal Hohos and Civil Organisations (CCNTHCO) but "election boycott is not the solution". "Let's have faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji's commitment. Govt of India attaches utmost importance to the long pending Naga issue. We believe that peaceful election in Nagaland will facilitate the ongoing peace talks and strengthen our commitment," he said. The Naga People's Front, Congress, BJP, Nationalist Democratic Peoples' Party, Nagaland Congress, United Nagaland Democratic Party, Aam Admi Party, National Congress Party, Lok Jan Party, Janata Dal (United) and National People's Party were part of the decision not to contest the polls. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) and the working committee of six Naga nationalist political groups were in attendance at the meeting. The BJP, however, suspended two leaders who had represented the party at the meeting and signed the "no- election" joint declaration, stating they were not authorised to sign or speak without a directive from the party's central leadership. The Core Committee has called for a total shutdown on February 1, when filing of nomination begins. The Naga Hoho, an apex Naga tribal body, earlier this month sought the prime minister's help in postponing the elections, saying the vexed issue should be resolved first. Civil society groups in Nagaland have also launched a campaign 'Solution before Election'. Expectations for lasting peace soared in Nagaland, which had been hit by insurgency for decades, after the Centre and the NSCN-IM signed a framework agreement in 2015. The NSCN-IM has been engaged in peace talks with the interlocutor of the central government since 1997, when it announced a ceasefire agreement after a bloody insurgency movement which started in Nagaland soon after the country's independence. During a visit to the state in November 2017, President Ram Nath Kovind had said the state was at the threshold of making history as a final agreement on the Naga political issue would soon be arrived at and lasting peace achieved. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nepali Congress leaders were seen offering shoe shine services to passers-by in Nepal as part of their efforts for "political cleansing", according to a media report. Apart from the NC leaders, human rights activists and political figures also assembled for the programme. They were urging people to take the shoe-shining as a symbolic move to cleanse malpractices and anomalies prevalent in Nepali politics, Kathmandu Post reported. The programme was organised to mark the Martyrs' Day by the foundation of Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, a veteran NC leader and former prime minister. NC leaders Dhanraj Gurung, Chandra Bhandari, Binod Bhattarai and Panchkhal Municipality Mayor Mahesh Kharel, among others, were seen shining the shoes of pedestrians. "This is a symbolic step initiated to pass on the values and principles of saintly leaders like Kishun [Krishna Prasad Bhattarai]," said NC leader Binod Bhattarai. Bhattarai said the current leaders of Nepal should learn from the lifestyle of Krishna Prasad who polished his own shoes. More than two dozen people, who sat at Chhakubakku Park in Baneshwor, rose around Rs 30,000. Mahesh Kharel, whose brainchild the concept was, said that the fund will be spent for public service and promoting Bhattarai's ideologies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Nepalese citizen was today arrested here for possessing a seven-feet long leopard skin worth Rs 2.5 lakh, the police said. Dammer Rana was arrested by the Special Operations Group (SOG) from near Maharajke Park on Jhoolaghat Road, Deputy Superintendent of Police Pithoragarh Shekhar Chandra Juyal said. During investigation, Rana said that he had smuggled the skin from Nepal and was planning to take it to Tanakpur (Uttarakhand) to sell it at a high price, they said. He has been booked under different sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the DSP said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The NIA today said it has registered a case against nine people hailing from Kerala and Bangalore for allegedly being involved in forcible conversion of a Gujarat-based woman and attempting to sell her off to ISIS terrorists in Saudi Arabia. A spokesman of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said in a statement that the case was registered against the nine people following a complaint from the 25-year-old woman who alleged that Muhammed Riyas Rasheed had lured her and taken objectionable pictures of her, besides illegally confining her. According to the NIA spokesman, the complainant also mentioned that the accused had married her through deceit by forging documents and "forcibly converted her to Islam". Rasheed, according to the NIA, had illegally confined and threatened her in Kerala before taking her to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in August, 2017 for joining terror group ISIS. Besides Rasheed, Nahas Abdulkhader of Kannur (Kerala), Muhammed Nazish T K of Perigadi, Abdul Muhasin K of Kannur, Danish Najeeb of Bangalore, Gazila of Bangalore, Fawas Jamal of Peruvaram, Moin Patel of Bangalore and Iliyas Mohammed of Bangalore have been named in the FIR. The case was originally registered in Ernakulam district of Kerala for criminal conspiracy and pursuant unlawful activities prejudicial to the maintenance of communal harmony besides wrongful confinement, extortion, rape, forgery and forceful religious conversion with the common intention of recruitment to the terrorist organisation ISIS. The complaint of the woman, which forms the base of the NIA case, also alleged that the accused had coerced her to become disciple of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who has been on the run after his name surfaced during an investigation into a bomb blast case in Bangladesh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two days of unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo's southern opposition stronghold of Kasai have left nine people dead, local sources said today. The anti-government Kamwina Nsapu militia "killed four people yesterday in the village of Bata Ishama" in Kasai province, local administrator Jacopo Pembe Longo told AFP. The same militia, wearing red headbands and armed with rifles and machetes, on Tuesday "killed five other people in Kakenge", a village some 12 kilometres (seven miles) from Bata Ishama, Longo said. Local priest Wilfrid Imboyo told AFP the fighters had also "set fire to a hospital and more than 30 houses". He added local people sought refuge inside the church during the clashes. Violence broke out in Kasai in September 2016 following the killing by soldiers of tribal chieftain Kamwina Nsapu, the figurehead of a rebellion against the central government in Kinshasa over moves by President Joseph Kabila to prolong his stay in power. More than 3,000 people have died in the region since then, with some 1.4 million displaced. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court today castigated the Centre and states for not taking necessary steps for the welfare of widows. "Nobody is interested about the welfare of widows," a bench comprising justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta observed. There are provisions in this regard which are supposed to be implemented by the Centre and the states but no action has been taken, it rued. "Have you seen the plight of these widows? What are we supposed to do," the bench told the counsel representing the Centre. When the Centre's counsel sought some time to respond to the affidavits given by the states, the bench shot back, "That is all the Union of India does. Prays for time. Time is eternal. What else can we do except to give time?" "Nobody want to look after them (widows). When their families do not want to look after them, how can we expect the Union of India to look after them," the bench observed. The court directed the Centre to update its information on this issue as soon as possible and said that in case there was some deficiency in compliance of the directions by the states, the Centre should communicate to them. It also asked the Centre to respond to the report given by a six-member committee, set up by the apex court to study the reports furnished before the court about the condition of widows and come up with a common working plan, within a week and listed the matter for hearing on February 7. At the outset, the bench expressed its displeasure after the counsel representing the Centre sought some time to get instructions in the matter. "Are you supposed to take instructions in the court? Why should we adjourn it? This is such a waste of time," the bench said and passed over the matter for sometime. The apex court had earlier taken note of the "pathetic" condition of widows after a plea was filed in 2007 highlighting how they lived in welfare homes in Vrindavan. It had referred to various reports filed by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), District Legal Services Authority and National Commission for Women on the condition of shelter homes for widows in Vrindavan. One of the reports had said that there was lack of proper toilets and bathrooms in the shelter homes, besides poor water and electricity facilities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today launched a new campaign under the central government's Startup India programme to encourage and inspire budding entrepreneurs. As part of the state's 'Odisha Yatra' campaign, the officials of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department will travel to 60 educational institutions in 15 districts, including Khurda, Cuttack, Bhadrak, Balasore and Ganjam, he said. "We are fast moving towards our mission of opening 1,000 startups in the state by 2020," Patnaik said. Ten boot camps will be organised at selected colleges, where aspiring entrepreneurs will get a chance to present their ideas and seek backing from investors. The winners of the boot camps will get cash prizes, legal consultation, advisory services and mentorship support, he said. Odisha's MSME minister Prafulla Samal said the main objective of the yatra is to create awareness about the startup eco-system in Tier-II and Tier-III towns and encourage entrepreneurs and youths to set up their ventures in the state. The one-month yatra will conclude with a grand finale at Bhubaneswar, he said. Additional Chief Secretary, MSME department, L N Gupta said startup clubs will be formed at the educational institutes as part of the yatra. The clubs will function under the supervision of a professor in-charge with at least 3-4 volunteers. During the yatra, 50 entrepreneurs will get a chance to convert their ideas into startups, Gupta added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian cab aggregator Ola is set to go international with the launch of its operations in Australia in the coming weeks, a move that will further intensify its battle with US-based rival Uber. The SoftBank-backed firm is now onboarding private hire vehicle owners onto its platform in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, Ola said in a statement. Ola plans to launch its services in Australia in early 2018, it added. It will share further details of the commencement of commercial operations -- subject to necessary regulatory approvals -- later. "We are very excited about launching Ola in Australia and see immense potential for the ride-sharing ecosystem which embraces new technology and innovation," Ola co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said. He added that the company aims to "create a high-quality and affordable travel experience for citizens" with a "strong focus on driver-partners and the community at large". Ola's primary competitor in the Australian market would be US-based Uber. The companies are already locked in an intense battle for leadership in the Indian market. Uber launched its operations in Australia in 2012 and currently operates in 19 Australian cities including the major cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra. Founded in 2011, Ola has over 125 million users and more than one million driver-partners across 110 cities on its platform in India. On an aggregate basis, the Bengaluru-based company serves as many as a billion rides annually, through its platform. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee has expressed concern over the dip in pass percentage in Part-1 results of the Calcutta University and said outsiders were vitiating the atmosphere in the institute and harming the interests of the students. A group of students, with affiliations to different students' unions, were seen protesting over the poor show in Part-1 results on the university campus yesterday. The minister said it was not proper for a student to fail and then demonstrate on the campus. "We have seen outsiders coming to the campus to demonstrate on issues. We are keeping watch on this. This only harms the future of students," he said here yesterday. Chatterjee was talking to the media after a meeting with Calcutta University Pro Vice-chancellor Dipak Kar and other senior CU officials in the wake of the poor performance by the BA and BSc Part I (honours and general) students. To a question about what transpired in the talks, the minister said, "I heard their views. But I haven't made any recommendations." To another question about some undergraduate colleges attributing change in exam assessment rules for the poor show, Chatterjee said, "Let the colleges approach the university if they wish so. If the government intervenes they will say their autonomy was not being safeguarded." The pro-VC said he has apprised the minister of the developments on the campus. "He has asked us not to compromise on the issue of academic excellence. We will think about steps that need to be taken to resolve the issue at the next syndicate meeting." Of the 64,000 candidates that appeared for the BA Part I (Honours and general stream) exam, just 28,000 have passed, the results published last Thursday revealed. In the BSc stream, around 11,000 students of the total 15,000 that sat for the exam made it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The National Investigating Agency today accused Pakistan-based terror outfits of "conspiring to wage war against Indian government" by providing funds to foment trouble in the Kashmir Valley. The agency told Additional Sessions Judge Tarun Sherawat that Pakistan-based outfits have been passing on money through hawala channels and alleged that officials of country's High Commission were also playing an active role. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had on January 18 filed its 12,794-page charge sheet, along with annexures, against 12 people including Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen head Syed Salahuddin. Both Saeed and Salahuddin are absconding, it said. "A conspiracy under the supervision of Pakistan-based organisations was hatched. The accused persons were working in connivance with Saeed and Salahuddin to raise funds for the terror activities," special public prosecutor and senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for NIA, said. The submissions were made by the agency when the court asked what evidence they had gathered to try the accused. The agency alleged that High Commission officials were passing money through arrested businessman Zahoor Watali, who would hand it over to separatists after deducting his cut. He is currently in judicial custody. Besides Pakistan-based terrorists Saeed and Salahuddin, and Watali, the agency has also named hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Shah alias Altaf Fantoosh, Bashir Ahmad Bhat and photo journalist Kamran Yusuf, who has been identified along with Javed Ahmad Bhat as a stone pelter. Hurriyat Conference leaders Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate, Mohammad Akbar Khanday and Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal have also been charged by the agency. It alleged that the arrested accused were associated with "Hurriyat Conference and were prominent members of the society and that they had conspired to generate funds for the terror activities to oppose the lawful government of Jammu and Kashmir". The NIA also submitted that a calendar, allegedly issued by the Hurriyat Conference, was recovered from Altaf Ahmad Funtoosh, mentioned the activities they conduct. Luthra said the "people who get hurt or killed in action by the security forces were hailed as martyrs" and claim "freedom as their goal". "It's a misconceived cause," he said. Letter heads of Hizbul Mujahideen were recovered from some of the arrested accused, the agency claimed, adding that Geelani had termed Afzal Guru a hero of Kashmir. The court posted the matter for consideration of the charge sheet on February 1. The NIA has alleged that Watali brought money from offshore accounts without any explanation. "There is an anti terror operation and suddenly the stone-pelting is organised. Mob is not spontaneous but have been funded by these organisations," the agency said. The evidence also include the videos of the sting operation done by some channels showing how the funds are raised, the NIA claimed. The ten arrested accused, who are currently in judicial custody, were produced before the court. The NIA said that a number of places were searched during the investigation which led to the recovery of various incriminating documents and other evidences which relate them to the terror organisations and the funding for the terror activities. The charge sheet has charged all the 12 accused persons with criminal conspiracy, sedition, and under stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan and India are considering a proposal to release elderly and disabled prisoners on humanitarian grounds, a media report said today. The idea was discussed during meetings between officials of the two sides, showing existence of communication amidst tensions along the Line of Control, Dawn online reported, citing official documents of the interior ministry and the Foreign Office. "During high-level discussions in past weeks, officials from both countries deliberated over a plan to release imprisoned citizens that fall into the following three categories - prisoners over 70 years of age, mentally disabled and hearing or speech impaired persons and female prisoners," the paper said. Citing documents obtained by DawnNews, a TV channel owned by the same group, it said Ministry of External Affairs had summoned Pakistan's High Commissioner in New Delhi a few days ago and proposed that both the countries should accelerate the process to exchange prisoners in the three categories. "In a meeting held in Bangkok on December 26 last year, the National Security Advisers (NSAs) of India and Pakistan had also agreed to take steps for the imminent release of prisoners who are elderly or disabled or females, on humanitarian grounds, the documents show," it said. It said the NSAs had also agreed on a proposal to revive the mechanism of Pakistan-India Joint Judicial Committee on Prisoners, which has been inactive since October 2013. It was also agreed during meetings between officials of the two countries that a list of disabled and older-than-70 inmates would be compiled and swapped on an emergency basis. Delegations of doctors and medical experts from both countries will also travel to the other country to examine the mental and physical health of such prisoners to ascertain their eligibility for release, it added. The Indian High Commission here in its meetings with the Foreign Office officials has stressed that such lists be prepared on a priority basis, the paper said, adding officials from the two sides are in touch to finalise the bilateral visits that are required before the lists can be drafted. Citing Interior ministry sources, it said at least 40 Pakistani citizens are imprisoned in Indian jails who fit the criteria of the three categories. Foreign Office spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal said that proposals to exchange prisoners had been under consideration, however "they could not be implemented due to LoC [ceasefire violations] and tensions between the two countries" so far. He said the proposals are currently being discussed at the interior ministry level. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today slammed Pakistan for continuously violating the ceasefire agreement with India despite giving assurance not to do so, saying Islamabad should not misinterpret "powerful" India's "decency". Pakistani shelling along the border in Jammu and Kashmir has increased over the past two weeks. Fourteen people, including eight civilians, have been killed in the shelling since January 18, according to the state police. Today, Pakistani troops opened fire and lobbed mortars on forward and civilian areas along the LoC in Rajouri district. No casualties have been reported. "Three-four days ago, Pakistan Rangers held a flag meeting with our BSF DG. (The Rangers) assured that the ceasefire violation would not take place. But despite this, Pakistan has been violating ceasefire," Singh said. "Not saying much, I just want to say our politeness and decency has a limit and we want to maintain good relations with all and also with our neighbours. But our decency should not be wrongly interpreted," he said. "India is no more a weak country. India has now become a powerful country." Singh said Pakistan, being a neighbour, should have a friendly attitude towards India, but added that the fencing of the Indo-Pak border was underway at a rapid pace. Singh was in Chandigarh to address members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. He was accompanied by Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher and Chandigarh BJP unit chief Sanjay Tandon. Asked about the case registered against Army personnel following the death of two civilians in firing in Kashmir's Shopian district last week, the minister praised the Army. "I can say that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has turned far normal compared to what it was. Our security forces and Army personnel were working effectively. J&K is ours, it will always be ours and people of J&K are also ours," he said. To a question related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, he said the Supreme Court recently gave a verdict and an SIT was being formed to follow the order. On January 11, the court ordered to set up a three-member special investigation team to supervise further probe into 186 anti-Sikh riot cases in which investigations were closed. Asked about the incidents of violence over caste and religion, he said all people in India are safe irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. Asked to comment on a reported statement of J-K's deputy grand mufti Basher-ud-din that Muslims of India should demand a separate nation for themselves, Singh said: "I also want to appeal to those plagued with mentality of casteism, religion and minority should come out of it and they need to ponder over it. All should believe that we are Indian. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's Supreme Court today imposed a fine on the Punjab province over its failure to implement its directives to probe reasons behind drying up of the sacred pond in the historic Katas Raj temple complex. Chief Justice Saqib Nisar last year ordered a probe after media reported that the sacred Katas Raj pond, located in Chakwal district of Punjab, was drying up due to merciless exploitation of underground waters by local cement factories. The court had ordered the provincial government on December 13 to carry out investigation about the factories overusing the subsoil water, but the Punjab government failed to submit the report. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Nisar expressed strong resentment at the failure and imposed a token Rs 1000 fine on the provincial government. "The pond and the temple at Katas Raj needed restoration," the chief justice said during today's hearing. He asked the provincial government to decide time period for the cement factories to use the underground water and after that the owners should make alternative arrangements for water supply. He said the court wanted to resolve the issue of water problem for the sacred pond permanently. The name 'Katas' is derived from Kataksha, a Sanskrit word meaning 'tearful eyes'. According to legend, the pond was formed after Lord Shiva wept upon the death of his wife Satti BJP leader L K Advani during his trip to Pakistan in 2005 also visited Katas Raj and inaugurated conservation work being carried out by the government of Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistani troops today opened fire and lobbed mortars on forward and civilian areas along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, drawing retaliation from the Indian Army. No casualties have been reported so far. The firing and shelling along the LoC in Noushera sector of Rajouri district started at 7 am, Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, told PTI. He said the heavy shelling is going on targeting five villages in areas of Jhangar, Dhamaka and Kalal belts. Schools in border areas have been closed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A sessions court here today granted bail to Hindutva leader Virendra Tawde, the main accused in the 2015 killing of Communist leader Govind Pansare. Sessions Court Judge S D Bile granted relief to Tawde as the prosecution failed to submit sufficient evidence against him. The court asked Tawde to submit a personal surety of Rs 25,000. He was also directed to surrender his passport and not leave Maharashtra. However, Tawde, currently lodged at the Yerwada Prison near Pune, will remain behind bars as he is also an accused in the 2013 killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in Pune. Tawde is the leader of the Hindu Janjagriti Samiti, believed to be an offshoot of right-wing group Sanatan Sanstha. He was first arrested by the CBI in 2016 in connection with the Dabholkar killing case and was later arraigned as an accused in the Pansare case by the Maharashtra CID (Crime Investigation Department). Sameer Gaikwad, another accused in the Pansare case, was granted bail in June last year by the same sessions court. Unidentified assailants shot Pansare (85) and his wife Uma on February 16, 2015 in Kolhapur. The Left leader died in a hospital in Mumbai after four days. His wife survived the attack. A special team of the state CID is probing the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Punjab government is committed to transforming the sector in the state to ensure that every section of the society gets access to quality education, state minister Aruna Chaudhary said here today. She said efforts were being made by the state government to revolutionise the sector to make sure that students from economically weaker section of the society can have access to "The government is committed to transforming education sector... we want to ensure that every section of the society gets access to quality education and make a mark in his/her chosen field," the state education minister said at an event here. She handed over appointment letters to 77 dependents of deceased employees of the education department, on compassionate grounds and exhorted them to discharge their duty with utmost dedication and professionalism. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Breaking his silence on the communal clashes in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today warned of strict action against the perpetrators of violence and said those indulging in anarchy will not be spared. His remarks came after days of violence in Kasganj where clashes broke out on last Friday in which one person was killed and two others were injured. "Our government is committed to provide security to each and every citizen. Those indulging in anarchy will not be spared," he told mediapersons here. The chief minister warned that strict action will be taken against the perpetrators of violence and no guilty will be allowed to go scot free. At least three shops, two buses and a car were torched after Chandan Gupta was killed in clashes following stone- pelting by a mob on a motorcycle rally taken out to celebrate Republic Day. As many as 118 people have been arrested in connection with the violence following which security forces are maintaining strict vigil. The incident drew flak from Governor Ram Naik who described it as a "blot" on Uttar Pradesh and said it was a "matter of shame". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court today imposed a cost of Rs 5,000 each on the Centre and the Delhi government for not filing their responses on a petition alleging illegal convening of a two-day session of Delhi Legislative Assembly last year. Justice Rajiv Shakdher said despite several opportunities, the Centre and state government, Lieutenant Governor and the Secretary of Delhi Legislative Assembly have not filed their replies to the petition and granted them the last opportunity to place on record their response. During the hearing, Delhi government standing counsel Ramesh Singh and the counsel for the Ministry of Home Affairs sought one more opportunity to file their reply. The court allowed the plea, saying "Last opportunity is granted subject to payment of cost of Rs 5,000 each by the respondents. The cost shall be paid to the petitioner". The judge also made it clear that no further opportunity would be granted and listed the matter for May 17. Advocate R P Luthra, appearing for the petitioner, said despite repeated directions, the authorities have not filed their counter affidavits and should be burdened with cost. The court was hearing a plea challenging the legality of the two-day winter session of the Assembly held on January 17 -18, 2017, and the decisions taken during the sitting. The petition was filed by lawyer Prashant Kumar Umrao, alleging that the two-day session was held illegally. The plea, filed through advocate R P Luthra, has claimed that by not inviting the LG to address the Delhi Legislative Assembly, the AAP government was "dishonouring" his office. The petition also said that the rules stipulated that at commencement of the first session each year, LG shall address the House. When the two-day session of the Assembly commenced, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta had objected to it saying by not inviting new Lt Governor Anil Baijal to address the "first session of the year", the government has "violated and misused" rules. Speaker Ram Niwas Goel had rejected Gupta's charge, saying this sitting was not a new session in a new calender year but was part of the 2016 Winter Session. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid lower acreage of potato cultivation by five per cent, potato production in the 2018 season is likely to be close to 100 lakh tonne. "Potato production in the current season is expected to be 100 lakh tonne against about 110 lakh tonne production in 2017," West Bengal Coal Storage Association president Patit Paban De said here today on the sidelines of the 53rd AGM. Agricultural marketing minister Tapan Dasgupta also said production will be good and the state is ready to offer all necessary assistance for smooth marketing of the staple. Agriculture adviser to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Pradip Kr Mazumdar, also expected that there will be no major impact on production of potato despite delayed sowing due to disruptions caused by bad weather. Speaking about the government's strategy regarding potato production and pricing, Dasgupta said a meeting is scheduled on February 19 with the stakeholders. He hoped there would be no major jump in potato price this year, despite the shortfall, since the state government already has a carry over stock of close to 9 lakh tonne, as of January 1, 2018. It will help offset the eight to nine per cent lower production projection over last year. Mazumdar, speaking about rabi season paddy cultivation said, due to unfavourable weather conditions and some diseases, production impact may be marginal. West Bengal will be supplying paddy to a few states such as Kerela, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu to the tune of some 20 lakh tonne, Mazumdar said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dressed in blue denim trousers and a black jacket, Congress president Rahul Gandhi today attended a party-organised concert in poll-bound Meghalaya, in a bid to reach out to young voters. The Congress has been in power in the north eastern state for nearly 15 years. Gandhi barely spoke for five minutes at the 'Festival of Peace' concert as he listened to the musical bands enthralling the 4,000-plus crowd, who braved a cold winter evening to attend the festival. "We are strongest when we stand together in our diversity. India's strength is our diverse culture and different languages, different ways of thinking," he said as the crowd, including a large number of women, cheered him. Gandhi urged the youths to love and respect each other to make the country strong. "When we fight each other and spread hatred, we are not strengthening our country but weakening it and disrespecting our people, our past and our future," he said. Asking the people to be proud of their heritage, language and religion, the Congress president said, "We are all proud of you and we will defend your way of thinking". Stating that every single person from all states has a space in the country, he noted, "Their dreams and aspirations are equally important, no matter how small or big a state is". The Congress, which has been in power for nearly 15 years in the state, organised the concert to woo young voters for the February 27 elections. Noted bands such as 'Soulmate' and 'Emperical Tribe' besides cultural troupes of the Khasis, Jaintias and Garos performed at the festival. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today inaugurated a multi-storeyed 300 bedded sarai for patients at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research here. Fitted with modern energy saving and energy efficient equipments, the Infosys Foundation Red Cross Sarai facility is likely to ease the hardships of visiting patients and their families at PGI. It was built at a cost of Rs 22 crore, Chairperson of the Infosys Foundation Sudha Murthy told reporters here. Union minister had laid the foundation stone for the construction of the sarai on September 9, 2016. It consists of 300 beds, 36 dormitories and 13 private rooms. There are lifts and ramps available making it easily accessible for the differently-abled. There is a separate wing on the third floor exclusively for women. Common areas include 75-seater cafeteria, waiting hall and reception, administrative office, stores, lifts, service areas, etc, said an official release. The Union minister also inaugurated Administrative Block and Auditorium in government medical college and hospital in sector-16 here. Built at a cost of 12 crore, the Administrative Block covers an area of 54,537 square feet that has five floors and a basement. The Auditorium has been built at a cost of 4.50 crore, the release said. Meanwhile, a few members of National Students Union of India (NSUI) who planned to show black flags to Rajnath Singh, were taken to preventive custody. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Operations resumed this morning to find bodies of passengers of a bus that toppled over a bridge and plunged into a canal in Murshidabad district yesterday. Thirty-six bodies were found and eight injured persons rescued yesterday after nine hours of rescue operations, that had to be discontinued because of low visibility last night. "We are guessing that there can be a couple of more bodies stuck in the water bed and rescue operations have started at 7 am, Murshidabad District Magistrate P Ulaganathan told PTI. Deep divers of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Management personnel were conducting the operations, he said. The district magistrate, senior police officers, including the SP are on the spot. According to him, the total number of passengers travelling in the bus was yet not confirmed, but it could be around 50. "Till last night 36 bodies have been recovered and eight persons have been rescued who are undergoing treatment at the Murshidabad Medical College," he said. Of the 36 dead, the bodies of 25 were identified, he said. As many as 32 bodies were retrieved from the bus after it was lifted from the canal yesterday. Earlier in the day, two bodies were found and two others succumbed to injuries. When asked about eye witnesses claims of the bus driver speaking on his phone while speeding that could have led to the accident, the DM said, "It is still not clear what was the reason. But there was fog in the morning and visibility was poor. We are looking into the matter." Another official said, forensic tests would be conducted on the bus to ascertain the causes of the accident. "Forensic experts will check whether there was any problem with the engine or if there was any technical problem," the official said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with state transport minister Suvendu Adhikari had rushed to the district yesterday to supervise rescue operations. Banerjee, who stayed back at Baharampore last night, had announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the family of those killed in the accident and Rs 1 lakh for the seriously injured. She also announced that Rs 50,000 would be given to the other injured people. The accident occurred at Balirghat under Daulatabad police station area around 6 am when the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) bus was going from Shikarpur in Nadia district to Malda. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A retired police inspector and his wife were today found dead with bullet injuries to their heads in their flat in Deokar Panand area of the city, police said. The deceased are identified as Babanrao Bobade (65) and his wife Rekha (60), a police official said. He said police suspected that Bobade might have first killed his wife using his revolver before shooting himself. Bobade and his wife are the only occupants of their rented flat in Vishwakarma Complex, the Juna Rajwada police station official said, adding that Bobade took a voluntary retirement from service when he was posted in Mumbai in 2010. The couple had been staying in the flat since the last one year. The official said the police have found a note, purportedly written by Bobade, stating that he was troubled due to an 'insult' meted out to his wife by the flat owner. He said Bobade used to visit his relative Mahesh Adsule, who lives nearby, everyday. "However, as Bobade didn't turn up this morning, Adsule tried calling him on his mobile phone, but his calls went unanswered. Adsule then visited the flat where he found the couple lying dead," he said. One of the two sons of the Bobade couple works in the Indian Air Force, he added. Further investigation is on. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian Railways' first non-working foreign tour is underway, not for senior officers but for gangmen, trackmen and other non-gazetted employees. In a first for the national transporter, 100 non-gazetted workers of South Central Railway flew to Singapore and Malaysia for a six-day vacation on January 28, said a statement. While 25 per cent expenditure of the tour is being borne by the employees, 75 per cent is from the Staff Benefit Fund (SBF), M. Umashankar Kumar, SCR chief public relations officer, said in a statement. "The 100 strong group of employees... comprised of Group C and D category employees, with preference given to employees from lower cadres and those nearing retirement. Allocation of a number of slots for each Division, Workshop and Headquarters was given on the basis of their sanctioned strength," he said. Secunderabad-based SCR has taken the lead in "optimising welfare activities for its non-gazetted workforce, by organising the first-of-its-kind Employees Overseas Camp on Indian Railways", he said. The itinerary covers tourist sites such as Universal Studios, Sentosa and Night Safari in Singapore and includes the Kuala Lumpur City Tour, Petronas Towers, Batu Caves and Genting Highlands in Malaysia. SBF funds are allocated by Railway Board for various welfare activities of non-gazetted employees working in the national transporter. They are usually used for scholarships for lower grade employees, to benefit the girl child, camps for children and other such socially relevant causes, an official said. The SCR had sent a proposal for the tour in December last year for its employees. Less than a month later, the group was on its way to foreign shores. Russia's showpiece Syria congress has aimed to bring seven years of war closer to an end but closed without a significant breakthrough after a string of boycotts and last-minute cancellations. Around 1,400 delegates attended the meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, as part of a broader push by regime- backer Moscow to consolidate its influence in the Middle East and start hammering out a political solution to the conflict. But expectations for the event were dramatically lowered over the weekend after the Syrian Negotiations Committee (SNC), the main opposition group, and the country's Kurdish minority said they would boycott the talks. The conference suffered a further setback last morning when rebel representatives, who had flown in from Turkey the previous night, said they would not go further than Sochi airport because the conference logo featured only regime flags. In closing remarks, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said delegates had agreed to the formation of a committee to discuss the country's post-war constitution including government delegates and representatives of the SNC, among others. He said the UN would lead efforts to form the committee but did not specify how this would happen. A ninth round of UN-backed talks ended in Vienna last week without the warring sides having met face to face. A copy of the final statement, seen by AFP in Arabic, did not mention the fate of Moscow's ally President Bashar al- Assad. The SNC accused Assad and his Russian backers of continuing to rely on military might and showing no willingness to enter into honest negotiations as it announced it would not attend Sochi. Authorities from Syria's Kurdish autonomous region said at the weekend they would also boycott the event because of the ongoing offensive on the Kurdish enclave of Afrin by Turkey, which was co-sponsoring the Sochi congress along with Iran. Moscow had said Syrian society would be fully represented at the meeting -- the first of its kind held in Russia -- but almost all those confirmed as attending were from either Assad's Baath Party, allied movements or the regime's "tolerated opposition". The hosts did not provide a full list of delegates. Neil Hauer, an independent analyst focused on Russia and Syria who was in Sochi for the congress, told AFP bringing the Kurds to their first major international Syria summit would have been one of Moscow's primary goals. "They put a lot of political capital into this and negotiated for months, and it has been a flop," Hauer said, describing the no-shows at the talks as an "embarrassment". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Saudi-led Arab coalition today called for an immediate ceasefire in Yemen's interim capital of Aden where heavy fighting has erupted between government troops and the southern separatists. "The coalition renews its call to all parties to ceasefire immediately and end all forms of armed conflict," the coalition said in a statement cited by the Saudi SPA agency. "The coalition affirms that it will take all necessary measures to restore security and stability in Aden," the statement said. The coalition said it regretted that the warring sides did not respond to its earlier calls for restraint and calm. The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) said late yesterday that at least 36 people have been killed and 185 others wounded in two days of fighting in Aden. Fighting intensified yesterday after the warring sides began using tank and artillery firepower as the port city remained paralysed. Separatists' forces late yesterday advanced on the presidential palace and captured two military camps near Aden international airport, security sources told AFP. The fighting is taking place between troops loyal to the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, based in Riyadh, and security forces loyal to the southern separatists which are trained and backed by the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia and UAE are the main partners in the Arab coalition that has been waging war on the Iran-backed Huthi rebels which took over the Yemeni capital Sanaa in September 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today took forward the suggestion of the President and the Prime Minister for simultaneous polls for Parliament and state assemblies and asked the legal fraternity to ponder over it. Prasad, while speaking at a function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on the occasion of launch of its monthly journal 'SCBA Times', posed whether this journal could provoke a national debate on whether simultaneous elections should be held in the country. President Ram Nath Kovind, in his address to Parliament yesterday, had pitched for simultaneous elections to Parliament and state assemblies, saying frequent polls imposed a "huge burden" on resources and impeded the development process. The journal was launched by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra in the presence of several other apex court judges, including Justices M B Lokur, Kurian Joseph, U U Lalit, D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan. Senior advocate Vikas Singh, who is the president of SCBA, was also present at the function. Prasad said every year, there were several elections in the country and every poll entailed a heavy expenditure. "Can your journal provoke a debate in the country, purely as a constitutional issue, should we have simultaneous elections in the entire country? I do not wish to make any political comment but just now we had two state elections -- Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh," he said during the function. "Every year there are 6-7 elections and I am not talking about the municipal elections. Every election entails heavy expenditure. Plus model code of conduct comes, then there is a problem of not taking any action. So much security personnel are involved in ensuring free and fair elections. I think your platform in a way can consider having a debate," he said. The union minister also referred to the upcoming polls and said "in one and a half months, we are going to have elections in Tripura and also in Meghalaya. Thereafter, we are going to have election in Karnataka. After two months, we are going to have elections of Chattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh". He, however, did not mention the upcoming assembly elections in Nagaland, scheduled on February 27. Representatives of 11 political parties, including the ruling Naga People's Front and the Congress had yesterday signed a declaration not to contest these polls by agreeing to the demand of tribal bodies and civil society groups that the protracted Naga political problem be resolved first. Speaking on the occasion, CJI Misra hailed the journal saying it "carries recognition and recollection". He said the journal was focussed on the basic aspect of every individual, like health camp which was recently organised in the apex court, and also lays stress on diversified ideas. The CJI referred to the obituary section of the journal, which contained the names of former CJI A S Anand, former apex court judge Justice V Khalid, noted jurists Anil B Divan and P P Rao, and said "these are not mere obituaries. These are recollection. Recollection in respect. Parting soul shall be given respect". The SCBA president termed the launch of the journal as "historic" and said it would take up social and cultural issues of lawyers, as also national issues. He said the SCBA was of the view that it can play a major role for progress of the nation and the lawyers' body had a huge responsibility. Addressing the gathering, Prasad said the launch of the journal gave him personal satisfaction since he happened to be a member of the SCBA earlier. He said the glorious history of the Supreme Court should be told to the people. He said the people had immense respect for the judiciary and the Supreme Court and suggested that the journal should convey in a limited way the history and heritage of the institution and the legacy of outstanding jurists. He, however, told the SCBA president that it was easy to start a journal but difficult to continue. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scientists have unearthed fossils of a long-necked, school bus-sized dinosaur in the Sahara Desert of Egypt that lived about 80 million years ago, a discovery that sheds light on dinosaur evolution in Africa. The fossilised remains of the dinosaur species named Mansourasaurus shahinae were unearthed by an expedition undertaken by a team at the Mansoura University in Egypt. "Mansourasaurus shahinae is a key new dinosaur species, and a critical discovery for Egyptian and African paleontology," said Eric Gorscak from The Field Museum in the US. Mansourasaurus belongs to the Titanosauria, a group of sauropods (long-necked plant-eating dinosaurs) that were common throughout much of the world during the Cretaceous, period from 100 to 66 million years ago, researchers said. Mansourasaurus, however, was moderate-sized for a titanosaur, roughly the weight of an African bull elephant, according to Hesham Sallam, lead author of the study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. Its skeleton is important in being the most complete dinosaur specimen so far discovered from the end of the Cretaceous in Africa, preserving parts of the skull, the lower jaw, neck and back vertebrae, ribs, most of the shoulder and forelimb, part of the hind foot, and pieces of dermal plates. "Africa remains a giant question mark in terms of land- dwelling animals at the end of the Age of Dinosaurs," said Gorscak, who began work on the project as a doctoral student at Ohio University in the US. "Mansourasaurus helps us address longstanding questions about Africa's fossil record and paleobiology - what animals were living there, and to what other species were these animals most closely related?" he said. The lack of fossil record from Late Cretaceous in Africa is frustrating for paleontologists since, at that time, the continents were undergoing massive geological and geographic changes. That means that the course of dinosaur evolution in Africa has largely remained a mystery, researchers said. Historically, it has not been clear how well-connected Africa was to other Southern Hemisphere landmasses and Europe during this time - to what degree Africa's animals may have been cut off from their neighbours and evolving on their own separate tracks. Mansourasaurus, as one of the few African dinosaurs known from this time period, helps to answer that question, researchers said. By analysing features of its bones, the team determined that Mansourasaurus is more closely related to dinosaurs from Europe and Asia than it is to those found farther south in Africa or in South America. This shows that at least some dinosaurs could move between Africa and Europe near the end of these animals' reign, researchers said. "Africa's last dinosaurs were not completely isolated, contrary to what some have proposed in the past. There were still connections to Europe," Gorscak added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today interacted with traders during his visit to a number of markets in Delhi and alleged that the BJP government at the Centre or the Lt Governor, who can stop sealing by amending 'Master Plan 2021', are "refraining" from doing so. Kejriwal visited markets in Chandni Chowk, Model Town, Sadar Bazar and other areas to interact with traders over the sealing issue and said that he would meet Lt Governor Anil Baijal tomorrow and raise the sealing issue with him. "Someone told me today - Thro sealing, BJP wants to ruin Delhi's retail business to pave way for FDI in retail in Delhi." I hope this is not true (sic)," he tweeted. Municipal corporations in Delhi have undertaken the sealing drive initiated by a Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee. During his visit to the market places, Aam Aadmi Party volunteers circulated copies of Kejriwal's January 25 letter to the L-G, where the chief minister had suggested him four steps to give traders relief from sealing. "Traders have been facing a lot of problems due to sealing. Who will create jobs in Delhi if trade is closed? There are shortcomings in the law and it is our responsibility to remove them," Kejriwal said. The chief minister said that he had written to the L-G seeking four amendments in the Master Plan 2021. "If the Centre or the L-G makes amendments, sealing will be stopped within 24 hours. I will also raise this issue in a meeting with the Lt Governor tomorrow," Kejriwal said. In the letter to the L-G, the chief minister had urged him to either amend the 'Master Plan 2021' immediately or request the Central government to bring an ordinance to stay the sealing drive to provide immediate relief to the traders. He had also demanded that Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for local shopping centres should be increased from 180 to 300. "Conversion charges for local shopping centres should be brought down to that of notified commercial roads... Penalty on delayed payments of conversion charges should be waived," Kejriwal had said. Commercial premises have been sealed for failing to deposit conversion charges according to provisions in Master Plan 2021. "In several areas, the municipal corporations had reduced conversions charges from Rs 80,000 to 22,000. The civic bodies failed to utilise Rs 3,000 crore collected as conversion charges. There should be no conversion charge," Kejriwal said. During Kejriwal's visit at Sadar Bazar in north Delhi, a few people showed black flags to him and raised slogans against the AAP. The ruling AAP, the Congress and the BJP have been opposing the sealing drive in the city. Last week, a group of traders under the banner of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) participated in a day-long bandh to protest the ongoing sealing drive. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior BJP MP from Maharashtra Chintaman Wanaga passed away in Delhi today, said doctors at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. He was 67. He was brought dead to the hospital around 11.15 am after collapsing at home. "He was brought to RML Hospital around 11.15 am. We tried to resuscitate him for 30 minutes but he could not be revived. He was declared brought dead at around 11.45 am," the hospital's medical superintendent, Dr V K Tiwary, told PTI. The cause of the death is being investigated, sources added. Wanaga, who was born on June 1, 1950, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Palghar in Maharashtra. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) today protested the registration of an FIR against Army men in connection with the alleged killing of two youths in Army firing in Shopian district. The protesters, who were led by JKNPP chairman Harsh Dev Singh, protested at the Exhibition Ground here and accused the state government of appeasing anti-nationals and separatists in the Kashmir Valley. They shouted anti-government slogans and demanded that the FIR be withdrawn. Two civilians were killed when Army personnel fired at a stone-pelting mob in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, prompting Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to order an inquiry into the incident. Police had on Sunday filed an FIR under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Ranbir Penal Code against the personnel of 10, Garhwal unit, of the Army. A Major, who led the Army personnel at the time of the incident, was also named in the FIR. Singh claimed "the Army men fired in self-defence when a mob attacked them". He alleged the government had earlier "buckled under pressure from separatists and directed police to register FIRs against Major Nitin Leetul Gogoi for countering stone pelters during the bypoll in Srinagar on April 9 last year". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu today welcomed new Amritsar Mayor Karamajit Singh Rintu at his residence here and assured him that nothing would stop the development of the city. Addressing a huge gathering of the Municipal Corporation staff at office, Local Bodies minister Sidhu said that each member of the municipal corporation, mayor and commissioner "were his family members and they would work together for the development of the city". The minister, while stressing on the cleanliness drive, sanctioned Rs 9 crore for the purpose. Sidhu said that the cleanliness programme would be regularly monitored and there would be no dearth of efforts or funds for the mission. He said that the development of the city is supreme. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The state Assembly today passed the Sikkim Appropriation Bill, 2018 and the second supplementary demands for grants of Rs 408.96 crore in the financial year 2017-18. The House passed the bills by voice vote after the Deputy Speaker Sonam Gyatso Lepcha, presiding over the two-day special session in the absence of the indisposed speaker Kedar Nath Rai, had put the two proposals for passage by the members of the House. Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, who holds the charge of finance department, had yesterday introduced the second supplementary demands for grants of Rs 408.96 crore in the financial year 2017-2018 in the House. The second supplementary demands for grants of Rs 408.96 crore will meet additional revenue and capital expenditure of 43 departments. The passage of the Sikkim Appropriation Bill, 2018 authorises the state goverment to withdraw the said amount from the Consolidated Fund of the state of Sikkim. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after President Ram Nath Kovind pitched for simultaneous Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections, Congress leader P Chidambaram termed it as another "election jumla" (gimmick), saying it cannot be done under the current constitutional provisions. Speaking at a panel discussion after the release of his book 'Speaking Truth to Power', Chidambaram said the Constitution of India does not give a fixed term to any government and unless it is amended, one cannot have simultaneous elections. "In a parliamentary democracy, especially when we have 30 states, under the present Constitution you cannot have simultaneous election. "This is another of these election jumla. One nation, one tax was a jumla. Now one nation, one election is a jumla," he said in reply to a question. The former Union minister, whose book was released by ex-president Pranab Mukherjee, said one can artificially construct the appearance of a simultaneous election by advancing some elections and postponing some, and one could hold parliamentary election and elections to five or six states, but not in all the 30 states. "What if a government falls tomorrow? Will you put it under President's rule for four years? It can't be done," he said. President Kovind had, in his maiden address to the joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament yesterday, made a strong pitch for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, and called for a consensus among political parties on the issue. He said frequent polls posed a "huge burden" on resources and impeded the development process. Prime Minister Modi has been pitching for this for some time now and urged political parties to arrive at a consensus after debating the issue. Sonia Gandhi continues to be the UPA chairperson because of her ability to pull the allies together, Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said today, amid attempts at building a united opposition to take on the BJP. There were speculations on whether Rahul Gandhi would step into the position after he recently became the Congress president, a post held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for 19 years. "Sonia Gandhi continues to be UPA chairperson... because she can pull people (UPA allies) together. She has demonstrated (this) in 2004 and 2009," Moily told PTI. Asked if he was "surprised" by the "active interest" shown in recent times by NCP chief Sharad Pawar towards bringing opposition parties together, the Congress leader said he was not. Pawar and leaders of some political parties held a march on January 26 in Mumbai to "save" the Constitution, which they said was under "assault". Opposition parties, including the Congress, met at Pawar's residence in New Delhi yesterday and discussed various crucial issues on which a united strategy was sought. "We are not surprised, he (Pawar) has been part of both the UPA (governments). UPA is still intact. No one has walked out of UPA. Both in 2009 and 2004, he (Pawar) has been part of our alliance. It's not a surprise", he said. Moily also said political parties opposed to the BJP should forge a broad alliance to derive "national strength" to fight against the Amit Shah-led party. The former Karnataka Chief Minister said all opposing parties are planning a possible alliance "now that it is very clear that the target of the BJP is to demolish constitutional aspirations". He alleged that the BJP has no faith in the Constitution, secularism, socialism and inclusive and gives only lip service to B R Ambedkar. "It is not for mere that we (opposition parties) are uniting, it is for fighting against all this anti- democratic elements which are all combined under BJP. It is for the sustenance of democracy in the country," the former Union minister said. Moily said that a broad alliance of opposition parties cannot be very cohesive and cogent, as the Congress is fighting against regional outfits in some states, but the tie-up has to be "well-knit". Regional parties cannot compromise on their own political existence in their respective states, he said. "You can have have alliance at the national-level. You have to fight the BJP at the national level. That unity of opposition parties is necessary," the Congress leader said. "Instead of each one of the (like-minded) parties working in silos, they can work in broader understanding. That does not mean one party... regional party or national party thinking of 'merging' their issues. When it comes to fundamentals of democracy, constitution, I think unity is possible," Moily said. On whether it would be a good idea for opposition parties to come out with a common minimum programme before the elections, he said, "Definitely we can do that, we have done it in 2009, it was successful." "I think it is high time for all political parties, who oppose the BJP, to unite. Otherwise, that kind of national strength you cannot have," Moily said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee was tonight conferred the 'Legion of Honour', the highest civilian award of France. About three decades after the then French President Francois Mitterrand awarded the Legion of Honor to film maestro Satyajit Ray in 1987, his favourite actor got the honour here. "I wish he (Ray) could be present here to see you, Mr Soumitra Chatterjee, getting the highest French Civilian Honour," French Ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler said while conferring the honour on Chatterjee who had acted in 14 of Ray's films. Describing the Dadasaheb Phalke winner as "the very prototype of Bengali gentleman", the envoy said though Chatterjee is 83 years old, he looked like just 50. "France loves him as much as he loves France and there was a retrospective of his representative films in France in 2016," he said. After receiving the insignia of 'Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur' (Chevalier of the Legion of Honour), the actor said "I do not know what to say. All I can say is I am honoured and privileged and as long as I live, I will remember this evening." "The French cinema and also the great painters (of France) fascinated me all along. I don't know if I deserve it but I will honour it throughout my life," he said. Ray's director son Sandip said, "He deserved this award much before. We are all happy." West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed happiness on Chatterjee getting the award. "We are proud for Soumitra da who will be getting the Legion of Honour after Satyajit Ray in 1987," Banerjee said earlier in the day in presence of Chatterjee at the inaugural programme of the International Kolkata Book Fair. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bouyed by growing number of tourists from India, Sri Lanka has now kept a target of 4.4 lakh travellers from the country this year, officials today said. Describing itself as 'a destination for all seasons', officials of the Sri Lanka Tourism, at a press conference here, also announced that a record 3,84,628 tourists arrived from India last year. "Understanding the unique offerings for Indian travellers, destination Sri Lanka now targets for 4,40,000 Indian arrivals, this year," the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said in a statement. The Sri Lanka Tourism has recently been awarded as the 'Emerging Destination of the Year' by Conde Nast Traveller India and 'Asia's leading Adventure Tourism Destination of the Year' in 2017, it said. A survey conducted by the Sri Lanka Tourism, highlights that, 63.7 per cent of Indians opt for sightseeing excursions and nearly 50 per cent go for shopping. "37.01 per cent Indian travellers visit the historical sites in Sri Lanka, while wildlife remains the choice for 21 per cent only," it said. Witnessing the growth and potential from India, the Sri Lanka Tourism will be participating at the SATTE 2018 (South Asia's travel and tourism exhibition), with 52 travel agents and hoteliers. "While the pristine beaches and cultural aspect of Sri Lanka, is already being explored by Indian guests, however, key area of focus for this years' participation would be to promote film tourism, destination wedding, religious and pilgrimage tourism (Ramayana Trail). "A tea bar representing Ceylon Tea will be located at the Sri Lanka pavilion 2018 at the SATTE," the statement said. Sutheash Balasubramaniam, managing director, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, said, "India continues to be our top source market." "We believe that the potential of the Indian travel market is yet to realise in terms of attracting longer stay and higher spending travellers. It is our fervent hope to make Sri Lanka the most preferred destination in Asia for Indian travellers," he said. Sri Lanka, an island nation, is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, and is renowned for the ancient Sigiriya Rock Fortress, and its rich colonial legacy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken today asked the AAP and the BJP to end their "fake fight" over the ongoing sealing drive and suggested that they instead seek relief from the Supreme Court for the traders hit by the move. The comments came after a meeting of AAP and BJP leaders at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence to find a solution to the issue ended in hostility, without any result. The BJP walked out of the meeting, alleging AAP leaders and workers misbehaved with BJP members. The saffron party also filed a police complaint naming four AAP legislators. Maken said both the parties have "failed miserably" to provide relief to the traders affected by the sealing drive. "The affected traders are approaching the Supreme Court and its monitoring committee for respite from sealing, while the AAP and the BJP, who should do this, are fighting each other," he said during a visit to meet traders on Tank Road. Maken, who was the minister of state for urban development during the UPA government, later tweeted: "AAP+BJP MLAs physically fighting each other... To convince their supporters that they are fighting for them!" The three BJP-controlled civic bodies have undertaken the sealing drive initiated by a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee for nearly a month. Commercial premises have been sealed for failing to deposit conversion charges according to provisions in the Delhi Master Plan 2021. The AAP has demanded that the Central government either bring an ordinance or amend the master plan to stop sealing. The BJP has demanded that the AAP dispensation should come out with a notification on mix land use to give relief to traders. The BJP delegation had visited Kejriwal's residence to find a solution for traders hit by the sealing drive. But the visiting leaders walked out of the meeting and alleged that AAP legislators misbehaved with them during the meeting there. Maken said the Congress believed in finding a solution to the problem, instead of the "fake fight" the BJP and the AAP and have engaged themselves in. He wondered if the BJP government at the Centre and the AAP in Delhi can protect the traders from the sealing drive as was "successfully" done by the Congress government in 2006-07. Last week, Maken in a detailed presentation discussed the issue of sealing and suggested ways to tackle it. Citing the Congress's experience, he had said: "In 2006, when the sword of sealing was hanging over traders, the then Congress-led Centre approached the court and enacted a law and made amendments in the Master Plan of Delhi 2021." Maken and leaders from the other two parties have been visiting traders, whose commercial units have been sealed. (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 her Guyanese counterpart Carl B Greenidge and held talks to further strengthen ties between the two countries through cooperation in capacity building and promotion of business and trade. Greenidge, who is also the 2nd Vice President of the Caribbean nation, is on a five-day visit to India, along with the Minister of Natural Resources and the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. "Three Memorandums of Understanding, namely, Renewable Energy, Cultural Exchange Programme and Framework Agreement on International Solar Alliance were signed. The Guyanese delegation also presented the Instrument of Ratification of the International Solar Alliance," the MEA statement said. During his meeting with Greenidge, Swaraj referred to the historical and multifaceted ties between the two sides. "The subsequent discussions focused on further strengthening India-Guyana bilateral relations, through cooperation in capacity building, promotion of business and trade, enhancement of people to people contact, cooperation on pharmaceuticals, sharing India's experience in Information Technology by setting up IT Centres of Excellence in Georgetown," the statement said. Views were also exchanged on regional and multilateral issues such as climate change, solar alliance and the United Nations Security Council reforms. Foreign Minister Greenidge will also have discussions with Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and R K Singh, Minister of State for Renewable Energy, for further strengthening trade between the two countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will arrive here on Thursday on a two-day visit during which she will hold talks with Nepal's top leadership, days ahead of the formation of a new Left alliance government. Swaraj's visit comes at a time when Nepal successfully concluded three phase of provincial, local and parliamentary elections as part of its efforts to implement the new Constitution that was promulgated in September 2015. Nepal's Left alliance is preparing to form a new government which is expected to be headed by CPN-UML chief and former prime minister K P Oli. Swaraj will be the first senior Indian minister to visit Nepal after the conclusion of elections to local bodies, provincial assemblies and federal Parliament. "This will be a high level goodwill visit keeping with the tradition of regular exchange of political visits between India and Nepal," said the Indian embassy sources. Swaraj will call on President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba before flying back to New Delhi on Friday. She will also meet Oli, who through a letter congratulated Prime Minister Narenra Modi on the 69th Republic Day of India. Swaraj will also meet CPN-Maoist Centre Chairman and former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. The high-level visit from India is being considered significant in the political spectrum here. Prime Minister Modi had congratulated Oli for the success achieved by his party in the elections. The clear victory to the Left alliance -- CPN-UML led by Oli and the CPN-Maoist led by Prachanda -- was not seen as a positive development for India given that Oli had publicly criticised New Delhi for interfering in Nepal's internal matters and accused it of toppling his government last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The opening of Russia's showpiece congress aimed at bringing Syria's seven-year war to an end was delayed by at least two hours today, as Moscow struggled to bring together key players. Regime-backer Moscow has invited 1,600 delegates to the meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi as part of a broader push to consolidate its influence in the Middle East and start hammering out a political solution to the conflict. But Syria's main opposition group and Kurdish authorities said they would boycott the event, while today separate rebel representatives were at Sochi airport but refused to come to the congress before Russia met demands. "There have been some problems with an armed opposition group arriving from Turkey, which said its participation depended on additional requirements," Artem Kozhin of the Russian foreign ministry said in comments reported by the TASS agency. The Russian and Turkish foreign ministers spoke twice on the phone in a bid to resolve the problem, he said. A rebel source told AFP that Russia had promised to change or remove the symbol of the congress, which features only the Syrian regime flag. But the airport, the road to the conference centre and the congress hall itself were still decorated with banners and billboards bearing the logo when the rebels arrived last night, leading to hours of ongoing negotiations. The main aim of the talks is to establish a committee to create a post-war constitution for Syria with United Nations backing, according to a draft statement seen by AFP. Moscow said Syrian society would be fully represented at the meeting -- the first of its kind held in Russia -- but almost all confirmed delegates are from either President Bashar al-Assad's ruling Baath Party, allied movements or the regime's "tolerated opposition". The Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC), the country's main opposition group, said following two days of UN-led talks in Vienna last week it would not attend the Sochi congress. The SNC accused Assad and his Russian backers of continuing to rely on military might and showing no willingness to enter into honest negotiations. Authorities from Syria's Kurdish autonomous region said at the weekend they would also boycott the event because of the ongoing Turkish offensive on the Kurdish enclave of Afrin. Clashes and air strikes again hit the border region of Afrin yesterday, with new civilian casualties reported. Turkey, which supports Syrian rebels vying for Assad's ouster, is co-sponsoring the congress along with regime-backer Iran. However, members of the opposition were at the event in an individual capacity, while the Kremlin's special envoy on the Syria peace process Alexander Lavrentyev said some Kurds would also attend individually. The UN's Syria peace negotiator Staffan de Mistura was expected to participate, despite fears among Western powers that Russia is seeking to undermine a separate track of UN- backed Geneva talks with a view to carving out a settlement that strengthens its ally Assad. The US State Department yesterday said it would not send observers to the Sochi conference, saying "our collective focus must remain on the UN-led political process". But Mohannad Dleikan, a representative of the Syrian opposition's so-called Moscow Group, which is attending Sochi but which has been accused by the mainstream opposition of toeing a more conciliatory line on Assad's future, said the aims of the talks were the same as those of the UN. "If there is a consensus in Sochi, that will be a serious message to those in Geneva, whether it be the opposition or the regime," he told AFP from Beirut. "We have obtained sufficient guarantees that this process will support Geneva, it will not act as an alternative." Moscow, which has spearheaded several rounds of talks from the start of last year in Kazakhstan's Astana, initially hoped to convene the congress in Sochi last November but those efforts collapsed following a lack of agreement among co- sponsors. Moscow's decision to launch a bombing campaign to support Assad in September 2015 -- Russia's first major military operation abroad since Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989 -- is widely seen as a turning point in the multi- front conflict that helped shore up the Syrian president. After two years of military support for the Syrian regime, President Vladimir Putin announced in December last year the partial withdrawal of forces from the country, saying their task had been largely completed. The Syrian war, in which more than 340,000 people have died and millions more been displaced, began in 2011 as the regime crushed anti-government protests. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tata Steel today said it has commissioned a Solid Liquid Separation (SLS) plant for Gas Cleaning Plant (GCP) slurry at its Ferro Alloys Plant (FAP) at Joda in Keonjhar district of Odisha. This is the first such plant in the country in the ferro-alloys sector, the company said. The SLS plant, besides conserving water, would prevent water from sludge pits percolating into the ground and contaminating ground water, Rajeev Singhal, Vice President, (Raw Materials) of Tata Steel said in a statement. As a responsible corporate, Tata Steel had been undertaking several such initiatives that contributed towards sustainability of the environment, said Singhal, who inaugurated the SLS plant yesterday. Installed at a cost of nearly Rs 8 crore at FAP, Joda the SLS plant is an environment-friendly initiative, set to recover manganese-rich solid from the wet gas cleaning plant slurry. Water recovered by the processing of GCP slurry will be fully recycled, leading to water conservation to the tune of 15 cubic metre per hour, the company statement said. Also, the recovery of manganese-rich solids makes it possible to recycle the same, for production of Ferro Manganese. Manganese-rich solid cakes from the new SLS plant will be used for production of Ferro Manganese after suitable agglomeration, it said. FAP-Joda, set up in 1958 with an installed capacity 36 KMT, presently produces 50 KMT of High Carbon Ferro Manganese per annum. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Cyberabad Police today arrested Telugu actor Samrat Reddy on a complaint filed by his wife who accused him of theft and house trespass, police said. Reddy, who has acted in films like 'Panchakshari' and 'Kittu Unnadu Jagratha', and his wife were living separately, following some marital dispute, they said. The actor's wife lodged a complaint at the Madhapur police station on January 25, accusing her 28-year-old husband of committing theft of household articles and gold ornaments, besides damaging CCTV cameras and furniture at her house here, Inspector R Kalinga Rao said. "Some family dispute was going on between the couple and they were living separately here. Recently, in view of the Makar Sankranti festival, she went to her mother's house and after returning home she found the door lock broken," he said. "She said valuables were missing and furniture was found damaged at her house," Rao said, citing her complaint. Based on the complaint, a case under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 380 (theft in dwelling house) and 448 (house trespass) was registered against Reddy, the official said. During the investigation, police recovered the missing valuables from Reddy's possession and placed him under arrest, Rao said. Reddy's wife alleged that in the past he had "harassed" and "tortured" her for dowry. She said they got married in November 2015, but within a few days, he started "harassing" her. The actor repeatedly asked her to provide details of her properties and forced her to transfer them in his name, the 25-year-old complainant alleged. "He also demanded a car and an expensive watch. He used to beat me...torture me physically and mentally. I had lodged a complaint with the Rajendra Nagar police station after which a case of harassment for dowry was registered against Samrat on November 30. "Subsequently, he forced me to arrive at a compromise and got the case withdrawn," she claimed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Medical technology firm Trivitron Healthcare and Investment Funds for Health in Africa (IFHA) today announced launch of a joint venture firm Trivitron Healthcare Africa BV to provide medical devices and instruments in the continent. The joint venture firm will provide medical devices and instruments with reliable after-sales service support across the continent, thereby improving access and affordability of medical equipment, Trivitron Healthcare said in a statement. In the first phase, Trivitron Healthcare Africa B V (THA) will be headquartered in Dubai with a direct presence and sales and service infrastructure in four major hubs -- Nairobi, Johannesburg, Lagos and Algiers, it added. "This is a first of its kind venture between the leading medical technology company in India and a leading healthcare private equity investor in Africa, with support from International Finance Corporation," Trivitron Chairman and MD GSK Velu said. THA's initial offering will include a complete range of products and after-sales service support in laboratory medicine, medical imaging, critical care, operating room and renal care, the statement said. Apart from distributing and supporting products manufactured by Trivitron in its USFDA (US Food and Drug Administration), CE certified factories in India, Finland and Turkey, the JV firm will also distribute and support products from other multinational corporations, it added. "IFHA has long seen an opportunity to improve access to quality healthcare services by creating a provider of high- quality, affordable medical equipment and services. IFHA is excited to partner with Trivitron and IFC to turn this vision into a reality," the JV firm's Managing Partner Max Coppoolse said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump told visiting members of the UN Security Council today the US would no longer talk with the Taliban following a recent string of deadly attacks in Afghanistan. Trump railed against a series of "atrocities" in Afghanistan and said as a result the US would not engage in any future talks with the Taliban as the administration seeks to end a stalemate in America's longest war. "Innocent people are being killed left and right. Bombing, in the middle of children, in the middle of families, bombing, killing all over Afghanistan," Trump said. "So we don't want to talk with the Taliban. There may be a time but it's going to be a long time." The president's comments followed a deadly car bombing attack in Kabul, the Afghan capital, that killed at least 95 people and wounded 158 more. Earlier this month, Americans were killed and injured in the Taliban's 13-hour siege of a hotel in Kabul. Trump's remarks at the diplomatic luncheon marked a shift in tone on Afghanistan. The US has said previously that any peace talks with the Taliban need to be part of an Afghan-led process, but the US has never precluded talking to the Taliban. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who sat next to the president at the luncheon, has said previously that after an effective military effort, a political settlement including some Taliban might be possible, echoing language from former President Barack Obama's administration. Tillerson had said the US would support peace talks with the Taliban "without preconditions." Earlier in the month, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who helped organize today's luncheon, said the US policy on Afghanistan was working and the parties were "closer to talks with the Taliban and the peace process than we've seen before."Several attempts to hold peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have failed. In 2013, hopes were raised when the Taliban opened an office in Qatar aimed at facilitating those talks, but a controversy over the Taliban's move to hoist the flag it used in Afghanistan during its five-year rule ultimately derailed the talks. Since then, efforts to lure the Taliban into talks have yielded little progress. Trump has sought to change the course of the long-running conflict, sending thousands more US troops to Afghanistan and moving away from a "time-based" approach to one that more explicitly links US assistance to concrete results from the Afghan government. There are now about 14,000 US forces there, and more trainers and advisers are scheduled to deploy in the coming months. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis earlier this month said this will make it possible for US advisers to serve with more of the Afghan units, strengthening them in the fight against the insurgents. The US-led coalition has also increased targeting of Taliban opium operations, including narcotic processing facilities in Helmand Province in the south. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump has ruled out talks with the Taliban and vowed to "finish" them following a wave of deadly attacks in Afghanistan. Meeting a delegation of UN Security Council ambassadors at the White House yesterday, he said, "We do not want to talk with the Taliban. There may be a time, but it's going to be a long time." The luncheon meeting with the members of the UNSC was taking place in the backdrop of two deadly terrorist attacks by the Taliban in Kabul recently, including the use of an ambulance by a suicide bomber that killed more than 100 people. "They are killing people left and right. Innocent people are being killed left and right, bombing in the middle of children, in the middle of families, bombing, killing all over Afghanistan, Trump said. Trump did not specify what he has in mind, but suggested that a stronger military response is imminent. "What nobody else has been able to finish were going to be able to do it," he said. The militants have stepped up attacks on Afghan troops and police in recent months. Islamic State militants yesterday attacked Afghan soldiers guarding a military academy in Kabul killing at least 11 troops and wounding 16. On January 20, Taliban militants stormed Kabul's landmark Intercontinental hotel and killed at least 25 people, mostly foreigners. In the meeting with the members of the UNSC, Trump said the group would discuss a range of security challenges, including the "de-nuking" of North Korea, countering Iran's destabilisation activities in the Middle East, ending the Syrian conflict and confronting terrorism. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Building on the theme of a safe, strong and proud America, President Donald Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address to Congress tomorrow, which among others would be attended by Sunayana Dumala, the widow of an Indian engineer who was shot dead in a hate crime. The State of the Union address is a traditional annual speech of the US president to a joint session of the Congress where he gives an account of the situation in the country. President Trump yesterday said he will focus largely on trade and immigration during his first speech. "It's a big speech, an important speech, we covered immigration," Trump said. "We worked on it hard, covered a lot of territory, including our great success with the markets and with the tax cut." White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters that the theme of the address is, 'Building a safe, strong, and proud America,' which is exactly what the president has worked to do during his first year in office. It will be must-watch TV, she said as she gave details of the guests who will be sitting in the First Ladys Box. "Some of these individuals' stories are heroic, some are patriotic, others are tragic. But all of them represent the unbreakable American spirit, and will inspire our nation to continue growing stronger, prouder, and more prosperous," Sanders said. Ahead of the event, several Democratic lawmakers have said that they will not be attending the address in protest of Trump's recent alleged comments on certain communities and countries. Trump and the White House have denied making those comments. Prominent among not to attend the State of the Union address include Indian-American Congresswomen Pramila Jayapal. "With other members of Congress, she will stand in solidarity with immigrants and reject the White Houses racism, sexism, and hatred. Together, theyll honour grassroots leaders and lift up a common-sense progressive agenda that will serve all Americans," her campaign said yesterday. However, the number of such lawmakers are not more than a dozen yet. A large number of Congressmen have invited guests from across the country to attend the event. Sunayana Dumala, the wife of Srinivas Kuchibhotla who was shot dead in the hate crime by an American navy veteran at a bar in Olathe city last year, would be among those attending the event. She has been invited by Congressman Kevin Yoder. "Each year, I have the privilege of inviting one guest to attend the president's State of the Union address. This year, I have invited Sunayana Dumala, widow of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, the Indian immigrant who was tragically killed in the hate crime shooting last year at in Olathe," Yoder tweeted. The Indian-American community has welcomed the move. Brijpal Singh, the chairman of the India Association of Kansas City, said this step will not only assure the Indian community but also send a strong message about the unstinted support from the elected representatives and administration towards the Indian community. "This further strengthens our belief and confidence in the American system and its Constitution where everyone is respected, loved and is welcome," Singh said in a letter to Yoder. "I asked Sunayana to be my guest as a recognition for her tireless efforts to promote peace, and as a message to the Indian community that the US is a nation of immigrants and they are welcome here," Yoder said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Authorities today detained eight members of the Turkish Medical Association's (TTB) central council who had denounced Ankara's military operation against a Syrian Kurdish militia, state media reported. Authorities issued 11 arrest warrants for council's members, eight of whom were detained, including the association's head Rasit Tukel, state-run agency Anadolu said. Ankara prosecutors began a probe into the TTB council today after it issued a statement last week saying "war is a man-made public health problem". The TTB also said that conflicts lead to "irreparable problems". The comments led to angry remarks Friday by Erdogan about the "so-called Turkish Medical Association" whose members he described as "terrorist-lovers". The association's head office received a "large number of threats of violence by email and phone calls", rights group Amnesty International said after the public outcry. Erdogan again hit out at the group on Sunday: "They are not intellectuals, they are a gang of unthinking slaves... They are the servants of imperialism." The TTB ended its statement on Wednesday saying 'No to war'. The Turkish leader described their stance as "real filth", adding: "Actually this is the dishonourable stance that should be said 'No' to." Turkey launched a cross-border offensive supporting Syrian rebels with ground troops and air strikes on January 20 against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in its western Syrian enclave of Afrin. Ankara refers to the YPG as a "terrorist" offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. The PKK is blacklisted as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. As the authorities go after those accused of deliberate disinformation", Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin warned the public and media to be wary of "lying, fake, distortive and provocative news, images and gossip" last today. The interior ministry today said 311 people including journalists and activists had been detained over accusations they were spreading "terror propaganda". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkey today detained all the top members of the country's main medical association, including its chief, after they criticised Ankara's offensive against Kurdish militia in Syria. The arrests came after the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), which represents 80 percent of the country's physicians, issued a statement saying that conflicts lead to "irreparable problems" and that "war is a man-made public health problem". The TTB ended its statement on Wednesday with the words: "No to war, peace right now". Prosecutors swiftly launched a probe, after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday lashed out at the "so-called Turkish Medical Association" as "terrorist-lovers". Erdogan again hit out at the group on Sunday, saying: "They are not intellectuals, they are a gang of unthinking slaves... They are the servants of imperialism." Among those held was TTB director Rasit Tukel, state-run agency Anadolu said. The health ministry yesterday said it had filed a lawsuit seeking the removal of the 11 executive council members because they were "acting against the law". Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies launched a brutal offensive against Kurdish militia in the enclave of Afrin in northern Syria on January 20. Ankara, which considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in Syria a "terror" group, has vowed to carry on and possibly expand the operation, despite international concern. Turkey sees the YPG as the Syrian offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. Despite calls for restraint in Syria from the US and concern from the European Union, Turkey has stepped up its offensive in recent days, while threatening to further expand it and also cracking down on critics at home. The Turkish interior ministry on Monday said 311 people including journalists and activists had been detained over accusations they were spreading "terror propaganda". The TTB confirmed to AFP that all its top members had been detained, but an association official who did not wish to be named said that little information was immediately available as the arrests had took place in different parts of the country. The TTB, which has more than 83,000 members representing 80 per cent of physicians in Turkey, is the nation's leading medical association. Turkish medics have played a key role in treating war victims in Syria, often making dangerous cross-border trips into a nation ravaged by seven years of war. Rights group Amnesty International criticised the arrests, and said the TTB's head office had received a "large number of threats of violence by email and telephone" leading up to the detentions. Amnesty's Turkey researcher Andrew Gardner said the TTB became a target for making a "completely legitimate reasonable" statement. "This is completely irrational targeting of people for expressing their peaceful views, there is nothing that can justify these sorts of detentions," he told AFP. Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin last week warned the Turkish pu and media to be wary of "lying, fake, distortive and provocative news, images and gossip". But the TTB was not the only group to criticise the assault. Over 170 former ministers, actors and writers signed a letter last week, calling for an end to war. The letter was sent to all of Turkey's MPs including those from Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Erdogan, however, called the signatories "traitors". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish air strikes pounded the Syrian border region of Afrin and fighting raged on two fronts as Ankara pursued its offensive against the Kurdish enclave. A monitoring group and Kurdish sources said yesterday Turkey's air force had stepped up its raids on the 10th day of operation "Olive Branch", which sees Turkey providing air and ground support to Syrian opposition fighters in an offensive against Kurdish militia in northwestern Syria. Ankara has pushed forward with the operation to force the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from the region despite international concerns and reports of rising civilian casualties. Turkey has cracked down on criticism of the operation and yesterday detained all the top members of the country's main medical association, including its chief. In reaction to the offensive, the Kurds were not attending peace talks Tuesday in the Russian city of Sochi, aimed at resolving Syria's almost seven-year civil war. Turkish jets were hitting Kurdish positions in the towns of Rajo and Jandairis, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. Syrian rebels backed by Turkey "were engaged in fierce battles against Kurdish forces" in the two towns, said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Observatory, which uses a network of sources to monitor Syria's war. "Turkey's aerial campaign against Afrin has escalated since Monday," he added. A spokesman for the YPG, which Ankara considers a "terror" group, said the strikes had been relentless. "Since yesterday, the bombardment by Turkish aircraft has not stopped in some areas," said Brusk Hasakeh. It was unclear how many civilians remained in Rajo and Jandairis as many had already fled to Afrin town, the capital of the district. An AFP journalist yesterday heard consecutive strikes hitting areas surrounding Afrin town. The Observatory says at least 67 civilians have been killed since the start of the operation on January 20. Turkey strongly rejects such claims, saying it is doing everything possible to avoid civilian casualties in the operation. At least 85 YPG militiamen have died, the Observatory says, as have 81 fighters from the rebel groups fighting with Turkish backing. Turkey says seven of its soldiers have been killed. Turkish state-run agency Anadolu reported yesterday that two villages in the Afrin region had been "cleared" of the YPG. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Microblogging platform Twitter today said it has partnered automobile industry body SIAM for the upcoming Auto Expo 2018. The 14th edition of the biennial Auto Expo will take place this year on February 7-14. As part of the collaboration, Twitter will host a special #BlueRoom pop-up show onsite, live stream highlights from the Auto Expo, and make available a custom Auto Expo emoji, Twitter said in a statement. In addition, automotive majors like Hero Moto Corp, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors and Maruti Suzuki will live stream their showcase at the Auto Expo on Twitter, it added. Tata Motors will also feature live Q&A interaction with artistes, rock band Parikarma and guitarist Dhruv, a live performance onsite and video highlights on Twitter. "We're excited to partner SIAM on the Auto Expo, to bring car enthusiasts in India and around the world with the opportunity to follow all the fast and furious car launch action in real-time," Twitter India Country Director Taranjeet Singh said. Sugato Sen, Deputy Director General at SIAM, said the collaboration with Twitter will help create a unique brand image for Auto Expo. "...it (the emoji and other initiatives) not only gives a separate identity to the Auto Expo The Motor Show but also highlights the enormity of the Auto Expo 2018 making it more grandiloquent and customer centric," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two persons were injured after a police inspector rammed his four-wheeler into their scooter allegedly under the influence of alcohol here, police said today. The inspector, identified as G Girish Rao (51), has been suspended after a departmental inquiry, a senior police officer said. The incident took place around 8 pm yesterday at Yapral area in the city. Rao, working at Police Training Centre in Medchal, was driving an MPV (a private vehicle) when he lost control and hit some vehicles, police said. Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwath said Rao was driving the vehicle in a "drunken" state and in "rash and negligent" manner, when he hit a scooter and two other vehicles causing injuries to the civilians. "Departmental action has been initiated against Rao and he has been suspended," the commissioner said. A Jawahar Nagar police station official said, "Two persons going on the scooter were injured and taken to a hospital. The inspector was subjected to breath-analyser test, which showed that the blood alcohol content (BAC) was beyond permissible levels". Rao has been booked under relevant sections of the IPC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two people, who were trying to escape after allegedly stealing iron angles from a truck here, were arrested after an encounter, in which one of them was injured, police said. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) H N Singh said that on the intervening of January 29-30, the accused stole the angles from a truck that was parked near a weighing bridge in Loha Mandi. Driver, Mobin, a native of Haryana, was sleeping inside the vehicle. Four robbers reached there around 3.00 am and took him at gun point. They also snatched his money and other belongings, the SSP said. The driver informed a PCR van and a police team cordoned the robbers near a business institute near Dasna town. In the cross firing incident one policeman and a burglar were injured, he said. Two -- Rahees and Islam -- of the four accused were arrested while the others managed to escape. Police have recovered the snatched money, one country- made pistol and four live cartridges from them, the SSP said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress-led UDF today alleged in the Kerala assembly that at least 10 retired state transport corporation employees committed suicide in the last 20 months due to irregular pension payment under the LDF rule. The claim was made by the opposition front as it sought to move an adjournment motion to discuss the hardship faced by the families of more than 38,000 pensioners of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which is running in loss. The UDF members staged a walkout when Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan refused leave for the motion after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asserted that the government was taking all steps to pay the pension and also arrears on time. The issue was raised in the House even as KSRTC pensioners are staging a sit-in dharna in front of the secretariat here demanding payment of pension arrears. Earlier, moving the notice for the motion, former transport minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan (Cong) slammed the CPI-M led LDF government over the issue. He claimed that at least ten former KSRTC employees ended their lives due to financial problems faced by them owing to 'stoppage' of pension amount after the LDF came to power in 2016. Demanding that the government take up the burden of pension and disburse the same to the pensioners in view of the poor financial health of the corporation, Radhakrishnan said it was the 'indifferent' attitude of the LDF regime that led to the present situation. Giving details of the steps taken to revive the sick corporation, Vijayan said the government was in the process of availing a loan of Rs.3,350 crore from a consortium of banks led by the State Bank of India. Discussions with the consortium had been completed and two banks have already approved loan to a tune of Rs.1,000 crore, he added. The government would ensure that pension amount was disbursed through KSRTC without any arrears, he added. Stating that the Corporation was severe financial crisis, Vijayan said total accumulated loss of the Corporation stood at Rs.7,966 crores as on 2017-18. Vijayan also charged the previous UDF government with not taking any steps to tackle the basic problem faced by KSRTC. On the other hand, the LDF government had initiated a well planned programme to rejuvenate the corporation and make it capable of paying both the salary and pension on time, he said. However, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said Vijayan had not said when the pension arrears would be given and instead talking about rejuvenating KSRTC. He then led the UDF members in the walk out. Meanwhile, the agitating KSRTC pensioners said they would continue their protest till the government absorbed the pension payment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There is a clarity among the UN Security Council members on the existence of terrorist safe havens inside Pakistan, a top Afghanistan envoy to the world body has said, calling for action against it. Afghanistan's UN Ambassador, Mahmoud Saikal, in an indirect reference to Pakistan, said his government has provided evidences to the UNSC about violations of its resolution by "a country in the region". In an interview to PTI, Saikal said he has stressed the need for action against "the country", as mandated by the UNSC resolutions. He said there is unanimity more than ever and clarity among UNSC members about the presence of terrorist safe havens in Pakistan, days after an ambassadorial-level of delegation of the 15-member powerful body returned from a trip to Kabul. "I have not heard any member of the council denying the existence of these (terror) safe havens in Pakistan. I have not heard any member of the council stand up and say, 'no this is not true'," Saikal told PTI. "But we need to go beyond that," he said, adding, "we need to get the council consensus that 'yes, they are there'. Once there is consensus that they (terrorists) are there (in Pakistan), then the (security) council is obliged to take action." Noting that the issue has come to the attention of the UNSC more than ever, the ambassador said some of the council members were now openly talking about it. He said Pakistan has been "unsuccessfully trying to change the narrative" in the past couple of years, but there are no takers for arguments coming from Pakistan's diplomats, either at the UN or other international forums. "Majority of the member states know about the safe havens. They know that the leading figures of terrorist groups have lived in Pakistan. They have been found dead in Pakistan. They have been killed and buried in Pakistan," he said. "Osama bin Laden was found and killed in Pakistan. Mullah Omar died in a Karachi hospital. Mullah Akhtar was found and killed in Baluchistan. And right now, leading figures of the Taliban are in Pakistan. This is a public knowledge," he claimed. He said the attempt to change the narrative, on the part of Pakistan, does not help, and added that it was time for everyone to accept that "there is something wrong", which is hurting Pakistan itself as well as the region. "It is the job of all of us to work together to address it. Our intention is to see Pakistan as a trusted partner in countering terrorism, as a good neighbour who believe in coexistence with us, and could feel responsible about the security of Pakistan itself, but also the security and safety of the neighbours of Pakistan and of the region and of the world at large," Saikal said. To a question, the Afghan envoy expressed frustration that nothing has worked so far with Pakistan. Kabul has used bilateral, trilateral and multilateral platforms to have a breakthrough, he said. "Unfortunately, so far we haven't seen much. So, we will keep our eyes open for any gesture or for any initiative from Islamabad when it comes to a paradigm shift in the part of giving up the policy of using violence in pursuit of political objectives and trying to coexist with its neighbours in peace," he said. "Any opportunity that could be there, we would not be shy to explore it and use it and to have a meaningful dialogue with Pakistan. But at the same time if nothing works, then we have no other option but to come to the Security Council because we are paying a heavy price almost every day in Afghanistan," he said. Saikal said Afghanistan has every right to defend its people, raise its voice at international platforms and seek support from relevant international bodies when it comes to improving the security and stability in the country. "At this stage there is enough evidence before the council on the safe havens and also on violations across the Durand Line in the past few years," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a bid to inculcate discipline among legislators, Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Hriday Narayan Dixit is contemplating institution of a 'Best Legislator Award' on the lines of the honour given to MPs. If the proposal goes ahead, Uttar Pradesh will become the first state to institute such an award. Stung by frequent derailment of proceedings by agitated members, Dixit told PTI that his main aim will be to ensure discipline in the House, whose Budget Session commences on February 8. "To encourage legislators to follow parliamentary etiquette and norms, we will contemplate on institution of Best Legislator Award on the lines of Best Parliamentarian Award. This will infuse discipline among legislators, he said in an interview ahead of the month-long session. This is going to be a comparatively longer session. We want quality debates and let the Opposition be aggressive. There should be plenty of healthy arguments and the Opposition should make best use of the opportunity this time. There would be adequate time to debate and discuss governors address to joint sitting, then during debate on the general budget and also some departmental budgets, he said. The speaker recalled that Opposition members blew whistles, threw paper balls at the podium during the customary address by the governor to the first sitting of the session last year. It should not happen this time, he said, adding that a day before the Assembly meets, he would convene an all-party meeting to appeal to leaders of all parties to ensure decorum. On February 7, an all-party meeting is likely to be convened. The leaders will be urged that there is a debate and discussion on the Governors address in which the Opposition can put forth its point of view. This is parliamentary practice...We must learn from Lok Sabha in this regard. "And, I am hopeful that leaders will understand this, he said to a specific question as to what measures may be adopted to ensure that the Governors address is not disrupted this time. On May 15, 2017, the maiden session of the newly-elected UP Assembly opened with Governor Ram Naik being bombarded with paper balls during his address, as an angry opposition protested over alleged worsening of law and order. Many Samajwadi Party legislators shouted slogans and carried placards. They threw paper balls at Naik, some of which even hit him, despite marshals trying to shield the Governor with the help of files. Samajwadi Party legislator Rajesh Yadav blew a whistle through the 35-minute address to ensure that the Governor's voice was drowned in the din. As the Governors address began, the entire Opposition -- comprising members of the SP, the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party -- started shouting slogans against the government over the issue of law and order. BJP members added to the din, thumping their desks loudly whenever the governor lauded the government. To another question, Dixit said, It is not possible to edit live telecast of proceedings. However, we will deliberate on this aspect with Doordarshan to focus cameras on the Chair and not on members when they create unruly scenes. He observed that hurling of paper balls can injure anyone. This is unbecoming of a public representative, he said. The Speaker said that he has not thought of frisking MLAs before they enter the House. However, there is a significant difference between entering the House with posters, banners and placards in a pre-planned manner to disturb proceedings and sudden provocation (during discussion), Dixit said. When asked whether he is contemplating any other strict measures (in this regard), the 70-year-old Speaker said, I have never thought of strictness. A five-time MLA, Dixit is an erudite scholar, a columnist and has a number of books to his credit. The Budget session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature is set to begin on February 8 with the Governors address to a joint sitting of both the Houses. The business advisory committee of the two Houses will decide on the number of sittings. This will be the Yogi Adityanath government's second budget which is likely to focus on measures to ensure a spurt in economic activities besides providing respite to farmers in distress. The budget will be keenly watched by financial as well as political experts as it will reveal the roadmap of development in the state during the financial year 2018-19. The budget assumes significance as development, job creation and public expenditure in the state in next financial will build public opinion ahead of the 2019 general elections. The government will have to allocate funds for Poorvanchal Expressway project and the new metro projects announced by it. Besides, since the state government has declared 2018 as the year of empowerment of youth, budgetary provisions would be required to fulfil commitments for job creation, education, health, startups and sports. The Vidhan Sabha is also expected to send the UP Control of Organised Crimes (UPCOC) Bill to the Legislative Council again for passage after a select committee, to which the bill was sent for scrutiny, refused to consider the proposed amendments. During the Winter session of the state legislature, the UPCOC Bill, drafted on the lines of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), hit a roadblock in the Legislative Council, where a determined Opposition stalled its passage. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A US judge has ordered immediate release of prominent Indian-descent immigration activist Ravi Ragbir and granted him a temporary reprieve from deportation to his native Trinidad and Tobago, saying his detention was unnecessarily cruel. Ragbir, 43, was arrested on January 12 during a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and ordered immediate deportation, irking local community in New York. In a seven-page decision, Manhattan Federal Court Judge Katherine Forrest yesterday said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement violated Ragbirs rights by denying him due process and "the freedom to say goodbye." Forrest said that Ragbirs sudden and unnecessary detention after living in the US without incident, reporting as required to immigration authorities and building a home, a family, and a community was wrong". Forrest said that Ragbir should have been given time to organize his affairs before being taken into custody. "There is, and ought to be in this country, the freedom to say goodbye. That is, freedom to hug ones spouse and children, the freedom to organise the myriad of human affairs that collect over time." "It ought not to beand it has never before beenthat those who have lived without incident in this country for years are subjected to treatment we associated with regimes we revile as unjust, regimes where those who have long lived in a country may be taken away without notice from streets, home, and work. And sent away, Forrest said amidst cheers from the supporters of Ragbir who had gathered at the courthouse. Ragbir arrived in the US from Trinidad and Tobago in 1991 on a visitors visa. He became a lawful permanent resident in 1994. According to New York Immigration Coalition, Ragbir, a Brooklyn resident and executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York, has been under the threat of deportation for nearly a decade following a conviction for wire fraud in 2001. He was placed into removal proceedings in 2006 and spent twenty-two months in immigration detention before being released in February 2008. During immigration detention and since his release, Ragbir has devoted his life to the lives of immigrants, working tirelessly to end the use of immigration detention, stop deportations and secure relief for countless individuals. Known as a fixture in the immigrant rights movement, Ragbir was awarded the 2017 Immigrant Excellence Award by the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators, given to those who show "deep commitment to the enhancement of their community." The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency called Ragbir "an aggravated felon" in reference to his wire fraud conviction and said it was "actively exploring" an appeal against the ruling. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court has sought the Centre's response on a US national's plea against denial of entry to him in India despite holding a business visa valid till June 2022. Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to the ministries of External Affairs and Home Affairs and sought their response by March 19 on the petition of Jensen Christopher Martin, who was detained at the Kempegowda International Airport at Bengaluru on January 3 allegedly without being given any reason. His wife and kids were, however, allowed to enter India, but he was forced to travel to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, the US national has said in his plea. Martin, represented by advocates Robin R David and Dhiraj Philip, has also claimed that when he bought tickets to travel to London from Bengaluru, British Airways refused to let him board the plane unless Malaysian Airlines took responsibility for him if he was denied entry into the United Kingdom. He was therefore forced to travel to Kuala Lumpur, his plea said and sought the reasons for the action taken against him by the Indian Immigration authorities. The US national has claimed he has been to India several times in the past on business and this time too, he was here to "promote and train social businesses in Bengaluru" on behalf of his company Global Entrepreneurs. He has claimed that no reasons were given while detaining him at the airport and deny him entry into the country despite a valid visa, and alleged that he was unlawfully separated from his family. Martin has sought quashing or revoking of the orders, if any, which barred him from entering India and also compensation for the financial loss incurred by him in purchasing the tickets for travel to Kuala Lumpur. In his petition, the US national has claimed that barring him from entering India has affected his professional career and dented his international future travel prospects as the "deportation/refusal of entry is likely to be seen internationally as a black mark against him". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Senate Democrats blocked a controversial measure today that would ban and criminalise abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, scuttling a longtime priority of conservatives in Congress. President Donald Trump described the failure of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act as "disappointing," and urged senators to reconsider. The measure fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance the bill in the 100-member Senate, although it earned a narrow majority in the chamber, 51 to 46. Congressional Republicans have for years sought to pass legislation that restricts abortion in the United States, despite the Supreme Court's landmark 1973 ruling upholding a woman's right to end a pregnancy. The bill, which would ban abortions after 20 weeks but provide exceptions for rape, incest and critical health risks to the mother, passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in October. But it faced a higher bar in the Senate, where opponents' blocking tactics can force a 60-vote threshold. "We may not have the votes this time, but we are advancing the issue, and we're going to continue to fight for the unborn, particularly those who are capable of feeling pain after 20 weeks," Senator Lindsey Graham, the bill's chief sponsor, said in a statement. "You're on the right side of history," Graham argued to supporters on the Senate floor. "You're where America will be, it's just a matter of time when we get there." The effort received support from Democrats Bob Casey, Joe Donnelly and Joe Manchin -- three senators up for re-election this year in states won by President Donald Trump in 2016. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, voted against the bill. "It is disappointing that despite support from a bipartisan majority of US senators, this bill was blocked from further consideration," Trump said in a statement. "We must defend those who cannot defend themselves. I urge the Senate to reconsider its decision and pass legislation that will celebrate, cherish and protect life." Conservative groups have pointed to advancements in science that have allowed a small but increasing number of premature babies to survive outside the womb after five months of gestation. Senator Joni Ernst pointed to the case of five-year-old Micah Pickering, who was born at 22 weeks. "By any measure, at five months of development, an unborn child is a child," Ernst said on the Senate floor. "They will scrunch their eyes, they'll clench their hands, they pull back their limbs in response to pain, just like any other child," she said. Trump, Graham and others noted that the United States is among just seven nations, including China and North Korea, that permit abortions after 20 weeks. Several Democrats pushed back against the legislation, framing it as a war against access to safe and affordable health care for women. Senator Dianne Feinstein warned that the bill would weaken protections for women in the case of rape or incest. "Senate Republicans are bringing up a bill today to undermine a woman's constitutional right to make decisions about her own body," she said on Twitter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States urged the Kremlin today to allow Russia's opposition to stand in upcoming elections on fair terms and criticized a crackdown against peaceful protesters. "The United States is troubled about efforts by Russian authorities to crack down on the political opposition," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. "Confident political leaders do not fear competing voices, nor see the need to misuse legal authorities to prevent peaceful protests and detain political opponents." The statement came after opposition politician Alexei Navalny was briefly detained on Sunday after thousands rallied against an election expected to extend Vladimir Putin's term. And it came as Washington was expected to announce a new raft of sanctions targeting some of Russia's richest business leaders for their alleged ties to Putin's inner circle. "The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve a government that supports an open marketplace of ideas, transparent and accountable governance, equal treatment under the law, and the ability to exercise their rights without fear of retribution," Nauert said. "We urge the Russian government to provide a level playing field for all political parties seeking to compete in the electoral process." The Russian opposition, including Navalny's supporters, has threatened to boycott what they see as the March "pseudo- polls," all but guaranteed to hand Putin a historic fourth term. But Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed the threat, arguing that Putin's popularity as "the absolute leader of the political Olympus" is great enough to see off any challenge. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Vatican effectively rebuked the retired archbishop of Hong Kong for suggesting that Pope Francis was out of the loop on negotiations between the Holy See and China, saying today that the pope was "faithfully" informed about developments and followed the issue with care. The Vatican said reports to the contrary were "surprising and regrettable" and fostered "confusion and controversy." The retired archbishop, Cardinal Joseph Zen, published a Facebook post Monday that revealed the behind-the-scenes drama over contentious bishop nominations in China. Zen's extraordinary post said the Vatican had asked a legitimate "underground" bishop to stand down in favor of an excommunicated one favored by Beijing for Shantou diocese. The proposed changing of the guard was the clearest evidence yet of the Vatican's effort to reach a deal with the state-backed Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association to resolve the status of China's estimated 12 million faithful and their preachers. The Chinese Catholic community is split between those belonging to the state-authorized churches outside the pope's authority and those who are part of the "underground" community loyal to Rome. Zen, a leading critic of the Vatican's outreach to China, said he was so upset by the Vatican's request that Shantou Bishop Peter Zhuang Jianjian, 88, step down in favor of Bishop Joseph Huang Bingzhang that he travelled to Rome to raise it with the pope. Huang was excommunicated by the Vatican in 2011 after he was consecrated without papal approval. In his Facebook post, Zen wrote that when he met with Francis January 14 to discuss the situation, the pope implied that he didn't favor the outcome and wasn't fully aware of what his diplomats were doing on the ground. If Zen's account were true, it could suggest a rift between the pope and the Vatican secretariat of state, which is handling the delicate negotiations. The Vatican denied any rift Tuesday and said the pope was fully informed. In a statement, it didn't refer by name to Zen or to the Shantou issue, nor did it confirm the Shantou changes. But the message was clear. "The pope is in constant contact with his collaborators," the statement said. It said the pope received faithful and detailed information about the church in China, as well as progress reports on the dialogue with Beijing authorities "which he follows with special attention. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal governor K N Tripathi today hailed the performance of the Trinamool Congress government despite facing the "challenge" of Goods and Services Tax (GST) which was "hastily enforced all across the country". Addressing the budget session of the assembly, Tripathi said the state government is committed to maintaining harmony and brotherhood and will repel any subversive attempts to create fissures in the society. "With the economy having barely recovered from the effects of demonetization, it (the state) faced with a fresh challenge midway through the year when Goods and Services Tax (GST) was hastily enforced all across the country," Tripathi said in the state assembly. He said the manufacturers, suppliers, traders as well as consumers faced difficulties in switching over to the new GST regime from the existing system. Referring to the Darjeeling agitation, Tripathi said some vested interests tried to subvert the mandate of the people by taking recourse to vandalism and anarchy. He lauded the efforts of the state government to bring back peace and stability in the region. Tripathi praised the efforts of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to maintain peace and tranquility in the state. "This harmonious coexistence of diverse people is an illustration of our cosmopolitan and all embracing outlook. We remain committed to maintaining this harmony and brotherhood and shall repel any subversive attempt to create fissures in our social fabric," he said. While heaving praises on various developmental projects of the state government, Tripathi said the annual budget allocation for the minority in the state has seen almost eight fold increase over the last six years. "In the recently ended Biswa Bangla Global Business Summit and investment of Rs 2,19,925 crore had been pledged. As many as 110 MoUs had been signed with prospects of employment generation of more than 20 lakhs jobs," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Xi Jinping was today unanimously elected as a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress, the national legislature of China, from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Xi, 64, was nominated by the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party of China as a candidate for deputy to the 13th NPC, which was put to a vote at the regional congress, state-run Xinhua agency reported. The announcement of Xi's unanimous election at the first session of the 13th regional people's congress was welcomed with a thunderous applause, it said. Xi was among 58 deputies elected to the new NPC at northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's NPC session. The unanimous vote for Xi by more than 500 deputies to the regional people's congress represents the heartfelt aspiration of more than 25 million residents in Inner Mongolia, the deputies said. It is also a vivid demonstration of the loyalty to the core of the CPC and support of the people's leader by more than 1.3 billion Chinese from various ethnic groups, according to the deputies. Xi also heads the party as general-secretary of the CPC, and the military besides the presidency. The 13th NPC will open its first annual session in Beijing on March 5. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Disgruntled BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha today led a group of politicians to join former Union minister Yashwant Sinha's new political platform that seeks to take the Centre on. Yashwant Sinha said his 'Rashtra Manch', a political action group, would start a movement against the policies of the Central government. Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi, Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury, NCP MP Majeed Memon, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh, former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta and JD(U) leader Pavan Varma were among those who attended the event marking the launch of the front. RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary and former Union ministers Som Pal and Harmohan Dhawan were also present. Shatrughan Sinha said he had joined the platform because he had not been given a forum in his party for expressing his views, but added that his decision to back the front should not be seen as an anti-party activity as it was in national interest. Yashwant Sinha likened the present situation to that which prevailed 70 years ago when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, on this day, and said democracy and its institutions were under attack. He claimed that the Narendra Modi government had reduced farmers to "the status of beggars" and accused it of presenting "made to order" statistics to suit its interests. The senior leader, however, claimed that the 'Rashtra Manch' would be a non-party political action group, and insisted that it was not against any party but would work to highlight national issues. "It is not an organisation but a national movement," he said, hitting out at the government's economic and foreign policies. "Everybody in the BJP is living in fear. We are not," he said. Dialogue and debate in the country had become "coarse, one-sided and dangerous", he added. "It seems mob has the job of giving justice," he claimed. The first leg of the Budget Session of Parliament would effectively have only four working days, something that was unprecedented, he said. Taking up farmers' issues would be the top priority of his organisation, said the 80-year-old leader, who had held the finance and external affairs portfolios in the first NDA government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will be worse off after Brexit in every scenario examined, according to an analysis compiled by British officials, BuzzFeed News reported on Monday.Britain is due to exit the EU on March 29, 2019, but there are deep divisions inside Prime Minister Theresa May's government and party about what sort of relationship should replace 46 years of membership.The analysis, titled "EU Exit Analysis - Cross Whitehall Briefing" and dated January 2018, looked at three possible Brexit scenarios, BuzzFeed reported. http://bzfd.it/2BBu2B6If Britain can strike a comprehensive ... Britain's economy will be worse off after Brexit whether it leaves the EU with a free trade deal, single market access, or with no deal at all, according to leaked analysis that fed the view that the government is badly prepared. The "EU Exit Analysis - Cross Whitehall Briefing", dated January 2018, is another blow for Prime Minister Theresa May, under fire for lacking leadership and a clear Brexit strategy as she negotiates Britain's departure from the bloc. A spokesman for the prime minister said the paper leaked to BuzzFeed News was only an initial assessment ... (Reuters) - A confidential analysis by the British government on the impact of Brexit suggests all U.K. industries will be hurt by leaving the European Union, BuzzFeed News reported on Monday. The analysis, which looks at three probable Brexit scenarios, is titled "EU Exit Analysis - Cross Whitehall Briefing" and dated January 2018, BuzzFeed reported. http://bzfd.it/2BBu2B6The Department for Exiting the EU headed by Brexit Minister David Davis said the government was not prepared to comment on its analysis. A government spokesperson said: "We have been clear that we are not prepared to ... By Rajendra JadhavMUMBAI (Reuters) - Gold prices in India, the world's second-biggest user of the precious metal, were at discounts as jewellers were postponing purchases on the expectation that the government will announce an import tax cut in its annual budget on Thursday.The lower import tax could boost India's gold demand and support global prices that are currently trading near their highest in 17 months.The bullion industry has been urging a tax reduction to combat smuggling, which has increased since India raised the import duty to 10 percent in August 2013 to narrow its current ... Social media also plays a larger role in the lives of Chinese citizens than those in the US because of a distrust in centralised communication It also has a larger influence on purchases in China than anywhere else in the world. Social media celebrities not only have fame in China, they also wield remarkable power over others behaviour. My first live broadcast For the first few seconds, the number of people watching our live broadcast stayed at an unintimidating zero. Then, it slowly began to grow. First, there were 50 people watching. Then 100. Soon, there were nearly a ... In a move that will further intensify its battle with US-based rival Uber, ride-hailing Ola today announced that it is set to launch its operation in Australia. The Bengaluru-based company has invited private hire car owners in three Australian cities to begin the process. In India, Ola's rivalry with Uber entered a whole new dimension last month when it announced that it will acquire food-tech company Foodpanda's India business in exchange for Ola stock. Cab aggregator Uber runs its on-demand food delivery app UberEATs in select Indian cities. Ola in a press statement said: "Starting today Ola is inviting private hire vehicle owners in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth to learn more about driving and registering with Ola by visiting drive.olacabs.com." Ola plans to launch its services in Australia in early 2018. Ola's primary competitor in the Australian market will be US-based Uber. The companies are already locked in an intense battle for leadership in the Indian market. Uber launched its operations in Australia in 2012 and currently operates in 19 Australian cities including the major cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra. Speaking on the plan, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said: "We are very excited about launching Ola in Australia and see immense potential for the ride-sharing ecosystem which embraces new technology and innovation." He further said that the company aims to "create a high-quality and affordable travel experience for citizens" with a "strong focus on driver-partners and the community at large". Earlier this month, it was reported that Ola was planning to set up operations in Australia and New Zealand. The company also set up teams in Dhaka and Colombo for its overseas expansion, the report said. Uber is already present in Dhaka and Colombo. Ola and Uber are locked in an intense battle for leadership in the Indian market. Both companies have pumped in millions of dollars towards rider discounts and driver incentives. Japanese internet giant SoftBank is an investor in two of India's largest on-demand cab service - Uber and Ola. The acquisition of Foodpanda is a diversification for Ola, a company that is building big data capabilities. Going ahead, there will be cross-selling opportunities. A customer who is dropped home late, may need a midnight snack, or someone who reaches office at noon, would require a quick lunch. Ola had said it would invest $200 million into Foodpanda's India business. In the bargain, the food delivery business in the country is likely to get a big boost, much to the delight of couch potato foodies. Founded in 2011, Ola has over 125 million users and more than one million driver-partners across 110 cities on its platform in India. On an aggregate basis, the SoftBank-backed company serves as many as a billion rides annually, through its platform. (With inputs from PTI) Indian Oil Corp (IOC) today reported near doubling of third quarter net profit to Rs 7,883 crore on back of higher refining margins and inventory gains. IOC Chairman Sanjiv Singh said the company board at its meeting today approved a 1:1 bonus share. Net profit in the third quarter of last fiscal was Rs 3,995 crore. The company earned USD 12.32 on turning every barrel of crude oil into fuel as compared to a gross refinery margin (GRM) of USD 7.67 per barrel in same period last fiscal. The company made an inventory gain of Rs 6,301 crore in October-December as compared to Rs 3,051 crore in same period of last fiscal. If your perception of India is that of a country with people who love to avoid paying taxes, think again. It's also home to people like 34-year-old 'labourer-turned drug peddler' Rachappa Ranga from Karnataka whose entire business was built on drug money but still complied with India's tax laws by filing the I-T returns on his 'annual income' of Rs 40 lakh. The irony of the situation is that even though his entire business was build on smuggling drugs, and hence destroying lives of hundreds of people, he thought it would be somewhat 'legal and patriotic' to file the I-T returns. Or maybe he thought he would be honoured, or spared from the police action for declaring his 'black money'. Another proof of his income can be measured from the fact that Rachappa paid Rs 40,000 as monthly rent for living in a villa. The police said he roamed in a swanky car and also owned a property in his native village. Under the guise of being a construction labourer, this so called "tax payer", who has has studied till Class 10, ran a big drug-peddling racket that recruited poor youths, and earned crores of rupees, reported Times of India. Rachappa came under the police radar after he filed his I-T returns, and cops started keeping a tab on his activates. Rachapa, along with his associate Srinivas of Chandapura, was arrested with 26kg ganja and Rs 5 lakh cash. The police have also seized his mobile phone and car. According to the police, he came from his village to earn living as a construction labourer but soon got lured towards drugs before fully indulging in drug peddling in 2013. The police said they got a tip-off that Rachappa and his gang members were meeting at a hotel with a consignment of contraband. The cops raided the hotel and arrested both the accused but the drug supplier, Sashu, fled the spot. Meanwhile, the I-T department officials are now scrutinising Rachappa's I-T papers. The police claim he was a top quality ganja supplier, who sold at least 30kg ganja a day for a price of Rs 35,000 per kg. HP Inc., in January, launched 3D printers in India for the first time. 3D printers have been hyped as an "exponential technology" that is heralding the next wave of manufacturing and is often cited as a significant component of Industry 4.0. Overtime, it could help companies re-draw the manufacturing supply-chain. 3D printers enable 'additive manufacturing' - in traditional manufacturing components are carved out of metal sheets while in additive, 3D printers deposit layers after layers of plastic or metals to make a part. In the process, they use much less material (and men). Less material implies lower inventory and logistics costs. Alexandre Lalumiere, Director, Asia Pacific & Japan 3D Printing, HP Inc. and Sumeer Chandra, Managing Director, HP Inc. India, spoke to Business Today about the company's strategy in India and what differentiates its machines. Here are the highlights: 1. Is HP Inc. late in the 3D printer game considering such printers were available in India since 2012 if not earlier? The executives think the timing is perfect considering customers now understand what 3D printing can do and what it can't do. "It is not a panacea that will replace all of the conventional manufacturing. It will compliment the current techniques of production." That's because 3D printers are good for complicated but low-volume applications; not necessarily mass production. 2. The executives stressed that they are bringing in a technology that can produce "truly functional parts", and one that does this "at a much higher speed and lower cost than the competition". What they mean is their printers can go beyond prototyping - the biggest use case in India today. There is proof the parts printed are good enough for production - HP Inc.'s 3D printers print their own parts. "There are 60 plastic custom parts that are printed by our printer. We did this where it made economic sense." 3. The output is plastic today and the input is powder-based. The printers apply a layer of powder and a layer of fusing agents to solidify the plastic part formed. This process allows the printers to make dense plastic with a strong bong. The executives further stated that the company has leveraged its traditional 2D printing technology, which now allows its 3D ones to deposit a higher amount of plastic over a wider area. That makes printing quicker. 4. HP Inc. wants to bring down the cost of material used by the printers. It has created an open material platform to increase the variety of material available through partnerships with chemical companies. "There are 50 of them working with us to develop materials. That drives scale into the market and will eventually drive down costs." 5. In India, the industries expected to adopt 3D printers are automobile, auto component makers, aerospace, defence, higher education institutions as well as research labs. Overtime, healthcare and jewelry appear promising as well. Day after tomorrow, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the Union Budget 2018-2019, the last regular Budget under the Narendra Modi government before general elections. Public expectation, therefore, is high that the coming Budget will be populist in nature, trying to please as many as possible. After all, previous pre-election full Union budgets since 1988-89 have all been more like manifestos than an annual financial exercise, all of them targeting the middle class, salaried class, farmers, women, youths and the reserved categories in order to woo them and garner their votes. So here's a look at the changes India is hoping for on the income tax front, the impact on our wallets and the cost to the exchequer, if Jaitley decides to play Santa. Upping deduction under Section 80C At present, deduction of a maximum Rs 1.5 lakh is allowed to all individual taxpayers for investing in various tax saving schemes, such as EPF, PPF, life insurance schemes, National Savings Certificates, ELSS, etc. Speculation is rife that this limit will be increased by Rs 50,000 in the coming Budget, thereby allowing individuals to save more and channelize long-term savings into capital markets. If the section 80C limit is increased to Rs 2 lakh, the additional tax saved by those in the 10 per cent tax bracket will be just Rs 2,575 but those in the 20 per cent and 30 per cent tax bracket stand to save over Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 respectively. According to The Economic Times, this move will dent the exchequer by almost Rs 2,575 crore. Higher tax exception limit India has clamouring for a hike in the income tax exemption limit from Rs 2.5 lakh per annum to Rs 3 lakh since the run up to Budget 2017. The din has gotten louder with time. "Due to 7th pay commission, the personal disposable income has been increased, so we believe there is a need to raise the exemption limit to Rs 3 lakh. Due to such increase in limit, around 75 lakh tax payers will be exempted from income tax," said a recent SBI Ecowrap report titled 'Union Budget: If wishes were horses!' Such a move will reduce tax collections by Rs 5,300 crore, according to reports. Reintroducing standard deduction Industry bodies are also seeking re-introduction of standard deduction for salaried income tax payers in Union Budget 2018. Currently most salaried employees only get a conveyance allowance and medical reimbursement while businessmen are allowed to claim various deduction for expenses incurred towards their ventures. The concept is not alien to India. Standard deduction on salary had been introduced in India in 1974. But in 2006-07, then finance minister P. Chidambaram scrapped it in light of the recommendations of the Kelkar Committee on direct taxes-especially the increase in the basic exemption limit and the introduction of Section 80CCE. Bringing it back, according to Assocham, will give a boost to consumption demand and boost economic growth. If the government allows a flat deduction of Rs 50,000 to the salaried class, those in the highest tax bracket will end up saving Rs 15,300 a year in taxes. Similarly, those in the middle income tax bracket of 20 per cent can save Rs 10,150 annually, and those in the lowest tax bracket will save Rs 2,575 in taxes. New tax slabs and rates Rationalisation of personal income tax slabs is rather unlikely given the country's fiscal situation, but that has not stopped industry bodies CII and FICCI from demanding it in their memorandum submitted to the finance ministry. Under existing slabs, 20 per cent tax is levied on annual income of Rs 5-10 lakh while 30 per cent tax rate is applicable for personal yearly earning above 10 lakh. The salaried class hopes that Jaitley will introduce a new tax bracket for annual income of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15-20 lakh on February 1 along with rejigging tax rates accordingly. If a new tax slab of Rs 10-20 lakh is introduced at a tax rate of, say, 20 per cent - and the Rs 5-10 lakh bracket is taxed at 10 per cent instead of the current 20 per cent - then those with income up to Rs 10 lakh will half their tax outgo on income in excess of Rs 5 lakh and people earning up to Rs 20 lakh will save Rs 50,000 plus one-third of tax outgo on income in excess of Rs 10 lakh. But the government's purse will take a big hit. If the 10 per cent slab is merely raised to Rs 6 lakh, incoming revenue would reportedly fall by over Rs 600 crore. Yes, all the above means a hefty bill from the exchequer, but India is eagerly hoping for a populist budget, offering at least some of the above. If the government hands out any of the above to the middle class, it could look towards India's richest farmers to recoup losses. If the agricultural income of those with landholdings of 4-10 hectares is taken into account, the income of top bracket farmers stood at Rs 83,433 crore for 2013-14 fiscal. A total of 2,746 farmers had reported annual income of Rs 1 crore back then, and none of them paid income tax since earnings from agriculture are exempted. At an average income tax rate of 30 per cent, bringing the top 4.1 per cent of super-rich farmers into the income tax net in Budget 2018 will help the finance minister to raise Rs 25,000 crore as revenue. With PTI inputs India is yet to see a major privatization drive, at least in the last ten years! Currently Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE) disinvestment is treated more like government's 'automated teller machine' (ATM); an instrument to bridge the budgetary deficits and to save the government from not breaching the 'fiscal deficit' target. Does such type of disinvestments do anything to increase the competitive position of these CPSEs? Do they deepen the markets in enhancing efficiency, technology, innovation, management depth or governance? Do the consumers benefit in any form due to such disinvestments? Or, does it reduce the burden of government involvement in running such CPSEs? Not at all! We are still far away from 'privatization', in its true sense. For example, the current disinvestment transaction of ONGC acquiring government's entire stake in HPCL is expected to bring in an additional Rs 37,000 crore taking the total disinvestment proceeds to around Rs 91,000 crore in 2017-18. This would be the first time we are not only meeting the disinvestment target of Rs 72,500 crore, but exceeding it. However there is no change in management in both these companies; nothing more than mere milking the 'cash cow'. In spite of such disinvestments, the business of government continues to be in running 'businesses'. If we consider the oil and gas CPSE's; there are around thirteen large companies like ONGC, IOC, HPCL, BPCL, etc. These are run by a management team that is overseen by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. These have around 27 government directors and 55 non-official part time directors on their boards that provide management oversight on the government's behalf. Various government machineries like the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PSEB) are also involved in overall management and selection of the board and the senior members of the management team. These are enormous drain on government resources. Coming to banking, the government recently announced the Rs 88,000 crore package to capitalize the banks in the country. The need for such capitalization is the poor performance of such banks driven by the lack of governance and an independent professional board that provides management depth and execution oversight. Interference from the government in commercial decisions is a major concern. The P J Nayak committee precisely flagged these problems three years ago and recommended creating an intermediary structure, where the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) can professionally run the Public sector banks (PSB), taking the burden away from the government. Although the BBB was created two years ago, it has not gone beyond head hunting for senior PSB positions. More importantly the government had made certain senior manager changes at PSB's, short circuiting the BBB. This together with the reported conflicts between the bureaucrats in the finance ministry and BBB seems to have resulted in high level exits within BBB; end result, the government interference has not reduced and a professional PSB board still seems to be a distant dream. With such level of interference and lack of independence, it seems the PSB's will continue to underperform. The Rs 88,000 crore package thus seems absolutely a short term fix, as the long term solution to strengthen the PSB management and the government moving away from managing the banks, seem clearly more difficult to execute. With 100% FDI being contemplated in private banks, the disparity between public and private sector banks could widen. The key message is that if the government does not get out of managing banks, it would need to drain out more valuable public money into uncompetitive PSBs. In effect mere merger of weak PSB's with strong banks, which it is currently contemplating, is by no means an answer; government needs to seriously consider privatizing such weak PSB's; extremely difficult from a political perspective, but needs serious considerations and assessment of stakeholder perspectives. Many emerging economies did 'bite the bullet' and privatized their large state owned companies way back in the 1980s and early 1990s. Argentina for example privatized key sectors like telecom, airline and petrochemicals. Mexico and East European countries followed suit. Such initiatives not only brought in professional management enhancing efficient utilization of staff and resources, a sense of customer and shareholder value creation and deepened general management effectiveness, but also created a 'market driven' business environment that will ensured the best interests of the consumers. More than anything, it freed up government resources! India has hardly seen any such strategic disinvestment, or privatizations, in the last ten years. Balco strategic disinvestment was something the government burnt its fingers fifteen years ago that possibly still lingers. Balco has some good learning valuable for the forthcoming privatizations. In any disinvestment process, the employees are bound to oppose the process right from the time of announcement. They will demand a rollback of privatization; indulge in large scale strikes and agitations. This again is mainly because of the insecurity, lack of transparent information flow and the suspicion of job losses. Unattractive VRS package, revised service conditions and social security under the private management are generally the major concern. Unless the employees are engaged and kept informed at all stages of the process including the valuation of the company and the choice of the strategic partner, this cannot be avoided; Balco experience brought this out very clearly. Such employee reactions also created serious dent to the reputation of the government and has a potential to cost electoral damage. These will be the biggest pain point in every disinvestment process that will follow. In today's scenario this could be a bigger problem, especially with the social media becoming very active. Hence, a robust process needs to be evolved to perfect handling such situation so that these can be replicated in other privatizations to follow. NITI Aayog and DIAPM should evolve such a process possibly by identifying a 'test case' of privatization; the closest in proximity seems to be that of Air India. Job losses will be inevitable and government's ability in addressing the concerns of the affected employees and unions will be the most important issue for the successful handling of privatization transactions. Government's disinvestment proceeds from sale of CPSE should be accumulated in a separate fund that would create a safety net to address employees VRS in 'to be' privatized CPSE entities. This will provide a strong financial foundation to address the employee expectations that will allow such privatization initiatives to go ahead smoothly. Although the National Investment fund (NIF) was created with this objective, over the years, its utilization digressed to financing social sector schemes. The 2018-19 budget will for sure will be less forgiving given the increased global crude price, the deficits are likely to widen and more disinvestment would be required to bridge the deficit and maintain the same to be around 3.5% of GDP. For sure we are expecting to see a more aggressive disinvestment target in the budget 2018-19. In addition to disinvestment targets, we also would like to see a visibility and a 'short to medium term' road map with respect to 2 or 3 big ticket strategic disinvestments or privatization proposals clearly laid out. Air India is likely to be a good 'test case', and if done prudently and transparently, can become a good role model for further privatizations that need to follow. Dr Suresh Srinivasan senior Associate Professor - Strategy & Accounting, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai A coalition of civil society groups has asked Narendra Modi government to announce a Rs 200,000 crore agricultural debt relief package in the forthcoming Union Budget 2018. The coalition wants this amount, along with a matching contribution from state governments, to be used to provide meaningful debt relief to distressed farmers across the country. At least 25 percent of the package should go as debt relief from non-institutional loans to tenant farmers, sharecroppers, adivasi farmers and women farmers who did not have access to institutional loans, it says. "Modi government has failed Indian farmers on multiple fronts. It is the most anti-farmer central government ever", said Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj India, a coalition partner. He listed out a dozen reasons for terming it as anti-farmer, including the failure of the central government to double the farmers' income, provide price protection to farm produce and taking the lead in providing debt relief. The coalition also reviews all the flagship social sector projects of the Modi government to suggest "stingy allocations and shoddy implementation". In a "Green Paper", brought out in the context of the Budget, the groups called for the establishment of a Farmers Income Commission to find a permanent solution to address the agri-concerns. A 10-point budget demand of the coalition includes a major increase in minimum price support for agriculture commodities, a Rs 25,000 crore outlay towards the existing Disaster Mitigation Fund, increased outlay for irrigation, risk reducing ecological agriculture, and the job guarantee scheme MNREGA. It also calls for the formation of a Credit Guarantee Fund to increase bankers' confidence in lending to non-land owning licensed cultivators or lessee farmers. The coalition has also decided to hold a meeting of farmers' representatives from all parts of the country in a village in Greater Noida, near Delhi on February 1 to assess the Union Budget. The civil society groups who are part of the coalition are Kisan Swaraj Alliance, Jai Kisan Andolan, NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, People's Action on Employment Gurarantee, Rythu Swarajya Vedika and Swaraj India. On January 19, 2018 Logan School Board member Connie Morgan made a surprise announcement that she would be leaving her post as District 4 representative. Morgan cited an upcoming move that would take her out of the district boundaries at the end of February. With only a few weeks left on the board, Morgan says everything she has ever tried to do as an educator or as a board member is to do what is in the best interest of the students. And it was learned very early on in her teaching career. Her first teaching job was at an inner-city school in Benton Harbor, Michigan during a time of civil unrest. The students led a walk-out in 1967 and her classroom was used as a look out by the FBI, state and local police. One of the most important things that I learned was that everything is about all students, everything is about the student, period. We do not exist for any other reason than for the students, and that means all students. When the end of this particular strike was done, and the students came up and talked, it was so revealing about those who were left out. As we go into 2017-18, I still have that on my mind. Morgan says she often draws a diagram with the words All Students written in the middle of a circle. Underneath that it includes the words Well-Being, Achievement, and Their Future. Everything goes around that: our resources, safety, transportation, teachers, everything, Morgan explains. Anything we do as a board has to go back to meeting the needs of all students, their well-being, their achievements and their future. She says teachers need to love students. She says it is important to enjoy the subject matter, but teachers need to love their students in order to succeed. Now that she will be leaving the school district to move into a smaller apartment, she hopes to find a qualified candidate that will replace her in District 4. Im glad I get to be a part of that, says Morgan. To me, thats probably one of the most important things Ill do over the last few board meetings that I go to. That individual will be coming in to an already-established group. Morgan says she enjoyed being able to bring a perspective of a classroom teacher to the board. She says it also helped her communicate to her teacher friends why the board was making its decisions on various topics. While it would be nice if a retired teacher took her seat, Morgan says, that qualification is not required. I really would hope there is a retired teacher out there, or a person who has been involved in the classroom, maybe someone who was really involved in the PTA, a reading assistant, a classroom aide, Morgan explains. I would hope some of those people would find it an interesting thing to apply for. Its a perspective I think needs to be on the board, just as the perspective from all the other colleagues need to be on the board. When reflecting back on some of the bigger decisions that had to be made while she was a member of the school board, Morgan pointed to the process they underwent to choose a new superintendent. The superintendent is the symbol, the leader, the curriculum, the director of everything that goes on in the schoolsYou need a superintendent that you respect and that you trust to take care of the day-to-day functions of the district. Then the board deals with governance and policy. She also defends the decisions made by the school board to auction off a few pieces of artwork from the districts collection. As an artist herself, Morgan absolutely recognizes the value of having art accessible to students, but also recognizes the costs and liabilities of having some works of art in a school. As an artist myself, the thing that was hard for me to watch since I started at Logan High School in 1987,seeing things that are missing, seeing the damage that was done, wads of gum on works of art worth $100,000. Do you hang a $200,000 piece of oil painting which is not going to have a piece of glass on it? Do you hang it in the hall where it will get pencil marks on it, gets gouged, where someone decides they want to add their own little mark on it, make it better, make it worse, sign their name, poke a hole in it? She says it is very difficult, time consuming and expensive for a school district to maintain such works of art. That large Minerva Teichert that is on display at the Capitol, there is no way we could afford to restore that with the marks on it or the holes that are in it, she explains. It needed a new frame, it needed to be cleaned. It would be interesting for people to see the before and the after. Then ask ourselves, is that what we are supposed to be using our tax money for? Are we supposed to be using it to maintain and restore the artwork? She says the board consulted art officials and published discussion items about the art in agendas. Some consultants wanted the district to sell all 42 works of art; instead, the district is auctioning off 11 pieces in a sealed-bid auction that concludes at 12 noon on January 31. Anyone wanting to replace Morgan on the Logan City School District will need to apply before 3 p.m. on February 6, 2018. As far as what is next for Morgan? I dont know? she exclaims. She does plan to work on her artwork more often and get it in the public, and use more of her time to be a grandma. Ill still be involved in education, she adds. Ill watch what is going on. Ill go to board meetings, Ill express my opinion, Ill vote. I wont be a quiet, silent voice. I dont think my voice is silenced by leaving the school board. | BY Ricki Green | Clemenger BBDO Melbourne has welcomed the successful new recruits of its Exceptions to the Rule recruitment program for 2018. Exceptions to the Rule is Clemenger BBDO Melbournes annual search for Australias best and brightest talent, in line with the agencys belief that the future leaders of the creative industry arent solely coming through traditional tertiary pathways. This years search saw 200 applications, with 10 of those being offered full-time positions in 2018, based on their passion for creativity and the energy they would bring in to the agency. The 10 recruits include a freelance writer, costume designer, actor and graduates in law, anthropology, neuroscience, marketing and industrial design. Clemenger BBDO Melbourne and Sydney CEO, Nick Garrett, said that this years pool of applications showcased a group of incredible talent, each with diversity in their thinking, creativity and eagerness to learn. Says Garrett: This years Exceptions to the Rule program re-affirmed my confidence in what we are trying to achieve with the programme by removing some of the barriers presented by traditional pathways. The talent on offer was incredible and I have no doubt the crop will add to the culture and help stimulate a lot of diverse thinking across the agency. This years program has continued to build on the success of 2017, with the 10 Exceptions beginning their full-time positions this week. | BY Ricki Green | Case Study In todays fragmented media landscape, persuasion is becoming increasingly expensive and short-lived. So, how do you change customer behaviour to achieve sustainable results? Brisbane-based Liquid Interactive recently partnered with RSPCA Queensland to help the charity solve a costly and distressing issue the excessive number of pets being surrendered by owners each year. The agency created The RSPCA Queensland Surrender Portal, a data-led digital solution that creates contextual answers relevant to each owner, their pet and the specific reason for surrender. Liquid Interactive managing director Michael Burke said the charity was being inundated with surrendered animals which was draining human and financial resources. Says Burke: The RSPCA was receiving nearly 5,000 surrendered pets each year, which was not only filling up its shelters, but draining its resources by more than $3.5 million. After interrogating the problem, we found many of the reasons for surrender were preventable all we had to do was equip customers with the right information, at the right time, to successfully intervene. We know from experience that using a marketing campaign to change customer behaviour is hard, expensive and difficult to sustain so, we explored alternative options that would achieve the same result and the concept for the Surrender Portal was born. Pet owners are asked to select their animal and the issue they are experiencing for example, a dog that wont stop barking and are then provided with helpful solutions and resources to address that specific issue and empower them to consider alternative options to surrender. Says Burke: Twelve months on, the portal has decreased surrender rates by 22 per cent, kept more than 1,000 pets with their owners and saved the charity more than $800,000 in animal care costs all without a single dollar spent on advertising or capital infrastructure. The best part is that RSPCA Queensland only invested $60,000 in the project, which equates to a massive 1000% ROI on marketing dollars which is great for a charity that relies heavily on donor dollars. RSPCA Queensland CEO Mark Townend said people who donate to the charity can be assured that their dollar will go further. Says Townend: Charities need to ask themselves how they can take one donated dollar and get it to do $100 worth of work. The best part is that were now looking to sell the IP to other RSPCAs and animal shelters around the world, with a view to recouping every dollar invested. Liquid Interactive creative director Andrew Duval said this is a good example of using a service design, instead of a campaign, to influence an audience. Says Duval: If you look at this as a straight marketing problem, you come up with campaign ideas targeting attitudes towards pet surrenders. But youd never be able to cover all the permutations. This is one of those situations where designing a genuine digital service solves the problem more effectively. | BY Ricki Green | Lachlan Brahe (left), the former vice president, Australia/New Zealand for comScore and the networks second-in-charge for Asia Pacific, is joining IPG Mediabrands as general manager of the groups digital experience business Reprise. Brahe is one of two national GMs appointed for Reprise with Jules Kilmartin, currently head of Reprise Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, promoted to GM with the two executives having different and complementary national roles at Reprise. Brahe will be tasked with Growth and Product and Kilmartin will be tasked with Client Advisory. Both will report to Dr Grace Liu who was named last week as the incoming CEO of Reprise Australia. Says Brahe: As an ad technology vendor to clients around the APAC region for the past four years, Ive gained a wide perspective on how the industry is evolving to deal with core challenges such as transparency, automation and a seemingly endless supply chain. These arent media issues theyre business issues. Often theres a need to educate the C-suite on the changes wrought on their industry, market or audiences by the proliferation of technologies and channels capturing peoples attention. Whatever the circumstances, Im delighted to be bringing my experience in addressing these challenges to Reprise, a team that has the attitude, skills and resources to readily deliver accountable results to clients. Jules Kilmartin (left) will focus on client leadership including strategy, account management and implementation. He is previously head of Reprise Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide and has been with the business for six years, building a strong track record in delivering unique marketing solutions to client challenges. He led the growth of Reprise Melbourne from three people in 2011 to its current 35. He has also overseen the vibrant Perth market and was directly responsible for launching the highly successful Reprise Adelaide operations. Says Danny Bass, CEO, IPG Mediabrands: Accelerating the skill sets, effectiveness and competitive positioning of Reprise is a primary focus for us this year. We are placing world-class leadership into the business to drive our plans and with Graces pending arrival and the roles for Lachlan and Jules, we are energising what is already a successful business to achieve greater performance. Says Kilmartin: The pace of change and opportunity for our business and clients has been rapid and that speed of evolution will continue. I am looking forward to working with Grace, Lachlan and the Reprise teams to deliver best-in-market results for clients. | BY Ricki Green | Hootsuite, the most widely used social media management platform, and We Are Social, the global socially-led creative agency, have released Digital in 2018, a report of social media and digital trends around the world. Representing 239 countries and territories, the seventh annual report finds the number of internet users in the world has now surpassed the 4 billion mark, putting more than half the global population online. Of that, social media brings nearly 3.2 billion active users online to connect with each other, consume media, interact with brands, and more. The 2018 key findings include: Internet user numbers increased 7 percent in the last 12 months to hit 4.021 billion, or 53 percent of the worlds population Global social media usage has increased by 13 percent in the last 12 months, reaching 3.196 billion users Mobile social media usage has increased by 14 percent year over year to 2.958 billion users, with 93 percent of social media users accessing social from mobile Internet users are projected to spend a combined total of 1 billion years online in 2018, of which 325 million years will be spent on social media More than half a million Australians started using the internet last year, bringing nearly 90 percent of the population online. Australians are spending 80 percent more time on the internet than watching television. Two-thirds of Australians are using social media each month, spending almost 100 minutes on social platforms each day. The report also found that global growth of the internet is propelling ecommerce forward, with 1.77 billion internet users purchasing consumer goods online in 2017, an increase of 8 percent compared to a year ago. Collectively, consumers spent a total of USD $1.474 trillion on ecommerce platforms in the past 12 months, 16 percent more than in 2016. Says Simon Kemp, global consultant, We Are Social: With four billion people now online, connectivity is already a way of life for most of us. However, as internet companies strive to serve the next billion users, well see important changes in digital over the coming months. Audio-visual content will take priority over text especially in social media and messaging apps while voice commands and cameras will replace keyboards as our primary means of input. Social relationships and online communities will evolve to accommodate these new ways for people to interact with each other. This will result in rich new experiences for all of us, but businesses need to start preparing for these changes today. Says Penny Wilson, CMO, Hootsuite: The Digital in 2018 report highlights the continuing growth of the internet and social media to individuals and businesses around the world. This dynamic has forever altered the customer journey as consumers and B2B professionals increasingly conduct research, make buying decisions, seek support, and recommend brands online. To achieve competitive advantage, all executives must dive deep into digital now, meeting their customers where they are to best market, sell, and serve them. | BY Ricki Green | Wavemaker, GroupMs largest agency specialising in media, content and technology, has announced Adelaide managing director Royce Zygarlicki will leave the agency to return to his hometown of Melbourne after seven years in Adelaide to fill general manager sales role at the Herald & Weekly Times. Matt Hofmeyer, currently general manager of Wavemaker Adelaide, will replace Zygarlicki in the MD role. Zygarlicki has chosen to return to Melbourne for family reasons and will depart the agency in February following a smooth transition. Upon his return, he will join the News Corp Australia team in Melbourne. Hofmeyer has been with Wavemaker Adelaide (formerly MEC) for 12 years and has worked with many of the agencys largest clients, including Mitsubishi and South Australian Government. For the past seven years, he has been the lead on the South Australian Government account, having played a key role in the accounts retention in 2015 and 2013. Says Peter Vogel, CEO, Wavemaker Australia: Royce has been instrumental in the agencys success in Adelaide and the enviable strength of its client relationships. He recently oversaw the smooth transition in Adelaide of MEC to Wavemaker, and we thank him for his passion, hard work and commitment over the years. I couldnt think of a better person than Matt to replace him as one of our longest standing employees in the Adelaide market, Matt has the experience, ambition and deep understanding of our clients business needs to lead Wavemaker Adelaide to greater heights. | BY Lynchy | Havas Group has made senior level management changes in Indonesia to unify leadership and accelerate collaboration. As part of these changes, advertising veteran Agus Sudradjat (pictured left) will join the agency in the newly created role of Chairman of Havas Group Indonesia. Sudradjat was most recently with Grey Group, where he spent 17 years, nine of them as the Chairman & CEO. Prior to this he worked with Mediacom as the agencys first Managing Director and also had a stint with Dentsu Indonesia as a Media Director. Sudradjats responsibilities will include leading the strategic vision and operational leadership for Havas Groups integrated operations in line with the Groups Together strategy. The new structure will also see Anwesh Bose (pictured right), the current CEO of Havas Media Group Indonesia taking over as the CEO of Havas Group Indonesia responsible for the day to day functioning of all brands including the flagship brands Havas Media and Havas. Bose joined the agency as Managing Director in 2014 and was promoted to the role of CEO of Havas Media Group last year. His previous stints include working with DDB Mudramax and Dentsu Media in India. Vishnu Mohan, CEO of Havas Group, Southeast Asia said, The new leadership structure has been devised to accelerate the evolution of our collaborative Village model. Agus experience in the local market and his successful track record of working with creative and media agencies makes him an ideal choice to lead our integrated Indonesian operations. This is also a well-deserved promotion for Anwesh, who has played an important role in the growing our media operations. I am confident that the new leadership will continue to drive the momentum that has made our Indonesian operations so successful. Sudradjat said, Havas Group has been making a lot of waves in Indonesia owing to its Village strategy. The Havas Village model of collaboration and integration is exactly what clients are looking for. I am pleased to be a part of Havas futuristic model and look forward to working closely with the Indonesian team to take this proposition forward. Indonesia as a market is close to my heart and I am grateful to the leadership team for placing their faith in me and giving me an opportunity to take on a larger role. I am looking forward to working with Agus to start a new chapter for Havas Group in the country, added Bose. Sensational sips in the time of TIFF! Lets raise a glass The Toronto International Film Festival is here! And, although this years famous film festival will be more sedate than in other years, (thanks to the pandemic), its nice to know that Hollywood North will once again be full of glitz and glamour, red carpets (indoors only!) and lots and lots of stars, including Jessica Chastain, Benedict Cumberbatch, Vincent DOnofrio, Keira Knightley and Sigourney Weaver, to name just a few. Tuesday, January 30, 2018 at 12:21AM With Intels fix for Spectre variant 2 only making matters worse, Microsoft had to release an out-of-band patch to disable what the chip maker has done. This patch is for Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 users. Its said to stop the rebooting issues caused by Intels fix. If youre experiencing these issues, youll need to download the update as it doesnt automatically install yet. Source: Engadget news, latest-news ACT's top judge says courts need to better explain sentences to stop public outrage over "lenient" sentences. Addressing a ceremony for the opening of the legal year at the ACT Supreme Court, Chief Justice Helen Murrell said the courts also had to give victims a greater voice in the court process. Chief Justice Murrell said despite anger and outrage expressed through the press about sentencing, studies showed average members of the public given the same information as a sentencing judge tended to impose a lesser sentence. She said these views were often based on anger and the associated desire to exact revenge. "While the emotion of anger has been allocated no legitimate place in our criminal justice system, nor has it been neutralised," she said. "The expression of anger and outrage is commonly expressed by the press, purportedly to speak on behalf of victims of crime and the public generally. "Generally it is anger about the leniency of prison sentences. "Within the past week a federal minister has criticised the soft sentences imposed by some judges and called for the appointment of tougher judges." Chief Justice Murrell said to put an end to these debates, the public must be better informed about judges' sentences and victims must be given a greater voice in the judicial process. She said an "informed" public would be less likely to think sentences were too lenient and be more equipped to debate sentencing principals in a constructive and critical way. "As a profession we must foster greater understanding of the sentencing process," Chief Justice Murrell said. "The Supreme Court is looking at ways to better inform the community about what's involved in sentencing. " She said the court must implement ways to deal with victim disenfranchisement and allow victims, if necessary, to express their anger, which may not result in any longer sentences. "Meaningful inclusion is more important than outcome," Chief Justice Murrell said. Meanwhile, ACT Australian of the Year Dion Devow told the opening more must be done to address disproportionate levels of Indigenous incarceration. "It is worth acknowledging that one of our society's biggest failures is our inability to meaningfully address the national crisis that is the over representation of Indigenous people in custody," he said. "I note that the ACT alone is yet to see its first Indigenous judicial officer." /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/104b8c35-1f23-4d6e-9cbf-05a7b109f5b8/r0_112_2000_1242_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg The covert efforts of a secret cult of druids or the artistic antics of bushwalkers are just two of the theories that have been bandied around by Belconnen locals to explain the recent appearance of two large rock cairns in a clearing on Gossan Hill in Bruce. "While the bigger of the two cairns has been there for some time, over the last six months it really has increased in size," writes David Osmond of Dickson. He adds: "Now there's a smaller one next to it!" Osmond isn't the only Canberran to contact this column in recent weeks perplexed as to the origins of the two cairns. John Jones of Aranda also wonders about the mystery cairns, made from thousands of rocks loosely piled on top of each other. "Perhaps they've been erected by disoriented aliens, a bit like those who supposedly make crop circles," muses Jones. Adding to the intrigue of the curious cairns is that they aren't located at the actual summit of Gossan Hill, but rather in a clearing near an old fence line. Never one to shy away from solving a good suburban mystery, this week your akubra-clad columnist attempted to uncover their origins. First stop was the ACT Office of the Surveyor General, where, after an extensive search of historic mapping and plans and the database for survey marks, a spokesperson concluded that "it's an odd-shaped cairn but isn't any official trig point". Next up was ACT Heritage, where I wanted to check my theory that perhaps there'd been a cairn there for many years and bushwalkers have just added to it. While the good folk in the heritage unit couldn't advise how long the cairns had been in situ, a spokesperson did direct this column to an extensive assessment report for the heritage registration of Gossan Hill, prepared in 2015. However close examination of this report failed to reveal any mention of the cairn(s). Finally, I turned to ACT Parks who manage the reserve. While they couldn't shed any light as to the origin of the cairns, they did express concern at their size. "That's a monumental effort over a long period of time, but it's disappointing as clearing so many rocks from the nature reserve destroys the habitats for many critters which live under rocks" laments Andrew Halley, ranger in charge with the ACT Parks and Conservation Service. Halley, who "regularly dismantles 'rock towers' built by bushwalkers throughout other parts of Canberra Nature Park", also points out "in building these structures, not only are people destroying habitat for creatures, but they are also potentially moving indigenous artefacts." Great: three government agencies, three dead ends. However, not wanting to leave any stone unturned (yes, pun intended), as a last resort I grabbed my magnifying glass and along with Emily, my 7 year-old-daughter, beat a path to Gossan Hill. The cairns, located at the intersection of two tracks behind Crisp Circuit in Bruce, are relatively easy to find and surprisingly not on the hill's true summit. Rather, they are in a clearing which commands a lovely view to the Brindabellas near an old fence line (watch-out for rusting barbed wire). Maybe the stones were part of a hut that once stood here, however, pertinently there's no mention of any such structure in the aforementioned heritage report. Most remarkable is the size of the big cairn it's huge. "It's a bit like the summit of Mt Kosciuszko," says Emily, who is amazed by the cairn's size. It's also obvious that the cairns have been carefully constructed with stones from surrounding bush for, unlike the rest of Gossan Hill, which is littered with similar sized stones, for a significant area around the cairns the ground is devoid of them. In a way it's similar to how a farmer would clear a patch of land to increase pasture productivity, but of course there hasn't been grazing here for decades. Interestingly, while exploring the nature reserve for several hours Emily and I uncover many other random (and much smaller) stacks of rocks. Perhaps someone with a rock piling obsession is wandering Gossan Hill by day and night? Someone must know. Mystery cairns aside, Gossan Hill is home so several natural treasures, some millions of years older than these man-made (ok, or alien made!) contemporary cairns. Here are my top 3: 1.It's all in the name: A gossan is a Cornish word meaning 'iron hat', and is used to describe a geological feature where there is an outcropping of rocks on the surface indicating an ore-forming process underneath. Gossan Hill is one of only two true gossans in the ACT. The other one is at Paddys River which has been heavily disturbed by mining activity. Studies indicate that the reddish stones on Gossan Hill have links to the molten crust of the earth extruded an incredible 430-415 million years ago. 2.Ochre Pit: Near the College Street end of the reserve in a clearing near Radford College is an ochre pit. According to a nearby 'Canberra Tracks' sign, "apparently the Ngunnawal people held large gatherings here and used the coloured ochres as a ceremonial pigment.". Further, ACT Heritage advises that early European settlers in the area, Frederick Campbell and Samuel Shumack, both noted that the area was used for corroborees and stone artefacts in the reserve and the surrounding area also reflect this past use. Who'd have thought such a significant indigenous site was smack bang in the middle of suburban Belconnen? 3.Beauty and birds: According to ranger Andrew Halley, "the reserve has dry forest - woodland vegetation with high plant diversity, including some amazing orchids (best spotted in spring). The reserve also provides important habitat for threatened and declining woodland birds including the varied sittella (Daphoenositta chrysoptera) and the ground-dwelling speckled warbler (Chthonicola sagittata) which breeds in the reserve," he says. Gossan Hill Nature Reserve: This 47 hectare reserve, part of Canberra Nature Park, is surrounded by the Belconnen suburb of Bruce. The mystery cairns are located in the western section of the nature reserve at the intersection of walking tracks, 'Gossan Six' and 'Gossan Seven', which is about 250 metres east of 95 Crisp Circuit, Bruce. Tim's Tip: Allow plenty of time to wander Gossan Hill as it's criss-crossed with a maze of fire trails and bush tracks and easy to become lost. Did You Know? Following World War One, Gossan Hill was leased by the Commonwealth to solider-settler Robert Butt who died in 1926, aged just 31. While using gelignite to help split timber for fencing, he took several plugs of gelignite to the nearby Molonglo River, intending to use the explosives with his cousins to obtain a feed of fish. According to the 'Canberra Tracks' sign on Gossan Hill, "unfortunately, some gelignite exploded when he placed it in a pickle bottle attached to a fuse, blowing fingers off both his hands, lacerating his face and causing many other injuries. Although admitted to Queanbeyan Hospital that evening, he died from shock and haemorrhage." What a terrible way to go. Tree Tales While the origins of Gossan Hill's stone cairns is unsolved, Mike Crisp has solved the mystery of the Gossan gum with unusual markings (Belco Beauty, January 6) Crisp, an Emeritus Professor from the Research School of Biology at the Australian National University, and who often walks on Gossan Hill believes the "striking, almost gothic" appearance of the tree, "likely a E. mannifera or E. rossii" is the result of "cankers which are caused by a pathogen that infects the wood, usually a fungus." If you want to see the tree while it's alive you might want to head there soon for Crisp advises there is another, nearby tree "with the same lesions on the trunk, and it's dying". According to Adriana Vanden Heuvel who first brought the tree to this column's attention, "it is located on the 'Gossan 2' track, about 40 metres south of the intersection of the Radford fire trail". Watch out for snakes. Earlier this week, while trekking through the eastern slopes of the NSW Snowy Mountains, Eric Rojahn of Calwell was surprised to stumble upon of all things a pyramid. "The really amazing thing was the little pyramid sitting on top," reports Rojahn, who is reluctant to publicise the exact location of his find. "I'm not going to be more specific regarding its location as there could be un-looted riches inside," he muses. The rock reminds me of another high country pyramid the quirky Hide 'N' Rest Pyramids near Adaminaby where you can bunk down in one of two pyramids carefully-crafted to the same dimensions as the Great Pyramid of Cheops. Hide 'N' Rest Pyramids are located at Rocky Corner, near Adaminaby, about a 2-hour drive south from Canberra. Ph: 6454 2536 for more details. Clue: Tourist Park absolutely nowhere near the Hume Highway. Degree of difficulty: Hard Last week: Congratulations to Terence Sheales of Melba, who was the first reader to correctly identify last week's photo, sent in by Gary Poile of Collector as a photo of the last wooden punt travellers used to cross the Clyde River at Nelligen prior to the opening of the village's bridge in the mid-1960s. Lily O'Brien, former Canberran and now of Tuross Head recalls "the punt had a capacity of about eight cars and the much bigger punt at Batemans Bay carried about 38 cars," adding "the trip from Canberra to Batemans Bay in the 1950's was mainly on dirt roads and at peak holiday periods the journey could take as long as five and a half hours but the highlight for us kids was when we could get out of the car and explore the workings of the punts." For many readers the photo brought back memories of not only the punt but also the nearby Steampacket Hotel. David Nott who recalls "in the hot summers in the 1940's and 50's, sometimes a very long queue would form and a cheerful lady from the pub would hand out scones and tea to the very hot people waiting to board the punt." Meanwhile, Sharon Loiterton recalls things a little differently "once the their cars were in line often the husbands would walk down to the pub leaving their wives to move the car forward as each group of cars were loaded on." The name of the pub written in huge letters on its roof was the subject of conversation for many. "Because the way the roof was built the name looked a bit like 'ST EAMPACKET'," recalls David Nott, adding "as a result there was always discussion in our car as to whether the Saint came from Nelligen or was it his hotel." These days the punt is sitting at the bottom of the Clyde River "having sunk while being towed above Nelligen sometime after the opening of the bridge" reports Stephen Dunn, whose grandfather Harry Dunne, along with Nes Christensen built the punt in 1925. So if you are travelling across the Nelligen Bridge in busy holiday traffic this weekend, drive safely and if there is congestion, thank your lucky stars that don't have to cross the river just eight cars at a time in an old wooden punt. How times have changed. How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am, Saturday 27 January, 2018 will win a double pass to Dendy. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/398a8ed1-30b9-4469-9d46-a98facead89c/r0_90_2000_1220_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news One in five private renters in Canberra who receive Commonwealth rent assistance are spending more than half their income on rent, prompting the ACT Greens to call for urgent action to address affordable housing shortages. The latest figures from the Productivity Commission's Report on Government Services show nearly half (47.8 per cent) of low income households in the ACT experienced rental stress in the last year. Rental stress is defined as households spending more than 30 per cent of their income on rent. Nearly half (48 per cent) of ACT households receiving Commonwealth rent assistance - the largest government private rental assistance program in the country - were still experiencing rental stress after they received their payment. Without that payment, more than 70 per cent of those households would have experienced rental stress. One in five (21.9 per cent) private renters with rent assistance were still paying more than half their income to their landlord, even with the payment. That rose to 35.6 per cent without the payment. Almost 85 per cent of ACT households receiving rent assistance were paying enough rent to be eligible for maximum assistance, the highest in Australia. More than 11,000 ACT households received Commonwealth rent assistance last financial year. Of those, 17.8 per cent were students, 16.5 per cent were receiving Newstart payments, 15.9 per cent were on the disability support pension and 12 per cent were on the aged pension. Family tax benefit claimants accounted for 22.4 per cent of ACT households receiving rent assistance. More than 22 per cent of ACT recipients were aged 24 and under, the highest percentage in the country. A whopping 72.2 per cent of the households still in rental stress even after receiving rent assistance included a member aged under 24 years. Of households paying more than 50 per cent of their rent in income, 44.1 per cent had a member aged under 24. The federal government spent $4.4 billion on Commonwealth Rent Assistance in 201617. $34.7 million of that was in the ACT. The report said in the ACT 63.2 homes were built per 1000 low and moderate income households that should be affordable, a rate nearly three times higher than NSW and far higher than anywhere else in Australia. But Domain figures showed the median cost of renting a house in Canberra was $540 a week in December, up from $500 a year earlier. This made Canberra the third most expensive capital city in which to rent in Australia. The ACT Greens housing spokeswoman Caroline Le Couteur said more needed to be done in the ACT to fix the "ever-more unaffordable" private rental market. "The market is caught in three directions - for the poorest people in our community, the lack of public and community housing options can lead to homelessness, and place added pressure on already under-resourced crisis accommodation services," Ms Le Couteur said. "For those further up the housing ladder, many of whom have low-paying jobs, there are not enough affordable rentals available. Others who would otherwise buy, such as young professionals, are priced out of the overheated market. "It's not acceptable that in a jurisdiction as fortunate as ours that, as reported in the media today, almost one in three Canberrans seeking accommodation assistance in 2016-2017 weren't able to find a safe housing option. "If we're to adequately address housing shortages in the ACT, the Government must set strong, ambitious targets for public, community and affordable housing." Housing targers are part of the Greens' powersharing deal with the Greens, and Ms Le Couteur said the ACT government needed to do more to strengthen homelessness services, and review key planning rules and levers. "The ACT Greens also support ACTCOSS' recent call to divert $100 million from the current ACT Government bonds to create an investment fund for community housing providers for the purpose of building new accessible, affordable rental housing. The fund would be held in perpetuity and repaid at government bond rates," Ms Le Couteur said. "However, most importantly, the government must first act urgently increase the supply of affordable rentals and public and community housing." /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/f9d52f8a-be8c-46fe-a74f-7351396e5ab8/r0_117_2000_1247_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news Two men have described their terror and ongoing trauma after a man brandishing a hunting knife robbed them to fuel his drug habit. Joshua Dean Ridgeway, 22, robbed Anaconda retail store in Fyshwick in September last year after threatening a sales assistant with a stolen hunting knife. The next day he pretended to be interested in buying a man's car, before threatening him with a knife and taking off with his car. Justice Michael Elkaim sentenced Ridgeway - who pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery - to two years and six months' prison at the ACT Supreme Court yesterday. In a victim impact statement read to the court, the victim of the Anaconda robbery - who was working as a retail assistant - said he could no longer work at the shop despite his passion for retail. Since leaving he has not been able to drive past the shop without feeling affected. He said he could no longer engage with customers and hadn't slept properly in months. "You will never understand the full impact," he said. "You have taken away everything." The second victim said he was now always guessing what he could have done differently on the day. "[Before the incident] I thought Canberra was a peaceful, quiet place," he said. He said that Ridgeway took away his right to sell his car, which was his "prize possession". The victim said the hunting knife felt so close he felt like it was piercing his body, even though it didn't touch him. "I could feel the knife," he said. Defence counsel Bridget Dunne said Ridgeway had significant substance abuse problems which came about after the breakdown of a relationship. She said despite his turbulent childhood - effectively raising himself from age 14 - he led a normal life up until his drug use began. "He is horrified by the behaviour," Ms Dunne said. She said his planning was not sophisticated, using his own Facebook account and real name to contact the victim selling the car. Ms Dunne said Ridgeway was high on ice during both offences and his actions were out of character. Prosecutor Amanda Mifsud said the profound impact the crimes had on the two young victims spoke to the seriousness of the offences, saying the only suitable sentence was prison. "They were brazen, shameless threats of violence," she said. Ms Mifsud said although Ridgeway claimed to be affected by drugs, he knew what he was doing. "He wasn't so affected by drugs [the victim] didn't let him get in the car," she said. Justice Elkaim said it was important to remember harm to victims was not restricted to physical harm. He said the practice of drug users committing robberies must be condemned. Ridgeway was sentenced to two years and six months' prison, with a non parole period of 20 months. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/33ba4665-636f-4255-bc07-a1ad6078ee16/r0_19_320_200_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news The Fair Work Ombudsman recovered almost $30,000 for employees ripped off by Canberra businesses in a blitz prompted by complaints from young workers. The Ombudsman audited 52 businesses in Phillip, Weston, Woden, Holder and Queanbeyan after a high number of requests for help from young workers in these suburbs. "While the national average of requests for assistance from young workers was around 24 per cent, in Woden the figure was 35 per cent and in Queanbeyan 44 per cent," Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said. "We know that young workers can be vulnerable in the workplace due to a lack of awareness of workplace rights and limited work experience. "These figures prompted us to take a closer look to ensure that businesses in the region were meeting their workplace obligations. Unfortunately close to a third of the businesses we audited were not." Of the 52 businesses audited, 83 per cent paid their employees correctly, 79 per cent complied with pay slip and record-keeping requirements and 69 per cent complied with all requirements. However the Ombudsman issued two formal cautions and two compliance notices. Five businesses breached workplace laws around pay slips and record keeping while five had breaches relating to pay rates. Four businesses had both pay rate and pay slip breaches. The Ombudsman recovered $27,054 from four businesses on behalf of 28 employees. In one matter, a small restaurant was slapped with a compliance notice after the Ombudsman found three workers had been underpaid $7826. Two workers, one full-time and one part-time, were on salary but their base hourly rates were lower than the award. The other was employed as a casual, but only received $19.83 an hour, significantly lower than the award. The restaurant also failed to keep a record of all their hours worked, a legal requirement for all casual employees and employees covered by the salaried provision of the award. The money has now been paid back. A large electrical-construction company with more than 90 staff was found to have underpaid 22 workers a combined total of $18,711.17 over five months. The discrepancy was picked up in a sample of records for 15 employees, which revealed a casual level-one electrical worker was underpaid $1.85 an hour. The business was hit with a formal caution. The Ombudsman found businesses that were larger or part of an industry organisation were more likely to comply with workplace laws. Businesses with more than 15 staff had a compliance rate of 89 per cent, while those with fewer than 14 employees had a compliance rate of 65 per cent. Those in industry groups had a compliance rate of 88 er cent, while those who weren't had a rate of 60 per cent. Businesses found to have breached workplace laws will be monitored closely by the Ombudsman. But in December, the Ombudsman found two in five ACT businesses who were given a second chance fell short of their workplace obligations. "As a result of the earlier campaign the agency initiated litigation against two businesses for record-keeping breaches, with penalties of more than $56,800 handed down against a cafe operator in one of the matters," a spokesman said. "The second matter remains before the court." For help, visit fairwork.gov.au or call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/eaed6daa-f124-4eae-98bf-705a0b4004af/r0_145_2000_1275_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg news, latest-news The number of stallholders taking part in Canberra's National Multicultural Festival next month is expected to be the lowest in the past three years, while only 20 alcohol permits have been approved. While there is still two weeks until the festival for new registrants to come on board, government figures show only 340 stallholders have registered to date, down from 388 in 2017 and 413 in 2016. The popular festival, which last year attracted about 280,000 people into Civic over three days, has been beset by controversy amid changes to alcohol permit policies and concerns some stallholders may not be able to sell cultural items and arts and crafts. Of the 20 stalls so far to get alcohol permits, six have gone to clubs, including the Hellenic Club, Harmonie German Club, Slovenian-Australian Club, Croatian Club, Serbian White Eagle Football Club and the Freemasons. That compared with 65 permits being issued for stallholders to provide alcohol in 2017 and 66 such permits at the 2016 festival - a two-thirds reduction. That fall in issued alcohol permits was due to a policy change the government has said aims to reduce alcohol-related problems and enhance the cultural aspects of the festival. Despite speculation Clubs ACT may have been involved in the policy change, the government has maintained it was due to a call from ACT Policing, despite ABC Canberra previously reporting only three arrests recorded at the festival last year. But Clubs ACT chief Gwyn Rees said that industry group had had no involvement at all with the government about liquor permits, despite some smaller clubs deciding to pull out this year. "A small number of the ethnic clubs will be absent from the event with some suggesting the cost to organise, get volunteers or staff, and setup does not necessarily translate to a reasonable return," he said. "Some have cited issues with the festival in terms of its size or where they have ended up being located in city." A spokesman for the community services directorate, which runs the festival, similarly said the government was not aware of any contact from the clubs industry regarding the number of liquor permits for this year's festival. But he said festival organisers were aware that some stallholders had pulled out of the festival due to "organisational financial pressures" and "dissatisfaction with stall size and location" from previous years. "Festival organisers are aware that some organisations may not have applied for a stall due to policy changes, including the changes to alcohol permits," he said. But others seem to have been affected by a further policy change, with the Tongan High Commission holding an urgent meeting on Monday night with a host of other Pacific Islander embassies and others. Tongan High Commission first secretary Leonaitasi Kuluni said the commission had been told a change in policy meant they were no longer able to sell traditional arts and crafts at their stall. He said the high commission was concerned by both the apparent policy change, as well as a lack of consultation about it with stallholders. Mr Kuluni also said other embassies had expressed similar sentiments and the high commission was now expecting a meeting with the multicultural affairs minister, Rachel Stephen-Smith, in coming days. No response was received to questions about the nature of policy changes affecting the high commission on Tuesday. The list of registered alcohol permit holders, as at Monday January 29, included: Clarification: This article previously incorrectly stated the Polish White Eagle Club would be involved in this year's festival. It should have read the Serbian White Eagles Football Club. /images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/676697af-bddf-4911-b557-4d1ac9f282e5/r0_123_1999_1252_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg The Medicare Annual Disenrollment Period, which allows beneficiaries who have a Medicare Advantage Plan to make changes, ends on Feb. 14. The disenrollment period provides beneficiaries with an opportunity to switch back to original Medicare or return to original Medicare and join a prescription drug plan. Counselors from SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) are available to assist beneficiaries with this process. Choosing a health care or prescription drug plan requires careful consideration of coverage and cost, and some beneficiaries may need assistance in understanding the benefits. Free help is available statewide from the Department of Elder Affairs SHINE program. Locally, SHINE is managed by the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida. SHINE is an award-winning program that provides information and free, unbiased counseling for people with Medicare, their families, and their caregivers. The SHINE program can help beneficiaries compare plans and understand their options. For example, it is important to understand that beneficiaries cannot use this disenrollment period to switch from one Medicare Advantage Plan to another. Beneficiaries are allowed only one change during this enrollment period, so it is especially important that beneficiaries review their options carefully. Medicare beneficiaries with limited income and assets may qualify for additional assistance with the cost of prescription drug plan premiums, deductibles, and co-payments. Medicare beneficiaries who believe they may be eligible are encouraged to contact a SHINE counselor for information about applying for these benefits. SHINE counselors can assist with applications for these programs. SHINE is a program of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and is operated through the states network of Area Agency on Aging offices. SHINE volunteers are trained to offer free, unbiased, and confidential information and counseling concerning Medicare. For help understanding the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period or to set up an appointment with a trained SHINE counselor to compare plans and review benefit programs, call the Elder Helpline toll-free at 1-866-41-ELDER (1-866-413-5337). You can also locate a counseling site in your area by visiting www.floridashine.org. The Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida is a nonprofit organization serving Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Lee, and Sarasota Counties. AAASWFL is the states designated Aging and Disability Resource Center for Southwest Florida. The organization is committed to helping adults ages 60 and over and people with disabilities to live with independence and dignity in their own homes and communities. More information is available at www.aaaswfl.org or by calling the toll-free Helpline at 866-413-5337 (866-41-ELDER). Convicted murderer Kevin Foster remains on Death Row after the Florida Supreme Court denied his latest appeal, the State Attorneys Office said Tuesday. Foster was the ringleader of the Lords of Chaos, a self-proclaimed militia group whose purpose was to create disorder through criminal acts in the Fort Myers community. He was convicted in 1998 of the First Degree Murder of Mark Schwebes, a Riverdale High School music teacher and sentenced to death, the release states. In April 1996, Schwebes caught Foster and other members of the group preparing to vandalize the high school and set the auditorium on fire. Schwebes instructed them to leave and told them that he would report the incident to the resource officer the following day. The group, at the direction and insistence of Foster, then planned the murder of Schwebes. They tracked down where he lived and went to Schwebes home. They knocked on the front door and when Schwebes answered Foster shot him twice, once in the face and once in the pelvis. Mark Schwebes died as a result. The three other members who were present that night entered into plea agreements. Christopher Black and Derek Shields were sentenced to life in prison. Peter Magnotti was sentenced to 32 years in prison. Source: Office of the State Attorney, 20th Judicial Circuit Upon seeing a front window displaying the image of a pin-up woman with eggs substituting breasts on January 16th my words were I find that objectifying and offensive. Your response to me was to explain why I should not be offended and why the image was not objectifying. I understand that we do not share one opinion of the image, yet it is so with the street upon which it remains. The space is one which we all share and should be respected as such. If a member of the community finds your contribution to the environment hostile, they should be taken seriously, thats just common decency and a practice expected of any business on the street. I certainly feel uncomfortable walking past your doors. I do not feel welcome there, or inclined to enjoy breakfast there on Saturday. I feel like the butt of a joke which is not only at my expense, but also every woman who shares my opinion of the image. I hope to make you aware of the discomfort you are creating and the impact it has on this community and your patrons, potential and otherwise. Rachel Mercer Photo: Contributed Michael Bonin Three men charged with first-degree murder appeared by video in Kelowna court, Monday. Michael Bonin, 20, of Rycroft, Alta., was found dead on a rural forest service road north of Hope on April 20, 2017. Police believe he was killed on April 19. Ryan Watt, 26, Joshua Fleurant, 20 and Jared Jorgenson, 27, all appeared Monday in B.C. Provincial Court. RCMP Cpl. Frank Jang said the crime was not random, but details on a motive cannot be provided as the case is before the courts. Annette Bonin described her son as a loving, helpful and loyal young man. "The pain of losing Michael will never go away, and many lives have been changed by this selfish act, she said. "I hope those responsible for taking Michaels life are held accountable. RCMP and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team were engaged in an exhaustive nine-month investigation. Bonin and Fleurant were co-accused of car theft in Kamloops in March of 2017. Each of the cases has been adjourned until Feb. 19. Madison Erhardt The Okanagan is in for a mild and rainy week. Temperatures will hover slightly above freezing until the weekend. "Right now, we are dealing with warmer than normal temperatures, which is mostly to do with the amount of moisture coming out of the Pacific," says Environment Canada meteorologist Cindy Yu. Today will see a high of 4 C with a possible chance of showers or flurries off and on all day. The rain will continue Tuesday, starting in the morning, while Wednesday is looking dry. Both days should hover around 4 C. Thursday and Friday will see a high of 2 C, with a 70 per cent chance of rain. The weekend is expected to hover around the freezing mark, with periods of snow. Photo: The Canadian Press Green Party leader Elizabeth May At the request of Elizabeth May herself, Toronto lawyer Sheila Block will investigate complaints that the leader of the federal Green party bullied and harassed some of her staff members. May says she is not and has never been a bully, something she expects will be borne out by an independent investigation. Several former staff members have told The Toronto Star and the Hill Times newspaper that May harassed and intimidated them, creating a hostile working environment. The allegations include that May yelled at staff, wrote disparaging comments about employees in emails, and cursed at a contract employee who immediately went on stress leave and then quit. May says she has the support of the party and won't step down, attributing the allegations to disgruntled party members who are trying to end her leadership. May says Block will determine who will be interviewed and when, and that her findings will be made public once the investigation is complete, hopefully in a few weeks. Photo: Thinkstock.com A new agreement will see the prices of nearly 70 commonly prescribed generic drugs discounted by up to 90 per cent of their brand name equivalents. The price discounts are to start on April 1 and will more than triple the number of drugs that were discounted under the previous generics initiative. The drugs are collectively used by millions of Canadians to treat conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and depression. Officials say patients will see the savings when they fill their prescriptions, whether it's through a public drug plan, an employee plan or paying out of pocket. The initiative is expected to generate savings of up to $3 billion for public drug plans over five years. The agreement between the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance which represents the provinces, territories and federal government and the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association was reached after discussions led by Ontario, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. Photo: RCMP Kelowna RCMP have released a surveillance image of a suspect in several thefts from vehicles. Police continue to investigate a number of thefts across the city, but on Jan. 13 received reports of numerous vehicle break-ins at a parkade on Chapman Place. RCMP members were able to view video footage of a male and female committing the crime, says Const. Lesley Smith. Police hope someone will be able to identify the male in the surveillance image made public. Anyone with information is asked to call Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477, www.crimestoppers.net or by texting CRIMES (274637) ktown. Photo: Wayne Moore Kelowna city councillors likely didn't know what to do with themselves Monday afternoon. Normally, council is busy all afternoon on Mondays with its regular meetings at City Hall. But, this was no ordinary Monday. A skimpy agenda was made even lighter when one item, a cost-sharing agreement with the province pertaining to the six-laning of Highway 97, was withdrawn by staff. Just 22 minutes after starting the meeting, Mayor Colin Basran banged his gavel a second time, bringing proceedings to a halt. Quick, but not record setting. City clerk Stephen Fleming says a meeting conducted by Coun. Barrie Clark in 2004 or 2005 lasted just 12 minutes. However, he suspended the traditional councillor items at the end of the meeting. Fleming says Monday's meeting was the shortest of this current council. Photo: Vernon RCMP A would-be thief was thwarted by a quick-thinking employee over the weekend in Vernon. A man entered a business in the 3100 block of Coldstream Ave Friday night around 10:00. He allegedly produced what appeared to be a firearm and demanded cash from the two employees. RCMP say the attempted robbery went sideways for the man once he realized one of the employees hit the panic alarm and police were on the way. "The male quickly turned around and left the business empty-handed without incident," said Const. Kelly Brett. The two employees were not injured. The would-be thief is described as: Caucasian male Approximately 5-foot-11 He was wearing a black hat and black sweater with the word Puma on the front. He was also wearing black pants, black and white Adidas shoes and he was carrying a black bag. There have been a number of robberies over the past few weeks. Other than an arrest made earlier in the month, Const. Brett says that at this point RCMP do not consider the robberies to be connected. "There are different M.O.s, there are different suspect descriptions; I can't say that these are all linked together. We can't link them until we have a suspect's name and proven identity." Photo: BC Wildfire Service RCMP say this past summer's massive Elephant Hill wildfire was human caused. The fire was the second largest fire in B.C. during 2017, which was the provinces worst wildfire season in history. The Elephant Hill wildfire was last marked at 191,865 hectares in size. More than 200 structures were destroyed as a result of the blaze. The RCMP's Southeast District General Investigation Section is continuing to investigate the fire, which sparked July 6. RCMP and BC Wildfire Service investigators have made the determination that the fire was human caused, said Cpl. Dan Moskaluk. More than 357 firefighters, 108 structural protection personnel, 86 support staff, 20 helicopters and 69 pieces of heavy equipment battled the blaze. Police did not release any further details about what led them to believe the fire was human caused. A dedicated tip line has been activated, and anyone with information is being urged to contact investigators at 855-685-8788. UPDATE: Tuesday 6:20 a.m. Firefighters tracked down a smell of smoke at Kelowna General Hospital Monday night to smoking materials outside an exterior wall. Crews responded to a general fire alarm at KGH just before 5 p.m. and encountered a light smoke smell on the first floor. The smoke was determined to be coming from the bottom of an exterior wall near the front of the hospital, says Platoon Capt. Scott Clarke. The origin of the fire proved difficult to access, but was extinguished quickly with minor damage to the building. Clarke says the fire was not suspicious in nature, and patients and hospital staff were not impacted by the incident. Three engines, a ladder truck, rescue unit and a command unit, with 16 personnel responded to the scene. ORIGINAL: Monday 5:40 p.m. Fire crews are on scene as of 5:30 p.m. Monday at Kelowna General Hospital. Castanet's Wayne Moore is on scene and tells us there are multiple fire crews and emergency response teams working on tracking down a strong smell of smoke. The call came in when a strong smell of smoke was reported from the day surgery rooms. Firefighters have been working on finding the source of the odour. Five fire trucks are on scene, and a video taken by Wayne Moore indicates crews have concentrated their efforts on a vent that leads to the lower levels of the hospital. More to come... Photo: Contributed Disability insurance companies have all the power until a lawsuit pursued by a tenacious lawyer evens the playing field. Have you ever been unfairly denied disability benefits? Vanessa Godwin was, when applying for long-term disability (LTD) benefits. She dealt with a claims specialist, an insurance company representative. But as noted in an eventual court decision, that job title was in fact the lowest position in the claims department. The claims specialist wasnt satisfied with information and medical opinions contained within the LTD application. More was required. And then more. And then more. Ms. Godwin was lucky. Her medical doctor, therapist and psychiatrist were exceptionally generous with how responsive they were to the various hurdles facing their patient. Doctors and therapists do not get into their care giving fields for the purpose of writing letters to support disability applications. Doing so takes them away from their busy practices, treating patients. And they dont charge near what their time is worth for that extra effort. It took a series of denials and appeals before Ms. Godwins initial claim for benefits was finally allowed. In the later court decision, it was determined that deficiencies in the way the claims specialist handled the claim resulted in a 10-month delay. Ms. Godwin faced another set of hurdles after 24 months. The initial claim for long-term disability benefits required establishing her inability to perform her own occupation.To recover benefits beyond 24 months, she had to establish her inability to perform any occupation. Unsatisfied with the opinions of Ms. Godwins doctors and therapist, the claims specialist required her to attend a psychiatric medical examination with a psychiatrist, Dr. Alex Levin, hired by the insurance company for that purpose. Dr. Levin, by the way, is a psychiatrist often retained by ICBC in defence of motor vehicle crash claims. In the later court case, counsel for Ms. Godwin provided a list of court decisions that found reports written by Dr. Levin to have strayed into advocacy or to have lacked objectivity, or that otherwise found his conclusions unsustainable." The opinions of Dr. Levin contradicted the opinions of Ms. Godwins doctors and therapist, and were used to deny the claim. Dr. Levin had assessed Ms. Godwins symptoms as not being disabling. That was in the context of Ms. Godwin specifically complaining about the way Dr. Levin conducted his assessment of her, continually interrupting her from having the opportunity to describe her symptoms. It turned out that Dr. Levins practise was to audio record his assessments. Ms. Godwins lawyer specifically requested that audio recording, but that request was ignored. In the eventual court decision, the following finding was made about that failure: I do also find that [the insurance companys] utter failure to investigate the existence of the audio recording was simply shocking, representing a complete dereliction of duty. In the circumstances, it was not enough for the insurance company to blindly rely on Dr. Levins opinions. Quoting from the court decision: Dr. Levins report seems less than a balanced assessment, and more like a piece of advocacy. Desjardins claims staff ought to have had a sufficient degree of sophistication to recognize it as such and to question whether it could be properly be relied upon. After exhausting her appeals with the insurance company, Ms. Godwins only recourse was to hire a lawyer to pursue a lawsuit against them. On the eve of trial, the insurance company finally reinstated Ms. Godwins benefits in full. But that wasnt the end of the story. The trial proceeded. Not to enforce payment of the disability benefits. The insurance company had folded on that point four days before the trial started. The trial was to hold them to account for how they had treated Ms. Godwin in their handling of her claim. I invite you to read the court decision: Godwin v. Desjardins Financial Security Investments Inc., 2018 BCSC 99. Warning: reading about the way Desjardins treated Ms. Godwin might dig up and aggravate psychological scars from your own experience if you have been given the run-around by an insurance company. But the courts rebuke of their claims handling might provide a level of cathartic healing. The end result, after 12 days of trial, was a judgment against Desjardins for: $30,000 to compensate Ms. Godwin for the added mental distress arising from their bad faith handling of her claim; and Another $30,000 awarded because aspects of the handling of her claim were so exceptional as to require denunciation in the form of a punitive damages award." It is yet to be seen what Desjardins will have to pay, in addition to those amounts, in costs." Mr. Justice Saunders provided a time line for each party to provide their submissions on that point, specifically asking that their submissions address the decision of Mr. Justice Neill Brown in Tanious v. The Empire Life Insurance Company, 2017 BCSC 8,] where the extraordinary award of costs was made for full indemnification in order to put the plaintiff in the position she would have been in had she not been forced to retain counsel and enforce the contract through litigation." I cannot say enough about the incredible grit and advocacy shown by the lawyer who pursued this case through a 12-day trial to hold the insurance company to account after the underlying disability benefits case had already been won. Faith Hayman, I salute you. Without lawyers like Faith Hayman and a justice system that can give you your day in court against the unfairness of a massive insurance company, injustice can run unchecked. Photo: The Canadian Press Yazan Jabr was totally lost on his very first day in St. John's, N.L., when he randomly asked a man for directions to get downtown, a 20 minute walk away. "It was very cold," Jabr, 22, recalled of that chance encounter two years ago in the middle of winter. The man, who Jabr figures was in his 50s, walked him the whole way to his destination, pointing out places of interest as they went. "I told him it was my first day in the city and he was just super friendly. I think it's one of those things I'll never forget." At a time in world history marked by a global trend towards slamming doors on immigration in the face of mounting economic insecurity, new polling by The Canadian Press/Ekos Politics suggests St. John's is Canada's most "open" city, where populist politics including support for restrictions on newcomers and resistance to free trade and globalization are least likely to thrive. Populism is the term often used to describe the bursts of anti-elite support that catapulted outsider Donald Trump into the White House and fuelled Britain's stunning referendum results to leave the European Union. Random landline and cell phone surveys last spring and fall of some 12,604 Canadian adults aged 18 and over asked various questions to assess populist sentiment. Respondents were asked about their financial outlook, views on visible minorities, free trade, taxation and if they approved or disapproved of how U.S. President Donald Trump is doing his job. Data were weighted by age, gender and region. Results were considered accurate to within plus or minus 0.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. "It is a pretty friendly place," Ekos President Frank Graves said of St. John's. "It may be the case that if you live in an ethnically homogenous, smaller city you tend to be less open but obviously that's not always the case." The city of about 109,000 people, its famous colourful clapboard buildings nestled around a busy harbour, is increasingly diverse but still overwhelmingly white. And its economic engine has sputtered since the offshore oil bonanza that built luxury homes and opened swank restaurants ended when prices crashed three years ago. That, according to conventional wisdom, is supposed to make it fertile ground for the sort of attitudes believed to underpin the 21st-century populist forces that are in play around the world. And yet St. John's along with Victoria, B.C., another fairly white seaside destination tops the ranks of Canada's most open cities, Graves said. At the other end of the spectrum, the surveys suggest, are Oshawa, Ont., and Calgary, where "closed" attitudes and tepid support for immigration are spurred by a persistent and deepening fear of a worsening economy. "Maybe it's the ocean having kind of a more cosmopolitan influence on the outlook of people," Graves said. "A lot of people come through. It's a big port. "We see both people in British Columbia and the Atlantic tend to be more open. It's peculiar." James Baker grew up in Carbonear, about an hour northwest of St. John's, and now helps immigrants adjust in the capital city as part of his job with the Association for New Canadians. Those stories about big-hearted Newfoundlanders now immortalized in the hit Broadway play "Come From Away" aren't just oversweetened stereotypes, Baker said. "Even in hard times, they recognize the challenges and wants of others and want to make sure they don't go without. They put others before themselves." Photo: David Ogilvie Castanet reader, David Ogilvie snapped a picture of a collision in the 2900 Block of Angus Drive around 9:35 p.m. Monday night. Emergency crews responded. Eyewitness reports indicate a power line was knocked down across the road after a vehicle collided with a power pole. The incident happened between Gellatly Road and the boat launch on Angus Drive. Photo: Wikipedia The New Brunswick government plans to increase spending in today's provincial budget and delay a return to balanced budgets for the next couple of years. A government source tells The Canadian Press the province will spend an extra $74 million in the 2018-2019 budget to support programs for economic competitiveness, youth employment and seniors. The source says the government now expects to see a return to balanced books in the 2021-2022 budget year. On Monday, Finance Minister Cathy Rogers said the province has a number of challenges that need investments now. But Charles Lammam of the Fraser Institute says it's time the New Brunswick government cuts spending and starts to address a net debt of $14 billion. He says when measured as a share of the provincial economy, New Brunswick currently stands as one of the most indebted provinces in all of Canada. Jeff Carr of the Opposition Progressive Conservatives says the government is being irresponsible in its spending and should be reducing the debt now. Photo: The Canadian Press Canada's top military police officer is citing privacy concerns for the fact the Canadian Armed Forces have yet to make good on last year's promise to revisit more than 160 cases of sexual assault previously deemed "unfounded." Military commanders are still committed to making good on last April's promise by enlisting the help of outside advisers such as social workers and other experts to look at each case, Provost Marshal Brig.-Gen. Robert Delaney said in an interview. "I need independent eyes on my files so they can do a legitimate review to see: Did we get it right in the context of how we investigated that particular allegation, how we concluded that file, how we coded that file?" he told The Canadian Press. Senior military commanders announced plans last spring to review the cases after an internal review found nearly one in three cases logged between 2010 and 2016 received the "unfounded" label a rate higher than that of most civilian police forces. Ten months later, however, the review has yet to take place, in part because it has prompted its own questions and challenges how to protect the privacy of complainants, for instance, and whether to remove their personal information from the files. Delaney said he ultimately agreed with advocates who said the files should not be redacted, and that he is currently working with federal privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien to devise the best approach. "We are in the final stages now of drafting our version of a privacy impact assessment. Once that is complete, we are off to see the federal privacy commissioner again," he said. "Once I get that check in the box, we can then sit down and say: Who are we going to have seated at the table?" But the fact the military is revisiting more than 160 files doesn't necessarily mean that police will be suddenly reopening dozens of criminal investigations, Delaney warned. Investigations will be reopened and pursued where the opportunity exists, he said. The majority will likely be reclassified as "founded, not cleared," the provost marshal said, meaning there was reason to believe a sexual assault occurred but there wasn't enough evidence to lay charges. "When you code it as unfounded, you're saying that complaint is not a legitimate complaint," Delaney said. "So it means a great deal to them if I go back to them and say, 'We've done a review on this, and we actually coded your file inappropriately. It is a founded case.'" Photo: Contributed More than 80 complaints have now been received against two former RCMP doctors under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct spanning decades, police in Ontario and Nova Scotia say. Toronto police have logged more than 20 complaints against a retired doctor in the Mounties' Ontario division, while Halifax police have received "in excess of 60 complaints" against a former Nova Scotia doctor. "These reports are still being investigated and no final decisions have been made on potential outcomes as yet," Meaghan Gray of the Toronto Police Service said by email Monday. She added that it's "still too early in the process" to say whether charges will be laid. It is the first time Toronto police have revealed the number of complaints they have received, while Halifax police said Friday they had received about 50 complaints to that point. The Toronto doctor was allegedly particularly focused on womens nipples during medical examinations, while the Halifax doctor, nicknamed Dr. Fingers, has been accused of inappropriate and unnecessary vaginal and rectal examinations. The force's commanding officer in Nova Scotia, Assistant Commissioner Brian Brennan, said last week that "a multiple of dozens" of women have brought forward allegations of incidents between October 1981 and July 2003 at the RCMP health services office in the Halifax suburb of Bedford. In a note to officers, he said he expects "many more" women to come forward in the months ahead. "I am at a loss for words as I write this message to you. To say I'm shocked and disheartened doesn't seem like enough," Brennan wrote in the internal memo. Assistant Commissioner Stephen White, the force's acting chief human resources officer, said in an email to members that the allegations involved a doctor who conducted recruitment medical examinations and periodic health assessments on members. Photo: Contributed RCMP in the North Okanagan have released a few more details in connection with a January shooting that sent a 49-year-old woman to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. In the early morning hours of Jan. 6, shots ran out in the 3700 block of 24tha ave. The incident left the neighbourhood on edge, despite RCMP stating it did not believe that "public safety is at risk. The investigation into the Jan. 6 shooting lead RCMP to a home on Okanagan Indian Band territory. On Jan. 11 a search warrant was executed at the home on Willow Shore Cresent. RCMP have not released details from the investigation on Jan. 11, but have stated that to date, charges have not been laid and the investigation is still ongoing. The 49-year old woman has since been released from the hospital and is recovering. Investigators are seeking any information in relation to this incident and anyone with any information is asked to contact the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP at 250-545-7171. Or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, or leaving a tip online at www.nokscrimestoppers.com Photo: File Photo True Leaf Medicine International Ltd. announced it has finalized its purchase of a 40-acre swath of land in Lumby for a total cost of $3.3 million. The site will become a 25,000 square foot hydroponic medicinal cannabis production facility. With the completion of the sale, phase one is now set to begin. Phase one construction plan includes a 16,000 square foot hydroponic grow building, and a 9,000 square foot office building The office building will also house an extraction facility, and laboratory and packaging areas. Completion of phase one is expected by the end of summer 2018 with a first crop by fall of 2018. This first crop will have to pass a Health Canada inspection in order for True Leaf to be granted a license to grow medicinal cannabis. The completion of the sale was made possible in part by a sort of "crowfunding." True Leaf was granted permission by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to participate in Regulation A+ offering a public equity offering. Through regulation A+, True Leaf was able to raise close to $10 million. The company was able to raise another $4 million through a non-brokered sale of shares. True Leaf is the first Canadian-listed company to conduct a successful Regulation A+ offering. In a statement, the company posted that True Leafs application to produce and distribute cannabis under Health Canadas Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) has "completed the security clearance stage, and the company has permission to build its production facility." However, at this time, True Leaf does not have a license to produce cannabis. True Leaf CEO, Darcy Bomford, said, The company is pleased with the completion of our offerings and the purchase of the land and we can move forward in our pursuit of growing what we hope will be the best quality medicinal cannabis in the world. Photo: Google Maps Using a vehicle to run down and kill a coyote has landed two Vanderhoof men in hot water. The unidentified men pleaded guilty in provincial court to Wildlife Act offences in connection with the incident. They were fined after pleading to guilty to harassing wildlife with a vehicle and unlawful possession of dead wildlife. In January of last year, witnesses contacted conservation officers after watching two men in a truck run down a coyote at Tachik Lake, near Vanderhoof. Officers were able to track down the vehicle, and later determined the suspects ran down and injured the coyote before killing it with a machete. The driver of the vehicle was fined $5,000 and suspended from hunting for three years. The passenger was fined $500. Photo: The Canadian Press Halifax council has voted to immediately remove a statue of Edward Cornwallis from a downtown park, with several councillors calling it a barrier to reconciliation. Council voted 12-4 to temporarily place the bronze figure of the city's controversial founder in storage until a decision is made on its long-term fate. "If we want reconciliation, we pull down the statue immediately," said Coun. Richard Zurawski. "Let's end the 500 years of broken promises and take away this visual symbol of supremacy." Nova Scotia Mikmaq chiefs had called Friday for the statue to be taken down immediately, because a panel appointed in October to study how the city commemorates Cornwallis had not even met yet. Mayor Mike Savage told council that the issue of truth and reconciliation has been a long time coming. Speaking from prepared notes, he said "we are all a product of our history," but we do not have to be a prisoner to it. The mayor told council that removing the statue is not about re-writing history, but acknowledging that history is also not "cast in bronze." Cornwallis is a disputed character seen by some as a brave leader who founded Halifax, but by others as the commander of a bloody and barbaric extermination campaign against Mi'kmaq inhabitants. "The status quo is completely untenable. The statue is a barrier to reconciliation," Coun. Sam Austin said during the debate. "Cornwallis will always be in the history books. This is about how we commemorate him." A staff report suggested the Cornwallis statue could be taken down and stored at a cost of about $25,000. It said it is concerned about rising tensions around the statue, citing a planned protest Sunday that could result in "damage to the statue, conflicts among protesters and counter-protesters and personal injury." "The statue has increasingly become a flashpoint for protests," states the document, dated Jan. 27. "Clashes arising from protests and counter-protests of controversial statues in other jurisdictions have in some cases resulted in injury and damage to public property and in a worst case, death. There is a reputational risk to Halifax from the attention associated with this unrest." Photo: The Canadian Press A man who had many roles in his 36 years with a Calgary young people's performance group has admitted to eight sex-related charges. Philip Heerema's trial on 20 charges was already into its third week when he pleaded guilty on Tuesday. Heerema, 55, resigned in 2014 from The Young Canadians School of Performing Arts in Calgary when police began investigating several complaints. The alleged victims were male students between 15 and 18 years old who were at the school between 1992 and 2013. The trial had heard from several men who said Heerema convinced them to send him explicit photos. One man said he felt trapped after exchanging naked photos with Heerema. "I couldn't talk to anyone about what was happening because then Phil would presumably get in trouble and that wouldn't be good for anyone," the man testified. He eventually told a family member what had happened and went to police. The school works with students between 11 and 18 years old in dance, voice and performance. Training culminates in grandstand shows during the Calgary Stampede every July. Heerema started out as a performer with The Young Canadians and took on a number of jobs that included costuming, props, sets and lighting. He was business administrator and production services co-ordinator when he resigned. Photo: The Canadian Press A B.C. Conservative MP says the memory of his stricken wife's face as a medical crisis nearly killed him is his motivation for a heartfelt message to his colleagues, constituents and Canadians. Todd Doherty, MP for Cariboo-Prince George, says in a Facebook post he needed emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder after becoming ill on Jan 20. He says he stopped breathing during the surgery and over the next two days his lungs filled with fluid and his major organs began shutting down. Through all that, despite the drugs and the chaos, he says he remembers his son pleading to be allowed to donate a kidney or lung to help his dad pull through. Doherty is on the mend now, but says he has learned the lesson that plans, no matter how carefully crafted, will fail if the planner isn't around to carry them out. He is out of hospital, recovering at home, and urges people to take time to care for themselves and do the work necessary to stay healthy. "Regardless of the titles or status we seek or achieve, our schedules or whatever demands placed on us, remember this: There is only one group who will mourn you longer than a week, that's your family," Doherty says in the social media post. He says he still wants to achieve his goal of backing legislation to help sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder. He also pledges to never stop trying to inspire others, and be the best father, husband, brother, friend and community leader possible. Doherty says even his loftiest goals are now filtered through a different perspective. "I don't have the plan as to how I'm going to do it yet, but I know I have too much on my 'to-do list,' so healthy changes are coming. And I'm challenging my friends, family and colleagues to do whatever you need to do to make this a priority in your lives, also." Photo: The Canadian Press Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Expansion Project Westeridge loading dock in Burnaby. The B.C. government is creating more uncertainty around Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain expansion project with a proposal to restrict any increase in diluted bitumen shipments until it conducts more spill response studies. Provincial Environment Minister George Heyman says there needs to be more confidence in how well oil transporters are prepared to respond and fully mitigate the effects of a potential spill. The government says it will establish an independent scientific advisory panel to make recommendations to the minister on whether, and how, heavy oils can be safely transported and cleaned up if spilled. B.C. says it will also seek input from First Nations, industry, local governments, and environmental groups, as well as the general public over the coming months. The restriction creates more uncertainty for the already delayed Trans Mountain expansion project, which would nearly triple the capacity of the current pipeline system to 890,000 barrels a day. The West Coast Environmental Law association cheered the proposal as a welcome safety measure and an important warning for Kinder Morgan. Features Worldies from Lukaku, Mount & Ji | Chelsea's best training goals 2021/22 so far Check out the best Cobham goals scored by the Blues in the first few months of the 2021/22 campaign, including a 1-v-1 challenge between Mason Mount and Romelu Lukaku, and a curling clinic from Ji So-Yun! Law schools must remain in compliance with standards from the legal education section of the American Bar Association, which contracts with the U.S. Department of Education to accredit law schools. Currently, if an accredited school wants to start using an alternative admission test, such as the GRE, it is required to demonstrate that test is as valid as the LSAT in predicting law school success. In a criminal complaint, Thakkar, 41, of Naperville, is accused of developing a software program that helped an unnamed commodities trader engage in spoofing, placing thousands of bids or offers on the E-mini S&P, a market on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, with the intent of canceling the trades before they were executed, but after bids were placed on the other side of the market. Thakkar was not immediately available for comment. That $159 million is part of $225 million in funding raised from the investors last year that was set aside for Shah and Agarwal, according to a source familiar with the settlement. A Delaware Chancery Court judge in November barred Shah and Agarwal from tapping the $225 million after the investors filed a lawsuit against Gravitas, an Outcome Holdings subsidiary that held the funds. A Friday court filing indicates the funds could be distributed in connection with the settlement. The amount of extra money the state can ask of the federal government was a sticking point during months of discussions about how to distribute $3.5 billion in Medicaid funding generated through the hospital assessment program. The assessment program, which accounts for more than half of hospitals' Medicaid funding in Illinois, has hospitals contribute money that is then matched by the federal government, and the expanded pool of money is redistributed to the hospitals. No state taxpayer funds are involved. Overwhelmingly, the econometric evidence that is, applying statistical methods to economic data to test hypotheses suggests that rent control causes renters to move less, it disincentivizes investment in rental construction and new rental building and ultimately raises rents for renters, Terrazas said. The disincentive to add new units ultimately increases rent, so rent control is very much a response that benefits people who have been in a community for a long time at the expense of the overall community at the expense of particularly young people who are trying to move out and form their own households, so it really very much is prioritizing one community over another. "We have never owned as a country the damage done not only to people who were enslaved, but to future generations in which they were treated," Cupich said in an interview after his speech. "I think that has damaged the future of many African-American people. Some have risen above it quite nobly, but it has impacted generations and we have to be able to own that as part of the past." Im really excited about the cross-pollination thats going to happen, having different groups of people occupying the same space, said Rob Brenner, one of the three partners, along with Billy Helmkamp and bartender Eric Henry. You go for one thing you know youre going to enjoy, and something else that you didnt expect ended up happening. When that happens to people, they get that glimmer in their eye and that smile of, This is happening to me right now. This is awesome. James Beard Award-nominated Cree declined to reveal details publicly, including an estimated opening date, but promises delicious ice cream. I kind of want to surprise the city when it gets closer to the time, since it's visual and so special, she wrote via email. She did reveal that the shop will be located at 2353 N. California Ave., which is just south of Fullerton, and most recently the home of a U.S. Post Office annex. In late November, he did a very successful pop-up in New York with David Chan, another ramen obsessive on Reddit. Held at Sun Noodle's Ramen Lab, the two served ramen for five busy days, arriving at the kitchen early and not leaving until late at night. Instead of being put off by how grueling life in a kitchen can be, Satinover later told me that he found the atmosphere intoxicating. As a Chopped superfan, I can tell you right now that if this dish were presented to chef Alex Guarnaschelli and her cohorts, theyd have a field day tearing it apart. The provenance of the protein aside boringly and simply boiled, by the way the dish featured dollops of what can best be described as chef-y applesauce and mandolind ribbons of celery. The garnish, if you could call it that, was a chopped-off microbush of celery leaves, indecorously placed on the dish for God knows why. This dish made me clutch my nonexistent pearls. For the CRW promotion, you have two choices for starters, which are aptly grouped under a heading that translates as for fun. One was a young papaya salad studded with savory, chewy shards of Vietnamese beef jerky and sprigs of culantro. Its a fresh, lively appetizer. The other was a bowl of chopped clams, tender yet meaty, with roasted peanuts, Thai basil and lime juice. You spoon it onto sturdy pieces of grilled rice crackers and enjoy. (Although served at brunch, this dish immediately made me think of cocktail time back in New England, where smoked clams and various seafood dips were often featured.) When Lula Cafe chef and owner Jason Hammel opened Marisol restaurant at the Museum of Contemporary Art last fall, chef de cuisine Sarah Rinkavage moved up from Logan Square to Streeterville too. If youve been wondering how your old friends from the neighborhood have been doing in the fancy art world, their 2018 Chicago Restaurant Week $22 three-course lunch is a perfect, priceless steal. "There are directors, producers and men of power who have for decades been awarded and applauded for their highly regarded work by both this industry and moviegoers alike. Indeed, many actors have had flourishing careers due in part to roles played in their films," Winslet said. "The message we received for years was that it was the highest compliment to be offered roles by these men. As women around the world and from all walks of life marched last weekend, once again joining together to speak out about harassment, exploitation and abuse, I realized that I wouldn't be able to stand here this evening and keep to myself some bitter regrets that I have at poor decisions to work with individuals with whom I wish I had not." I first reviewed this huge piece which was penned by Shawn Pfautsch, lasts close to 3 hours and features a cast of 20 and a three-piece live band back in 2006. It is vastly improved now as a piece of theater, mostly because of the addition of songs that make the piece land pretty much like a full-blown bluegrass musical. The singing frequently is very good, and the numbers (the work of Pfautsch and Matt Kahler) are resonant, off-beat lyrics and all. Matt Hawkins direction has come a long way too, and the current staging of the show features a standout performance from Haley Bolithon as Rose Anna, who becomes the kind of youthful conscience of the show: the hope of the future, the reason to stop fighting, a point of empathetic connection. "So I start telling my story about how there's this noise in outer space, and how it's my job to listen to it and I start addressing my lines to the audience, to where I feel the noise is coming from to let them know that we on stage can hear what they're doing and we don't like it. It wasn't really in keeping with how the scene was supposed to go, but I kind of couldn't help myself, I was so irritated. And Paul and Kate are also struggling to keep their composure and focus. The last third of the book details Alkhanshali's hair-raising plan to escape by whatever means come to hand, and it is absolutely as gripping and cinematically dramatic as any fictional cliffhanger. Alkhanshali and his two companions must drive through firefights and enemy lines, bluffing their way through heavily armed checkpoints and more than once facing summary execution. ("I have plenty of dead men on my conscience," one sinister vigilante tells him at gunpoint. "I killed two of you earlier today.") Im going to ask her what advice she would give to kids who want to do something to change the world and to parents who have kids that want to do something to change the world, Taryn said. She said any idea that you put your mind to, you can make happen, so Im definitely going to listen to that. Now Watts is wading into his first cat custody case, this one involving an eponymous Logan Square cat named Reggie in honor of the comic whose story was chronicled in the Tribune last week. Watts noted in an interview that its not the first pet named after him comic Penny Slates dog is also Reggie Watts. I learned from Roses obituary that she was 58. She could easily have passed for 48, and if she had said she was 38, I would not have raised an eyebrow. She was petite, soft-spoken, well-dressed with her hair always perfectly coiffed the exact opposite of me. But she liked me anyway. Hes picking on Madigan again because he said he is not in charge, Ives said. Gov. Rauner has said hes not in charge. And hes acted like hes not in charge. And so this is the result. Nothing gets done. Now it is interesting that he wants to pretend this primary battle is about Mike Madigan, but the truth is, his base has left him. He will be Mark Kirked out of office because nobody trusts him anymore. CTU members approved a number of changes to the CTUs constitution and bylaws as part of the vote. The changes would qualify all teachers licensed by the Illinois State Board of Education as eligible to join the CTU. Charter teachers would also be eligible to fill seats on the unions influential executive board and House of Delegates, and their union dues are set to increase over the next three years. Some groups of students like athletes, those in the Greek system, and the students in the CHANCE program, which offers supports to those admitted with lower grades and test scores must adhere to certain criteria, and the school is responsible for reporting any compliance issues, Wesener Michael said. To assist administrators in that monitoring, those students are automatically put into the system, she said. "That's the way that most of these cases come to light is because somebody said something, and that's how a lot of these perpetrators try to get away with these type of crimes, by counting on the silence of the victims," he said. "And when the victims speak up and when we find out, that's the only way we can get these things to stop." Equip for Equality told CPS officials of these concerns over a year ago, Pribyl said, and has also brought two cases through the administrative hearing process to no avail. The hearing officers in both cases ruled in the groups favor but noted that they could not provide the systemic relief being sought for all parents, Pribyl said. The woman couldnt slow down in time and rear-ended the other semi, which crashed into another semi and a minivan, troopers said. In 2014, Evanston was the first community to do so in Illinois, and Chicago adopted the policy in July 2016. Both cities cite significant declines in the number of young people who report smoking. Immediately after Chicago raised the minimum legal purchasing age for tobacco, the mayors office said Monday, the percentage of residents between 18 and 20 who reported using cigarettes or e-cigarettes fell by 5.5 percent, from 15.2 percent in 2015 to 9.7 percent in 2016. Elvis Ruiz, 24, of the 3200 block of West Bryn Mawr Avenue, turned himself in to Area North detectives Friday afternoon, a day after a police community alert was distributed with two photographs of the man suspected of showing the girl the photos, according to a news release. He was charged with manufacturing harmful material and appeared in Cook County weekend bond court on Sunday, where he was ordered held in lieu of $10,000 bail, according to court records. "I never, ever wanted to give up," Batchelor, his voice at times emotional, later told reporters in the courthouse lobby. "At times, Kevin used to actually tell me that he was giving up, that he actually didn't believe that we were ever going to get out. And all I did was motivate and motivate and motivate him, and let him know no matter what the fight would continue." Turner told authorities gang members believed that he owed them money and they told him to rob banks to pay off his debt, the complaint says. He told authorities several gang members drove him to banks and they wrote the threatening notes that he presented to the tellers, according to the complaint. As the Chicago Tribune is well aware, as the employer of Mr. Lauten, the Village cannot comment or respond to inquiries which the Chicago Tribune has made concerning Mr. Lautens employment or medical status for confidentiality reasons, nor will we comment on the claims of Mr. Lauten that are the subject of pending (complaints). When making a determination on whether to move forward with this story, I would expect that the Chicago Tribune will consider the inability of the Village of Lisle, based on applicable law, to respond to Mr. Lautens allegations. I believe that everybody in the Chicago Police Department would do the same if they were in the same situation because we all have families," Fong said. Im hoping that any police officer who was the first responder on scene would go and help any of our family members. Amit K. Ghosh, 66, of the 2900 block of West Jerome Street, was pronounced dead at 3:03 p.m. Saturday at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood after being injured near Elmhurst on Interstate 294, according to the Cook County medical examiners office. Ghosh was injured in the crash Friday, according to the Illinois State Police. He has managed his own personal investment portfolio since 2001, TD Ameritrade said in a filing to the SEC. He sits on the TD Ameritrade board. A major donor to Republican candidates and conservative causes, Todd Ricketts originally backed Wisconsin GOP Gov. Scott Walker for the White House, but his allegiance shifted as Trump tightened his grip on the nomination. One brother, Pete Ricketts is the Republican governor of Nebraska. Another, Tom, is chairman of the Cubs. Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, seen here in December 2015, said the U.S. military could "get at most of his infrastructure" when asked about Kim Jong Un's nuclear missile program on Jan. 30, 2018. (Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg) "Look, isn't it stupid: They are putting Russia in the same league with North Korea and Iran, and at the same time are asking us to take part in solving the North Korean nuclear problem and think what can be done on the Iranian track," Putin said. The State Department says the incident occurred Monday when a Russian Su-27 jet crossed directly in front of the flight path of the American jet in international airspace. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert says the United States views it with "the highest level of concern." The court process to obtain such a surveillance warrant is robust, and Page had been on the FBI's radar for years - long before agents were in possession of the dossier. The application cited, among other things, contacts that Page had with a Russian intelligence operative in New York City in 2013, which had surfaced in an earlier case, U.S. officials said. In addition, the application said Page had other contacts with Russian operatives that have not been publicly disclosed, according to the officials who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. A ticket for President Donald Trump's State of the Union on January 30, 2018 mistakenly spells Union as "Uniom." (Provided to New York Daily News) Ryan said the memo shows "there may have been malfeasance at the FBI by certain individuals." He did not provide additional details, only saying that "there are legitimate questions about whether an American's civil liberties were violated by the FISA process," a reference to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The first is that it intrudes on the authority vested in the executive branch by the Constitution, which gives the president responsibility for executing the laws. Federal prosecutors normally deal with all sorts of controversial and politically sensitive cases while answering to their superiors, in a system that fosters a due sense of priorities. Special prosecutors (and special counsels and independent counsels the distinctions arent crucial here), lacking the usual limits in latitude, are more likely to run out of control as Kenneth Starr did, running a probe of Bill and Hillary Clinton that ate up six years and tens of millions of dollars but led to no charges against either. Professor Luigi Zingales has been quoted as saying, Whether you like his views or not, (Bannon) seems to have understood something about America that Im curious to learn more about. One can appreciate such curiosity, but what Bannon has best understood is how to divide the country, how to play on its fears, how to embolden its worst elements, and how to amass power and profit by doing so. The paranoid style of politics, as historian Richard Hofstadter famously titled it in the early 1960s heyday of the John Birch Society and the Barry Goldwater campaign, flourishes in todays industry of paranoid conspiracy theorists on the internet and other media. But never before has it been brought into the Oval Office by a president who, judging by various credible reports, would rather watch hours of Fox News than listen to his own intelligence briefings. Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner proves once again that he wasn't kidding with his now-famous statement "I'm not in charge". During the one and, luckily for the Governor, only debate with State Representative Jeanne Ives, Rauner was, by all accounts, beaten up by a girl. Don't believe me? Watch the debate here. Back to the conclusion of Rauners answer to the editorial board: This is an exciting time in Illinois. Ive worked hard. Weve grown about 120,000 net new jobs. Its been hard work. Because Speaker Madigans legislators have blocked a lot of the reforms, but were gettin it done and you watch us boom when we get the rest of the changes made that were gonna win in the court system. Even if Madigan is still in power, which I hope he is not after November, we will get changes through the courts that will allow us to compete, and the companies will come from Indiana. Theyll come from Wisconsin and Texas and Tennessee. We will be a rapid growth state. That will happen. 45 E. Cedar St., No. 200, Chicago: $2,269,000 | Listed: July 7, 2021 This three-bedroom home has three full bathrooms, one half-bath, custom stained-glass windows and over 1,300 square feet of outdoor space, including a landscaped garden and a private deck. The kitchen is equipped with a professional size Sub-Zero refrigerator, a Thermador gas stove with a separate grill, double ovens, a vented hood and a large breakfast island with an Azul granite countertop imported from Spain. The primary bedroom suite has a wall of windows looking out at the garden, two walk-in closets and a bath with a walk-in shower and jet tub. The other two bedrooms have en suite baths and beautiful arched windows. This home also has two indoor heated garage spaces. Agent: Carla Walker, @properties, 312-342-0078 *Some listing photos are virtually staged, meaning they have been digitally altered to represent different furnishing or decorating options. To feature your luxury listing of $800,000 or more in Chicago Tribunes Dream Homes, send listing information and high-res photos to ctc-realestate@chicagotribune.com. Join our Chicago Dream Homes Facebook group for more luxury listings and real estate news. His teaching certificate was suspended for five years in April 2015 by the Illinois State Board of Education's licensure board. Lipke agreed to the suspension, which required him to obtain mental health counseling and professional development training on proper workplace boundaries and impulse control before his teaching license could be reinstated. "Documenting Downtown: A Photo Show" opens at Metropolitan Coworking, 14 W. Downer Place, Suite 16, from 6 to 9 p.m. The show will feature eight local photographers who work to capture the essence of downtown Aurora. The East Aurora High School Jazz Ensemble will perform from 6 to 8 p.m. at the site. "I am hoping people will take five minutes to write an email, post a letter or visit the Illinois Department of Transportation website so that instead of it being something that happens in the next decade, it might happen in the next three to five years," he said. "It's a luck game. Every time I drive Route 47 I have white knuckles. It's a white knuckle roadway owned by the state of Illinois. The only thing we can do is ask people to get loud with us." "People are critical of our work and our district and things like that, and he was someone that would, he would be critical but then he would also say, 'these are all of the things that you're doing right,'" Childress said. "And just pushing to do better." The recent STEM night also was bolstered by students from Buffalo Grove High School, who served as mentors during the event, helping out the younger students who spilled out across both floors of the building as they engaged in dozens of maker spaces. I know these people are not your valentine. There are no cards that can properly express the sentiment we feel when we see the plight of others, people who are suffering so greatly. "This is a real important issue," said Mary Werden, Foster's press secretary. "It's really important for a lot of our constituents. We need to remind the president that these people are just as patriotic and we need to figure out a solution." At one point he pulled out a gun, announced he was robbing the store, and herded the women into a back room, where they were bound with duct tape and ordered to lie face-down on the floor before being shot, according to police. First Presbyterian Church of Homewood: 17929 Gottschalk Ave. Free community dinners will be from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday evenings in Westminster Hall. Tuesday Bible Study will meet from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Panera Bread, 18416 Governors Hwy., Homewood. Participants do not need to be Presbyterian and no purchase is necessary. The annual Meeting of the Congregation and the Corporation will be at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 18. A potluck luncheon will be held in Westminster Hall prior to the meeting. The Chancel Choir will participate in the South Suburban Church Choir Festival at Flossmoor Community Church, 2218 Hutchison Rd., at 3 p.m. Feb. 25. Information: www.fpchw.org or 708-798-0490. Among the seven stores on the closing list include the Toys R Us store at 5001 Lincoln Highway in Matteson and the Babies R Us store at 7750 S. Cicero Ave. in Burbank, which may be folded into the Toys R Us store at 8148 S. Cicero Ave in Burbank that is not listed for closing. Lukasz Naurecki, 31, of the 2000 block of Kennedy Drive, McHenry; Pawel Naurecki, 25, of the 800 block of West Seneca Trail, Round Lake Heights; and Oscar Landa, 31, of the 300 block of Illinois Avenue, Elgin, are accused of confronting the residents of a house in the 600 block of Oakland at about 1:20 a.m. Sunday, police said in a news release. "The 12 month extension will provide additional time for Motivate and the city to build Evanston-based ridership, complete potential station relocations and better support this mode of transportation," Community Development Director Johanna Leonard stated in a memo presented to the mayor and aldermen who sit on the Administration and Public Works Committee. Tim Jacks, a firefighter and paramedic from Glenview Fire Station #8, also served as the Glenview chili coordinator for the event. Jacks says the reason firefighters are such experts at making chili is because they know their way around a slow cooker and appreciate the flexibility of being able to leave their dinner cooking for hours. Assistant State's Attorney Ben Dillon said after Tuesday's hearing that it could potentially occur as soon as Friday after the new motions are heard, but both prosecutors and defense attorneys have said it is also possible Pederson might attempt to revive a motion to vacate his jury conviction, which was previously denied when he was considered unfit. "While words can never fully express how much someone means to us, they can still provide comfort, solace, hope and even inspiration following the death of a dear friend or loved one," Jones wrote on her supervisor's Facebook page. "As many of you know, Dr. Carrigan was a dedicated member of the Coalition to Reduce Recidivism's executive board as well as the Eddie Washington Center and Staben House advisory councils. Waukegan has certainly endured its own share of locally cherished storefronts vanishing, either suddenly or after a steady decline. There are still Waukeganites of a certain age who remember when The Globe was where you got your clothes, and The Academy was where you saw a Saturday night movie. We can assume they never set a protesting foot in Lakehurst, much less Gurnee Mills. According to previous testimony Tina and Amor had left the condo to go to a movie. About 20 minutes later, Marianne called 911 to report the fire and was overcome by smoke as she spoke to the operator. During his testimony Monday and Tuesday, Carpenter said that had the fire been set with an open flame, it would have taken about two minutes to create the smoke and fire conditions Miceli reported on her 911 call. According to testimony from Amors ex-wife, the couple left the condo around 6:20 p.m. that day to go to a movie. Twenty minutes later, Marianne Miceli called 911 to say there was smoke coming into her bedroom from under the door and that her exit was blocked by the flaming chair. A minute later, she was overcome. Firefighters arrived quickly and found her body on the bedroom floor. Los Angeles Philharmonic violinist Vijay Gupta will visit Naperville at the end of February to talk about his work in bringing quality, live classical music to underserved populations. (The Lavin Agency) "Having Mass on a Saturday evening would not have even been considered 100 years ago," said the Rev. Robert P. Heinz, the church's pastor, who spoke at a Jan. 27 Mass that marked the school's centennial. "Or having a child, a girl, a woman in the sanctuary would not have been considered unless it was to clean, unfortunately." According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency , action must be taken to minimize lead exposure if lead concentrations exceed 15 parts per billion. The district, however, is following a more stringent guideline from the Illinois Department of Public Health and took action on any results showing lead levels of 5 parts per billion or higher. "We've seen evidence of that where people come in and, when they figure out what they've got to do to enroll, they turn around and walk right out the door," Wallace said. "And that's a good thing. Frankly, years ago, we were too easy to work around." In November, several parents urged the District 64 board to hold off on stationing officers at Emerson and Lincoln because the officers were not needed and would harm minority students and those with special needs. The report from Ekl, Williams and Provenzale said there is no evidence to suggest that school resource officers have reduced the level of crime or violence at schools and was unlikely to achieve the goals set for the program by District 64 officials. The process should be "really centering on the child...so we can avoid the crisis we so often encounter where we have to call law enforcement or use suspension," Children's Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana President JauNae Hanger said Monday during testimony. "I cherish the opportunity I have had to help build and sustain an exemplary medical education enterprise here in Gary for the last dozen years," Bankston said in a statement. "In the remainder of my career, I will do my best to help the new leadership establish medical residencies, and then we will have a complete pipeline for our talented students to attend college, medical school and residencies here in Northwest Indiana." Buncich, former Chief Timothy Downs and William Szarmach, of C.S.A. Towing, were named in a multicount indictment in November 2016 alleging a towing scheme where the sheriff accepted bribes in the form of thousands of dollars in cash and donations to his campaign fund, Buncich Boosters, according to court records. In fact, one of the most unique aspects of Ward's obit was that I never once wondered how he died or what killed him, as I do with most obits and deaths. Truth is, I didn't care how he died because I was so intrigued about how he lived. Kathy Hussey-Arntson, executive director of the Wilmette Historical Museum, said she was initially skeptical that the building was the Stran Steel model. After touring the house and checking the timing of its appearance in Wilmette, she became convinced, she said. She said how the house got to Wilmette from its World's Fair site on Chicago's Northerly Island is still a mystery. Similar World's Fair homes were moved by barge to sites in Indiana, she said. One email ended up in the inbox of Mark G. Kuczewski, department chair of medical education at Stritch. A bioethicist by training, he had already been looking into the barriers undocumented students face when they apply to medical school. Prodded on by Aramburo's story, he worked with colleagues to create specialized financial aid programs that would be available to Dreamers, as an alternative to the federal student loans that are not available to undocumented immigrants. "Once DACA was announced in 2012 and we heard the word 'work permit,' we knew we had the missing link," Kuczewski says. In 2013, Stritch was the first medical school nationwide to openly accept students with DACA status. Rapid COVID tests are hard to find in Pueblo, per health department As COVID cases and hospitalizations rise, rapid tests are hard to find in Pueblo. Free tests are available at the Pueblo Mall, but it takes three to five days for results. An exhibition of works by Xu Beihong (1895-1953) celebrates his life and how he encouraged people to strive for independence and righteousness. Lin Qi reports. Master artist Xu Beihong (1895-1953) did two paintings in 1940 illustrating the Chinese fable of Yugong Yishan about a man attempting to move mountains. They are recognized as the best-known pieces in his oeuvre. The story of Yugong Yishan, first mentioned in the fourth-century BC Taoist text Liezi, has been told for generations in Chinese households. It hails the tenacity of an old man who endeavors to remove mountains that block the path in front of his house. Despite being considered a fool, he firmly believes that his offspring will continue the efforts after he dies. Xu produced two paintingsan oil work and a classic Chinese ink workusing Indian men as models, during a year's stint in India. And he didn't place the grey-haired man Yugong in the center, but depicted him turning to one side and talking to a woman. Rather, he highlighted several almost naked, muscular men digging on the mountains in the middle of the painting. The two works, both titled Yugong Yishan, are now on show at Nation and Era, an exhibition at the National Art Museum of China through March 4 that celebrates Xu's life and how he encouraged people to strive for independence and righteousness. The men doing the digging in the paintings do not look Chinese: They have darker skin tones, thick, hairy eyebrows and short, curly hair, while men in ancient China normally had long hair. When Xu was in India, he was invited by Rabindranath Tagore to exhibit and lecture at the Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, which the Nobel laureate had established in 1922. And students and staff members of the Visva-Bharati University offered to help when they heard that Xu needed models to paint. Local residents in Miaoyuan Village in Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province, will greet the beginning of spring with a grand ritual in a time-honored and festive fashion on Feb. 4. The ritual ceremony can be dated back to 1,000 years ago. It has been formally held each year since 2005 in the village at the start of spring, a specific day on the Chinese lunar calendar that signals the start of the farming season. On this day, farmers perform the ritual to wish for a rich harvest. A highlight of the ceremony is the "Whip the Spring Ox," where a villager elder plows the field with an ox-pulled plow, while a child whips the ox, chanting folk songs. This symbolically announces the start of farming for the year and makes a wish for a big harvest. The Start of Spring is one of 24 Solar Terms on the Chinese lunar calendar, representing 24 periods and climate governing agricultural arrangements in ancient China. The Solar Terms were inscribed in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO in 2016. China.org.cn will live stream the ceremony on its Facebook page on the morning of Sunday, Feb. 4 (Beijing Time). Please stay tuned. Flash The African Union (AU) has a "very strong" partnership with China based on mutual respect, a senior AU official told Xinhua on Monday. "We have very strong partnership with China, and we work in different fields of our cooperation with China," said AU Director for Political Affairs Khabele Matlosa. The partnership is based on mutual benefit and should be sustained and further strengthened, Matlosa said on the sidelines of the 30th AU summit, in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia. "Going forward, we have to stick to the principle of mutual respect, mutual trust, and mutual benefit, so that both sides benefit from this partnership," said the director. Matlosa noted that terrorism is a major threat to peace and security as well as governance and development in Africa. "Therefore, we need to also partner with different actors, including China, to address this menace on the continent," he added. You are here: World Flash Four people were killed in a shooting in Berks County, east Pennsylvania, on Sunday, local media reported Monday. Police responded to the scene on South 3rd Street of the city of Reading at around 7:00 p.m. Sunday. All victims were males, a local newspaper said. Three of them, found inside a row home, were pronounced dead at the scene and the fourth died at a hospital. Their identities have not been released. Investigators have not released any information on possible suspects or motive. Authorities said that the investigation would continue on Monday. Flash Ahead of British Prime Minister Theresa May's Visit to China, the British Ambassador to China Barbara Woodward briefed Chinese media on Jan. 29, 2018 at her residence, saying a post-Brexit Britain would be able to "move a bit faster towards" deepening cooperation with China as well as jointly expanding Sino-UK commercial partnerships into third countries along the burgeoning Belt and Road. The U.K. and China both support a strong and united Europe as being in the interests of both countries; yet leaving the EU means "Britain will be free to make its own decisions over its trade and investment partnerships," she said. Prime Minister May will be focusing on assessing the scope to work with China towards a more ambitious trading relationship during the visit, the ambassador stressed, adding: "The U.K. in the E.U., traditionally has been at the forefront in encouraging engagement [with China], so I think we may be able to move on our own a bit faster." She added that the U.K. is seeking opportunities in sectors where China is set to further open its market, and which are suited to the British economy, such as agriculture and food, health and life sciences, as well as financial services. In 2015 the "Golden Era" was launched and fully backed by the former Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne. However, some observers have felt Prime Minister May and her leadership team at times have appeared more cautious with regards to deepening cooperation with China. Yet, Ambassador Woodward emphasized the UKs commitment to the Golden Era relationship with China remained "constant, steadfast and steady", citing that Prime Minister May announced at last years Hangzhou G20 summit that she wanted to continue to develop this project. She highlighted three areas of cooperation, namely: trade, building an open global economy which is suitable to the 21st Century and working together as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to tackle a range of global challenges, including climate change. Chancellor of the Exchequer Phillip Hammond has also made it clear that the U.K. is a "natural partner" for the Belt and Road, announcing there would be a special envoy as well as a Belt and Road Council of senior business leaders in the Britain interested in helping to realize further progress in the Initiative. In response to questions over how a "Global U.K." can link with the Belt and Road Initiative, the Ambassador said: "We would like to collaborate on practical projects, whereby currently Chinese companies are working on over 90 percent of projects but there are British companies very keen to develop their partnerships which already exist with Chinese companies and take them into the third countries along the Belt and Road." "They are big projects requiring complex funding, and some of them will not be obviously profitable and hence require financial design, in which the City of London has great experience. "Therefore, there is scope for a close working relationship between the experts in the City of London and the people who are designing and developing the projects to put them on a sound financial and legal footing and to help future sustainability by ensuring they are up to international standards so that, should things go wrong, there can be appropriate redress," the Ambassador stressed. On her second visit to China, Prime Minister May will visit Wuhan, Beijing and Shanghai to hold discussions with the Chinese leadership while leading a large business delegation containing both SMEs and large enterprises, including companies from both London and other parts of the country from a range of industries. In addition, the "Great Festival of Innovation" will be held in March in Hong Kong, following on from the festival held in Shanghai in 2015. Last year, the U.K. issued over 660,000 visas for Chinese people to visit Britain, with an issue rate of 97 percent. In terms of trade, British exports to China have grown by 60 percent since 2010, and, in 2016, trade grew by 30 percent year-on-year, according to statistics provided by the Ambassador. Flash The "Kremlin report" newly released by the United States reflects Washington's "political paranoia" which yields no result but undermines prospects of dialogue between the two countries, members of the Russian parliament said Tuesday. The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday published a list of 114 Russian politicians and 96 business leaders widely seen as potential targets for new sanctions, although the document specifies that it should not be interpreted as a sanction list. Leonid Slutsky, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament), said that the report practically calls members of the entire Russian administration adversaries of the United States, which further complicates Russia-U.S. relations. "The release of the 'Kremlin list', which includes practically the entire Russian administration and heads of leading state corporations, undermines the possibility of further dialogue, which is already at its lowest," Slutsky said. "This will actually last for a long while. It appears that political paranoia is rather hard to cure especially if the patient denies his disease and refuses treatment," said Konstantin Kosachyov, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Federation Council (the upper house of parliament). He warned that bilateral relations between Russia and the United States will never go back onto the right track as long as "the maniacal idea of 'U.S. exceptionalism' stays in office in Washington." On Monday, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow will analyze the report and the actions following the report to ensure its interests and the interests of related Russian companies. Chinese ultra-runner Bai Bin, 48, has unveiled plans to run from the South Pole to the North Pole, covering a distance of approximately 24,000 kilometers in around 300 days. Bai, a native of Guizhou province and a 17-year veteran of the grueling sport, told a media conference in Beijing that the Pole-to-Pole challenge is the most important of his life. Bai will leave Beijing on Feb 25 for China's Changcheng (Great Wall) Station in Antarctica. He will start running on March 2, crossing 65 cities in 13 countries - Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Canada. Chinese mainland authorities have arrested two suspects accused of spying for intelligence agencies in Taiwan, according to a media report. The Hong Kong-based news website takungpao.com reported on Monday that prosecutors in Jiangsu province have accused two people of espionage on behalf of Taiwan spy agencies. The report quoted Liu Hua, chief of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Procuratorate, as saying that this is a "big spy case" that involved classified military information. According to Liu, the two suspects, Ma Liangliang and Liang Xin, were retired officers from the Armed Police Force's Beijing Corps and worked in Baoding, Hebei province, after retiring. Disqualification of Agnes Chow the right decision Updated: 2018-01-31 06:39 By Tony Kwok(HK Edition) Returning officer arrived logically and legally at the conclusion that the young activist cannot be trusted to support the city's Basic Law, Tony Kwok writes A returning officer ruled Agnes Chow Ting's nomination as a candidate for the March Legislative Council by-election invalid; as expected, anti-Beijing groups immediately came out in full force to criticize the decision as "political screening" and against their right to take part in elections. Chow accused the government: "We can see that Hong Kong is not ruled by law or the rule of law, but only ruled by the Beijing government." But is condemning of status of rule of law justified? Let's examine the facts. It is clearly laid down in the election law that any candidate wishing to stand for election must make an unequivocal declaration of allegiance to the Basic Law, which prohibits any independence advocacy. Critics said Chow had already signed the declaration form but it remains the legal responsibility of the returning officer to determine the authenticity of such a declaration. As Senior Counsel and Executive Council Member Ronny Tong Ka-wah commented jokingly, if Chow ticked "man" under the slot for gender in the form, surely the returning officer has every right to verify her gender! Chow said she is representing and supported by her political party Demosisto of which she is co-founder and current standing committee member. Hence it is only right for the returning officer to take into consideration the nature, background and political platform of Chow's political party in arriving at her decision. Demosisto was co-founded by student activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, notorious for his association with foreign powers in badmouthing Hong Kong and Beijing. Its party platform vows: "To counter attack the imperial Communist China government" and says the city's future lies in self-determination. It also advocates a citywide referendum on its political future, including the option of independence from China. Any referendum on independence for a territory carries with it extremely serious consequences and should not be launched lightly. The central government of Spain had no hesitation in prosecuting key organizers of an unauthorized referendum on independence in Catalonia - or in sacking the region's parliament. Beijing has unequivocally and repeatedly warned Taiwan of dire consequences should the island province conduct a referendum on independence. Needless to say, such warnings apply to Hong Kong. A photo widely circulated on social media showed Chow together with Wong at a July 1 reunification celebration, arms raised to form a cross and backs turned to the rising national flag. Chow was once quoted as saying in Japan that she did not want to be a Chinese citizen. Judging these facts, can any returning officer believe Chow would sincerely swear allegiance to the Basic Law? Hence the returning officer arrived logically and legally at the conclusion that Chow cannot be trusted to support the Basic Law, which states Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China. That is why Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor reiterates that the decision was undertaken in accordance with the law. What if Chow openly advocated independence - there would be no disputing immediate disqualification. The difference is that she is a senior member of a party which supports just such an illegal move. Indeed, there is already a precedent in the 2016 LegCo election; when the returning officer disqualified candidate Chan Ho-tin, from a political party advocating "Hong Kong independence", and no strong objections were raised from any quarter. It is interesting to note that following the returning officer's decision, Demosisto quietly deleted from its homepage and political platform any reference to self-determination and referendum, as well as the derogatory phrase "To counter attack the imperial Communist China government". It's an obvious admission of guilt! Just consider the serious consequence of Chow being allowed to stand. Opposition legislator Eddie Chu Hoi-dick has already tried to promote the March by-election as a showdown between the people of Hong Kong and Beijing. If Chow happened to win the election as a pro-independence candidate, supporters would claim this is a referendum on independence and the people of Hong Kong had voted for independence. They would then conspire with foreign powers to put "Hong Kong independence" on the international agenda, possibly before the United Nations. Their plot is to antagonize and provoke Beijing into taking drastic action, inevitably leading to unfavorable publicity for Hong Kong and Beijing. Is this what Hong Kong people want to see? Hence the disqualification of Chow is the right decision and very much in Hong Kong's interests. But even if Chow were allowed to stand, her election would surely be challenged by judicial review which would no doubt rule against her - another massive waste of taxpayers' money which would let opposition politicians put Hong Kong through more needless turmoil. The administration should remain steadfast over three related misguided developments. Two prominent supporters of Demosisto - former governor Chris Patten and his fellow British peer Paddy Ashdown - have just written to United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May, seeking that she raise the issue of alleged threats to Hong Kong's human rights and autonomy with President Xi Jinping in their upcoming meeting. We can only take offense at such unfounded allegations as we scored higher than the UK in the sphere of rule of law. We should remain equally steadfast over a joint statement by some legal practitioners, who took issue with the disqualification. Lam has rightly dismissed the European Union's accusation that it "risks diminishing Hong Kong's international reputation as a free and open society". She also rightly rejected suggestions that the decision was influenced by Beijing. (HK Edition 01/31/2018 page7) After leading Planned Parenthood for over a decade, Cecile Richards has built a legacy as one of the organizations most effective leaders, rallying millions of new supporters to the issue of reproductive rights. In doing so, she also intensified the pro-life cause among those who oppose her organizationand the broader pro-choice movementfor providing and endorsing abortion. As evangelical sociologist (and CT board member) Michael Lindsay once wrote in 2008, Political movements like the Religious Right don't need a god to succeed, but they do need a devil. Nothing builds allegiances among a coalition like a common enemy. Richards has proven divisive; a line in a New York Times article about her retirement states that, Depending on whom you ask, the elegant 60-year-old is a national hero or a deeply evil woman and mass murderer. The announcement of her retirement came days after the annual March for Life and the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, two of the most popular occasions for pro-life demonstrations. Planned Parenthood has never been as slick and as politically savvy as it has been under the reign of Cecile Richards. That has served Planned Parenthood well, but in some ways it has served the pro-life movement well, too, said Karen Swallow Prior, a Liberty University professor of English who has written about her own history of abortion activism. Richards helped turn what might once have been seen as a beleaguered public service agency into an easy target for the anti-institutional idealism of a younger generation of pro-lifers. As Richards led Planned Parenthood through unprecedented political shifts and turmoil since 2006, the organization remained shorthand for pro-life leaders to refer to efforts to defend abortion in America. Planned Parenthood now performs more than a third of all abortions in the United States and continued to be its biggest defender in the legislature and the courts, National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) concluded in its annual report, released last week. They attribute its continued strength, in part, to Richards leadership and strategy. Richards, frankly, has been a brilliant leader. She has navigated scandals and addressed deep problems expertly and deftlysomehow leading Planned Parenthood out of serious trouble time and time again, said Charles Camosy, Fordham University ethics professor and author of Beyond the Abortion Wars. Her stepping down is a huge loss for them, as whoever comes next cannot possibly be as skilled as she was at keeping this organization from the scrutiny and justice it deserves. Most significantly, Richards defended Planned Parenthood amid the release of undercover videos from the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), which purported to show the organizations involvement in illegally selling fetal remains. Last month, the Justice Department began looking into a congressional review of the videos, in what may be the groundwork for a coming investigation. Richards was the most devoted practitioner of Planned Parenthoods out of sight, out of mind mantra to cover up their barbaric abortion business from the public, stated CMP. Richardss departure shows that the old strategy is no longer working as Planned Parenthood faces federal criminal investigation. Camosy said Richards absolutely gave momentum to the pro-life opposition and wondered whether she decided to abandon a sinking ship in light of the Justice Department inquiry. Planned Parenthood has also faced ongoing efforts by some states to limit the government funding the abortion provider receives through Title X and Medicaid, as well as state laws restricting abortion. But Richards has used the political climateculminating with the election of President Donald Trumpto draw in supporters. Richards told NPR the current momentum around womens rights and abortion rights makes it a good time for her to move on. Regardless of who serves as its figurehead, Planned Parenthood is now firmly situated within the pro-life imagination for what it is: the nation's largest abortion sales company and trafficker of fetal parts, Prior said. Planned Parenthood has probably never been more powerfuland that means it has also never been more vulnerable to both external pressures and internal ones such as a change in leadership. The recent NRLC report details how Planned Parenthood has grown stronger and bolder than ever before. Increasing its revenue to a record of almost $1.5 billion, the abortion providers marketing leans into its opposition to Trump and identifying with the popular Womens March, the pro-life group noted. The Times reported that Planned Parenthood volunteers and supporters have jumped from 2.5 million to 11 million just since the 2016 election. Cecile Richards leadership at Planned Parenthood was unique because of the high profile, media-savvy nature of her presence. Her presidency coincided with a turn in the abortion rights movement toward a much more aggressive stance toward dissidence, said Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. For many years, the abortion industry had operated in a cultural eco-system that saw abortion as regrettable even by many who wanted it legal. The abortion industry of course did not share that characterization but was unwilling, at least for many years, to launch any overt measures to counter such a sentiment, he said. Sadly, during the tenure of Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry as a whole, have brazenly attempted to do just thatconvince the public that abortion is to be considered a positive good. Short-term, public opinion may be swayed that direction. Long-term, the human conscience will not. Despite a nationwide drop in abortions, Planned Parenthoods rates remain steady as it gains market share; meanwhile, the number of patients seen annually has dropped from 3 million to 2.4 million since 2008, due to fewer women coming in for other services, according to the NRLC report, which is based on numbers from Planned Parenthood, the affiliated Guttmacher Institute, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Even without the kind of success Planned Parenthood experienced under Richards, some pro-life leaders said their movements oppositionwhich now enjoys a broader coalition of religious voices and a wave of enthusiasm from millennialswould be just as fierce. Honestly, Im not sure Cecile affects the pro-life movement at all, said Abby Johnson, the former Planned Parenthood director turned activist. Her organization, And Then There Were None, has reportedly encouraged over 400 clinic workers to leave the industry. We arent opposed to Planned Parenthood because of whos at the helm. We are opposed because they take the lives of over 300,000 innocent human beings every year, she said. I would hope that fact alone would keep urgency burning in the hearts of all those who call themselves pro-life. The US Senate yesterday voted down a bill backed by pro-life Republicans that would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The decision comes a little over a week after the House, which had already passed its version of the 20-week ban last year, passed a bill to ensure medical care for babies born alive during abortion procedures. During last years 500th anniversary of the Reformation, many groups examined or asked: Is it over? The loudest no has come from the conservative Protestants closest to Rome. Last month, the national evangelical alliances of Italy, Spain, and Maltaall members of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA)wrote an 8-page open letter charging their parent organization with moving away from its historic position of holding the line against Catholic and liberal Protestant theology. In recent years we have sensed that the leadership of WEA has moved away from the outlined historic position of the Alliance on unity by endorsing a more ecumenical attitude, the three alliances stated in December. Unity has become a blurred term to refer to any relationship even beyond the principles that have always characterized evangelicals. Leaders have become less cautious in talking about unity with the Catholic Church as such and have tended to bypass the historic boundaries. The alliances stated the result has been undiscerning, wrong-headed, and emotionally-driven statements on Popes and ecumenical activities that have caused embarrassment in our constituencies. In fact, the national evangelical alliances of Italy, Spain, France, and Poland threw up a red flag to the WEA as early as October 2013, several months after Pope Francis election excited many evangelicals worldwide. We are concerned with some totally uncritical assessments that we are reading and that are coming from some provinces of the evangelical world, the three alliances stated (excerpted in the December 2017 open letter). Francis uses language like personal relationship with Christ, conversion, and mission, but there is no hint that he wants to change any dogma that is contrary to Scripture. The next year, after WEA leaders met with Pope Francis, the Italian Evangelical Alliance stated that there were insurmountable doctrinal obstacles with the Catholic church, and asked the WEA for a clarification on the inside line to take against Roman Catholicism. WEA global ambassador Brian Stiller explained at the time: In places where evangelicals are marginalized, having this official connection allows us to raise issues and ask for responses we would never otherwise get. But Italian evangelicals remained wary, and warned American evangelicals to do the same. Church leaders representing a near totality of evangelicals who have a conservative Protestant theology and a strong evangelistic commitment signed a statement in July 2014 pointing out doctrinal differences between evangelicals and Catholics. Evangelical leaders in Spain have also been apprehensive. Last fall, the Spanish Evangelical Alliance distanced itself from a joint document between the WEA and the Vatican meant for promoting Christian unity. Though the alliances can work with the Catholic Church on social matters like abortion or persecution, and though the two share some common theological ground, the Spanish alliance stated it cannot ignore the fact that the Roman Catholic Church continues to maintain fundamental doctrines that are not found in Scriptures. The growing closeness of the WEA and the Catholic Churchemphasized by a joint Reformation commemoration in 2016 that Thomas Shirrmacher, chairman of the European Evangelical Alliances theological commission, called a sort of peace treaty between Catholics and Lutheranshas caused growing concern, the Spanish alliance stated. Last May, the top leaders of the WEA, the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Pentecostal World Fellowship, and the Vatican met for two days to meet and build up each other in Christian unity. Four months later, the four groups met again to work on a common statement against proselytizing each others members. It seems, therefore, that WEA is about to sign a statement with the WCC and the Roman Catholic Church on unity, even on great oneness! the December letter from the three European alliances stated. We are puzzled by what is happening. We see a radical shift taking place. We therefore plead with you to stop the process, the alliances wrote [emphasis theirs]. Doing so will cause immense damage in the evangelical constituency worldwide. The WEA responded to these concerns over its alleged ecumenical agenda with its own open letter this month. These are serious charges, but they bear no resemblance to what the WEA is actually doing, the WEA stated. The alliances apparently conflated the two reports from two different meetings and drew the conclusion that the WEA was planning to sign a common statement on unity with the WCC and the Vatican [emphasis theirs]. But the WEA got the point. We recognize that beneath this specific misunderstanding lies a deep-seated, ongoing concern about the WEAs intra-faith relations and particularly its relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, the WEA stated. The EAs (Evangelical Alliances) responsible for the open letter fear that too close a rapprochement and collaboration with the Catholic Church could undermine our ability to articulate the historic evangelical faith in an uncompromised way. The WEA clarified that it is not looking for ecclesial or sacramental unity with the Catholic Church. Its letter continued: We recognize that evangelical-Catholic relations are a highly sensitive issue for evangelicals in many parts of the world, especially those with majority Catholic populations. We know that our evangelical brothers and sisters in Italy, Spain, Malta, and elsewhere have had difficult and at times painful experiences in their interactions with the [Catholic Church]. These realities are not overlooked in our ongoing discussions with the Vatican. Meanwhile, Schirrmacherthe WEAs Associate Secretary General for Theological Concernsexplained on his blog that the WEA is pursuing collaboration without compromise, stating that the disagreements highlight three crucial issues about public Christian witness and collaboration in a pluralistic world that deserve, we believe, careful attention: It is possibleindeed necessaryto interact in respectful fashion and to collaborate where appropriate with Roman Catholics and people of other faiths without changing or softening our theological convictions. We have different perceptions of both the Roman Catholic Church and the needs of the global evangelical mission movement from those of some of our critics. Many top Roman Catholic leaders are our allies on many theological topics (including justification by faith) and most social and ethical problems, even while many Roman Catholics are moving farther from our understanding of biblical truth on other theological topics. Our theology has not changed as a result of talking with Catholic, Orthodox, or Coptic leaders, stated Schirrmacher alongside cowriter Thomas Johnson. If anything has changed, it is that we have intensified our commitment to a principle that both of us learned from Francis Schaeffer, which Schaeffer learned from John 13:35. The unbelieving world may legitimately demand that we display visible love for other Christians as a proof of our discipleship. From our point of view, they later wrote, the greatest threats to New Testament teaching on justification and salvation by grace and faith within the evangelical movement are not coming from the Catholic Church but result from intra-Protestant or intra-evangelical problems. Overall, the WEA promised to do a better job of communicating with our constituency about our activities and to provide more extensive detail on the scope and substance of our work with the Vatican and in intra-faith and inter-faith relations generally. Secretary general Efraim Tendero met with the Italian and Spanish alliances in December and, after extensive followup correspondence, the WEA noted that although we have not resolved our disagreements, we have achieved greater understanding through this interaction. CT previously reported how Pope Francis apologized to the first evangelicals for past Catholic persecution, though a prior apology for persecution of Pentecostals still left Italian evangelicals wary. But in the United States, LifeWay Research found the Francis effect has improved opinions of Catholics among Protestant pastors, while the American Bible Society found that Catholics were reading their Bibles more like evangelicals. CT explored why evangelicals love Pope Francis in a 2014 cover story, Chris Castaldo examined how piety was trumping doctrine, and Timothy George explained why evangelicals can enthusiastically join arms with the Catholic leader. Evangelist Luis Palau explained to CT why it matters that Pope Francis drank mate with evangelicals before his election, while other Argentine evangelicals told CT the new pope was an answer to prayer. CT also compiled its Top 10 articles on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. My three kids attend a public school we love. Its year-round calendar is a working parents dream. Our oldest is hooked by coding club. Mrs. Brown wows my middle child twice a week when she pulls out the paint and sing-along songs in the arts room. Preschoolers from a range of income levels and backgrounds hang up their coats every morning with my youngest. We selected this school by applying for open slots through the areas Schools of Choice program. We chose it over the elementary school a five-minute walk away from our front door. We chose it over magnet schools in our resident school district. And we chose to drive our kids to their school in the suburbs every day. School choice is a generic term for a range of options, from open-enrollment or voucher programs to charter schools, virtual schools, magnet schools, or some hybrid of these. School choice season has already begun around the country. Already, Im seeing Facebook ads for schools as well as billboards, postcards, and open house invitations. Its in the news, too. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has advocated for choice for decades especially in our home state of Michiganand now choice advocates have won a victory with the tax bill. A provision allows parents to use a 529 savings account to pay for private K12 schools, tax-free. School choice promises to deliver freedom and opportunity. DeVoss goal, as stated on her website, is to see families being released from their zip codes. Our family is one of those. And yet: School choice has not given our family freedom. Every few months my husband and I wonder: Did we give Lansing public schools a fair try before we applied for the suburban district? Did we choose our children over our neighborhoods children? Andheres the bigger questionare we as Christians to be released from our zip codes? Two years ago, school choice seemed like the perfect compromisea way to buy the house we wanted (and could afford) in Lansing while putting our kids in schools that had the components we felt were important to their education (technology, art, music, phys ed). At the time of the decision, we were renting a house in the country and homeschooling our kids. As our eldest neared second grade, we felt a call to put homeschooling down. We were compelled for several reasons: First, Jesus, who left his living room to be with people who werent like him. Living closer to our friends in the city was another. Finally, we took interest in new monasticism, the movement of Christians (Shane Claiborne, D. L. Mayfield, and others) who live in community to practice discipleship and share life with the poor. Meanwhile, our faith community, Sycamore Creek Church, was also looking to root itself deeper in community when the church bought a building in a south Lansing neighborhood. My husbands and my imaginations sparked: What if we only looked at houses nearby? What if the churchs neighbors were ours? We made the move to a Cape Codstyle home in the city and are now living a life that reflects the interdependence of new monasticism: We talk with neighbors over chain-linked fences. We mow for a neighbor. Another preschooler visits when his mom has to run errands. But moving into town also came with thorny questions. Because we chose to live in the city, did that mean we had to choose the citys schools? And if we were committing to values of new monasticismlike sharing life with the poorand if we felt God was pushing us to love our actual neighbors, did that mean that our kids should be in class with our neighbors kids? For now, my daughters are 3 of about 3,000 Lansing kids who have the privilege to learn elsewhere. Of course, the 3,000 students divert about $23 million in per-pupil grants from Lansing to our chosen districts. These students leave in their wake a district with fewer resources and more segregated buildings. And yet, My children dont deserve better than other peoples children, says my colleague Margot Starbuck. Article continues below New monastic voices speak from the same place. Author and blogger D. L. Mayfield has written about her daughters experience in their neighborhood school. Two other friends of mine have also chosen local public schools for their kids because they believe that following Jesus means not insulating ourselves and our children from poorly performing schools. Together, their voices form a rip tide of conviction. And yet even as we feel ourselves carried away by their voices, my feet are searching for nuance. In tension with these voices are more pragmatic questions. For instance, my husband and I have reservations about a district where most students arent passing math and reading. We know that test scores tell only a tiny tale about a school, but those numbers speak loudly when combined with budget cuts that eliminate programs like art and gym. What would enrolling our children in the struggling district say about our hopes for all children? Is there a better way to advocate for families? For struggling districts? For teachers? Even though were two years into the experiment, my husband and I continue to struggle with these questions and concerns. Our kids arent trapped in a district with low graduation rates, but on the other hand, sometimes we feel trapped by ideals we arent keeping as parents. By now, its apparent that school choice hasnt enabled our freedom. And yet, heres where Christs faithfulness meets us. Christ alone brings us freedom. Not our kids educations. Not where we live. Christ alone. And because Christ gave us the example of a life incarnate, feet on the ground in a specific place, that means, even when our lives dont overlap in common spaces like schools, were still called to love our neighbors as ourselves. Were still called to be attentive to the real people and children who are left in the schools we didnt choose. Were still called to fight the systemic injustice in American education. No, were not free. We are still accountable to the schools we leave behind. Whether my husband and I transfer our kids to Lansing schools or they graduate from the suburban high school years from now, on one point were clear: We live in 48910, and thats where we need to direct our energy, volunteer hours, box tops, our voices, our votes, our advocacy. However, this doesnt come naturally. If were investing our treasureour kidsin a place we dont live, Jesus predicts our hearts are likely to follow (Matt. 6:21). This is why our churchs presence is crucial. Sycamore Creek reminds us that their neighbors and ours are the same. Our church can be the neighbors we cant be on our own. Together, we can paint a school that hasnt seen paint since our parents were in school. Together, we can volunteer and donate cash at the spaghetti dinner, then sit at a table and talk to students and families. Together, we can source donations when the schools social worker tells us the kids need hats and gloves. In addition to forming relationships with our neighbors, the church is where we experience tough truths. Our hometown wont let us forget that we didnt choose its public schools. We read a billboard for Lansing Public Schools kindergarten round-up on the way home from church. We pass Lansing buses each afternoon. Instead of turning those reminders into personal guilt, were trying to fold them into our process of continual discernment. We need people in our church community praying with us and holding us accountable for forming relationships right where were at. Article continues below Without the churchs example, wed quickly become an illustration of Augustines definition of sin: Wed curve ourselves around this narrative of our family, our kids, our choices. The church must compel us to curve outwardto open up ourselves to Gods leading and all the love and loss that comes from relationships with those around us. This flexibility doesnt come naturally or easily. But without it, well always struggle to understand how living in this place, near our church, is a dare to [our] faith and a testing ground in loving our neighbor. Erin F. Wasinger is the co-author of The Year of Small Things: Radical Faith for the Rest of Us(with Sarah Arthur; Brazos 2017). She writes at erinwasinger.com. After Losing Everything What do You Gain Through Christ? Author testifies how turning to Christ provides more spiritual treasure than earthly riches Contact: AnnaMarie Cantrell, 864-504-5616, Anna@CaptiveInkMedia.com GREENVILLE, S.C., Jan. 30, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- Dr. Matthew Chavis was reveling in success and enjoying the good life until evil sent his affluent world crashing down. Sin disguised as contemporary norms lured him down a harrowing descent into empty darkness, nearly destroying him physically by substance abuse, disintegrating his marriage and devastating his million-dollar practice. Only through God's love, mercy, and grace was Chavis able to vanquish his demons and find peace with the Lord and himself. He now chronicles his transformation in the novel OLD HIGHWAY 316 released by Christian publisher Westbow Press. "My spiritual restoration had been a long time coming," said Chavis, "But I have gained so much since turning my life over the Christ." The response to OLD HIGHWAY 316 has been "amazing" according to Chavis. "It is a constant reminder of God's unending mercy and grace," he said. More than worldly success, Chavis' life is now blessed with a resurgent practice and recapture of love and family. OLD HIGHWAY 316 follows the story of Thomas, a small-town boy with big dreams, as he discovers a variety of obstacles and triumphs in life. Beginning in the quiet town of Lumberton, North Carolina, Thomas finds a life-long friend, achieves massive professional success, and marries his soulmate. Life seems beyond perfect after settling down in nearby Monroe. Rock bottom seems to be the only place that will force Thomas to his knees and to look upward beyond the false pleasantries of life and into the eyes of God. While the story mimics Chavis' life, it astonishingly was brought to him in a dream. "The epiphany that God's grace afforded me was so great, I felt the need to share my experience with others," said Chavis. "And what better way than a compelling story with many twists and turns." Dr. Chavis is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. In addition to running his own chiropractic office, he is an active member of his community and church. Known for his creativity, he directs any praise offered him to God, as the Author of his gifts. Dr. Chavis can be found enjoying his four amazing sons and taking in the beauty of North Carolina, which he calls home. Share Tweet home US Alabama House panel approves bill eliminating need for marriage licenses An Alabama House panel in has approved a bill that would eliminate the requirement for a marriage license and wedding ceremonies in Alabama. The legislation, which already passed the Senate, was approved by the Alabama House Judiciary Committee by a 9a5 vote sending it to the House. The new measure would create a new process that would allow couples to submit a form that would serve as their official marriage document to probate judges. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Range), said that the proposal became necessary following the 2015 Supreme Court ruling Obergefell v. Hodges. "We have to bring a bill because of the decision. I can't change the decision. That decision is the law of the land. The only thing I can do is try to make it easier and try to find some kind of middle ground that we in Alabama can live under that law," he said, as reported by The Christian Post. Following the high court ruling, some Alabama probate judges have decided to stop issuing marriage license altogether due to their objection to same-sex marriage. Albritton, who had proposed similar bills several times since the 2015 Supreme Court decision, said that the new process would take away any discretion from probate judges and would ensure that couples can get married in every county. He stressed that eliminating the requirement for a ceremony would leave the state with only a role in the civil aspect of marriage, not the religious aspect. "This bill separates that out and allows the two separate things to be handled but it provides and protects everyone so that they can get married when and where they choose," he explained. Under current laws, probate judges are not required to issue marriage licenses, which protected the freedom of conscience for judges who hold views that do not align with the Supreme Court ruling. Washington County Probate Judge Nick Williams, who was one of the probate judges that stopped issuing license since Obergefell v. Hodges, said that he will abide by the requirements when the bill becomes law, noting that there is a difference between recording a document and adding his signature to it. Democrat State Rep. Patricia Todd said that she supports the bill because she agrees that the state should not have the authority to decide who can marry, adding that the law should have been changed years ago. Rep. Merika Coleman (D-Birmingham), however, expressed concern that spouses seeking to qualify for Social Security or military benefits could encounter problems when regulations require a marriage license to verify their eligibility. Rep. Paul Beckman (R-Prattville), who was tasked to handle the bill at the House, said he believes that the new process would address those concerns. Beckman, who is running for probate judge in Autauga County, said that he would not issue a marriage license if he were probate judge now under current law out of respect for what he says are the beliefs of most people in the county. He expressed his belief that the best solution is to get probate judges out of the business of issuing licenses and requiring ceremonies. home US Atheist group sues Ben Carson's agency for dodging record requests on White House Bible study A Wisconsin-based atheist group is suing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), led by Ben Carson, for allegedly refusing to release records relating to a White House Bible study. The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has collaborated with the government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) in its lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Columbia. The suit claims that HUD is systematically denying fee waivers on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests "where disclosure of the requested documents is likely to cast the agency or HUD Secretary Ben Carson in a negative light." Citing reports that the Trump administration holds weekly Bible study sessions at the White House, the FFRF has requested records to determine whether government resources are used in the sessions and whether staffers feel coerced into organizing or participating in the event. The group claimed that HUD denied fee waiver when the group requested the documents in August 2017 because the records were allegedly not in the public interest. The FFRF filed an appeal and HUD reportedly refused the waiver, arguing that the records requested by the atheist organization did not relate to the department's operations or activities. "We're still waiting on records from all the various departments involved in this bible study, but HUD has been particularly secretive and obstinate," Andrew L. Seidel, FFRF's director of strategic response, said, as reported by Wisconsin Gazette. According to a news release from FFRF, the list of the attendees of the Bible study sessions include Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and Energy Secretary Rick Perry. The Bible studies were reportedly co-sponsored by Vice President Mike Pence and led by Ralph Drollinger of Capitol Ministries, which aims to spread the Gospel at the seats of power. Washington Times reported that Drollinger has established similar Bible study groups in the U.S. House and Senate, 40 state capitals and 24 foreign countries. "If those officials want privacy, the solution is pretty damn simple: Study the Bible in your private capacity, not in your official capacity and at your government desk. Do it on your time, not the taxpayers'. In short, get off your knees and get to work," the FFRF said in a statement on Thursday. Drollinger pointed out on Facebook that the copies of the weekly Bible studies are available at the ministry's official website. "There's nothing secret to this a and all related Bible study expenses are paid by Capitol Ministries, a 501(c)3 organization," he wrote. The FFRF also requested records on Carson's daily schedule and appearance at an event at the new Museum of the Bible, but HUD reportedly refused the waiver the day after the FOIA request and denied the group's appeal. HUD also reportedly rejected CREW's request for a fee waiver and records relating to the role Carson's son and wife play in the department, where they were said to be "omnipresent" fixtures. CREW's request for waivers relating to Carson's use of private planes to travel was also denied. home US Barna poll: Gen Z is the most 'post-Christian' generation in US history Americans born between 1999 and 2015, also known as Generation Z, are the least religious generation in the country's history, with many of them increasingly identifying as agnostic, atheist or not religiously unaffiliated. A new survey conducted by the Barna Group has found that 35 percent of Generation Z teenagers claim to be atheist agnostic or unaffiliated with any religion compared to 30 percent of millennials, 30 percent of Generation X and 26 percent of Baby Boomers. The Barna Group describes Generation Z as the first truly "post-Christian" generation, noting that many of them are not asserting a religious identity, more than any other generation before them. The findings of the study revealed that twice as many Generation Z teenagers identify themselves as atheists, compared to the general population (13 percent against six percent of all adults). Only 59 percent of Generation Z teenagers considered themselves Christian or Catholic, while 65 percent of millennials and Generation X, and 75 percent of Baby Boomers identified as some form of Christian. The study noted that the percentage of people who hold a biblical worldview drops in each successively younger generation. While nearly six in 10 of Generation Z teens identified as Christian, Barna found that only four percent held a "biblical worldview." By comparison, 10 percent of Baby Boomers, seven percent of Generation X and six percent of millennials have a biblical worldview. Only 85 percent of Americans belonging to Generation Z believed that Jesus Christ was "a real person who was crucified by Rome and was actually physically raised from the dead." The findings also indicated that Generation Z teens are more likely to see science and the Bible as incompatible, compared to previous generations. Only 28 percent of Generation Z teens believed that science and the Bible are complementary, while 45 percent of Boomers and 36 percent of Generation X respondents said the same. Other findings revealed that Generation Z nonbelievers appear to be less likely than other non-Christian adults to cite Christians' hypocrisy as a barrier to belief. Twenty-three percent of Generation Z nonbelievers listed Christian hypocrisy as a barrier, while 31 percent of millennials and 25 percent of Boomers said the same. "[Y]oung Christians are struggling as much as we have seen it in the 20-plus years I have been at Barna and in the 35-plus years of our company to understand how to live out their faith in an increasingly skeptical culture," Barna President David Kinnaman remarked during survey's rollout event at Grace Midtown Church in Atlanta. "I think about what we might do to use discernment and I am asking you how it is in your church and your context, in your ministry could help kids [today] have a more robust experience of what it means to be Christian. We need to be thinking theologically. We need to challenge them. They are ready to be challenged more than the church is willing to challenge them," he added. home US Cecile Richards expresses plans to step down as Planned Parenthood president Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards has reportedly expressed plans to resign from her post after overseeing the organization's operations for over a decade. The abortion giant has yet to confirm the news, but an unnamed source had told Buzzfeed that Richards had informed some members of Planned Parenthood's directors about her plans to step down. "Cecile plans to discuss 2018 and the next steps for Planned Parenthood's future at the upcoming board meeting," a Planned Parenthood official said in a statement on Wednesday. During her tenure, Richards had expanded Planned Parenthood's political advocacy and raised the organization's profile through celebrity-oriented campaigns and increased political participation. However, she had to grapple with several scandals, including sex abuse cover-ups and the organization's alleged involvement in aborted baby body parts trafficking. Undercover videos released by the Center for Medical Progress in 2015 purportedly revealed how Planned Parenthood officials admitted that they are breaking federal law by selling aborted baby body parts for profit. Richards had claimed that the videos were deceptively edited, but forensic analysis found that there was "no evidence of manipulation." The first study, conducted by Fusion GPS and commissioned by Planned Parenthood itself, has reportedly concluded that "the audio was not tampered with." A second study, commissioned by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and completed by Coalfire Systems, Inc., found that "all edits were 'non-pertinent.'" The videos had prompted several congressional investigations, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently launched its own probe on the abortion giant over the trafficking of fetal tissue. David Daleiden of CMP said that he believes Richards' decision to resign is a major retreat for the organization, especially at a time when it is being investigated by the DOJ. "After CMP's revealing undercover videos of Planned Parenthood's top abortion doctors and the damning findings of multiple Congressional probes, Richards' departure shows that the old strategy is no longer working as Planned Parenthood faces federal criminal investigation for selling aborted baby hearts, lungs, livers, and brains," he said. "Planned Parenthood's new leadership should commit to full transparency with the Department of Justice and with the public, and to ending this taxpayer-funded criminal abortion enterprise once and for all," he added. The organization's latest report indicated that it has performed 321,384 abortions and received $543.7 million in taxpayer money during the 2016-2017 fiscal year. Before joining Planned Parenthood, Richards had served as deputy chief of staff for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. She had also served as the president of America Votes, a coalition of national Democratic Party-affiliated organizations, and is currently on the board of the Ford Foundation. home World Church of England bishops reject proposal for service celebrating gender transition The Church of England bishops blocked a proposal to create a new service to celebrate an individual's gender transition and suggested that the occasion should be marked instead with the existing baptism rite. According to Premier, Rev. Christopher Newlands from the Diocese of Blackburn had introduced a motion that aims to create specific gender transition church services. He contended that the motion was "a wonderful opportunity to create a liturgy which speaks powerfully to the particularities of trans people, and make a significant contribution to their well-being and support." The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, was one of the senior church officials who tried to convince members of the General Synod to vote for a motion asking the bishops to consider new liturgies designed specifically to welcome transgender individuals under their new name. The idea, however, was rejected by the House of Bishops during a private meeting at Lambeth Palace last month, arguing that current liturgy used when someone decides to affirm their baptism could be adapted to mark a person's gender transition. The Bishop of Norwich, Graham James, explained that while the Church welcomed transgender individuals, clergy could simply adapt services used to affirm baptism or write unofficial versions. "Clergy always have the discretion to compose and say prayers with people as they see fit," he said. One senior member of the Synod lamented the decision saying: "I am surprised that they have decided that new liturgies weren't necessary given the force of the arguments and the feeling of Synod. You need to be able to respond to people's life events. We do with birth and marriage and death. When you claim a new identity, that seems to me to be as powerful." The Rev. Christina Beardsley, a transgender woman and a chaplain who attended the Synod debate, also expressed disappointment with the decision, saying many Christians will be hurt by the decision. She said that the rejection of the motion showed that the bishops "don't seem to be engaging with transgender people." She further noted that the transgender group, the Sibyls, have prepared prayers that can be used in transgender services including a version of the Lord's prayer that begins, "Heavenly Father, heavenly Mother, Holy and blessed is your true name." Beardsley also expressed concern about a fringe event that will he held at the Synod next month organized by conservative campaigners who say that people should accept their God-given genders. Last July, the Synod officially approved a motion that welcomed and affirmed transgender people to the church. Premier noted that the Church is also developing a new guidance on how the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith service will be used to mark a transgender people's transition. The bishops are also reportedly working on a new "teaching document" aimed at resolving the long-standing debate on same-sex marriage, but it will not be ready before 2020. home US Florida lawmakers advance bill requiring public schools to post 'In God we trust' A Florida House subcommittee has approved a bill that would require public schools to post the state's motto, "In God We Trust," in a "conspicuous place." The bill's primary sponsor, Rep. Kimberly Daniels, said that the new measure will serve as a lesson to children about the national and state motto that's printed on currency and included in the state flag. "The motto is inscribed on the wall of this great Capitol. It should be displayed so that our children will be exposed and educated on this great motto which is a part of this country's foundation," she said. Both Democrats and Republicans praised the idea and the bill was unanimously approved by The House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. Daniels, a Democrat and a minister affiliated with churches in Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale, noted that the phrase "In God We Trust" first appeared on a two-cent piece in 1864 and has been on paper currency since 1957. The phrase first appeared in the state flag in 1868, and it was adopted by lawmakers as the state motto in 2006. Democratic Rep. Larry Lee said that the bill is a great idea at a time when many young people no longer go to church. "We're taking God out of everything," he said. Maggie Garrett, legislative director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, expressed disapproval for the measure, saying such a stance would be in conflict with court rulings barring schools from promoting religion. "Not all kids in Florida public schools believe in God," she said, adding that students should not feel pressured while in school. Monroe County parent Sue Woltanski of the group Common Ground contended that the bill was unnecessary because a state statute already requires schools to display the state flag, which includes the motto. "That current statute satisfies the requirement to display our state motto, which is, of course, on our state flag," Woltanski said, according to Religion News Service. "Common Ground is opposed to bills that fail to address real issues in education and waste taxpayer dollars and time," she added. Daniels, who spearheaded the "religious expression in public schools" legislation last year, said that she did not think that the costs of her new proposal would be significant. She contended that the importance of teaching children about the state's history will "far much outweigh whatever small cost that there may be." The bill is now headed to the House Education Committee, while an identical Senate version has yet to be heard. home US Former gymnast who broke Olympic sex abuse case shares Gospel with abuser in court Rachael Denhollander, a former gymnast who was sexually abused by an ex-US Olympics gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar when she was 15, shared the Gospel to her abuser when she delivered her victim impact statement in court on Wednesday. Nassar, who was accused of sexually molesting more than 150 girls and women over the past two decades, has been sentenced to 175 years and pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual assault. During the hearing, Denhollander, the first woman to publicly accuse Nassar of sexual assault, chastised Nassar for his actions citing the Bible and spoke to him about forgiveness and repentance. The former gymnast noted that she had observed that Nassar had previously brought the Bible into the courtroom and spoke of praying for forgiveness. "If you have read the Bible you carry, you know the definition of sacrificial love portrayed is of God Himself loving so sacrificially that He gave up everything to pay a penalty for the sin He did not commit. By His grace, I, too, choose to love this way," she said, as reported by The Christian Post. She told her abuser that he would not earn Jesus' forgiveness by doing good things, but only by "repentance which requires facing and acknowledging the truth about what you have done in all of its utter depravity and horror without mitigation." Denhollander warned Nassar that the Bible talks about a "final judgment where all of God's wrath and eternal terror is poured out on men like you," but she went on to say that there is still hope for him despite his crimes. "And that is what makes the gospel of Christ so sweet. Because it extends grace and hope and mercy where none should be found. And it will be there for you," she said. She said that she prayed that Nassar would feel the "soul crushing weight of guilt" so that he may repent someday and receive forgiveness from God. She noted that she had already forgiven him, but she asked the court to hand down a sentence that would show the victims that they deserve "the greatest protection the law can offer." Denhollander has said that she was abused by Nassar at his Michigan State University clinic when she was just 15-years-old. The former gymnast, now 32, has since been married and is now working as an attorney. During the sentencing hearing, over 150 women who stated they were abused by Nassar came to present their testimony. Nassar reportedly dabbed at his eyes during some of the statements over the seven-day hearing, and other times, he sat emotionless. Among Nassar's other victims were Olympic champions Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas and U.S. Olympics gymnast Aly Raisman, who also testified against the doctor in court. The president of Michigan State University, Lou Anna Simon, reportedly resigned within hours of Nassar's sentencing. People in East Lansing and throughout the state of Michigan called on her to resign saying the university had failed to properly look into sexual abuse allegations against Nassar over the years. Judge Rosemarie Aquilina also chastised Nassar when she handed down the sentence of 40 to 175 years in prison. "I just signed your death warrant," she said, after hearing the testimonies of 150 women. home US Hillary Clinton reportedly refused to fire faith adviser accused of sexual harassment in 2008 Hillary Clinton had reportedly refused to fire a senior adviser who was accused of sexual harassment during her 2008 presidential campaign. According to The New York Times, the faith adviser, Burns Strider, was accused of harassing a 30-year-old subordinate who was sharing an office with him. The woman alleged that Strider had sent her suggestive emails, rubbed her shoulders inappropriately and kissed her on the forehead. Clinton was reportedly advised by her campaign manager to fire Strider, but the campaign only docked several weeks of pay and ordered him to undergo counseling, while the young woman was transferred to another job. Five years later, Strider was hired to lead an independent group that supported Clinton's candidacy. However, he was fired after several months over workplace issues, including an allegation that he harassed another woman. Clinton did not address why she ignored her advisers' recommendations to fire Strider but she issued a statement, claiming the victim's concerns were taken seriously. "A story appeared today about something that happened in 2008. I was dismayed when it occurred, but was heartened the young woman came forward, was heard, and had her concerns taken seriously and addressed," she said in a tweet. "I called her today to tell her how proud I am of her and to make sure she knows what all women should: we deserve to be heard," she said in another tweet. A statement from Utrecht, Kleinfeld, Fiori, Partners a the law firm that had represented the campaign in 2008 a claimed that the woman's complaint was handled in accordance with the campaign's policies. "To ensure a safe working environment, the campaign had a process to address complaints of misconduct or harassment. When matters arose, they were reviewed in accordance with these policies, and appropriate action was taken. This complaint was no exception," the statement said. Officials familiar with the matter said the woman's complaint was forwarded to the Clinton campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, who approached Clinton and urged her to fire Strider, who was married at the time. Clinton said that she did not want to, and allowed him to remain on her staff, according to campaign officials. Some of Clinton's senior campaign officials were reportedly troubled that she allowed Strider to remain on the campaign. Doyle was fired shortly after Clinton's third-place finish in the 2008 Iowa caucuses, and Strider never attended the mandated counseling sessions. The victim has not spoken publicly about the allegations against Strider, and had reportedly signed a nondisclosure agreement that prevented employees from publicly discussing internal dynamics on the campaign. home World Indian Christians block road demanding investigation on death of pastor Christians have blocked a busy road in India's Tamil Nadu state on Monday, demanding an impartial investigation on the death of a pastor who was found hanging inside his home. The protesters are suspecting foul play on the death of Pastor Gideon Periyaswarny, 43, who led an independent church in Adayachery village in Kanchipuram district. The pastor was found hanging from a rope on Jan. 20 after he reportedly complained to the police of harassment from high-caste Hindus in his area. Police inspector Amal Raj said that "prima facie it appears to be a case of suicide but we are looking at all possible angles." Church members who came to clean his one-room house near the church said that his door was bolted from the outside, and when they opened it, they saw his body hanging. They further noted that the pastor's knees were bent to the floor and that his body appeared to be hanging abnormally. When the knot was released, the police reportedly found a cut under his throat with a noticeable clot. Pastor Immanuel Prabhakaran, who worked with Periyaswarny, said that the high-caste Vanniyar group had been opposing the deceased pastor's mission activities involving lower-caste people. "Not a single Sunday service in the past six months passed off peacefully without disturbance," Prabhakaran said, according to UCA News. Lawyer Gini Immanuel, who assisted Periyaswamy when he filed his complaints, said that the pastor had faced a series of problems, including the demolition of the church's roof and the disconnection of its water supply. Christians have staged a demonstration on a road in front of Chengalpattu government hospital, where Periyasamy's body is awaiting postmortem to determine the cause of death. The protesters are urging the police to arrest four suspects, including village leaders, who have been subjects of the pastor's complaints. The Christians are also demanding that a private doctor join the team of medical experts conducting the postmortem and they also want the procedure to be videotaped in the presence of a judicial magistrate. Rev. Joel Sekar of the Synod of Pentecostal Churches said that the demonstrations will not cease until arrests are made, adding that the protesters are only seeking ways to ensure a fair postmortem and guarantee an impartial investigation. Amos Paul, a friend of Periyasamy, surmised that the authorities have been reluctant to arrest the suspects for fear of a sectarian backlash. "They say if the four are arrested, 10,000 will come out on the streets and there will be communal violence," Paul said. home US Judge orders University of Iowa to temporarily reinstate expelled Christian group A federal judge has ordered the University of Iowa (UI) to temporarily reinstate a Christian group that was expelled last year for refusing to appoint an openly gay student to a leadership position. Judge Stephanie M. Rose has ordered the school to reinstate Business Leaders in Christ (BLinC) as a student organization within 90 days, arguing that the school appeared to have failed to enforce its non-discrimination policy evenly among other groups. "BLinC's motion is granted based solely upon the university's selective enforcement of an otherwise reasonable and viewpoint neutral nondiscrimination policy," the judge's order stated, according to The Gazette. The Christian group's status as a student organization was revoked after a student claimed that he was ousted because he was openly gay. BLinC, however, contended that the student was rejected because he refused to uphold the group's core ideals. BLinC, which focuses on service in the community and Bible studies, allows anyone to attend its meetings. However, the group requires its leaders to vow to uphold its statement of faith, which says they "should conduct their careers without the greed, racism, sexual immorality, and selfishness that all too often arise in business, political, and cultural institutions." UI had accused BLinC of violating the school's Human Rights Policy, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. As a de-registered group, BLinC was prevented from reserving campus rooms, setting up recruitment fairs and receiving funding from student activity fees. Rose said that the university appeared to be targeting BLinC when it decided to revoke its status as a student organization. "In light of this selective enforcement, the Court finds BLinC has established the requisite fair chance of prevailing on the merits of its claims under the Free Speech Clause," she wrote. The judge's order would allow the student group to recruit at a fair in the Iowa Memorial Union. "The court has told the University of Iowa to stop discriminating against BLinC because of its religious beliefs," said Eric Baxter, senior counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a D.C. law firm representing BLinC. "Public universities can't tell religious student groups what to believe or who to pick as their leaders," he added. The university issued a statement saying it "respects the decision of the court" and has already extended an invitation to BLinC to participate in the fair, but noted that it "will not comment on the merits of the case per its policy on pending litigation." home World Manchester council approves ban on pro-life protests outside abortion clinics The Manchester City Council has voted to ban pro-life protests outside abortion clinics, making it the second local authority in England to approve such a measure. During a meeting at the Manchester Town Hall Council on Wednesday, council members agreed to "take all necessary actions within its powers" to stop protesters from "harassing" women who visit the clinics. The motion, proposed by councilor Sarah Judge, stressed that it was not for or against abortion, but was aimed at protecting individuals seeking the procedure. It alleged that pro-life advocates use disturbing and graphic images and hand out leaflets containing "misleading" information, as well as follow, record and question women leaving the clinics. Wednesday's vote follows a similar move in Ealing, which voted to set up buffer zones around abortion facilities in west London to stop pro-life advocates from gathering outside. Authorities in both Ealing and Manchester are expected to undertake a public consultation to determine whether introducing a public space protection order (PSPO) is appropriate. Judge's motion contended that a significant number of women have reported feeling intimidated and distressed. On one occasion, protesters reportedly scattered holy water in the path of a woman entering a clinic and called her a "murderer." One clinic had reportedly told Judge that "the nature of protests over the last 12 months has become much more aggressive and militant." The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has condemned the Manchester council's decision and denied that women are being harassed at pro-life vigils. "Manchester City Council is repeating the false and evidence-free claims made by Ealing Council that 'harassment and intimidation' are taking place at peaceful pro-life vigils. There is absolutely no harassment or intimidation," SPUC director of campaigns Antonia Tully said, as reported by Premier. John Marechal, of the SPUC Manchester region, said that it was "quite wrong" to refer to the pro-life vigils as "protests." "Local people simply pray quietly and offer help to any woman approaching the abortion clinic who wants support and advice. Many children are alive today because of the help their mothers received through an encounter with a pro-life vigil," he said. "The motion before Manchester City Council is trying to stop law-abiding citizens from offering help to vulnerable women," he added. Councilor Josie Teubler suggested that the council "be incredibly careful" in drafting the motion so that it would not affect other peaceful protests. A national review regarding the protests outside abortion clinics is expected to take place following an announcement from Home Secretary Amber Rudd last year. The review, announced in November, initially sought the views only from police forces, healthcare providers and local authorities, but Rudd has since asked "interested parties" who have participated in pro-life vigils outside abortion clinics to have their say as well. According to Catholic Herald, the questionnaire for the review has been posted on the Home Office's website and the deadline for submitting the form is on Feb. 19. home US Minnesota filmmakers head to appeals court to challenge law forcing them to film same-sex weddings A Christian couple from Minnesota is asking the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate their lawsuit challenging a state law that forces them to film same-sex wedding despite their religious objections. Carl and Angel Larsen of Telescope Media Group are seeking to suspend the enforcement of a law that allows Minnesota to impose fines and jail time on them if they decline to create wedding films that are contrary to their beliefs. The couple had asked a federal court for an injunction that would block the law while their case proceeds. However, the court denied the request and dismissed the lawsuit, prompting the filmmakers to file an appeal. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) attorneys have filed an opening brief on behalf of the Larsens on Friday, arguing that the Minnesota law violates the constitutional rights of the filmmakers. The brief stated that the Larsens "serve all people," but they cannot convey all messages and they cannot "celebrate any vision of marriage other than one between one man and one woman" because of their religious beliefs. It went on to explain that the couple's beliefs require them to use their talents to "express messages that honor God" by producing wedding films and publishing them online along with a statement explaining their religious views. "But these plans are on hold because Minnesota will punish them if they post their statement or create wedding films consistent with their faith while declining to create wedding films promoting contrary views," the brief stated. In a statement released on Monday, ADF Senior Counsel Jeremy Tedesco argued that the state "shouldn't threaten artists with fines and jail simply for living in accordance with their beliefs in the artistic marketplace." According to The Global Dispatch, penalties for violating the law include payment of a civil penalty to the state, triple compensatory damages, punitive damages of up to $25,000, a criminal penalty of up to $1,000 and a jail sentence of up to 90 days. "The state doesn't have any interest whatsoever in threatening filmmakers with fines and even jail time simply because they declined to create films that violate their beliefs," Tedesco said, as reported by One News Now. The Larsens filed the lawsuit in December 2016, challenging a portion of the Minnesota Human Rights Act that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. The couple argued that the measure would force them to film same-sex weddings, but U.S. District Court Judge John Tunheim dismissed the case, arguing that the law is "neutral" in its application and does not force businesses to convey a government message. The judge acknowledged that the law "does incidentally require wedding videographers to make videos they might not want to make," but he contended that such concerns are "immaterial." He noted that "speech-for-hire is commonly understood to reflect the views of the customer," and there is "little danger" that the video's messages would be attributed to the filmmakers. Tunheim further argued that the Larsens could simply put a disclaimer on their website indicating that they are opposed to same-sex marriage. home World More than 80 Christians have been killed in Nigeria this month, watchdog group says More than 80 Christians have been killed by Fulani militants in Nigeria's Benue State since Jan. 1, less than two months after the state approved a bill aiming to prevent further violence in the region. According to International Christian Concern (ICC), most of the attacks took place in Logo and Guma counties. More than 50 were killed in Logo in just the first week of the new year, while more than 30 were killed in Guma. The attacks were said to be carried out by Fulani herdsmen, nomadic Muslims who graze their cattle across the country. Benue State had enacted an anti-open grazing bill in an attempt to prevent further violence, but ICC said that the effort has "failed thus far." Usman Ngelzerma, the secretary-general of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, asserted that the new bill is the reason for the attacks. "We don't wish for the crisis to continue but let us give it (the law) another look. We don't like the killing; we will never condone the killing of people. give the farmers their rights, but consider the pastoralists too," he said. A man identified only as Vershima shared how the armed Fulani militants ambushed him and several others after he was contacted by some people who were attempting to flee from Guma. "On our way out of Guma at about 7:00 p.m., we were ambushed by a company of armed Fulani herdsmen who opened fire on us, killing three of the people I was conveying and injuring me," said Vershima, who was shot in the chest and left for dead. Peter, a local cattle guard, suggested that he knew the assailants, saying they "were people I had interfaced with in that community." "I got up and called them by their names and tried to wrestle the machete they had out of their hands, but to no avail. I was overpowered and they began to cut me," he recounted. The Rev. Musa Asake, the General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), delivered a major address last week, expressing concern about the continued attacks on believers in Nigeria, both at the hands of the Fulani militants and terrorist groups, such as Boko Haram. He lamented that Benue has been suffering from "horrendous and inhuman attacks" since 2013. He accused the government of not doing enough to protect citizens and in some cases, even collaborating with the herdsmen. He pointed to the New Year's Day attack in Ilorin, in which the security agents reportedly refused to intervene until three churches were burned. He also mentioned an incident in January 2017, when the Nigerian Air Force bombed a Christian IDP Camp, leaving over 200 refugees dead. President Muhammadu Buhari had repeatedly stated that he is taking the Fulani attacks very seriously, and that his government is doing all it can to bring them under control. CAN, however, accused the president of failing to run Nigeria with Democratic values, and said that the Fulani herdsmen have enjoyed "unprecedented protection and favoritism" under Buhari's administration to the extent that the militants treat Nigeria as "conquered territory." home US Pence breaks tie to confirm Sam Brownback as International Religious Freedom ambassador Vice President Mike Pence raced to the Capitol to break a Senate vote tie on Wednesday to finally confirm the appointment of Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback as the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. According to CBN News, Pence broke a 49a49 deadlock to end the debate and proceed to a final vote on Brownback's confirmation, which has been delayed for nearly half a year. The vote was in jeopardy because Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was on medical leave, while Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) was in Davos, Switzerland. Brownback was nominated back in July, but the Senate failed to vote on his confirmation before the end of the year, forcing President Donald Trump to re-nominate him in January. Many Democrats objected to his confirmation, citing concerns over his stance toward the LGBT community and and alleging that he does not support women's religious rights. A senate top aide said that Republicans initially believed that at least 15 Democrats supported the nomination, but Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) had reportedly encouraged his fellow Democrats to vote against Brownback's confirmation. Brownback, the first Catholic to fill the position, will be responsible for monitoring religious persecution and discrimination on a global scale through the Office of International Religious Freedom (IRF). "Thank you to @POTUS, @VP, and all the Senators who supported my nomination. I'm looking forward to starting my new position as Ambassador and working hard for the American people and religious freedom around the world," Brownback tweeted after the vote. Brownback will be resigning as the governor of Kansas and will be succeeded by Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer. While he was still awaiting confirmation, Brownback had already handed off budget preparations to Colyer and allowed him to name a cabinet secretary. David Curry, president of advocacy group Open Doors USA, hailed Brownback's confirmation and said that his organization looks forward to partnering with the new religious freedom ambassador. "Brownback is a champion of international religious freedom," Curry said, as reported by Christianity Today. "His efforts as a senator demonstrate his relentless commitment to freedom of faith for all people around the world," he added. Maureen Ferguson, Senior Policy Advisor with The Catholic Association, described Brownback as a "passionate defender of the rights of all people to worship freely," noting that he has "courageously confronted offenses against human rights in trouble spots around the world throughout his career." Before he was elected governor, Brownback had served in the U.S. Senate between 1996 and 2011. During that time, he co-sponsored the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 and he served as the co-chair of Congressional Human Rights Caucus. home World Portuguese diocese says divorced and remarried Catholics may receive Communion The Archdiocese of Braga in Portugal has released a new guideline stating that divorced and remarried Catholics may receive Communion after undergoing a process of discernment for around six months. The guideline, titled "Guidance Document of the Family Pastoral Care," outlined how Archbishop Jorge Ortiga would implement Amoris Laetitia, an apostolic exhortation by Pope Francis about the family. A Church teaching that was reaffirmed by Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI states that Communion is only possible if an individual resolves to live in "complete continence," but the new guidelines seemed to suggest that this is not necessary. The document recommends a lengthy discernment, in which each person will meet regularly with a priest and reflect on their past actions and how they have affected family members and the community. In a press conference, Ortiga announced the Archdiocesan Office for Welcoming and Support to the Family, which aims to help priests accompany discerning couples. "This service intends to provide an integral and multidisciplinary accompaniment of the problems in the light of Christian anthropology and the truth about marriage and the family," the archbishop said, according to Church Militant. He described the new office as a "listening center" that would help families "cope with difficulties they may experience throughout their lives," using a "multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary strategy involving specialized professionals and various archdiocesan institutions already operating with families." Under a stage Ortiga calls "multidisciplinary accompaniment," couples will meet with a team of family, legal and pastoral counselors, which will consist of civil and canon lawyers, psychologists and psychiatrists, a medical doctor and three Jesuit priests "for personalized accompaniment for discernment." "After several steps and a course of a few months, it will ultimately be up to the couple to take the decision before God. The spiritual director is responsible for monitoring the process and ensure that it runs with complete normality," Ortiga stated. Ortiga contended that it is not his priests' responsibility to grant a "general authorization to access the sacraments" but to accompany people in a "process of personal discernment of the internal forum." The release of the new guideline came after five bishops signed a statement expressing their opposition to norms and guidelines that foresee the possibility of allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion. Three bishops from Kazakhstan contended that no bishop or group of bishops has the authority to approve Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics unless the couple has received an annulment or has made a sincere pledge to abstain from sexual relations. They stressed that the tradition of the church on Communion for remarried is binding because it is consistent with Jesus' teaching on marital indissolubility. home World Religious leaders urge Trudeau to drop policy denying summer jobs grants to businesses that oppose abortion Eighty-seven Canadian religious leaders have written an open letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asking him to reverse a government policy that denies summer jobs grants to businesses that oppose abortion. The Interfaith Statement, released on Thursday, calls on the government to amend the Canada Summer Jobs guidelines so that faith-based organizations that hold moral objections to abortion will be qualified for grants when they hire students to staff numerous programs, such as inner-city camps for poor children. "The promise of a free and democratic society is that there be no religious or ideological test or conditions to receiving government benefits or protection," the statement read, as reported by The Christian Post. "The changes to the Canada Summer Jobs guidelines and application not only violate the fundamental freedoms of faith-based organizations, they also significantly impact the broader communities served by their programs, often the most vulnerable in Canadian society," it continued. The Canadian government recently introduced a policy that required applicants for Canada Summer Jobs grant to attest to specific views in order to qualify. Under the policy, applicants are required to sign an attestation that they have a "core mandate" which respects "reproductive rights." The new policy came after pro-abortion groups raised objections that some grants from the $220 million jobs program went to pro-life organizations. Patricia A. Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, said that the proposal was not meant to deny religious and charitable organizations access to funding, but to ensure that the grants "should never go to pay for work that seeks to remove Canadian rights a like a woman's right to chose, or LGBTQ2 rights." During a press conference on Thursday, Hadiju said that the government has no intention of removing the attestation or changing its wording to address the concerns of the religious leaders. In an attempt to quell criticisms about the new policy, Hadiju contacted several organizations, including the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), and released a supplementary guide to define what is meant by "core mandate." She assured that applications will be accepted as long as an organization's "primary activities" do not include pro-life advocacy or discrimination against minorities, but applicants are still required to tick a box to attest general support of the government's abortion and gender policies. Dave Addison, executive director of the Toronto City Mission, said that his organization stands to lose $100,000 in grants because it cannot sign the attestation. The amount is required to pay 16 students to staff summer camps in Toronto's inner city, but the mission is already running at a deficit because it started to offer the camps for free last year as many families they serve cannot afford to pay any fee. "We love the widow, the orphan, the refugee, the poor. We ask the government to remove the attestation and allow us to do our loving work," he said. home World Syrian churches call for aid amid Turkey's bombardment of Kurdish-controlled area Churches in the Syrian city of Afrin are pleading for help from the international community amid deadly attacks carried out by Turkish forces on Kurdish-controlled areas in the war-ravaged nation. Syrian priest Rev. Saeed Daoud, whose name has been changed at his request due to fear of retribution, has asked for prayers, saying the city was "full of life" just a few of days ago, "but today is not." "The brutal attack of the Turkish military with extremist Islamic groups has been carried out, without any warning," he told Catholic News Service in an email, referring to the non-stop shelling and ground offensive in the city since Jan. 20. Turkey's military campaign in Afrin, which lies approximately 30 miles from Aleppo, began last week on grounds that Kurdish militias pose a "security" threat. A number of civilians have been killed and thousands have fled their homes as a result of the clashes between Syrian Democratic Forces and Turkish-led forces, which include allied militant factions. Fr. Emanuel Youkhana, an archimandrite of the Assyrian Church of the East, said that he was shocked by "another brutal and violent attack" on residents of Afrin, noting that the community is still hoping to move forward from the defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. "Here again, the innocent civilians are paying the price for political interests under the pretext of fighting against the terrorist," said Youkhana, who runs Christian Aid Program Northern Iraq, which provides aid to displaced Iraqis around the city of Dahuk. Hakim Ali Ismael, a senior pastor of a network of churches in Afrin and Kobane, wrote an open letter to international leaders to ask for intervention and protection against the attacks. "Many lives are in mortal danger. We are unable to protect ourselves or our families against these attacks, neither are we able to offer assistance or shelter to the innocents. Please help us," he wrote. The letter indicated that there are more than 200 Christian families living in Afrin, which is an isolated part of the Syrian federation bordering areas controlled by Islamist rebels and the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Daoud pointed out that the city only has four hospitals, which are now packed with "injured people and wounded innocent children." He further noted that there have been reports that some women have miscarried "due to shock and fear." On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis called on Turkey to use restraint in its operations in Syria, warning that it could be exploited by ISIS and Al-Qaeda and it "risks exacerbating the humanitarian crisis that most of Syria is going through." The Turkish military launched the Operation Olive Branch on Saturday in an attempt to oust the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from the region. The YPG has been a crucial part of a U.S.-backed alliance effectively battling against ISIS and other jihadists in northern Syria but it has been branded as a terrorist group by the Turkish government. home World UK Borough council admits there's 'not enough evidence' to ban pro-life vigils outside abortion clinics A London council has admitted that it does not have enough evidence of harassment outside abortion clinics to justify a ban on pro-life prayer vigils. According to Catholic Herald, Southwark Borough Council voted unanimously last November to create a "buffer zone" around the Blackfriars Medical Practice in Colombo Street, which has an abortion facility run by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS). Members of the pro-life group Abort67 have held regular vigils outside the clinic since it opened in 2014. On Tuesday, Councillor Barrie Hargrove, the cabinet member for communities, safety and leisure, delivered an update explaining that there was not enough evidence to justify banning vigils outside the clinic. "At the moment we don't have the extent of evidence ... to bring in a Public Space Protection Order," he said, noting that the most recent report of a pro-life vigil outside the facility was from January 2017. "Something really does need to be done about it," he said, claiming that he has seen videos of "unpleasant and unacceptable harassment of vulnerable people" outside the clinic. Council leader Peter John suggested that community wardens could be assigned to monitor protests outside the clinic to help the council assess the situation. Cabinet member Fiona Colley said that patients should be encouraged to fill in a form that would document their experiences of any protests they encounter when entering the abortion facility. Liberal Democrat Councillor David Noakes, who tabled the original motion in November, expressed support for the decision to gather more evidence about harassment outside the clinic. "I welcome the cabinet's support about the protests outside the BPAS clinic and appreciate the need for an evidence base for consideration of a PSPO," Noakes said. "I will be writing to Cllr Hargrove suggesting a working group to ensure the strong support of residents and Blackfriars Medical Practice staff and patients for action on this issue is followed up by the council," he went on to say. The Southwark Borough Council was the third U.K. civic authority to propose a ban on pro-life vigils outside abortion clinics. Since October, the London boroughs of Ealing, Lambeth and Richmond, as well as cities of Portsmouth and Manchester, have introduced motions that called for a ban on the vigils or the creation buffer zones outside the clinics. In November, the Home Office launched a review that sought the views of police forces, healthcare providers and local authorities regarding pro-life protests outside abortion clinics. Home Secretary Amber Rudd recently announced that the consultation has now been expanded to include protesters or people taking part in the vigils, as well as those who have "sought medical opinion or advice" from the clinics. Participants in the consultation will be required to answer a questionnaire posted on the Home Office's website and the deadline for submitting the form is on Feb. 19. home World Vatican urges underground Chinese bishops to step aside in favor of government-backed ones The Holy See has reportedly asked two underground bishops in China to retire and make way for church leaders that are backed by the Communist government. According to Asia News, Bishop Peter Zhuang Jianjian of Shantou in southern Guangdong province was asked to retire in favor of an excommunicated Bishop Huang Bingzhang, while Bishop Joseph Guo Xijin on Mindong was asked to accept demotion under government-backed Vincent Zhan Silu. Zhuang was secretly ordained in 2006 with the Vatican's approval, but the Chinese only recognizes him as a priest. In a letter dated Oct. 26, the 88-year-old bishop was asked to resign and make way for Huang, who was excommunicated in 2011 after being consecrated without Vatican approval. In December, Zhuang was reportedly escorted to Beijing, where he was asked to retire with the provision that he could nominate three priests, one of whom would be named by Huang as his vicar general. It was believed that Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, the former president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and a veteran in China Church affairs, was the prelate that asked for Zhuang's resignation. Celli has been known to be responsible for negotiations between the Vatican and China since the two parties officially resumed contact in 2014. The bishop said that the aim of their travel to China was part of the effort to reach understanding with the Chinese government, and let Huang, who is also a member of Chinese parliament, become the legitimate bishop of the diocese, according to a source. The source further stated that Zhuang burst into tears on hearing the demand, noting that "it was meaningless to appoint a vicar general, who is still a priest that Bishop Huang could remove him anytime." Meanwhile, a Vatican delegation reportedly traveled to Fujian province where hey asked Guo to downgrade himself as assistant to Zhan, one of seven bishops awaiting the Vatican's official recognition. Last year, Guo went missing for some time after authorities reportedly forced him to pay a visit to the religious affairs bureau in Fuan. While he was in detention before the Holy Week in 2017, the government reportedly asked him to sign a document accepting "voluntary" downgrading before he was released. An underground priest in Mindong said that he was not aware of the Vatican delegation's visit. "We of course feel hard to accept but do we have the rights to oppose the Vatican?" the priest said, adding that he may consider leaving the priesthood over the Vatican's decision. Bob Fu, president of watchdog group ChinaAid, expressed disappointment with the decision, saying, "It's a shame to Vatican politicians, who put their political interests above the church's by kowtowing to Communist Beijing." "This action constitutes a true betrayal both to Christian principles and to the ongoing persecuted faithful [Christians] in China. I hope Pope Francis can intervene and correct the course before the damage is too great to remedy," he added. home US Virginia Senate advances bill that would allow firearms in churches The Virginia Senate has approved a measure that would allow firearms in churches in response to a deadly church shooting in Texas last year. SB 372, sponsored by Republican Sen. Ben Chafin of Russell County, was approved on Tuesday by a vote of 21a18. According to the Associated Press, the legislation would repeal a state law that prohibits weapons in place of worship during a religious service. Supporters of the legislation contended that congregants may need weapons to defend themselves from an attack, citing the mass shooting at a Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Nov. 5, when a gunman killed 26 people. They further argued that the prohibition on carrying weapons into places of worship is an archaic remnant of the state's "blue laws" enacted in the 1800s to prohibit certain activities on Sundays. A state attorney general's opinion from 2011 stated that current law already allows Virginians to bring firearms to places of worship as long as they have permission. However, Chafin contended that the Legislature needed to clarify and cement the right to carry a firearm in church into law if a church allows it. "It's a private property rights issue," he said. Democratic Sen. Jeremy McPike argued that the bill was too broad and said that there are better ways of allowing houses of worship decide their own weapons policies. "Those who are voting for this measure are voting for guns over God," he said. Earlier this year, a GOP-controlled committee had reportedly blocked McPike's legislation that would have required individuals carrying guns in churches to have "express authorization" from the church. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has indicated that he will veto SB 372, which has been moved to the state House for consideration. The governor said that the state should do more to restrict the proliferation of firearms, noting that more than 900 Virginians were killed by guns last year. "We do not need these weapons on our streets and in our society," he told a multi-faith event at St. Paul's Church just before the vote. The governor did not specifically address SB 372 during his remarks during the event, but he discussed his concerns about gun violence. He recalled the shooting in Las Vegas in October, when 58 people were killed by a gunman during a country music festival, and noted that 58 more people would die from gun violence in less than 50 hours after the incident. "It took 49 hours a 58 more Americans lost their lives, but you never heard about them, did you? Nor did I. When are we, as a society, going to stand up and say enough is enough?" Northam said. (Bloomberg) -- Its no secret Jeff Bezos has been looking to crack health care. But no one expected him to pull in Warren Buffett and Jamie Dimon, too. News Tuesday that Bezoss Amazon.com Inc., Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co., led by Dimon, plan to join forces to change how health care is provided to their combined 1 million U.S. employees sent shock waves through the health-care industry. The plan, while in early stages and focused solely on the three giants staff for now, seems almost certain to set its sights on disrupting the broader industry. Its the first big move by Amazon in the sector after months of speculation that the internet behemoth might make an entry. The Amazon-Berkshire-JPMorgan collaboration will likely pressure profits for middlemen in the health-care supply chain. Details were scant in a short joint statement on Tuesday. The three companies said they plan to set up a new independent company that is free from profit-making incentives and constraints. It was enough to sink health-care stocks. Express Scripts Holding Co. and CVS Health Corp., which manage pharmacy benefits, slumped 6.9 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively. Health insurers such as Cigna Corp. and Anthem Inc. and biotechnology companies also dropped. The group announced the news in the very early stages because it plans to hire a CEO and start partnering with other organizations, according to a person familiar with the matter. The effort would be focused internally first, and the companies would bring their data and bargaining power to bear on lowering health-care costs, the person said. Potential ways to bring down costs include providing more transparency over the prices for doctor visits and lab tests, as well as by enabling direct purchasing of some medical items, the person said. Im in favor of anything that helps move the markets a bit, incentivizes competition and puts pressure on the big insurance carriers, said Ashraf Shehata, a partner in KPMG LLPs health care and life sciences advisory practice in the U.S. An employer coalition can do a lot of things. You can encourage reimbursement models and provide incentives for the use of technology. Hard as it might be, reducing health cares burden on the economy while improving outcomes for employees and their families would be worth the effort, Bezos said in the statement. Success is going to require talented experts, a beginners mind, and a long-term orientation. The initial focus of the new company will be on technology solutions that will provide U.S. employees and their families with simplified, high-quality and transparent health care at a reasonable costs. In the statement, JPMorgan CEO Dimon said the initiative could ultimately expand beyond the three companies. Our goal is to create solutions that benefit our U.S. employees, their families and, potentially, all Americans, he said. HTA Alliance Amazon, Berkshire and JPMorgan are among the largest private employers in the U.S. And theyre among the most valuable, with a combined market capitalization of $1.6 trillion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. This isnt the first time big companies have teamed up in an effort to tackle health-care costs. International Business Machines Corp., Berkshires BNSF Railway and American Express Co. were among the founding members of the Health Transformation Alliance, which now includes about 40 big companies that want to transform health care. The group ultimately partnered with existing industry players including CVS and UnitedHealth Group Inc.s OptumRx. Top Team The latest effort is being spearheaded by Todd Combs, who helps oversee investments at Berkshire; Marvelle Sullivan Berchtold, a managing director of JPMorgan; and Beth Galetti, a senior vice president for human resources at Amazon. Buffett handpicked Combs in 2010 as one of his two key stockpickers. Combs, 47, has been taking on a larger role at Berkshire in recent years, and Buffett has said that Combs and Ted Weschler, who also helps oversee investments, will eventually manage the companys whole portfolio. Combs also joined JPMorgans board in 2016. Sullivan Berchtold joined JPMorgan in August after eight years at the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG, where she was most recently the global head of mergers and acquisitions, according to her LinkedIn profile. One of the highest ranking women at Amazon, Galetti has worked in human resources at the e-commerce giant since mid-2013, becoming senior vice president almost two years ago, according to her LinkedIn profile. As of late 2017 she was the only woman on Amazons elite S-team, a group of just over a dozen senior executives who meet regularly with Bezos, according to published reports. Previously Galetti worked in planning, engineering and operations at FedEx Express, the cargo airline of FedEx Corp. She has a degree in electrical engineering from Lehigh University and an MBA from Colorado Technical University. The management team, location of the headquarters and other operational details will be announced later, the companies said. Health-care spending was estimated to account for about 18 percent of the U.S. economy last year, far more than in other developed nations. Buffett has long bemoaned the cost of U.S. health care. Last year, he came out in favor of drastic changes in the U.S. health system, telling PBS NewsHour that government-run health care is probably the best approach and would bring down costs. The ballooning costs of health care act as a hungry tapeworm on the American economy, Buffett said in Tuesdays statement. Our group does not come to this problem with answers. But we also do not accept it as inevitable. (Updates with Galettis biography.) --With assistance from Jenny Surane Katherine Chiglinsky John Lauerman Chitra Somayaji Michelle Fay Cortez and Nancy Moran To contact the reporters on this story: Zachary Tracer in New York at ztracer1@bloomberg.net, Hugh Son in New York at hson1@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Cecile Daurat at cdaurat@bloomberg.net, Steve Dickson 2018 Bloomberg L.P. Rain didn't stop Melbourne-based Caydon from marking a milestone at its 27-story apartment high-rise going up at 2850 Fannin in Midtown. A parade of 523 truckloads of concrete began pouring the mat foundation at 7:30 a.m. and continued for 9 1/2 hours. Hoar Construction and TAS Concrete oversaw the project, which involved 70 workers and 600 tons of rebar. Bill Montgomery The employees who prepare, package and deliver food served aboard United Airlines flights have filed with the National Mediation Board to join the Unite Here union. "United's catering workers, they just want the same thing as every other United employee: the equality, safety and respect that comes along with having a union job," said Unite Here spokeswoman Meghan Cohorst. NEW YORK - Kenneth Chenault, wearing no sport coat and no tie, with a large cup of tea in front of him, fits an image of a man ready for retirement. Chenault is days away from stepping down as the chief executive officer and chairman of American Express, the credit card giant and one of the most iconic brands in the country. He will have run American Express for 17 years, guiding the company through the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the global financial crisis and numerous challenges to its position as the go-to payment option for the wealthy and well-traveled. The son of a dentist from Long Island, N.Y., who grew up as a black man during the height of the civil rights movement, Chenault never expected to be CEO of a major company, let alone work 37 years at the same one. "I can honestly say I was approached by bigger companies, moments where people would say 'wow, that's a great opportunity.' But this has been my dream job," Chenault said. He sat down with the Associated Press for his last interview before leaving the company. Who can blame Chenault, 66, for moving on? His successor as CEO and chairman, Steve Squeri, is well on his way to be trained for the job. Any problems that happened under Chenault's watch, like the loss of a lucrative Costco partnership, have been neatly cleaned up. Since Chenault became CEO in 2001, American Express' annual profits have risen from $1.31 billion to an adjusted $5.3 billion. Sales rose from $17.71 billion to $35.58 billion and the stock has more than doubled and is trading at record highs. That said, AmEx shares did underperform the overall S&P 500 index, but outperformed other banks. "I hate to see Ken leave. I mean, he's done a terrific job. His record is really hard to match in corporate America," said Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is the largest shareholder of American Express, owning 17.5 percent of the company. Under Chenault, American Express has expanded from its well-to-do and corporate expense account customers into more consumer products. AmEx now markets toward families buying groceries and gasoline an American Express Everyday Card, just as much it markets the Platinum Card toward the jet set who charge six figures a year. Threat from Costco But at the same time, AmEx has faced increased competition while Chenault has been CEO. The company once stood alone in the high-end credit card market. Now there's the Sapphire Reserve Card by JPMorgan Chase and Prestige by Citigroup, each with its own points program designed by former AmEx executives. That competition forced AmEx to respond with increased benefits on its premium cards to either keep up with or outsmart its rivals. The biggest threat to Chenault's legacy came not from a competitor, but from a customer: Costco. The warehouse chain and American Express had a business partnership that stretched back to 1999 in which Costco would only accept AmEx credit cards. There was also a co-brand credit card program between the two companies. But that business relationship came to an abrupt halt in 2015, when Costco announced it was changing its credit card payment network to Visa and that Citigroup would take over the co-brand card. At the time of the announcement, the retailer represented 8 percent of all spending on the American Express payment network and 20 percent of all loans. "If Chenault had left two years ago, we would be having a different conversation," said Sanjay Sakhrani, an analyst with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, who covers American Express. Chenault urged patience from investors. He argued at the time that the deal Costco wanted for its new contract with AmEx "didn't make economic sense." To make up for the Costco loss, the company successfully pumped billions into increased marketing to existing Costco card users to get them to switch to new AmEx cards before handing over the portfolio to Citigroup. "When the Costco deal came along, I'll bet 90 percent of the analysts on Wall Street were all questioning, 'How can you give up Costco?' But he was perfectly willing to take some sticks and stones for a couple years and he knew he was doing the right thing," Buffett said. Fundamental changes Along with increased competition, Chenault faced two other crises under his watch. Chenault was less than a year into his role as CEO when the September 11th attacks happened. American Express's headquarters, located at 200 Vesey Street in Manhattan, was, and still is, directly across the street from the World Trade Center site. The building was heavily damaged and unusable for months. American Express lost 11 employees in the attack. The 2008 financial crisis also fundamentally changed AmEx. While AmEx never held any toxic mortgages or complicated financial products, it did have a direct exposure to the U.S. consumer through its credit cards. Losses skyrocketed as people and businesses failed to pay their bills. AmEx received $3.4 billion in funds from the $700 billion bank bailout program in late 2008, which it then repaid less than a year later. The company came under more regulatory oversight, and now has to participate in the Federal Reserve's "stress tests." "Whether it was the tragedy of 9/11, the financial crisis, or the reordering of our co-brand partnerships (like Costco), we've emerged stronger," Chenault said. Chenault is a reserved person. He doesn't weigh in on big public issues, do interviews often, or carry a big persona. He does have one role that he's keenly aware of, however. When Chenault became CEO, he was only the third black CEO of a Fortune 500 company ever. And for several years after his appointment, other black men and women were hired as CEOs, at companies such as McDonald's, Xerox and Merrill Lynch. But that trend has reversed. With Chenault retiring, there will be only three black CEOs at Fortune 500 companies: drug company Pfizer, financial company TIAA and retail chain JCPenney. "It's embarrassing. There are thousands of people who are just as qualified or more qualified than I am who deserve this opportunity, but haven't been given the opportunity," he said. "You need a pipeline of people coming in. You need to create an environment where people are embraced and engaged rather than just tolerated." In his next chapter, Chenault isn't entirely leaving the corporate world. He will be joining the corporate boards of Facebook and Airbnb, on top of the boards of IBM and Proctor & Gamble that he current sits on. Chenault said he's excited about joining Facebook, particularly at a time when the social media giant's role in modern culture is under scrutiny. He will be the first black person to join the company's board. "I think (Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg) recognizes Facebook's importance in developing communities, but also understands the responsibilities that come with that," Chenault said. "I'm excited ... about the opportunity to help him achieve that vision." In 1943, Ingvar Kamprad was a 17-year-old budding entrepreneur selling udder balm, picture frames and other small-town wares from his home in rural Sweden. That year, he founded a mail-order company called Ikea, initials taken after his name and that of his family's farm. His first employee was his close friend Otto Ullmann, an Austrian Jew about his age whose parents had sent him to Sweden to escape the Nazi takeover in their home country. Kamprad and Ullmann's camaraderie was an unlikely one. Around the same time he started Ikea, Kamprad joined Sweden's fascist movement. He regularly attended meetings with pro-Nazi extremist groups, maintained a long-running friendship with a leading Swedish fascist and, according to some accounts, was an active member of the Swedish version of the Hitler Youth. Furniture empire By the time he was in his mid-20s, Kamprad, who died Saturday at 91, quietly abandoned his fascist activism and focused on his business, which eventually grew into the multibillion-dollar furniture empire that it is today. His earlier Nazi sympathies weren't exposed until the 1990s, when a Swedish newspaper published evidence of his role in the fascist movement. Further revelations came to light in a 2011 book by journalist Elisabeth Asbrink that discussed his relationship with Ullmann. On numerous occasions, the Swedish billionaire admitted his role in the movement and apologized, blaming his involvement with Nazis on youthful "stupidity" and calling it his "greatest mistake." But his past dogged him until the end of his life. Some detractors accused him of trying to conceal the uglier aspects of his affiliations. Among them was Asbrink, whose book offered evidence that Swedish law enforcement had identified Kamprad as a Nazi. "He said in 1998 that he would get everything up on the table and that there would be nothing hidden," Asbrink told the Telegraph in 2011. "Why then didn't he tell us that he was a member of the worst Nazi party, and that the police found it serious enough to create a file on him?" Recurring questions about his prior anti-Semitic views frustrated Kamprad and his allies. A chapter in his 1999 autobiography asks, "When is an old man forgiven for the sins of his youth?" The Swedish newspaper Expressen was the first to publish an account of Kamprad's involvement in Swedish fascism during World War II. In 1994, when Kamprad was in his 60s and long after Ikea had burgeoned into a global business, Expressen ran a series of stories reporting that he had been a follower of Per Engdahl, the leader of a fascist movement that called Adolf Hitler "Europe's savior" and urged Sweden to enter the war on the side of the Axis Powers. Sweden remained neutral. Kamprad and Engdahl became close over several years. In 1948, Kamprad bankrolled a book of Engdahl's political screeds, and two years later, he invited Engdahl to his wedding. Expressen's articles caused a public-relations nightmare for Ikea. Some Jewish groups called for boycotts of the company, although the efforts had little effect on its business. In response, Kamprad wrote an apology letter to the company's 25,000 employees, saying he had severed ties with fascists by the 1950s and calling the period "part of my life which I bitterly regret." "You have been young yourself," Kamprad wrote. "Perhaps something happened during your own youth which you now, a long time afterwards, think was silly. In that case it will be easier for you to understand me." He also said that he was enticed by Engdahl's vision of "a non-Communist, socialist Europe," according to the New York Times. An apology A few years later, Kamprad offered an apology in a chapter in his autobiography titled "A Youth and His Errors." He wrote that he was influenced by his grandmother, who hailed from the Sudetenland, the ethnically German region of the former Czechoslovakia that was annexed to Hitler's Germany in the run-up to World War II. A more damning account of Kamprad's fascist activism came out in 2011 with Asbrink's book, "And in Wienerwald the Trees Remain." The book revolves around Ullmann, who came to live on the Kamprad family farm as a refugee from Nazi Germany, and Sweden's complex relationship with Germany during the Second World War. The book alleged that Kamprad was an active member of the Svensk Socialistisk Samling, effectively Sweden's Nazi party, and even offered his membership number. Kamprad never admitted being involved with Svensk Socialistisk Samling. When the book was released, a spokesman dismissed its findings as "old news." It's not clear how, as a younger man, Kamprad kept his Nazi connections hidden from Ullmann, whose parents were murdered in the Holocaust. But, as Rabbi Dow Marmur wrote in 2013 for the Toronto Star, when the revelations were first made public in the 1990s, Ullmann was one of the first people Kamprad called to apologize. Pete Marovich/Stringer WASHINGTON - EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt told senators Tuesday his agency would not seek environmental protections at the expense of the oil and gas and other industries. "I think one of the greatest challenges we have as a country on environmental issues is the attitude environmental protection is prohibition. I don't believe that," he said. "I believe we have been blessed as a country with tremendous natural resources that we can use to feed the world and power the world." Exxon Mobil said Tuesday it plans to triple its oil and gas production in west Texas' booming Permian Basin as part of its heightened emphasis on U.S. growth. The country's largest energy company said it aims to grow its Permian production to 600,000 barrels a day by 2025 and also spend more than $2 billion on transportation and terminal upgrades in west Texas, including expanding its crude oil terminal in Wink, Texas. Exxon Mobil is beginning to break out specifics of its spending plans after announcing Monday that it wants to invest $50 billion in the U.S. during the next five years, in part because of extra financial benefits gained from the new U.S. tax law. Last year, Exxon Mobil agreed to spend up to $6.6 billion to buy the Permian acreage of Fort Worth's prominent Bass family to more than double its Permian acreage holdings. RELATED: Exxon Mobil buys West Texas land worth $6.6 billion Through the Bass deal and other smaller ones, ExxonMobil said it has doubled its footage drilled per day on horizontal wells in the Permian since early 2014 and reduced its drilling costs per foot by about 70 percent as wells are drilled increasingly longer horizontally. Exxon said its combined development and production costs in the Permian are less than $15 a barrel. "Our geographic and competitive advantages in the Permian position the company for strong growth and long-term value creation," said Sara Ortwein, president of Exxon Mobil's onshore shale subsidiary, XTO Energy. MORE: Exxon Mobil makes a discovery, looks for another one The production growth and transportation upgrades will help feed Exxon Mobil's expanding refineries and petrochemical plants in Baytown, Mont Belvieu, Beaumont and Baton Rouge, La. with much of the oil and natural gas liquids they need to churn out fuels and plastics. "With this production growth, we are well positioned to maximize value as increased supply moves from the Permian to our Gulf Coast refineries and chemical facilities where higher-demand, higher-value products will be manufactured," Ortwein added. MORE: Can the oil industry follow Apple, JPMorgan in bringing back cash from overseas? Exxon Mobil is planning to spend about $20 billion on refining, petrochemical and liquefied natural gas growth along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. Much of that work is being completed now, while some projects are awaiting the final go ahead. A South Texas man is claiming that video footage he captured Wednesday night shows several UFOs an hour north of Laredo. Gary Trevino, of Eagle Pass, posted the video on Facebook after spotting mysterious lights in the sky around 8:45 p.m. and now he's asking for social media's help on identifying them. After 16 years in business, Walter's Downtown has announced it will be closing in February. The owner, Zachary Palmer, made the announcement via the venue's Facebook page: "It's with great heartbreak we must announce that Walter's will soon be closing, bringing an end to tradition sixteen years deep. Our last day in operation with be February 4th, giving us four (maybe five) shows left. It weighs on us to see every show after that lose its home; it's been an honor to work with the thousands of musicians in and out of our club over the years and we will continue to pour our hearts into this as we see it through to the end. I'm thankful for every promoter and agent that put trust in us and brought all sorts of amazing things to us over the years. Also every employee, past or present, I cannot thank enough, especially those that helped my mother; I'm incredibly proud of all of you and you really are family to me. This news came pretty quick to us and we're all still adjusting, I understand that after reading this many people will feel the same way. I hope most of you have a chance to join us for one our last shows as we put such an important institution to rest. Expect to hear more from us as the days come." Walter's Downtown, located at 1120 Naylor Street, was known for its small indie, hardcore and punk rock shows. The venue was formerly known as Walter's On Washington before it made the move to Naylor in 2012. Original owner Pam Robinson was a passionate supporter of local musicians. When she died in 2014, her son Zachary Palmer took over the business, keeping young music fans in Houston happy. A year later, Palmer announced the venue was having issues with property taxes and fans helped raise some money to keep the venue in business through an Indiegogo campaign. Deep End Records, which sells an eclectic mix of indie, punk, metal and even jazz or soul records has done business out of Walter's Downtown since 2015. It will be moving to Insomnia Gallery located at 708 Telephone Road. Deep End Records co-owner Chris Unclebach told Chron.com he found out about Walter's closing Sunday night and was disappointed to hear about it. "I was here as many times I could be a week," he said. "There was just no more welcoming venue in town. The staff was always cool. It has that DIY punk rock vibe without being a total s-hole, you know what I mean? Cheap shows, cheap drinks, there's nothing like it." You will never, ever hear The Fireman by George Strait being played at the recently opened honky-tonk Goodnight Charlies in Montrose (2531 Kuester). Its not that the King of Country is verboten here, no, in fact hes something of a deity around these parts. Co-owner David Keck just doesnt want his new labor of love to burn down to the ground. RELATED: The most anticipated concerts in Houston for 2018 On our first night open, Aaron McDonnell and his band were on their second encore playing The Fireman with a full dance floor and bar, Keck says. By complete fluke, our beautiful, new custom speakers caught fire. The fire was quickly tapped out and no one was harmed, thankfully. Weve decided that as good as that song is, it cant be played in this space ever again, he laughs. To add to the legend, the last tab closed out before the fire occurred was for someone with the last name Burns. You just cant make this stuff up. There is now even a sign inside the narrow green room behind the small stage warning acts to not recount the exploits of a guy making his rounds all over town, putting out old flames. Offering up authentic tacos, strong drinks, and cold Lone Star beer, Goodnight Charlies appears to be the country bar that Montrose never knew it needed, but has nonetheless embraced. There is no cover at the bar, which helps. RELATED: George Strait says he doesn't see a lot of his influence in country music today The sounds of Strait, Dwight Yoakam, Midland, Margo Price, and Hank Williams, Jr. ooze out of the speakers nightly here when a country band isnt playing. Artist booking is done by Dave Wrangler with the Vinyl Ranch brand, with an eye on Texas-based acts a little off center, but with a reverence for countrys roots. The bands that play here arent your standard, good-ole-boy acts. These are guys like Jonathan Terrell, an Austin artist covered in tattoos and sporting a Reba McEntire back patch on his jean jacket, who have taken a shine to the stage there. He plays swaggery country that would make the ghost of Gary Stewart tap his toe. Terrell, for one, feels like hes found a home at the bar. It makes you feel real good as a band thats slugging it out to play a venue that takes the extra steps to make me and my guys comfortable and appreciated, he tells me while taking a recording break in Austin. Ive played countless venues that didnt even hang out posters or provide simple hospitality. The folks that come out to Charlies expect to see a good band. You step up your game a little more because you want to give back to the folks that are taking care of you. RELATED: How 20 Texas icons got their names Hes back at Goodnight Charlies on Saturday, Feb. 24. The dance floor on the weekends is mash-up of clean-cut guys breaking in their new Luccheses while learning how to two-step with girls dressed like Miranda Lambert. Bemused neighborhood regulars in worn denim sit on the sidelines sipping ranch waters, a simple but potent cocktail of tequila and Topo Chico. They pair well with the duros, puffed wheat snacks that come served with Valentina hot sauce & lime by the basketful. At least one or two guys looking like a Sam Elliott stunt double will usually appear and hold court at the middle of the bar, scoping out the scene. Ive seen people from 25 to 85, Keck says. Michael Wyke/For the Chronicle The Master Sommelier formerly of Camerata, Keck knew that the closing of the historic West Alabama honky-tonk Blancos in late 2013 left a hole that needed to be filled in this part of Houston. The idea first was sparked by a trip to Hunt and experiencing Criders Rodeo and Dancehall, an amazing place with so much history, Keck says. When Blancos closed right here in the loop I got to thinking about how amazing a place in Montrose would be. He wasnt alone. The more I talked about it with friends, colleagues, and my business partner, Peter McCarthy, the more sense it seemed to make, he adds. Named for the famous Texas cattle rancher Charles Goodnight, word began leaking out about the bar nearly a year ago. Bartender Christa Havican thinks that the bar has filled a long-standing void in Houston. Shes excited to see how it ages. RELATED: What Houston-area icons need streets named after them? Were ok with letting our space age gracefully, so why not enjoy a fresh dance floor and shiny new bathrooms? The age will come in time, Havican says. We built a place in Montrose that you can get a whiskey and a decent meal until we close at night. Where else you can hear live music at night for free during the weekend? As with anything new, which is exactly what it is, there has been mixed feedback. Folks sometimes complain that it looks too new or that it smells too clean. Michael Wyke/For the Chronicle Blancos, Havican reminds, was new at one point and authenticity takes time. Its also earned. Rusted relics, old photos and Texas memorabilia contributed to the atmosphere inside Blanco's, but that all took time to accumulate. The floor had a certain musical sound to it when it was filled with two-steppers. Bartender D'neta Cavazos has been slinging drinks in Houston for seventeen years and shes been with Goodnight Charlies since opening night. She can also be found behind the bar at downtowns Warrens Inn. RELATED: Famous people from Houston I love how receptive all the customers are. Everyone always seems to be having a good time, she says of her country bar crowd. Shes become a customer favorite in short time. Keck is excited for what the future holds for his bar with one cowboy boot planted in the past. I think we have an opportunity to take one of the most interesting and sincere parts of Texas culture and help it come to life in an area of tremendous diversity, Keck says. If we can work toward creating a place where musicians really want to play and where people of all ages and walks of life can dance and mingle, then were moving in the right direction. Havican puts it a little more succinctly. Its a little slice of country smack dab in the middle of our fantastic city, Havican says. Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com. He's an intolerable native Texan with too much ink in his skin and too much brisket stuck in his teeth. The Holocaust Museum Houston's expansion will soon double its space to 57,000 square feet. But to get there, the museum will have to displace two of its most iconic World War II-era artifacts: a railcar like the ones that carried Jews to their deaths in Germany and a boat like the ones the Danish used in 1943 to smuggle Jews to safety in Sweden. With the museum's expansion, the railcar and the boat will both be moved inside the museum for temperature-controlled preservation. Lawmakers in Virginia want to charge people $20 in order to watch online porn and other content the state deems obscene. Lawmakers say the $20 will be used to help combat human trafficking. Virginia House Bill No. 1592, known as "The Human Trafficking Prevention Act" was introduced Jan. 19 and proposes making it, "unlawful for any person to distribute or sell any product that makes content accessible on the Internet unless the product possesses an operating digital content blocking capability that renders obscene content, including obscene items, obscene performances, or obscene exhibitions, inaccessible." BRUSSELS - The European Union said Monday that it stands ready to hit back "swiftly and appropriately" if U.S. President Donald Trump imposes unfair trade measures against the 28-nation bloc. The EU's warning comes less than 24 hours after Trump expressed his annoyance with EU trade policy, saying it "may morph into something very big." The standoff contrasted sharply with relations during the administration of Barack Obama, when both sides sought to create a massive free trade zone between the EU and United States that was argued could yield over $100 billion a year for both sides. When Trump won the presidential election in November 2016, those hopes evaporated as the new president talked about protecting American jobs and going against multilateral trade deals that he portrayed as detrimental to his "America First" policies. On Sunday, Trump said in a British television interview that "the European Union has been very, very unfair to the United States, and I think it'll turn out to be very much to their detriment." He insisted that his trade issues with the EU "may morph into something very big from that standpoint, from a trade standpoint." In the past, he has hinted at punitive measures against trading partners he thought were abusing the U.S. market. Trump last week approved tariffs on imported solar-energy components and large washing machines in a bid to help U.S. manufacturers, particularly against competition from China and South Korea. His administration has also pulled out of a Pacific trade deal and is looking to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. EU chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas retorted Monday that "the EU stands ready to react swiftly and appropriately in case our exports are affected by any restrictive trade measure from the United States." Schinas said that "while trade has to be open and fair it also has to be rules-based." The issues also came to the fore during last week's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In 2016, official figures show, the EU imported $304 billion in goods from the U.S. while exporting some $448 billion to the country. Trump has taken aim at that U.S. deficit of $143 billion. In services, the U.S. deficit is much smaller, of only about $16 billion. JAB Holding Co. has struck deal after deal over the years in an effort to create a food-and-coffee empire. Now the investment company has orchestrated its biggest one yet: Keurig Green Mountain's takeover of Dr Pepper Snapple Group for $18.7 billion. With the bid - one of the biggest ever for a beverage company - Keurig and its majority owner, JAB, are betting that they can create a beverage giant with an estimated $11 billion in revenue, and brands such as Keurig's single-serve coffee pods, Dr Pepper, 7UP and Snapple. Keurig will stay in its Waterbury, Vt., headquarters, and Dr Pepper Snapple will remain in Plano in suburban Dallas. The original Dr Pepper soda has its roots in Texas. The drink was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco and first served around 1885. The deal is the latest attempt to consolidate in the food and beverage industry, as companies focus on building size and scale. JAB has been one of the leading proponents of that strategy. Using its war chest - drawn in part from its founding family, the wealthy Reimann clan of Germany - the investment firm has rolled up brands including Peet's Coffee, Caribou Coffee and Krispy Kreme. Two years ago, JAB took Keurig private in a nearly $14 billion transaction and merged it with D.E. Master Blenders, a coffee business that the investment firm had bought from Mondelez International. At that point, sales of Keurig's K-Cup single-serve coffee pods were declining, and the company was facing renewed competition in the United States from Nestle's Nespresso brand. Under JAB's ownership, Keurig improved its operations, Keurig's chief executive, Bob Gamgort, said. He estimates that 20 percent of U.S. households now have a Keurig machine. The company has also added partners for its K-Cup brewers and cut prices. Gamgort and his counterpart at Dr Pepper Snapple, Larry Young, began discussing a deal several months ago. Uniting the two men was a belief in what Young called a "total beverage solution," a combined company that could respond to the shifting tastes of consumers. Increasingly out is a taste for traditional sodas - where Dr Pepper still makes the majority of its sales - and in are healthier ready-to-drink beverages like tea and juices. "We're looking at the same insights and trends," Gamgort said. "The way to win in this environment is to have a platform that satisfies all formats." Buying Dr Pepper Snapple would reintroduce Keurig to the market for soft drinks after an abbreviated, ill-fated move: Keurig shut down its Kold soda-at-home machine division in 2016 after less than a year amid weak sales. Under the terms of the proposed transaction, Keurig would merge with Dr Pepper Snapple, creating a company called Keurig Dr Pepper. Shareholders in Dr Pepper Snapple would receive a cash dividend of $103.75 per share, about 8 percent higher than Dr Pepper Snapple's closing share price Friday. The deal would bring Keurig back to the public markets - but under the control of JAB. Dr Pepper investors would own about 13 percent of the combined company, while Mondelez, which maintained a stake in Keurig, would hold another 13 percent. "We have been very pleased with our coffee partnership with Keurig, and strongly support the strategic rationale for this transaction," Dirk Van de Put, Mondelez's chief executive, said in a statement. Gamgort would remain chief executive at Keurig Dr Pepper, while Young would join the combined company's board. Keurig said that it expected to generate about $600 million in annual cost savings within three years, drawn from reduced spending on advertising and operations like warehousing and storage, and that it planned to significantly reduce its overall debt by that time. While shares in Dr Pepper Snapple leapt about 24 percent in trading Monday - a sign of hope among some investors that another suitor could emerge - Gamgort defended his company's bid as fair and fully priced. The transaction is expected to close by June 30, subject to approval by Dr Pepper Snapple shareholders and by regulators. Though Gamgort and Young both said the immediate goal would be to concentrate on integrating the two companies, Gamgort did not rule out potential future acquisitions as a way to continue growing. Being public could help in that effort, since Keurig could use stock to help pay for acquisitions. "There are all kinds of opportunities for us to continue to play in the world of consolidation," Gamgort told analysts. MONTREAL - The sixth round of talks over the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement concluded Monday, with significant gaps remaining among the three countries, but dissipating concerns about the United States withdrawing from the pact. The United States has come to the brink of withdrawing from NAFTA several times in the past year. But after six months of contentious negotiations, the consensus in Montreal during last week's talks was one of cautious optimism, as the three countries began to finally discuss potential solutions to some of their thorniest conflicts. Still, Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representative, appeared to throw some cold water on the progress, calling proposals offered by Mexico and Canada inadequate and, in some cases, contrary to U.S. demands. In a statement at the conclusion of the talks, Lighthizer was particularly critical of Canada, emphasizing that the ideas put forward by its government had fallen short of what the United States had hoped to see from its neighbor to the north. "This round was a step forward," Lighthizer said Monday. "But we are progressing very slowly. We owe it to our citizens who are operating in a state of uncertainty to progress much faster." Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, the Mexican economic secretary, said in a statement Monday that the three countries were at "a better moment in this negotiation process." He said that the "progress made so far put us on the right track to create landing zones to conclude this process." Talks now appear likely to extend beyond March, which could bring the negotiation into riskier territory as all three countries head into election season. The next official round has been scheduled for Mexico at the end of February. The 24-year-old trade pact, negotiated by President George H.W. Bush and signed into law by President Bill Clinton, was the most comprehensive free trade agreement of its age. It spurred trade between the three countries by reducing Mexico's high tariffs on goods from the United States and Canada. But, as President Donald Trump has often highlighted, it also incentivized companies to shift labor-intensive manufacturing to Mexico. Scott Kirby has a very specific view about how the three U.S. hub-and-spoke airlines work best, having managed two of them. In his current job as president of United Continental Holdings, Kirby's role is to oversee a major overhaul of how the carrier operates, beginning with a broad restructuring of its three domestic-focused hubs in Houston, Chicago and Denver. By United's math, this trio has profit margins that are 10 percent below the inland domestic hubs operated by American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. That gap is one big reason for United's third-place finish among the three in recent years. The troubles, Kirby explained, began shortly after Chicago-based United swallowed up Houston-based Continental back in 2010. United's post-merger decision to shrink, forced by investor demands that the carrier curb capacity to bolster fares and profits, was a weak choice, he said. United cut seat growth domestically by 8 percent over the next six years, while Delta and American grew 8 percent and 3 percent, respectively, according to United. That growth by its rivals put United on the defensive as they made inroads into its Middle America hubs. In his second year as president of United, Kirby, 50, wants to reverse this trend. "Our growth and strengthening our hubs is absolutely the critical, essential element to driving higher ... margins at United," Kirby recently said in response to a dubious analyst. "I'm absolutely certain about it." Analysts and investors largely agree with his diagnosis of United's ills, if not his prescription - sustained growth. Annual capacity expansion of as high as 6 percent until 2021, or "nearly the equivalent of another Spirit-sized airline," JPMorgan analyst Jamie Baker said in a client note, has sparked deep discomfort in some quarters. Such an aggressive move by a mature U.S. airline is a throwback to the 1990s, when major carriers were more than happy to throw elbows in a bid for supremacy. These days, it's simply not done in polite aviation company. "United is, to some degree, ripping up the airline economics playbook from the past decade," said Seth Kaplan, managing partner of trade journal Airline Weekly. Kirby's expansion comes at a time when the overall industry is already adding capacity. In 2018, an uptick of about 5 percent is expected despite steadily rising Brent crude oil prices that have already climbed 30 percent in the past six months. While Kirby puts his troops in motion, his two rivals aren't sitting still. American, the largest airline, has announced similar moves this year with new routes from its hubs. Its growth involves 52 new nonstop routes, including international. In separate analyst talks last week, Kirby and American CEO Doug Parker conceded that these capacity expansions will cause each of the Big Three to lose passengers in small cities where competition increases, with some consumers defecting to a rival. Airlines have been quick to address the natural next thought. Despite more spokes extending from more hubs, fare wars are unlikely to erupt, Kirby said, adding that capacity will adjust to demand over time. "They're not stupid people over there at United," said former Continental Airlines CEO Gordon Bethune, adding that "I really wouldn't worry about the four big boys getting into a fare war." Wall Street isn't buying that at all. United's growth plans sparked a widespread sell-off, sending its shares plummeting by more than 13 percent last week, while American and Delta slid 8.6 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively. Southwest and Alaska Air Group shares fell about 6.5 percent. United fell 1 percent Monday. Spencer Platt/Staff Houston lawyer Heather Palmer left Bracewell to join Sidley Austin as a partner in its environmental practice. Palmer advises clients in the energy, petrochemical, power and utility sectors and handles regulatory enforcement matters, including onshore and offshore oil and gas regulation, oil and gas waste and water rights. She also advises clients on environmental issues relating to shale play development, hydraulic fracturing and operating liquefied natural gas import and export facilities. The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office recently shared photos of a SWAT-themed birthday party they hosted for a local youngster and his friends. The pictures show the lucky birthday boy and his guests spending time inside an armored SWAT van and sporting some bulletproof gear. Humble Fire Chief Gary Outlaw is retiring, city officials announced during the city council meeting Thursday, Jan. 25. "We're going to lose our fire chief," Humble Mayor Merle Aaron said. "He's retiring here in just a few days." Outlaw gave his notice of retirement about a month ago, according to City Manager Jason Stuebe. "We're leaving the position vacant for now, and as we move forward through the search process, our two assistant chiefs and our fire marshal will basically be over that department as kind of a triumvirate, so to speak," Stuebe said. Fire Marshal James Nykaza, Assistant Fire Chief Al Taska, and Assistant Fire Chief Mike Legoudes will share the duties of that position until it is filled, which Stuebe anticipates will by June at the latest. For more information, visit www.cityofhumble.com. Employees at a pair Houston Sam's Clubs are looking for jobs after the retail giant abruptly closed their stores. The store at 13331 Westheimer Road is losing 145 employees, according to Texas Workforce Commission documents. Walmart, the parent company of Sam's Club, notified the TWC on Jan. 10 of the store's impending closure with an official layoff date of March 16. The store at 1615 South Loop West is sending 170 employees back into the workforce after notifying the TWC of the store's closure on Jan. 11. The official layoff date is March 16. A third Houston-area store is closing in New Caney, with 155 employees out of work. Nationwide, the Arkansas-based members-only wholesaler began closing 63 stores in the first couple weeks of the year. The company is reportedly diverting its resources to e-commerce. Websites for each of the closed stores leads to an error message on www.samsclub.com. According to the company, the action was taken after a thorough performance review. "Transforming our business means managing our real estate portfolio and Walmart needs a strong fleet of Sam's Clubs that are fit for the future," said John Furner, president and CEO of Sam's Club. "We know this is difficult news for our associates and we are working to place as many of them as possible at nearby locations." Walmart announced it will provide support and resources to affected employees. The company claimed it was paying bonuses to all employees up to $1,000, 60 days of pay and severance packages to those eligible. Furner said in October that the company was looking to build more online fulfillment centers in 2018. Twelve of the closed stores will be converted into these centers. The first of the eCommerce fulfillment centers will be located in Memphis, Tenn. By law, Texas school districts are required to have students on campus for 75,600 minutes this school year. Not 75,600 minutes in class learning. That is how long students must be on campus. The number includes minutes of instruction, including intermissions and recesses. With the events of the school year, most districts have asked for and received a waiver for time missed because of Hurricane Harvey. Earlier this month, school districts across the region closed as frigid temperatures descended on southeast Texas. Many districts asked for an additional waiver because of two days lost this January. The state was not as kind this go round and told districts to make up the time. In total, with Hurricane Harvey and January's deep freeze most school districts in the region were closed to students for up to 13 days this school year. So now districts are figuring out how to get the most minutes out of the schedule. Many had already identified a weather "make up" day in their calendars and are using that to fill in a missing portion of the schedule. For instance, Katy ISD is using Monday, Feb. 19, as its bad weather makeup day. Then the week of May 14-18 it will add 10 minutes to the end of the day so the district will be in compliance with state law. Fort Bend ISD is also forgoing President's Day on Feb. 19 to make up the time students have missed. Putting a time limit on school is not what this should be about. It should be about what students are learning when they are in school. According to figures from U.S. News and World Report (www.usnews.com/news/best-states/texas), Texas is a great state for students to get a high school diploma. The state ranks fifth nationally with 93 percent of students graduating from high school. From there, things drop off markedly. Texas ranks 41st overall in educating pre-K through 12th grade students, according to the report. Only 35 percent of high school graduates in Texas are ready for college, according to ACT benchmarks mentioned in the report. Education Week (www.edweek.org) mirrors the fact that Texas is ranked 41st in the nation in educating students, according to its Quality Counts report released on Jan. 17. It gave Texas a C-minus grade. "Diving into the findings for the three graded indices, Texas earns a C in the Chance-for-Success category and ranks 40th. The average state earns a C-plus," according to Education Week. "In School Finance, Texas receives a D-plus and ranks 41st. For the K-12 Achievement Index, last updated in the 2016 report, it finishes 24th with a grade of C-minus. The average state earns grades of C and C-minus in School Finance and K-12 Achievement, respectively." Anyone who has followed Texas politics any amount of time knows Texas has issues with school finance. The move to make sense of school financing is now in the hands of the newly formed Texas Commission on Public School Finance, which held its first meeting on Monday, Jan. 22. Its goal is the fixing the state's school financing woes. The 13-member panel is made up of educators and lawmakers, including four from the greater Houston area. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt of Houston, State Rep. Dan Huberty of Humble, State Sen. Larry Taylor of Friendswood and Melissa Martin of Deer Park, an educator in Galena Park ISD, are part of the group, which is largely made up of people from the state's largest cities and its suburbs. The panel will now hold meetings to garner feedback and ideas on how to make school funding work in the state. With about 5.3 million students in Texas, the guidelines established by Commission on Public School Finance are expected to be used to create long-term legislation when the Legislature meets in 2019. It is hoped Texas' flawed education funding system finally gets fixed. In the meantime, districts are left to find missing minutes in the school year, hopefully not to just keep students on campus. Campus police at a Houston-area school have stepped up security as they investigate claims that an eighth-grade girl was gang-raped by classmates behind Forest Brook Middle School. "They ruined my niece real bad," said the girl's uncle. "They forcefully took her out of the school and to the back woods and sexually molested her." Her mother, whose name the Chronicle is withholding to protect the teen's anonymity, said she found out about the alleged attack Monday when the school called her. No one has been charged as authorities continue looking into the report, according to a Houston ISD spokesman. The girl's mother said that just before the last class period Monday, several male classmates forced the 13-year-old out into woods behind the school. "They stripped off her clothes and were hitting her," the mother said. "One pulled down his stuff and had sex with her." Another, she said, recorded it all and posted it on Instagram, where it quickly made the rounds to the rest of the student body. Eventually, school officials learned of the incident through the online post, the mother said. In total, two or three attackers had sex with the teen, her mother said. "One was pulling on her hair, one was punching her," she added. The girl had attended the same school since sixth grade and had not previously had problems there, though the mother described Forest Brook as "very unsafe" with "no supervision." In a statement Tuesday, Houston ISD said it is looking into the incident. "HISD Police are investigating an alleged sexual assault involving several Forest Brook Middle School students near the campus," the district said. "At this time, no charges have been filed." Student safety is "our top priority," the district said. "School administrators and HISD police will increase frequency of their patrols on and around campus." But the worried mom faulted the school for failing to offer proper supervision at the time. "No teachers were out there when this was going on," she said. "No teachers, no officers, no one out there watching the kids." Now, she's concerned about her younger girl who goes to the same school, and she kept her older daughter home from class. "I know she's hurt," she said. "I can see it in her eyes." Texas prison officials are in settlement talks this week with the Austin law firm that sued over heat-related deaths during the summers on cellblocks across Texas, and they are also considering a resolution to the case involving the threat of perilous heat to elderly and medically compromised inmates at the Pack Unit, according to court documents. And according to an individual familiar with the case, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice is meeting with attorneys from Edwards Law to mediate several wrongful death suits brought by the families of inmates who died during heat waves in 2011 and 2012. Also officially on the table this week is the class action lawsuit brought by inmates at the geriatric Pack Unit about 75 miles northwest of Houston which, like many prisons across Texas, does not have air conditioning in its housing units. A TDCJ spokesman declined to comment about the negotiations. Jeff Edwards, lead attorney for the wrongful death and the Pack Unit cases, also declined to comment. TDCJ has stated in court documents that 22 inmates died from heat stroke at 15 Texas prisons since 1998. LAWSUIT: Heat-related prison deaths at issue in lawsuit One victim was Larry McCollum, a 58-year-old cab driver from the Dallas area imprisoned for writing bad checks. He was found by fellow prisoners at the Hutchins Unit convulsing on his bunk on July 22, 2011 and arrived at the hospital with a body temperature of 109 degrees. His family removed life support six days later. Following a hearing as the summer began to heat up in June 2017, U.S. District Court Judge Keith P. Ellison issued a hard-hitting emergency injunction in July, ordering prison officials to provide air conditioning for heat sensitive inmates at the Pack Unit. Rather than install air conditioning units, which officials said were prohibitively costly, TDCJ opted to fulfill the judge's mandate by shipping more than 1,000 medically vulnerable inmates to facilities that already had air conditioning. People housed at other prisons who weren't involved in the lawsuit were shipped out of those prisons to make room for incoming Pack inmates. MORE: Moonlight ride: Transfers begin for more than 1,000 The matter became complicated weeks later when Hurricane Harvey forced evacuations at three prisons along the Brazos River. Given the road conditions and the urgency of the situation, TDCJ at that time chose to ship inmates from the Stringfellow Unit in Rosharon to take up the empty beds at the Pack Unit. The inmates' lawyers, led by their attorney Edwards, then asked the judge to broaden the group included in the class action to include new, heat vulnerable inmates who had come in from the Stringfellow Unit. The judge made it clear that anyone at Pack was part of that order. Additional transports of these inmates to air conditioned facilities followed. RULING EXTENDED: Texas prisons make post-Harvey transfers to a/c facilities The discussions between the inmates' lawyers and prison officials include possible remedies for several of the families who sued in the federal Southern District of Texas over their loved ones' heat-related deaths at prisons across Texas, according to court documents. In addition, the prison is discussing a permanent remedy or solution to the case involving air conditioning at the Pack Unit. Gabrielle Banks covers federal court for the Houston Chronicle. Send her tips at gabrielle.banks@chron.com and follow her on Twitter. Texas is set to execute two convicted killers in three days and - if everything continues as scheduled - it will be the first time in five years back-to-back executions have come so close together. The first of this week's death dates is William Earl Rayford, a Dallas man set to die Tuesday evening for strangling his ex-girlfriend while out on parole for the murder of his ex-wife 13 years earlier. The 64-year-old is angling for a last-minute reprieve based on claims of racial bias during sentencing. The second is John David Battaglia, who was convicted of killing his two daughters in 2001 while narrating the slayings to his estranged wife on the other end of the phone. "Merry f****ng Christmas," he shouted as he fired the fatal shots. Battaglia is scheduled to meet his fate in the Huntsville death chamber on Thursday. The scheduled executions come less than two weeks after Texas carried out the nation's first execution of 2018 with the lethal injection of Houston-area serial killer Anthony Shore. Rayford was first sent to death row 17 years ago, following the gruesome slaying of Carol Hall. The crime eerily echoed a 1986 killing that netted him a 23-year prison sentence. In the earlier killing, the former glass cutter had stabbed his ex-wife Gail Rayford 16 times, just after she won a temporary restraining order against him. Their four children were at home and witnessed the killing - then watched the Dallas man leap out a second-story window, according to court records. Rayford spent eight years behind bars for the crime, but was released early on mandatory supervision under a law that has since changed. But in 1999, history would repeat itself. In November of that year, Rayford slipped into the home of his ex-girlfriend, Carol Hall, according to court records. He started a fight and stabbed Hall's 12-year-old son, then chased the terrified mother down the street, according to court records. Her body was later found in a culvert. She'd been strangled, beaten and stabbed. In the years since his arrival on death row, he's launched appeals centering on claims of bad lawyering and a suicide attempt that his lawyers argued showed remorse and hinted that he may not be a future danger. Now, in filings in front of the Supreme Court, Rayford's lawyer have argued that racially charged testimony during the punishment phase of trial "irreparably stained" the case. "The punishment phase of Mr. Rayford's trial was tainted when defense counsel made the egregious and prejudicial error of soliciting testimony - later determined to be false - linking race to future dangerousness," his lawyers wrote. "William Earl Rayford is on the brink of being executed, at least in part based on his race." He also has appeals pending elsewhere in federal courts. Meanwhile, Battaglia's lawyers are arguing for a reprieve based on questions of competency and mental illness. Three out of four experts who evaluated the Dallas man said he suffers delusions that render him incompetent to be executed, according to Supreme Court filings. The fourth, his lawyers wrote, used the wrong standard to determine his level of competency. The former accountant has been on death row since the early 2000s, when he was convicted of killing his daughters, 9-year-old Mary Faith and 6-year-old Liberty. At the time, Battaglia was already on probation for beating his estranged wife, Mary Jean Pearl. But when Pearl complained of continued bad behavior - which could have sparked a probation revocation - Battaglia retaliated by killing his daughters during a scheduled visit. Pearl listened on the phone as her girls pleaded for their lives, and tried running. She heard the shots before Battaglia cursed at her. Afterward, he drove to a tattoo parlor before he was arrested. During the punishment phase of his trial, one psychiatrist testified that Battaglia suffered bipolar disorder but still knew what he was doing at the time of the crime. Another averred that Battaglia said "all he wanted to do was to get the girls out of trouble, so they wouldn't be drug addicts, strippers, hate their parents, or be prostitutes." Last year, Texas led the nation in executions with seven condemned men put to death. The Lone Star State is the only state to execute a prisoner so far this year. If Rayford's execution goes through, it will be the second nationwide this year. Jim Lo Scalzo/POOL When Donald Trump's State of the Union address gets underway at 8 p.m. CST tonight, Texans will be gathered to watch it. The speech no doubt will be playing in bars and homes. Some viewers will be cheering. Others may let out a groan. The speech will air on cable and broadcast news channels. Look closely, and one might spot the Cajun Navy founder or Mattress Mack in the crowd. It will also stream live on the White House webpage. Houston Police have released a sketch of a suspect in the November rape of a woman at a north Houston apartment complex. According to investigators, a man grabbed the woman around 5 a.m. on Nov. 5 and forced her into a dark alley at an apartment complex in the 13500 block of Northborough Drive. The man raped the woman and beat her before fleeing on foot, police said. Contributed by the Family of Ernest Eguia from the National Trust for Historic Preservation The LULAC Council 60 Clubhouse in Houston was declared a National Treasure on Tuesday morning by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The designation acknowledges the building's role in America's civil rights advancements and the impact of local Hispanic activists through the larger efforts of the League of United Latin American Citizens. The two-story stucco structure at 3004 Bagby in Midtown served as LULAC's de facto national headquarters in the 1950s and 1960s. A $140,000 American Express Disaster Recovery Grant for emergency stabilization, roof replacement, foundation repair and wall reinforcement was also announced. The clubhouse has been vacant since 2013 and, last year, the building's integrity was compromised further by Hurricane Harvey. "This designation means we believe that the history that happened here ... is of national importance. It's part of our nation's history book and we are committed to work with our partners to save it for future generations," said Barbara Handy Pahl, the trust's senior vice president for preservation field services. "We will work with LULAC to ensure the important history of this place is recorded and that the property is designated as a Houston landmark," Pahl said. "We will work to identify an appropriate new use for the building that will activate it and bring new revenue to support its ongoing operation." While honors like becoming a national treasure carry prestige, only local protective designations can shield the clubhouse from demolition. The trust chose the structure, in part, because of its link to a group historically overlooked and underrepresented in preservation efforts. "The LULAC Clubhouse is an irreplaceable reminder of the bold ideas that often take shape in the most modest of places," Pahl said. "So despite our increasingly diverse population, only 1 percent of the national landmarks designated in this country are associated with the history of the Latino community which means that we have a lot of work to do to acknowledge these important yet relatively unknown stories and sites." More for you Houston Hero: Rose Ann BlancoWork with LULAC opened doors for... LULAC National President Roger Rocha noted the building's role in creating MALDEF, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, founded in 1968. "At that time, they said: 'Mexicanos, we need attorneys' and the concept of MALDEF was created right here at Council 60," he said. "A lot of people can come up with ideas, but it's putting them into action. The members of LULAC Council No. 60 were individuals of action." The clubhouse is one of the last remaining sites associated with LULAC's early organizing that opened public accommodations and juries to Hispanic Americans. "Our goal for this National Treasure will be not only to preserve this asset in the community, but to also help elevate the Latino civil rights story that embodies this building," said Sehila Mota Casper, the National Trust project manager who is based in the organization's Houston field office. Two other $140,000 disaster recovery grants will be awarded to places in Florida and Puerto Rico both also hit last summer by devastating hurricanes. Founded in 1929, LULAC is the nation's oldest Hispanic civil rights organization. LULAC Council 60 was organized in Houston's East End in 1934. The clubhouse became the council's home in 1955. Council 60 also had a historic role in President John F. Kennedy's 1963 visit to Houston the day before his assassination. His appearance at LULAC's gala at the Rice Hotel downtown marked the first time a sitting president attended an organization event. First lady Jackie Kennedy gave a speech in Spanish that evening. The LULAC Council 60 Clubhouse joins a portfolio of more than 50 National Treasure campaigns including the Astrodome, Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, and Union Station in Washington, D.C. Visit www.savingplaces.org/lulac for more information about the preservation project. One person was reportedly killed in a shooting at a Spring home Tuesday morning. The Harris County Sheriff's Office said officers were dispatched to the 2700 block of Magnolia Walk around 3:30 a.m. 3 1 of 3 Google Maps Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Google Maps Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Residents are asked to be on high alert as authorities search for two men accused in a fatal shooting near Spring. The shooting occurred around 3:55 p.m. Tuesday in the 4400 block of Adonis Drive in the Spring Birnam Wood subdivision, between Aldine Westfield Road and Cypresswood Drive east of Interstate 45. In Richmond, volunteers are raising funds for the Children's Organ Transplant Association in honor of transplant patients like toddler Ashton Guerra. Ashton is the son of Shayna Barker and Johnny Guerra. Born in 2016, Ashton was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia. The doctors at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, have recommended a life-saving liver transplant. An estimated $75,000 is being raised by Richmond volunteers. With Sugar Land Heritage Foundation Board Member Marty Nicholas welcoming attendees to the grand opening of the Sugar Land Heritage Museum and Visitor Center on Saturday, Jan. 27, in Sugar Land, the facility opened its doors in grand style. A crowd filled the area which saw the culmination of years of work in the effort to preserve the history of Sugar Land. Aside from providing the public with books and computer access, the Tomball Community Library is also offering girls a chance to learn to code through the Playbots Coding Club. The Harris County Public Library is one of 28 library systems awarded a $23,000 grant from the American Library Association and Google to teach children to code. Mandy Carrico, a HCPL adult programs librarian, said technology skills such as coding, can be intimidating to many people, but that learning how to code at a young age can be beneficial in the long run. "The younger you're exposed, the more you can see yourself doing these kinds of things," she said. "Technology and coding - what they're built on - they give you this power of exploration and the ability to solve problems." The Tomball library, located on the Lone Star College-Tomball campus, is participating in one of four Harris County Public Library locations to offer two-hour weekly lessons in coding as part of a $500,000 Libraries Ready to Code national initiative funded by the American Library Association and Google. Aside from Tomball, this program - which is the first of its kind - is being taught at the Katy, North Channel and Jacinto City library branches. The Tomball and Katy locations are only teaching girls while North Channel and Jacinto City braches will focus on lower-income students, Carrico said. "One of the reasons that we did this grant was that women and minorities are under represented in these careers and we wanted to start young to kind of get them used to the idea that 'You can see yourself in these careers, too,'" she said. One aim of the program is to expose girls to computing at younger ages so that they are encouraged to learn it and pursue jobs in science, technology, engineering and math, which predominantly feature men. Approximately 12 percent of women work in engineering while 26 percent work in computing, according to a 2015 report by the American Association of University Women. As one of the 12 participants attending the program at the Tomball Community Library, Abisai Garcia, 12, already has experience with coding and is currently working on building her own websites from scratch. "I've been coding since I was 9," she said. "I'm working on a web page right now." Ingrid Glenn, 12, said she was a fan of action adventure and role-playing video games on her PlayStation 4. She signed up to the program to find "When I learned I could make them, I really wanted to do that," she said. At the end of the eight-week program, the participating girls will film a video featuring the Lego Mindstorm robots they built with the coding skills they acquired through the program. As the first program to offer these technology skills, HCPL hopes to offer it again in the future to more teens and pre-teens. "We're going to learn from this and it's going to come back again," Carrico said. "It may be similar or it may be tweaked, depending on what we learn from this pilot." Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle Houston ISD officials are expected to present more details Thursday on the district's plans for combating a projected shortfall of more than $200 million next school year, according to a newly released agenda. The district is proposing across-the-board cuts as it stares down a second consecutive year of potentially large deficits, largely brought on by an increase in the district's "recapture" payment to the state. "Recapture" is the state's process for shifting local tax revenue from property-wealthy districts, even those with many poor students, to districts with less property value. The FBI agent who fatally shot a hostage during a raid of a northeast Houston home last week made a "split-second decision" to fire his rifle after the victim he was sent to rescue grabbed the weapon in a dark room, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Tuesday. The agent, whom Acevedo declined to identify, was using an M-4 assault rifle to break into an unlit side room through a window at a home in the 7300 block of Elbert Street, after another agent dropped the breaching tool normally used to enter homes. The agent was unaware that the Kidnapping victim Ulises Valladares, sstill bound, was being held in that room when he when he grabbed the rifle through the window. The agent, fearing that one of the kidnappers was attempting to wrest the rifle away from him, fired two shots, one of which killed the Conroe father. "Tragically and sadly, Mr. Valladares was right by that window," Acevedo said at a Tuesday news conference. "And he was bound with his hands in front of him and taped and not able to see in the dark himself." Even as investigators work to unravel the tragic chain of events, the slain man's family is striving to pick up the pieces. They have hired an attorney to regain custody of Valladares' 12-year-old son, who was with his father in the family's Conroe's home Wednesday morning after the pair of assailants forced their way in. He was bound and left in the residence, and was able to free himself and go to neighbors who called authorities. The attackers - one with gang connections and the other still on parole - allegedly kidnapped Valladares in Conroe, then helped transfer him to the Trinity Gardens home where the FBI eventually tracked him. The agents in the raid made a "tactical decision" not to use any lighting because they didn't want to blind another team that was entering through another side of the home, Acevedo said. "It was dark," the chief said of the room in which Valladares was being held after being kidnapped a day earlier. "There was no lighting inside the room." The chief said the special investigations unit of his department, which is examining the shooting, has spoken with the agent. There is not body camera footage of the incident, he said. Acevedo declined to say whether any parts of the operation were inconsistent with FBI policy, but said HPD, which was not involved with the raid itself, does "low-light firearms training on a regular basis." "I would venture to guess they do as well," he said of the FBI. "But again, you can train all you want. Lighting conditions are lighting conditions." HPD's investigation of the shooting has not yet finished, Acevedo said, and any potential charges would be referred to the Harris County District Attorney's Office. It's standard practice for the agency to investigate any officer-involved shooting within city limits. However, the chief repeatedly defended the FBI's team, calling the incident a "tragedy" and placing blame on the three people who were charged last week in Valladares' kidnapping. "The people that started this chain of events that led to the death of an innocent man are the people that kidnapped that man," he said. "And at the end of the day, if he hadn't been kidnapped, we wouldn't be having this conversation." Even before police released the new details about the incident, the slain man's brother struggled for answers. Ernesto Valladares, a factory worker who was not home when the kidnappers burst in, this week filed for full custody of the child, according to his attorney, Doug York. The boy's mother died of cancer a number of years ago, leaving the child with no other parental figures. Although the surviving Valladares brother had lived with the boy for years and the two have a "great bond," he has not been able to see him since the shooting, according to his lawyer. "He's in shambles, he's frustrated, he's sad," York said. "He's angry, he wants answers." Now, the boy's uncle is due back in a Montgomery County courtroom on Feb. 6 for a hearing, but York said he's also looking into the possibility of filing a civil lawsuit, which could entail wrongful death claim. "He's hired me to investigate the civil side of this case," York said. "We're still investigating on our end. He's exploring all of his options." More: Court records detail chaotic hours that led to kidnapping victim's death The predawn raid came about 20 hours after Valladares was taken for ransom from his Conroe home by two men who later claimed to be members of a Mexican cartel. Investigators have since said that was a scare tactic designed to intimidate Valladares' brother into giving them money. Valladares' young son said the two men burst into their home on Tyler Lane early Wednesday morning. After restraining the boy and his father, the two then demanded money that they said was owed to them by Ernesto Valladares, who also lived at the home. They then left and took Ulises Valladares with them, authorities said, and over the course of the day made repeated phone calls to Ernesto Valladares' phone. The Conroe Police Department sought the FBI's help to trace those calls, which ultimately led to the 3:30 a.m. raid at the northeast Houston home. FBI spokeswoman Christina Garza told the Chronicle last week that the shooting was the first agent-involved shooting in the Houston area in more than a decade. "It's very uncommon," she said. Robert Downen covers crime for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter or email him at robert.downen@chron.com. Click through the slideshow above to see some of the reasons we've heard that people want to leave Houston... Are you sick of Houston and want to book a ticket out now? There are some who think Houston has jumped the shark, considering its becoming increasingly flooded with yuppie transplants and has been given such honoraries as the "New Southern Capital of Cool" by GQ magazine. SHARPSTOWN FROM ABOVE: Old photos show the Southwest Freeway taking shape It's a very punk-rock-style of looking at things to turn your back on a city once it gets deemed "cool" by the normies but actually very understandable. Once the secret gets out it makes the whole thing not very special anymore. Some see Houston as the band that you loved that all of sudden has a song on a new Transformers movie trailer. Rest assured that everyone enticed to move here by such honors will likely find May, June, July, August, September, and part of October to be warmer than they bargained for. Even us natives can find many things that get under our skin and make us stare out the window and daydream of leaving. Maybe not the state altogether, but at least somewhere new. (We're not crazy enough to leave Texas). Maybe its the endless traffic, the mindless driving, the manic weather, or the lack of "walk-ability" that irks you about Houston. Trust us, its not always better elsewhere. Every big city comes with big city problems. Craig Hlavaty covers Houston history and pop-culture. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | craig.hlavaty@chron.com Earlier this month, the autopsy of 3-year-old Dallas girl revealed she died of "homicidal violence," contradicting a statement by her adoptive father claiming she had gone missing on her own. Now, two North Texas women are hoping to get new legislation passed in her name: Sherin's Law. The proposed law would make it illegal to leave a child at home alone if they were under a certain age and strengthen punishment for people who don't report child abuse, reports the Carrollton Leader. "With Sherin, we draw the line. It's enough. It's time to make a change," Reena Bana, one of the parents pushing for the new law, told the Dallas-area paper. The law would also require parents to report a child missing within one hour, according to CBS DFW. AUTOPSY: 8-foot pet snake strangled owner to death Sherin Mathew's parents, Wesley and Sini, reported their 3-year-old daughter missing on Oct. 7, roughly five hours after they told police she had gone missing. Initially, Wesely Matthews told police the child went missing after they left her outside alone as punishment for not drinking her milk. Then, his story changed and told police Sherin was left home alone while the family went out to eat dinner. When police found Sherin's body less than a mile from the family home, the duo was arrested and questioned. Matthews later told police his daughter choked to death after he forced her to drink milk. Above: See tragedies that went on to inspired change in Texas law. Fernando Ramirez is a reporter for Chron.com and the Houston Chronicle. You can read more of his stories here and follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93. An explicit photo appeared Monday on the personal Facebook account of a man who has thrice run for San Antonio mayor, and lost each time. Napoleon Madrid, 53, shared a photo of a naked man holding his genitals to his personal Facebook page's "story" feature Monday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. A Facebook "story" is an image or video that lasts for 24 hours before disappearing. It is unclear who the man in the image is, as no face is shown. The photo remained posted for roughly an hour before it was deleted. RELATED: Internet spots crude image in Texas weather map When asked for comment via Facebook messenger on the image, Madrid said he was unaware it was posted. "I don't know how's it is and how it got here," he said, adding the incident was not funny. "I tried to erase it. Is it still there? I don't know how to use this, people in the office put up things." A phone number for Madrid went to voicemail. Madrid said he believed someone in his office posted the image as a joke and he would "kick out" that person or persons. He said that his office receives "crazy and wild things" that usually get deleted. In this case, he said the image was accidentally uploaded. "I don't know anyone who would thinks it would funny," he said. "Things like this makes you want to just cry. One person can mess up others lives in just one minute." Madrid ran to be San Antonio's mayor in 2009, 2014 and 2017, and said he was retired in his last candidate filing. "Napoleon is a man with much to offer," reads the former candidate's personal website. Multimedia producer Lindsey Carnett and staff researcher Mike Knoop contributed to this report. KABUL, Afghanistan - Islamic State militants attacked Afghan soldiers guarding a military academy in the capital on Monday, killing at least 11 troops and wounding 16. The attack, which began before dawn and continued well past daybreak, was the latest in a wave of relentless violence in Kabul this month unleashed by the Taliban and the rival Islamic State group that has killed scores and left hundreds wounded. President Donald Trump condemned the recent spate of violence, saying "innocent people are being killed left and right," including children. After previously expressing support for Afghan efforts to reach a political settlement with the insurgent group, Trump said "there's no talking to the Taliban." Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said a suicide bomber struck the military unit guarding the academy, setting off a gunbattle. Two of the attackers were killed in the gunbattle, two detonated their suicide vests and one was arrested by the troops, he said. Waziri confirmed that 11 soldiers were killed. He said "the attack was against an army unit providing security for the academy and not the academy itself." The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, which calls itself Khorasan Province, claimed the attack in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying its fighters targeted the academy. The academy, known as Marshal Fahim National Defense University, is sometimes called "Sandhurst in the Sand" - a reference to the British academy. Named after Mohammed Fahim, the country's late vice president and a military commander of the Northern Alliance that fought the Taliban, the academy was inaugurated in 2013 after British forces oversaw the development of its officers' school. The academy was also the site where the highest-ranking U.S. military officer to be killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq lost his life, in August 2014. Army Maj Gen. Harold J. Greene, then deputy commander of the transition force in the country, was shot and killed by an Afghan soldier in a so-called "insider attack" that was later claimed by the Taliban. The same academy was also attacked in October last year by a suicide bomber who killed 15 officers. The attacker was on foot and detonated his suicide vest as the on-duty officers were leaving the facility. That attack was also claimed by the Taliban. President Ashraf Ghani denounced Monday's attack, saying the "Taliban must choose between Islam and terrorism." Commissioners Court is considering slowing the growth of Harris County's budget as officials continue to grapple with Hurricane Harvey's widespread destruction and potential impact on property tax revenues. Since 2014, Harris County has increased spending by an average of 6.2 percent a year to pay for services such as law enforcement and indigent health care for a rapidly growing populace. Harris County added nearly 57,000 people from 2015 to 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, second only to Maricopa County in Arizona. But in a special meeting Tuesday, county budget officials are expected to propose cutting the spending increase by nearly two-thirds with only a 2.4 percent boost - from $1.46 billion to $1.49 billion - for county departments in the fiscal year that begins March 1. Harvey-damaged homes and buildings are expected to decrease the amount the county collects from property taxes, which make up 79 percent of the county's general fund, according to the auditor's office. Property tax revenue will be collected in late 2018. The last time the county increased the budget by 2.4 percent was in 2012 because of the impact of the Great Recession. County Budget Officer Bill Jackson said no layoffs are expected, and the only department that will see a spending cut is his. He added that he did not expect residents to see a difference in service levels. "It's pretty much status quo for a year," he said. Jackson said a contingency fund and a policy that lets departments save money they do not use at the end of a fiscal year helped offset initial Harvey costs. "We just need to slow this down," he said. A Harris County Appraisal District spokesman said Monday that the district is working to appraise property values for 2018, and expects to have numbers in March. HCAD is allowing reappraisals in certain taxing jurisdictions affected by Harvey. Commissioners Court will finalize the budget Feb. 13. County officials also are expected to outline more than $180 million in claims submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for repairs to buildings and roads and overtime costs for emergency responders, among other costs. So far, the county has received nearly $65 million in reimbursements. The $180 million total is expected to grow, Jackson said. Looking to Congress While it waits for FEMA reimbursements, the county also is keeping an eye on Congress to see what, if any, action lawmakers take to fund post-Harvey relief efforts and long-sought infrastructure improvements, including upgrades to dams and bayous. Whatever action Congress takes will determine how the county shapes a potential bond referendum for flood control projects. Commissioners Court members several months ago voiced support for a bond issue of more than $1 billion to boost flood protections. Meanwhile, a group of roughly 100 community representatives convened Monday in the Near Northside to discuss the merits of such a county bond issue. Led by Rice University Professor Jim Blackburn under the umbrella of the Bayou City Initiative, most of those in attendance agreed the county should put flood control bonds to a vote in November, rather than May, to allow more time for community input and education. "Greater transparency would be good for all of our communities," said Todd Romero, a member of the Idylwood Civic Club in the East End. Clarify ballot language Participants also advocated for the county to use more specific ballot language than usual to describe what many thought should be a $2.5 billion to $3.1 billion bond issue. "There needs to be language in there which is also meaningful to the people who are going to be voting on it," said Ashley Johnson, director of community affairs for LINK Houston, a transportation and mobility organization. Some urged county leaders to specify on the ballot which projects the bond proceeds would be used to fund, while others requested the ballot language simply identify the broad purpose of the bonds, such as buyouts, detention or purchase of open land. "We need to become flood literate as a community," said Blackburn, who serves as co-director of Rice's Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center. "This problem is going to be with us for a long time, and I think we're going to have to learn how to live with all of this water." AUSTIN -- The state is expecting an economic boom from Hurricane Harvey, a key state official told the Texas Senate on Tuesday. While the state will struggle financially this year as it recovers from one of the worst storms in state history, State Comptroller Glenn Hegar told the Senate Finance Committee that next year there will likely be a financial benefit to the state economy thanks to all of the rebuilding work in the Lone Star State. "Essentially the first year after it hits you see a net loss in GDP production, but year two, actually it boosts the economy," Hegar told the committee. Hegar quickly added that for individuals and regions hit hard, the hurricane is no doubt devastating and whatever boost to the state treasury has little real world benefit for them. "If you're in some of those communities, there is no boom," Hegar said. "But from the treasury perspective and the rebuild at the global level of the $1.7 trillion economy in Texas, it ends up being a growth." While that boom and the surge in oil prices are cause for financial optimism, Hegar tossed out a lot of caution warning lawmakers that they will have dramatically less money to carry over from the current budget cycle to the next. Hegar said when he Legislature meets next year to work on a new budget, it will have just $94 million as a beginning balance. By comparison he said in the 2018-2019 budget there was $880 million as a beginning balance. In 2016-2017 the state had a $7.3 billion balance. Senate Finance committee chair Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, said every meeting her committee will continue to have updates and discussions about what is happening in the hurricane recovery. She said it is important to see data like the fact that 900,000 Texans have applied for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, yet only about 5,000 have received help from FEMA. "We've got to put a face on the people who are suffering," Nelson said. Jeremy Wallace writes about state politics and government for the Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter at @JeremySWallace. More Information Seeking to honor some of the heroes of Hurricane Harvey, President Donald Trump has invited the founder of the Cajun Navy as one of his more than a dozen special guests for Tuesday night's State of the Union address. John Bridgers, founder of the group now called Cajun Navy 2016, helped lead the nonprofit volunteer group based in South Louisiana as several hundred members poured into Texas with boats to help victims escape Harvey's floodwaters. "The results seen by the Cajun Navy 2016's efforts to help those in need are an example of what can be accomplished when you don't have stacks of governmental red tape to cut through," U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, said in a statement praising Trump's move. "What the Navy was able to get done in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey is simply incredible," Kennedy added. "I cannot think of a better way to honor this group than by inviting its founder ... to the State of the Union." GRAY MATTERS: I downloaded an app. And suddenly, was part of the Cajun Navy. The organization has helped thousands of people stranded by storms and floods throughout the South over the past two years. Several members of Congress also are honoring Texans by having them as special guests for Trump's big speech, which airs at 8 p.m. CST on all cable and broadcast news channels. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, is having businessman Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale as a special guest to honor him for opening his Gallery Furniture to shelter Houstonians displaced by Harvey. Tweeted Brady: "Proud that my guest at SOTU is Jim 'Mac' McIngvale, founder of Gallery Furniture. Lives the American Dream, inspires others to do the same. Great philanthropist - sheltered Harvey victims in his stores!" Several Democrats -- including Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston -- are planning to bring Dreamers as guests to spotlight the major role they have in Trump's speech as the president lays out his latest immigration proposals. RELATED: Videos show dramatic rescues in and around Houston area during Harvey Also, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar are joining forces to bring a hero from the Sutherland Springs church massacre outside San Antonio last year -- Stephen Willeford, who chased and shot it out with the gunman in the attack. Willeford's wife, Pam, also will be a guest. "Stephen and Pam's commitment to the Sutherland Springs community in the wake of horrific violence has brought hope and healing, and inspired the entire Lone Star State," Cruz said in a statement. Cuellar agreed, saying, "It is amazing that this man, who almost became a victim himself, managed to face the assailant and ultimately prevented further tragedy from unfolding." Seeking to honor some of the heroes of Hurricane Harvey, President Donald Trump has invited the founder of the Cajun Navy as one of his more than a dozen special guests for Tuesday night's State of the Union address. John Bridgers, founder of the group now called Cajun Navy 2016, helped lead the nonprofit volunteer group based in South Louisiana as several hundred members poured into Texas with boats to help victims escape Harvey's floodwaters. "The results seen by the Cajun Navy 2016's efforts to help those in need are an example of what can be accomplished when you don't have stacks of governmental red tape to cut through," U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, said in a statement praising Trump's move. "What the Navy was able to get done in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey is simply incredible," Kennedy added. "I cannot think of a better way to honor this group than by inviting its founder ... to the State of the Union." GRAY MATTERS: I downloaded an app. And suddenly, was part of the Cajun Navy. The organization has helped thousands of people stranded by storms and floods throughout the South over the past two years. Several members of Congress also are honoring Texans by having them as special guests for Trump's big speech, which airs at 8 p.m. CST on all cable and broadcast news channels. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, is having businessman Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale as a special guest to honor him for opening his Gallery Furniture to shelter Houstonians displaced by Harvey. Tweeted Brady: "Proud that my guest at SOTU is Jim 'Mac' McIngvale, founder of Gallery Furniture. Lives the American Dream, inspires others to do the same. Great philanthropist - sheltered Harvey victims in his stores!" Several Democrats -- including Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston -- are planning to bring Dreamers as guests to spotlight the major role they have in Trump's speech as the president lays out his latest immigration proposals. RELATED: Videos show dramatic rescues in and around Houston area during Harvey Also, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar are joining forces to bring a hero from the Sutherland Springs church massacre outside San Antonio last year -- Stephen Willeford, who chased and shot it out with the gunman in the attack. Willeford's wife, Pam, also will be a guest. "Stephen and Pam's commitment to the Sutherland Springs community in the wake of horrific violence has brought hope and healing, and inspired the entire Lone Star State," Cruz said in a statement. Cuellar agreed, saying, "It is amazing that this man, who almost became a victim himself, managed to face the assailant and ultimately prevented further tragedy from unfolding." An amateur astronomer recently stumbled onto an 18-year-old NASA satellite that scientists lost contact with more than a decade ago. IMAGE, or the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration, was launched in 2000 to study the impact of solar weather on Earth's magnetosphere. It did its job dutifully until December 2005 when NASA scientists were suddenly unable to communicate with the satellite. JERRY LARA/San Antonio Express-News Two San Antonio service members were sentenced to federal prison Monday for attempting to have sex with teenage girls. Mark Antonio Pazmino, a National Security Agency linguist, and Mark Richard Hardin, a U.S. Navy medical technician, were both given 10-year prison sentences for trying to arrange separate sexual encounters with people they believed were 14-year-old girls. At his inauguration, President Donald Trump promised to renew the unity of the American people, claiming that "through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other." Then, Trump seemed intent on creating a reborn civic and social consciousness, and on empowering ordinary people against big government and big money. TRUMP'S TIME: Inauguration Day was unlike any we had witnessed in modern memory And yet, Trump's administration has ushered in a virulently antisocial politics that dissolves the most basic bonds and leaves individuals powerless against both market and state. Trump, like many populists of the right, gained a foothold by promising that a resurgent nationalism could make people feel cohesive, trusting and strong again. But like his right-leaning populist predecessors, he has offered only the imaginary bonds of nationalism - the illusion of fellow-feeling and homogeneity - even as his policies destroy the real and foundational bonds of family and community in the arenas of health care, immigration, labor and more. RAMPELL: If Trump were an immigrant, he'd probably be deported Trump's administration altered regulations this year to allow states to withhold health care from some Medicaid-qualified individuals if they don't meet work requirements. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' announcement, the change is aimed at "incentivizing community engagement among able-bodied, working-age Medicaid beneficiaries." This has long been the stated goal of workfare programs: "By requiring and promoting work," professor Lawrence Mead, a leading advocate of welfare reform, argued before a House subcommittee in 2013, workfare "integrated [poor people] into mainstream American life as never before." GENE GREEN: Medicaid doesn't need a work mandate But the talk of "community engagement" and integration is absurd. What workfare does is force recipients to choose between important benefits and familial obligations. By Mead's own account, the major accomplishment of workfare was that "the share of welfare mothers engaged in work activities doubled to about a third, and work levels also rose sharply for poor single mothers outside welfare." Day-care shortages ensued; women without enough money to support their families were forced to pay for child care. If they couldn't afford it, they lost their benefits - which would mean, in the case of Medicaid, sacrificing their health. REICH: Trump betrays our democracy to achieve his selfish ends The same disregard - if not outright hostility - toward familial bonds is on display in the Trump administration's assaults on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and what it calls "chain migration," otherwise known as family reunification. In a September statement, Trump said ending the program was all about protecting Americans and their jobs; presumably this was the loyalty to country he spoke of at his inauguration, meant to illuminate Americans' loyalty to one another. But what the destruction of DACA really means is that parents will be torn away from children, and children will be essentially orphaned for no real reason. What Trump's campaign against family reunification means is that families will be forced to either remain separated from loved ones permanently or surrender their livelihoods, jobs and communities to rejoin them. Laws tell us what to do and what not to do, but they also contain information about what the state - theoretically the sum of our popular will - believes to be morally sound. Trump's laws imply that family bonds are disposable and that the state has complete moral authority to destroy them in its pursuit of American greatness. This extends beyond families. For instance, Trump's administration has filed a brief supporting the plaintiff in Janus v AFSCME, a union-busting case soon to go before the Supreme Court. The plaintiff in Janus argues that public-sector unions should not be able to collect mandatory dues to fund bargaining activities even though they bargain on behalf of all workers: To do so is an infringement upon free speech, goes the claim, since money paid can be thought of as a kind of unwilled endorsement of all union activities and unionism itself. In its amicus brief in support of unions, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops points out that the destruction of unions based on the loose interpretation of money as speech will render workers weaker than ever before. "Ironically then," the bishops observe, "a misguided effort to protect one individual from government coercion would leave only individuals to stand against government (or economic) coercion." KHALIL: Union values shine in the midst of Harvey If only that world were really so far away. In reality, it is already here. What unites workfare, the annihilation of DACA and the war on unions is a totalizing individualism - the belief that people are essentially isolated individuals. That we are alone before we are together. That we are more and not less ourselves in total isolation. From that view flow policies that disregard or deny that people are, in fact, embedded in families, communities and industries, and that their bonds and obligations are powerful and ought to be respected and protected by the state. No politics issuing from that view can ever cultivate unity. EDITORIAL: Pass DACA fix What Trump offered as an answer to the aching aloneness of Americans was nationalism, the exchange of an imagined community for actual ones, the promise of a mystic bond with people you'll never meet even while the ones you know and love are deported, abandoned, dying. It was supposed to bring us together, supposed to make us strong. But his policies stand to leave us more alone than we've ever been, and in our solitude, weak. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. AKRON, Ohio - Akron City Council, in a unanimous decision on Monday, voted to recognize the first Monday in October as North American First People's Day. Seventh- and 8th-grade students and faculty from the Lippman School, along with representatives of the Northern Cheyenne Nation in Montana and the Seneca Nation in New York teamed up to create the resolution, which aims to honor the history, culture and contributions of Native Americans as well as preserve Akron's own connection to Native American history. "From what we understand, Akron is the first city in the United States to designate a unique day to recognize native people rather than renaming Columbus Day to Indigenous People's Day," said Lippman Head of School Sam Chestnut in a news release. "This is an exciting time for our students, staff and the Northern Cheyenne Nation, and I am proud of what we've been able to accomplish together." Tribal elder Otto Braided Hair and student Bryan Fisher from the Northern Cheyenne Nation attended the students' presentation to City Council. The Lippman School, along with the Northern Cheyenne Nation, the Summit County Historical Society and other local schools will commemorate North American First People's Day with the Marking the Trail of the Portage Path walk. Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. AKRON, Ohio -- A former Akron Fire Department union treasurer pleaded guilty to stealing almost a half a million dollars from the union's fund, officials said. Joseph Ruhlin, 41, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of theft in office and tampering with records, the Summit County Prosecutor's Office. Ruhlin was the treasurer for Akron Fire Department's Union Local 330 from January 2011 to March 2017, the release says. He stole about $500,000 from the union's fund then escaped to North Carolina where he was eventually caught, the release says. A restitution hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. March 13. He is scheduled to be sentenced immediately after the hearing. If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Global artists are creating new works to be installed in Northeast Ohio's art museums during the sprawling FRONT International Cleveland Triennial exhibition this summer. The newly commissioned works and other FRONT exhibits in museums should underscore something Northeast Ohioans already know: This region is handsomely endowed with excellent visual arts institutions. On Tuesday, FRONT announced special projects and exhibitions of previously created works by artists from around the world that will be hosted by the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Cleveland, the Akron Art Museum and the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College. The news is part of a series of ongoing announcements that amount to a slow reveal of the full dimensions of FRONT, which will be held from July 14 to Sept. 30 at 18 venues and dozens of sites in downtown Cleveland, Ohio City, University Circle, Akron and Oberlin. Designed to attract A major goal of FRONT, which is modeled after European art festivals that attract global audiences, is to lure tens of thousands of art lovers, collectors, curators and critics from around the world to visit Northeast Ohio - sometimes cynically dismissed as a slice of Rust Belt "flyover country." To fully experience FRONT, local and visiting audiences - whether local, national or international - will be invited to visit all participating institutions, including the four mentioned in Tuesday's announcement, plus surrounding neighborhoods. All four museums are ready for the spotlight after having completed ambitious expansion or renovation projects over the past decade that have totaled nearly $400 million. Art infrastructure Those projects include Rafael Vinoly's $320 million makeover of the Cleveland Museum of Art, the $35 million Coop Himmelb(l)au expansion and renovation of the Akron museum, and Farshid Moussavi's new, $27.2 million MOCA building in Cleveland's Uptown development. The Allen, which occupies an elegant 1917 designed by Cass Gilbert that resembles an Italian Renaissance palazzo, has been freshened by $13.7 million in renovation projects in recent years. "These are institutions which have national and even international reputations, but so many people have never actually visited them," said Fred Bidwell, FRONT's founding CEO. Critical mass "The idea of FRONT is to create such critical mass of must-see material that people are going to break down and say 'I'm going to do it this time,' " he said. Led by Wisconsin-born Michelle Grabner, the show's artistic director, FRONT's inaugural exhibit, a coordinated series of exhibits and installations, will focus on the theme of "An American City," with Cleveland and the surrounding urban region as Exhibit A. Within that context, works described in FRONT's latest announcement will focus on the city and its communities, contemporary urban culture and, in some cases, the nationally significant architecture of the art museums themselves. To wit: Spanish artist Marlon de Azambuja, based in Madrid, will create an installation at the Cleveland Museum of Art called "Brutalismo - Cleveland,'' exploring the history of Brutalist architecture in the city. The museum's 1971 Education Wing and the 1971 Cleveland Trust Tower in downtown Cleveland, both designed by Bauhaus master Marcel Breuer, are key examples of the mid-century Brutalist style, which is undergoing a period of re-examination and re-appraisal. Also at the Cleveland museum, Italian artist Luisa Lambri will show a suite of new photographs using facets of the museum itself as "building blocks" for her compositions, FRONT said. At Oberlin, Venezuelan artist Juan Araujo will occupy Oberlin College's Weltzheimer/Johnson House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, as a Cleveland Foundation Creative Fusion artist in residence. Araujo will explore modernism in general and Wright's architecture in particular in a series of newly created works installed in the house and at another site on the Oberlin campus. In the Allen museum's Ellen Johnson Gallery, Los Angeles-born conceptual artist Barbara Bloom will create "a carefully curated and placed selection" of works from the permanent collection that depict architecture. The installation will focus attention on the architecture of the gallery and the iconic building that houses it, both designed by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. Here's a brief look at other installations and projects announced by FRONT today, listed by museum: Akron Art Museum: - The museum will present an international group exhibition focusing on how consumer culture affects the urban landscape. Participating artists include Ad Minoliti, Kirsten Pieroth, Maryam Jafri, Nasser Al Salem, Li Jinghu, Gerard Byrne, Nicholas Buffon, Katrin Sigurdardottir, Sean Connelly and Woody De Othello. Cleveland Museum of Art: Polish-born artist Agnieszka Kurant will use crowdsourcing and digital technology to create a collective signature that will be displayed on the museum's facade. The signature will be based on signatures submitted by museum employees and trustees that Kurant aggregated into a single inscription using software she developed with a professional computer programmer. Chicago-based artist Kerry James Marshall, a MacArthur "genius" grant winner whose work deals with race and racism in America, will exhibit a large-scale 12-panel woodcut print from 1998 plus drawings that span his career. Cleveland native Allen Ruppersberg, who lives in New York and Santa Monica, will display "Then and Now," his first show at the museum, which will explore city neighborhoods as seen from billboards. "You typically think of a billboard as something that is seen," Bidwell said, "not what it sees. He [Ruppersberg] reversed this to look at what the billboard sees." MOCA Cleveland: The museum will display Cyprien Gaillard's "Nightlife," a 3D film and audio installation shot in Cleveland, Los Angeles and Berlin that in part focuses on the bomb-damaged Rodin "Thinker" on the front steps of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Multi-media artist Lin Ke, of Beijing, will create an augmented and virtual reality experience in the galleries, drawing on his experiences as a Cleveland Foundation Creative Fusion artist-in- residence at the Glenville Arts Campus. Los Angeles artist Martine Syms will display "An Evening with Queen White," (2016) a multi-channel installation narrating the story of Queen White, a fictitious Motown era star performer. Oberlin College: Artist Cui Jie of Beijing will install a solo exhibition of recent work at Richard D. Baron '64 Art Gallery, a space on campus managed by the college's Art Department. Cui's work explores 'idealized' urban architecture and cityscapes. BRECKSVILLE, Ohio - The Brecksville-Broadview Heights schools will ask voters in May to prolong an existing property tax, set to expire in 2021, by another 35 years. Last week, the school board passed the second of two resolutions needed to place the tax extension on the May 8 ballot. If voters prolong the tax, the district would borrow $44.5 million to build a new elementary school, which would replace four existing schools. Property owners would repay the debt through the existing tax over 35 years. The tax now costs the owner of a $200,000 home about $14.35 a month, or $172.20 a year. Those amounts would stay about the same if voters approve the tax extension. Also last week, the board voted to retain Squire Patton Boggs, a global law firm with offices in Cleveland, to help the district with financing and preparing for the election. The district would raise money for the new school plan by selling bonds, and Squire Patton Boggs would serve as the district's bond counsel. Exactly how much the district would pay Squire Patton Boggs has not been determined. District Treasurer Jeff Hall said the law firm, as it has done in the past, would base its fees on several factors, including the size and complexity of the bonds and tax considerations. Eventually, Squire Patton Boggs would present a separate fee agreement to the board for approval, Hall said. The plan for a new elementary school also includes renovations to Brecksville-Broadview Heights High and Middle schools. A location for the proposed new elementary school has not been determined. The district would demolish Chippewa, Highland and Hilton elementary schools, but would "re-purpose" Central Elementary School instead of tearing it down. The district is reducing the number of elementary schools partly because of declining enrollment. According to a 2015 report, total enrollment in the Brecksville-Broadview Heights schools has dropped steadily, from 4,724 in 2006-2007 to 3,948 in 2015-2016. Enrollment is projected to keep declining, to 3,653 pupils in 2025-2026, according to the report. Last summer, ThenDesign Architecture -- a private consultant hired by the schools -- and the Ohio Facilities Planning Commission both recommended replacing the district's four elementary schools. The commission typically recommends replacing a school building if the estimated cost of renovation is more than two-thirds, or about 67 percent, of the cost of replacing it. Hall said the property tax that the district is asking voters to prolong was originally on the ballot in 1994. It paid for construction of the high school, which opened in 1996. The district borrowed $36 million upfront for the high school, and voters agreed to repay the debt through property taxes over 25 years. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cuyahoga County will give $50,000 to the Greater Cleveland Partnership to help defer the cost of the failed bid for Amazon's second headquarters. The county's Board of Control on Monday agreed to provide the money from the general fund, as well as an additional $50,000 to the partnership for the successful effort to persuade WOW Air to begin nonstop flights from Cleveland to Iceland this year. "All the partners involved (in the Amazon bid) agreed to share the costs," county spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said. "There was a lot of pro bono and in-kind work as well." She didn't know how many private and public partners worked on the Amazon bid. The cost was not divided equally but the county's share was $50,000. The Board of Control, comprised of County Executive Armond Budish, County Council members Nan Baker, Dale Miller and Dan Brady, Fiscal Officer Dennis Kennedy and Director of the Office of Procurement & Diversity Lenora Lockett, can approve contracts and purchases up to $500,000. According to the board's agenda, the county's Department of Development sought the money from the general fund, saying the partnership incurred costs for "two important business attraction" efforts. "The first effort was a successful campaign to restore international air service from Cleveland-Hopkins Airport to Europe, by persuading WOW Airlines to begin nonstop flights to Iceland in 2018. "The second effort was a campaign still in progress known as Project Conway. Project Conway is a unique, wide-scale, public private partnership effort to attract the second headquarters of an internationally known online retailer to locate in Cuyahoga County. Success in this business attraction endeavor would bring an estimated 50,000 new jobs to Cuyahoga County." Although the summary says the effort to attract Amazon is ongoing, Cleveland was not among the 20 finalists chosen by Amazon on Jan. 18. The deal is indeed dead and the language for the board of control should have been updated, Madigan said. Cleveland civic and political leaders have refused to release any details about the region's failed bid to bring Amazon's second headquarters to Northeast Ohio. Team NEO and the Greater Cleveland Partnership, private nonprofit economic-development groups, led the effort with the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, which produced 18 reports for the Amazon bid, has refused to release them, arguing that the information constitutes "trade secrets" and is exempt from state public records law. Cleveland airport officials have been working to secure a nonstop flight to Europe since 2009, when Continental Airlines cancelled a route to London's Heathrow Airport. Airport officials traveled to Iceland last June to meet with WOW officials. Then, in July, two representatives from the Greater Cleveland Partnership flew to Iceland, in an effort to determine whether the business community should offer financial support to land the service. The airport offered WOW and Icelandair $500,000 each per year for two years to assist with marketing. The business community also pitched in, though Lee Thomas, with the Greater Cleveland Partnership, declined last August to say by how much. WOW Air, a low-cost carrier, said last August it would start flying from Cleveland Hopkins to Reykjavik. "This is a very important economic development investment," Madigan said. "We are thrilled WOW Air is here." CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The first trailer for "Ant-Man and the Wasp," the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to feature a woman in a title role, is out with plenty of action, humor and more shrinking than a Rick Moranis movie. As you might expect, Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne is front and center in the new clip as she fights the bad guys alongside Paul Rudd's unlikely superhero Scott Lang in the sequel to the 2015 film. From Marvel's official synopsis: In the aftermath of "Captain America: Civil War," Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choice as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he's confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside the Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from the past. Michael Douglas returns as Hank Pym and Peyton Reed is back to direct. They're joined by Marvel newcomers Laurence Fishburne and Michelle Pfeiffer. "Ant-Man and the Wasp" flies into the theaters on July 6. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Black Panther has long been something of a bit player in the Marvel comic universe. But with his big screen solo debut just weeks away, DK books released a coffee table book primer on Marvel's first black superhero. "Black Panther: The Ultimate Guide" (DK, $24.99) traces the life of the enigmatic character from his first appearance in "Fantastic Four" No. 52 in 1966 to the current incarnation. Originally, co-creator Jack Kirby wanted to call him "Coal Tiger" but wisely decided against it. Black Panther was created shortly before the Black Panther party, it is not clear if the superhero inspired the party. But the suggestion was strong in the 1960s, causing co-creator Stan Lee and Marvel to temporarily change the name of the character to Black Leopard, which fortunately didn't stick. As sacrilegious as this may sound, the Lee-Kirby Panther stories that followed his Fantastic Four appearance where pretty weak. The stories written and drawn by Kirby alone were even worse, rife with cliches and contributed little to the advancement the character. If you want to read the real Black Panther stories, track down the 13-issue epic story, "Panther's Rage," written by Don McGregor in 1973-1975. This was the storyline in the pages of "Jungle Action" comics that made me pay attention to Black Panther. The art was not by Kirby, but by incredible newcomers Rich Buckler and Billy Graham and old pro Gil Kane. Inks were done by local boy P. Craig Russell, Klaus Janson and Bob McLeod. No one has ever captured the essence of the Panther like this. He was a determined, suffering hero who took on impossible odds to save his people with an emphasis on the spiritual. Where Kirby's version felt like just another superhero, McGregor made him a symbole, an inspiration to his people. McGregor returned to the character in 1989 with a 25-part storyline called "Panther's Quest" that appeared as eight-page installments in issues 13 to 37 of "Marvel Comics Presents." This series was drawn by the talented Gene Colan. McGregory again returned in 1991 with "Panther's Prey" with art by Dwayne Turner. All these stories have been collected and are available in trade paperbacks if you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars for the original editions. The Panther also joined the Avengers and fought with them on and off for decades, though he later admitted his reasons for doing so was to spy on the group and determine their abilities. OIf course, that revelation came recently and was shoehorned into the continuity. It was obvious in the 1970s and 1980s. Through it all, the character remains the same. T'Challa, (the Panther) is the ruler of the hidden African kingdom of Wakanda, a scientifically advanced nation that wisely tries to stay off the world stage. Wakanda has a long and fascinating history and owes its independence and wealth to the energy-absorbing mineral vibranium, which can only be found there. Current adventures of the Panther are courtesy of National Book Award winner Ta-Nehisi Coates and offer a slightly different, more complex, version of the superhero. On screen, we first met the Panther in "Captain America: Civil War," where he took on several superheroes thinking he was avenging his late father. He is played by Chadwick Boseman. Before heading out to the theater, fans might want to bone up on the character to impress their friends. CLEVELAND, Ohio - The "Black Panther" premiere took place Monday night, meaning a select few in Hollywood were able to screen the movie that has as much hype surrounding it as any Marvel movie to date. And that hype appears to be justified. The film, starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o and Danai Gurira has received an overwhelmingly positive reaction from those who attended the screening last night. In particular there is high praise for director Ryan Coogler, Jordan's villain Erik Killmonger and the explorations of race and representation. You can check out the reactions below. "Black Panther" opens in theaters on Feb. 16. OMFG! #BlackPanther is everything I never knew I needed! Tre'vell Anderson (@TrevellAnderson) January 30, 2018 BLACK PANTHER is black as fuck and I love it for it. Y'all don't understand how good it feels to see. I want to live in Wakanda. #BlackPanther #BlackPantherSoLit pic.twitter.com/mRCblLq8cj Brandon Norwood (@bwood0824) January 30, 2018 The story arc of Eric Killmonger will strike a heavy cord for every African-American who was raised here. It puts tears in my eyes, made me grit my teeth and broke me before the credits. Will discuss more on @FanBrosShow#BlackPanther Greg W. Brown (@MellowMarketer) January 30, 2018 BLACK PANTHER is incredible, kinetic, purposeful. A superhero movie about why representation & identity matters, and how tragic it is when those things are denied to people. The 1st MCU movie about something real; Michael B. Jordans Killmonger had me weeping and hes the VILLAIN jen yamato (@jenyamato) January 30, 2018 BLACK PANTHER is like a Marvel movie, but better. the action is predictably awful, but this is the first MCU film that has an actual sense of identity & history & musicality. Wakanda is alive. whole cast is great but the women (and the war rhinos) steal the show Danai Gurira! david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) January 30, 2018 Black Panther looks, feels and sounds unlike any Marvel film to date. A visual feast. Wakanda is amazingly realized, the antagonist actually has an arc with emotional motivations. Marvels most political movie. So good. #BlackPanther Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) January 30, 2018 #BlackPanther is exceptional - the James Bond of the MCU. You've seen nothing like this in a superhero movie - it's bold, beautiful & intense, but there's a depth & spiritualness that is unlike anything Marvel has ever done. It's 100% African & it is dope af. pic.twitter.com/Z77IjnIjf2 Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) January 30, 2018 #marvel does it again with 'Black Panther'. Very impressed with the story and filmmaking. @michaelb4jordan absolutely kills it as the villain and is the best one since Loki. Also @DanaiGurira kicks so much ass and I loved every second of it. Going to make serious $. pic.twitter.com/YBrg2x3Nnz Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) January 30, 2018 Black Panther is one of Marvels most ambitious works and includes, in Michael B. Jordans Erik Killmonger, a top tier villain for Marvel or otherwise. He owns every scene hes in and the film is everything its been billed as. Long may it reign. pic.twitter.com/KajWk3PNRm Frank Pallotta (@frankpallotta) January 30, 2018 CLEVELAND, Ohio - Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University have received a $1.75 million grant from the Cleveland Foundation to launch the IoT Collaborative - an effort focused on the "internet of things." The internet of things refers to items connected wirelessly so they can communicate and make data-based decisions. The term also describes devices connected to the web. Experts estimate that the IoT will consist of about 30 billion objects by 2020, excluding smartphones, tablets, and computers, according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The two universities formed the partnership to expand research and educational opportunities in this emerging technology in May 2017. Last November, a team of faculty and staff at the two institutions received a $100,000 one-year planning grant from the National Science Foundation to determine what the internet of things will mean for small and mid-sized businesses in several Cleveland neighborhoods. The Cleveland Foundation grant will help the universities attract top academic talent, create research labs on their respective campuses and formally establish the IoT Collaborative organization, according to a joint statement. The grant builds upon a $250,000 planning grant awarded by the foundation in January 2017 as part of its Digital Excellence Initiative. CSU said the funding is for this year and the collaborative intends to seek additional funding from the foundation in future years. CSU and CWRU will collaborate on research programs, research assets, cross-registered courses and community engagement. CSU will leverage its strengths in technology development, social and applied sciences, cybersecurity, and business. CWRU said the partnership with CSU dovetails with an effort the university launched in March 2016 to create the Institute for Smart, Secure and Connected Systems to advance IoT research. "This work has the potential to be economically transformative if we are able to take a global leadership position on this critical aspect of the IoT revolution while leveraging Cleveland's history as an industrial and manufacturing powerhouse," Cleveland Foundation President and CEO Ronn Richard said in the news release. "We applaud this game-changing collaboration between Case Western Reserve and Cleveland State and we hope our support will help spark additional sources of funding to get this initiative quickly online." CSU President Ronald Berkman said the partnership already has led to new relationships and early successes. "It is imperative that we build the research infrastructure, both in terms of talent and a supportive environment, to establish Cleveland at the forefront of this rapidly growing and evolving sector," he said in the release. The IoT Collaborative will focus primarily on manufacturing, energy and health care, as well as infrastructure initiatives. "The possibilities for Northeast Ohio are extraordinary, among them enhanced patient care, increased factory efficiency, and improved local infrastructure and services," CWRU President Barbara Snyder said in the release. "Just as important, we also will prepare leaders to seize the opportunities inherent in an increasingly digital economy." The colleges will seek additional support from federal and state grants, traditional fundraising through alumni and other donors, research agreements and other local and national foundations. "IoT already has been a tremendous driver for Eaton in areas including energy and lighting, and it will continue to do so moving forward," Michael Regelski, a senior vice president at Eaton said in the release. "The Cleveland IoT Collaborative will allow other companies and the nonprofit sector to quickly adapt and embrace this burgeoning technology - and to seize the opportunities that result." CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland State University's new president, Harlan Sands, plans to visit the campus often before taking office on July 1 and will be paid up to $125,000 for his time, according to his contract. Sands, 54, was appointed by CSU's board of trustees on Monday to succeed Ronald Berkman, who will retire on June 30. Sands signed a five-year contract on Monday. He is leaving as vice dean and CFO of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania after joining the school about a year ago. Sands said Monday he had "left the door open to doing some work at CSU" and working with Berkman before Berkman leaves and he believed he would have some flexibility with Wharton. According to the contract, Sands "shall provide certain consulting services" before taking office to ensure a "smooth transition of the presidency of the University." A separate consulting agreement will outline the services and the compensation, which could range from $75,000 to $125,000. See the contact below or click here if on a mobile device Following are other contract details, including how it compares to Berkman's contract when he was hired in 2009: Salary: $455,000, to be reviewed annually. (Berkman received $400,000 when hired; is currently earning $450,000) Retention Bonus: $65,000 on June 30, 2020. The amount will increase $5,000 a year to $80,000 by 2023. (Berkman's retention bonus has remained at $60,000 a year). Performance Bonus: 20 percent of his annual salary. (Berkman's was 25 percent) Retirement benefits: The university will provide $76,000 a year in a tax-advantaged 403 (b) retirement plan. (Berkman received $70,000 a year) Sick leave: 15 days per year (same as Berkman) Housing: Sands will live rent-free in the university's house in Fairmount Boulevard in Cleveland Heights. The university is responsible for repairs, maintenance, housekeeping, carpet and window cleaning, utility payments, landscaping and snow removal. The parties shall mutually decide what furnishings will be provided by Sands and what will be provided by the university. (Berkman is living in the house). According to public records, Sands bought his current home in May 2017 for $1.5 million. Automobile allowance: $1,000 a month (same as Berkman) Travel expenses: Sands and his wife shall be provided first-class airfare (if available) for flights of four hours or more. (Berkman flew first class for flights of two hours or more). Moving expenses: Shall not exceed $36,000. (Berkman's was $20,000 in 2009). Attorney fees: Reimbursement up to $7,500 for attorney's fees incurred in connection with the negotiation, preparation and execution of the contract. (Berkman was allowed up to $10,000). Memberships: CSU will provide a membership in the Union Club plus one other club or organization chosen by Sands. (The number of memberships was unlimited for Berkman). Faculty Appointment: Sands, an attorney, will be nominated as a full-tenured faculty member of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. When he is no longer president, he will have the option to become a full-time professor at a salary equal to the average salary of the five highest paid full-time faculty members at the law school. (Berkman was appointed as a university professor and could earn 75 percent of his annual salary if he stays at CSU) Vacation: 20 days a year. Unused days can be accrued. (same as Berkman). Leave time: None (Berkman is allowed one year of paid leave at the conclusion of his presidency). Covenants of the President: Sands cannot disclose any confidential information related to the university. (this section is new). CLEVELAND, Ohio - Ohio has "other options" to recover money from ECOT, even though the controversial online school has closed, State Superintendent Paolo DeMaria told the state school board Monday. For several months, the Ohio Department of Education was trying to recover $80 million it says the school owes by deducting money each month from state funding going to the school. That method was cut off by the school's closure Jan. 19. But DeMaria said the deductions were a limited and flawed way of recovering money anyway and it is time to move on to others. "The state has other options to pursue the assets of ECOT and of those who have benefited from its business," DeMaria wrote in his weekly update to the board. "That is the strategy that makes more sense." DeMaria did not spell out the other options in his update, but spokesperson Brittany Halpin said the department will work with the Ohio Attorney General's office to recover money. Dan Tierney, spokesman for that office, said he could not comment on ECOT, but said that the attorney general can take civil action at the request of a state department. The two announced candidates running to be attorney general next year - Republican and Ohio Auditor Dave Yost and Democrat and former U.S. Attorney Steve Dettelbach - proposed to The Plain Dealer on Monday different approaches of doing that. Among Dettelbach's ideas: Seizing records and freezing assets of not just the school, but of ECOT founder William Lager and two companies he founded that do significant business with the school. Yost, though, was not sure if the state has grounds to fully do that yet, just partially. The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT), a giant online charter school of 12,000 students ,has been fighting with the state for two years over how enrollment is counted and how the state provides funding for the school. Separate audits for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school year by the Ohio Department of Education found that ECOT could not document class participation of students to the state's satisfaction. Though ECOT is disputing those findings with the Ohio Supreme Court, which will hear oral arguments Feb. 13, the department is trying to recover $60 million from the school for the first year and likely $20 million for the second. State deductions - clawbacks - from ECOT funding of about $4 million per month contributed to budget woes that led the school to be shut down two weeks ago. The payments drew sharp criticism from school supporters, who said the amount was driving the school out of business. State Rep. Andrew Brenner, a Powell Republican who chairs the House Education Committee, said the state should have kept ECOT open longer so it could afford to repay the full amount. But in his note to the board Monday, DeMaria likened that repayment plan to "essentially paying ourselves back with Ohio taxpayer money." He also compared it to buying a "defective product" at a store, trying to return it and not getting a cash refund. Instead, he said, the shop offers you a discount on future purchases of defective products. "Would you be satisfied with such an arrangement?" he asked. He added: "Do we really want to continue to be 'repaid' - with our own money (and while profits continue to be generated for for-profit management/service companies) - if that means that a school that has continually underperformed remains in existence, and the same poor management practices remain in place?" Brenner shot back on Monday, saying the state does regain money through clawbacks. "You are regaining because they're supposed to be paid that money," he said. He challenged DeMaria to "show an asset sheet" of what the state could recover, other than through deductions over time. "You can force them to liquidate all their assets and they still won't get all the money back," Brenner said. Both Dettelbach and Yost said that the state may be able to recover money from Altair Management and IQ Innovations, two companies founded by Lager, and which were paid $22 million combined by ECOT in 2015-16. Both said that if the companies are found to have earned money through fraud or other unlawful activity, they would be liable. No such judgment or even accusation in court has been made. Yost said he is waiting for the state supreme court ruling, noting that the state could have to repay money to ECOT if the school wins. If the state wins, he would then look at all assets of ECOT and the two companies to recover money. Dettelbach, who has criticized Yost for being slow to take action against ECOT, said the state should immediately seize records and seek to freeze bank accounts of ECOT, Lager and his two companies to preserve them should the court back the state. Dettelbach questioned why Yost and DeWine are not doing that already. He said there is enough public evidence to subpoena records and freeze bank accounts now, even before a Supreme Court ruing. Yost was not sure that there are grounds to do that for the full amount. "I can't think of anything in Ohio law that would permit that," Yost said. But he said that if law supports that approach, "I'd say he has a good point and we ought to do it." He said, however, that the two companies still owe about $10 million to ECOT and that money could be attached, even without any findings of fraud. Both received a percentage of ECOT's revenue each year, so Yost maintains that any overpayments to ECOT would have resulted in overpayments to them. Britt Williams CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A 47-year-old man died of apparent electrocution after he tried to cut live power wires at the abandoned Goodwill building in Cleveland's Central neighborhood, according to police. Britt Williams of Cleveland died inside the building on East 55th Street and Central Avenue, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner. The medical examiner has not yet determined an official cause of death but police reports say it appeared he died of electrocution. An unidentified person about 11 a.m. flagged down a Cleveland EMS supervisor driving on Woodland Avenue near East 71st Street, according to a police report. The person told the EMS supervisor that they found the dead body after going into the building to look for scrap, police reports say. The man told the supervisor that he did not know the man they found inside the building, but that it appeared that he died from electrocution, according to police reports. The man who discovered the body left before police arrived. Officers noted in police reports that they found the man dead inside a room that had a "high voltage" sign on the door, according to police reports. The basement had flooded with some two inches of water because of broken water pipes that were still spraying water all over the room, according to police reports. Police called the water department and Ohio Edison to shut off the water and power to the boarded-up building, police reports say. The power was shut off for several hours for the building and some surrounding businesses, police reports say. A medical examiner investigator retrieved Williams' body and took it to the county morgue for an autopsy. The building use to house a Goodwill thrift store, which moved years ago to Euclid Avenue and East 50th Street. Williams has been convicted several times for breaking into buildings in order to steal items, including scrap metal, according to court records. He was convicted in August after a security guard at the Cleveland Track building on Central Avenue spotted him and another man climbing over a fence to the business' property. The security guard handcuffed both men, called police and reported finding a bag with Williams that contained a flash light, bolt cutters, screw drivers and a saw, according to a police report. He was sentenced to one year on probation in that case. In 2008, he was arrested after breaking into AJ Automotive Group on Central Avenue and East 68th Street. A security guard detained him for police after he tripped an alarm. Police found he damaged both inside and outside the business, according to court records. He was sentenced to six months in prison. Williams in 2007 was convicted after trying to sell scrap meal to Advance Iron & Metal that were stolen from Wagner Rustproofing Company, according to court records. An employee at the scrap yard reported Williams after recognizing them as stolen. In 2005, he broke into Central Middle School and ransacked several offices looking for things to steal, court records say. Two janitors caught him inside the building and called police. Williams also had copper-theft related convictions in 2004, when he broke into a Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority garage and stole copper, and in 2002, when he broke into a business and admitted to police that he was there to steal scrap metal, according to court records. He was also convicted twice of robbery. In 2011, he chased a woman with a wooden plank with nails in it in order to rob her, court records say. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison in that case. Williams in 1989 was sentenced to serve between five and 25 years in prison on an aggravated robbery conviction. To comment on this story, visit Monday's crime and courts comments section. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Behind-the-scenes talks about how to reform Ohio's congressional redistricting process continued Tuesday, but it didn't seem all sides were on the same page yet. Republican Sen. Matt Huffman said changes made to a GOP proposal late Monday were major concessions to Democrats and advocates backing a competing constitutional amendment under the Fair Districts = Fair Elections coalition. But the proposed changes still would allow the majority party to draw gerrymandered maps without a single vote from a lawmaker from the minority party and split Cuyahoga County and a handful of others into as many as three congressional districts. "These are good changes. It comes very far in terms of trying to come to a resolution," Huffman told lawmakers on the Senate Government Oversight and Reform committee Tuesday morning. The Senate briefly convened Tuesday afternoon and then recessed in the hopes a compromise could be crafted and swiftly moved to the floor later in the day. But no deal was reached. Senators are scheduled to again take up the bill up in a Wednesday morning committee meeting. Here are four things to know about what's happening at the Statehouse. 1. Talks aren't over. The three groups began working on the issue in earnest about three weeks ago, and backroom talks intensified over the weekend. After a breakdown Monday night, Huffman and Rep. Kirk Schuring issued a joint statement announcing the changes. It seemed discussions might be over, and a Senate spokesman accused one of the lead coalition negotiators of walking away. Huffman, Democratic Sen. Vernon Sykes and coalition leaders said they're not done. "The best way to do this is for all of us to work it out," Heather Taylor-Miesle, executive director of the Ohio Environmental Council and one of the Fair Districts leaders, said in an interview. 2. "Representational fairness" is a deal breaker. Much of lawmakers' criticism of the ballot issue has centered on its requirement of "representational fairness." That means the proportion of districts that leans toward one party or another reflects the proportion of votes cast in partisan elections over the past decade. Under Ohio's current scheme, Republicans have won 75 percent of the state's 16 congressional districts in the last three elections while only winning 56 percent of the votes. Huffman and other senators say this requirement is its own kind of gerrymandering, but the amendment lawmakers passed in 2014 for state legislative districts also requires representational fairness. Coalition members said that's never been their only demand and there are several other rules that could be established to ensure Ohio's districts aren't so lopsided in favor of the majority party. "It's not rocket science to require higher criteria when you're left out of the process," Taylor-Miesle said. Taylor-Miesle said increasing the minority votes required to pass a 10-year map from 33 to 50 percent was an improvement, but noted the majority could still pass its maps in four-year increments without any minority party votes. Catherine Turcer of Common Cause Ohio, another coalition member, said lawmakers could simply add a sentence prohibiting drawing districts to benefit one party. Such language was in 2015's Issue 1 and is also in the Fair Districts amendment language. 3. The biggest divide is over county splits. One way lawmakers were able to dilute minority party voting power in 2011 was by "cracking" larger, more urban areas into several districts or, conversely, "packing" those populations into a district to make less competitive seats. Limiting the ability to split counties limits the ability to crack and pack. The changes made Monday would, for the first time, restrict how counties could be divided into congressional districts. Sixty-five of Ohio's 88 counties could not be split, 18 counties could be divided into two congressional districts and five large-population counties could be divided into three districts. "It would be the lowest number of splits of a map in 40 years," Huffman said. If these rules had been in place a decade ago, Huffman said, the current map would only split counties 23 times instead of 43. He said the map approved in 2001 contained 25 county splits. But Sykes said all those numbers are too high and legislators could still draw the same number of Republican-leaning, safe seats as they have now. Sykes said the proposal should include language that requires lawmakers to minimize county splits without writing specific numbers into the state constitution. 4. Time is running out, sort of. Lawmakers have a Feb. 7 deadline to pass a plan so it can appear on the May primary ballot. Citizen-initiated amendments, like the Fair Districts plan, can only appear on the November general election ballot. Fair Districts has until July 4 to submit nearly 306,000 signatures of registered Ohio voters to qualify; it says it has collected more than 200,000. Republicans have the votes to put a plan on the ballot without Democrats' support. But Huffman said a competing ballot issue backed only by Republicans probably won't pass. Could lawmakers wait and put an issue on the November ballot? Huffman said he doesn't expect time will resolve the core issues in play. Sykes, who worked on the 2014 legislative redistricting plan with Huffman, said lawmakers have a responsibility to Ohioans to end gerrymandering and get it right. "We got to a rough spot, but things are still open," Sykes said. "I'm optimistic the door's open, and I'm hopeful we can come to a meeting of the minds." WASHINGTON - Ohio U.S. Sen. Rob Portman on Monday joined a stampede of Republicans striving to distance themselves from billionaire casino magnate Steve Wynn, a prolific political donor who is facing allegations of sexual misconduct. Portman, whose 2016 re-election campaign accepted $5,400 from Wynn, "donated the money to a number of charities across Ohio that he's worked closely with in his efforts to combat human trafficking," said his spokeswoman, Emily Benavides. Politicians began giving Wynn's money to charity after a Friday report in The Wall Street Journal indicated Wynn pressured his employees to perform sex acts. Wynn called their stories "preposterous," but stepped down as Republican National Committee finance chairman after the report was published. Other politicians who gave Wynn's donations to charity include U.S. Senators Dean Heller of Nevada, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, according to an Associated Press tally. Steve Wynn attends the Forbes 100th Anniversary Gala at Pier Sixty on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, in New York. Wynn has provided more than a million dollars to political campaigns over the years. A campaign finance database maintained by PoliticalMoneyLine.com indicates that many Ohio politicians who ran for federal office over the years received his money. Former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner and his political action committee got more than $10,000 from him, records show. Gov. John Kasich got $1,000 from Wynn during his days as a congressman, and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine got $1,465 from him when he served as a U.S. senator. Campaign finance records show Wynn gave $10,000 to the Ohio Republican Party in 2014. Party spokesman Blaine Kelly said the group is combing through its records to find out how much Wynn gave the party over the years so it can also give that money to charity. "Although the Ohio Republican Party has not received contributions from Mr. Wynn since 2014, we feel it is important to raise awareness about these serious issues," said a statement from party chair Jane Timken. "To do that, the Ohio Republican Party has donated the amount we've received from Mr. Wynn since 2004 to an Ohio charity working to combat human trafficking." COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Republicans working on congressional redistricting reform announced several changes to their plan Monday night aimed at appeasing Democrats and advocates pushing their own reform measure. But both groups said the revised plan still does not eliminate partisan gerrymandering and allows politicians to slice and dice communities to their parties' advantage. The Fair Districts = Fair Elections coalition plans to move forward getting its proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot. "This is simply why no one trusts politicians," Heather Taylor-Miesle, executive director of the Ohio Environmental Council and one of the Fair Districts leaders said in a statement. "We have no choice to continue onward with our ballot initiative to ensure voters across Ohio aren't gerrymandered into districts where their elected representatives aren't beholden to voters." The announcement was made jointly by Republican Sen. Matt Huffman and Rep. Kirk Schuring without mention of their Democratic counterparts Sen. Vernon Sykes and Rep. Jack Cera nor the Fair Districts coalition. The three groups have been talking behind the scenes for the past three weeks in hopes of reaching a compromise. Huffman said Monday's changes reflect negotiations with Democrats and advocates and input from the public. The updated plan still keeps the Ohio General Assembly in charge of drawing congressional district lines every 10 years, instead of a seven-member commission as proposed by the Fair Districts ballot issue group. But Republicans increased the amount of bipartisan support needed to pass a map from 33 percent to 50 percent of the minority party members in the House and Senate. And they limited county splits to no more than two, allowing only five counties to be split twice. "By defining a process and ensuring bipartisan support, we are proposing a historic change in how Ohio draws its congressional district lines," Huffman said in a statement. Sykes and Cera said in a joint statement that Monday's changes make it clear Republicans won't back real reform. "By rejecting suggestions to keep communities together and require bipartisan support for new districts, Republicans are rejecting the bare minimum standards needed for real reform and diluting the power of voters," Sykes and Cera said. "Ultimately, we feel we have the responsibility to listen to the Ohioans who have spoken out and demanded real reform." Lawmakers are rushing to pass the proposed constitutional amendment by Feb. 7 so it will be on the May primary ballot. Citizens' groups can only put measures on the November ballot, and Fair Districts says it has collected more than 200,000 of the roughly 306,000 signatures needed to qualify for the ballot. GOP leaders said last week they wouldn't pass a plan without the support of Democrats or supporters of the ballot issue. A spokesman for Senate President Larry Obhof said Monday that reaching an agreement with the Fair Districts coalition was a goal. Spokesman John Fortney said on Twitter that Fair Districts didn't share that goal and the Senate GOP "never said we wouldn't do anything without their blessing." The changes were announced ahead of a Tuesday morning committee hearing where senators could advance the plan to a full Senate vote. They include: The home in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood was destroyed by the fire. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Four people, two adults and two children, reportedly are missing after a house fire early Tuesday morning on the city's East Side. The Cleveland Fire Department says the extensive damage to the two-story house on the 1600 block of Hillview Avenue is slowing down efforts to search the home, which is located in the Collinwood neighborhood. There is a partial roof collapse and the basement of the home is flooded, the department says. Firefighters tell WEWS Channel 5 that two children, an 8-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, are missing. The children's father, 46, and another male, 44, also are missing. The 46-year-old mother of the children was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center after jumping from the house, WEWS reports. Her condition is unknown. The fire was reported around 1 a.m. and firefighters arrived to find intense flames and smoke. A second house next door also caught fire. It took about an hour to bring the fire under control, according to the fire department. Temperatures were in the low 20s and it was snowing at the time of the fire. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. To comment on this story, visit the crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio - Youngstown businessman Amer Othman Adi was deported to Jordan by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a late Monday night flight. Adi, owner of the Downtown Circle Covenience Store and Deli, has been in the U.S. for 39 years and has been accused by immigration officials of using a previous 1980 marriage to an American woman as a ruse to get a green card to stay in this country. He subsequently remarried and he and his wife of 30 years, Fidaa Musleh, have four children. An ICE spokesperson recently said that several courts have previously held that Adi does not have a legal basis to remain in the U.S. Adi's attorney, David Leopold, said he spoke with his client this morning, and reported that he is doing fine. Adi has reunited with his mother there, Leopold said. But he noted, "It's a sad day, because rather than use resources to go after 'bad hombres' (a term used by President Donald Trump), the Trump administration is focusing on families, business people like Amer Adi, students, moms and dads." Adi was arrested by ICE officials when he reported for a meeting with them on January 16. He had been told late last year that he would be deported, and was ready to leave January 7 when ICE granted a temporary stay. Adi's sister-in-law, Sheila Musleh, said she planned to take over and manage the businesses. After his arrest, Adi went on a hunger strike and was transferred to the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown. His bid for a stay of removal was denied by ICE on January 25. Adi has been supported by Congressman Tim Ryan who had introduced a "private bill" asking for a six-month stay of deportation so the case could be re-examined. The bill had been approved by the House Judiciary Committee. Ryan issued a statement today, saying, "It is a sad day for Amer, his family and our entire community. In a highly irregular rebuke of Congressional authority by ICE, Amer Othman was ripped from his four daughters, his wife, and the country that he has called home for over thirty years. "Amer was a pillar of the community and brought commerce to a downtown that craved investment," Ryan continued. "He hired members of our community. He paid taxes. He did everything right. There are violent criminals walking the streets, yet our government wasted our precious resources incarcerating him. "I hope President Trump comes to realize that when his words become public policy in places like Youngstown, families like Amer's are ripped apart," he added. "I am deeply saddened and extremely disappointed with this outcome." A rally regarding the case, "Stop Deporting Democracy," is being held at 5:30 p.m. today on Market Square, at the corner of West 25th Street and Lorain Avenue, in Cleveland. Fidaa Musleh and daughter Linda Adi are among several people scheduled to speak. Leopold said options for Adi's return are still open. "We will find a way to bring him back. Legally, they can deport him, they can banish him, but they can't take his American spirit," Leopold said. "It's just sad that we are living under the tyranny of a repressive immigration crackdown which has nothing to do with border security, nothing to do with illegal immigration, nothing to do with community safety." NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio - Voters will decide in May whether a Cleveland developer can build a senior living campus on West Sprague Road just west of State Road. City Council has placed on the May 8 ballot a rezoning that would allow Omni Properties Cos. to build the campus on 26.7 acres along the south side of West Sprague, in North Royalton's northeast corner. The land is currently zoned for single-family homes on half-acre lots. Omni needs voters to rezone the property into a senior-citizen district. "It would be upwards of a $30 million project that would bring high-paying jobs to the city," Mayor Robert Stefanik said. "I think it's a good project, and there's a need for this type of housing in North Royalton, but at the end of the day, it's up to voters." According to a conceptual plan, the campus would consist of several independent-living attached houses, plus three larger buildings for assisted living, memory care and more independent living. "Nobody wants to see more development, but if this rezoning fails, it could be housing," Stefanik said. "People who say they don't want to see trees cut down, the land is zoned residential, so it will happen at some point." Several senior-living communities have been proposed and constructed in recent years in cities along the Ohio 82 corridor. In Brecksville, for example, Jennings Center for Older Adults in Garfield Heights has just opened an assisted living community on Brecksville Road just north of Ohio 82. Meanwhile, in Broadview Heights, Progressive Quality Care is building a nursing home-rehabilitation center at Broadview and Akins roads, directly across the street from newly opened Danbury Woods, a two-story senior housing complex with memory care, assisted living and independent living. The proposed Omni site in North Royalton consists of two lots, the larger of which fronts Ridgedale Drive, a residential street running north-to-south parallel to, and west of, State. The second, smaller lot, which fronts State, is directly east of the larger lot. The campus would have one main entrance driveway off West Sprague and a second drive, for emergency vehicles only, off Ridgedale. Stefanik said it's too early to know how many living units Omni would include in the plan. He said the owner of the two lots, the Gaitanaros family, also owns Athenian Village, an independent-senior-living and assisted-living community on Alexandra Drive in North Royalton. If voters approve the rezoning, Omni would still need council and the city's Planning Commission to approve a final site plan. STRONGSVILLE, Ohio - A taste of Hawaii will arrive in Strongsville this spring. 808 Shave Ice, which serves Hawaiian-style desserts made of shaved ice mixed with various flavors, plans to open Memorial Day weekend in a retail strip on Pearl Road, just south of Falling Waters Road. It's only the second location for the snack shop, which opened last year in Fairview Park. "A lot of our Fairview Park customers were asking us to open a store in Strongsville, Brunswick or Medina," said Nick Kudej, who established 808 Ice with his wife, Kayla. "We looked at all the cities and their demographics, and Strongsville stood out as far as proximity to freeways and access to surrounding communities. And they have a good environment for small business," Kudej said. The business will employ 20 to 30 workers and will operate seasonally from mid-May through September, although it eventually might stay open all year, depending on the support it receives. "Our goal is to grow throughout Northeast Ohio," Kudej said. "We want to expand further if we're lucky enough to do so." Last week, the Strongsville Planning Commission approved a conditional-use permit that will allow 808 Shave Ice to occupy a vacant storefront next to Mr. Hero's, on the east side of Pearl. The shop will build an outdoor patio that will seat up to 24. Just don't call 808 Shave Ice's desserts snow cones. While snow cones consist of crushed ice, an 808 Shave Ice dish is made of, well, shaved ice. The texture is different, allowing flavors to distribute more evenly through the product, according to the company's website. "A good comparison for our ice texture is that of powdery snow that falls on a 20-degree day," Kudej said in a letter to city officials. The list of flavors seems endless and includes blue raspberry, coconut, strawberry, cherry, pineapple, cotton candy, grape, lemon, orange, peach, vanilla, apple, blue Hawaii, butterscotch, cinnamon, banana, bubblegum, chocolate, coffee and guava. Most flavors are made from fruit purees flown in from Hawaii. The flavors are hand-mixed daily, according to the company website. "Our Hawaiian shave ice would be considered a high-end dessert - almost like a gourmet gelato shop compared to frozen yogurt," Kudej said in his letter. Why 808? That's the area code for the entire Hawaiian state, which Kudej and Mooney have visited more than 20 times over the past 10 years. "We can't wait for the opportunity to be Strongsville's new local summer hangout spot," Kudej said. News of Those Once Affiliated with the Global Church of God Since the November 1998 takeover of the old GCG by the board in the U.S., those once with GCG went to many places. Most of the members and ministers ultimately went with the Living Church of God (LCG), 8-15% went with the Church of God, a Christian Fellowship (CGCF) and smaller percentages ended up with David Pack's Restored Church of God (RCG), Harold Smith's Church of God Fellowship, Northwest (CGFnw), the Continuing Church of God (CCOG), and other groups (at least one which is outside the U.S. uses the term Global Church of God). On July 1, 2001, eight ministers resigned from CGCF and formed the Church of the Eternal God (CEG), similar in name, but not related, to the Eternal Church of God (ECG--founded by a minister removed from the original GCG ministry for impropriety). About a month later CGCF (USA) dissolved and most then with it ended up in the United Church of God (UCG). One former GCG minister (Ronald Laughland) became pastor of the Wholeworld Church of God. In 2004, Raymond McNair, having been in GCG, CGCF, LCG, then went on his own and formed Church of God, 21st Century (COG21); later he died and that group disbanded. Don Haney, once in GCG/LCG, formed the Church of God In Peace and Truth. In 2005, Ben Faulkner, who was in GCG/LCG, formed the Church of the Sovereign God (CotSG). In 2006, Charles Bryce who was in GCG/LCG left, and formed the Enduring Church of God (En COG). In 2010, several of the main leaders who went to UCG from CGCF left it and went to a group called COGWA. A couple of people, like Norman Edwards (Servants' News/Shepherd's Voice), left GCG well before the 1998 takeover (he has 'Nashville Christian Media'). In 2013, Rod Reynolds left LCG and formed COG Messenger. On 12/15/11, a minister in good-standing with LCG anointed Bob Thiel with oil and prayed that God would grant him a double-portion of His Spirit (see also How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God): and things have not been the same since (Bob Thiel still, of course, supports the goals and biblical beliefs of Philadelphia era of the Church of God). Website links for most of those who were once part of GCG and that have websites can be found at the COGlinks page. In 2012, certain heresies were officially introduced, accepted, and/or promoted by LCG. After concluding that insufficient value was placed on the truth (and keeing their word) by certain leaders of LCG and that they no longer held to biblical church governance and could not as is be used to lead the final phase of the work (see also Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God), on 12/28/12 Bob Thiel was led to form, and then announced, the beginning of the Continuing Church of God (CCOG). In August 2020, Sheldon Monson left LCG and was 'marked' by LCG on 8/19/20 and then on 9/05/20 he announced Church of God Assembly (CGA). The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) is the second largest group, in terms of members, of those groups whose leaders were once part of GCG (LCG is largest). This page reports on those groups that somehow once had ties to the old GCG. 09/01/21 a.m. The 7th COG news page posted the following: Church of God Assembly Sheldon Monson writes 27th August 2021: Last weeks sermon on Will We Place Our Faith in a Vaccine or in God? was pulled from YouTube within an hour of posting the edited version. YouTube gave us a Red Flag citing that it violates their medical misinformation policy. If we post content that encourages the use of home remedies, prayer, or rituals in place of medical treatment such as consulting a doctor or going to the hospital, the video will be banned and you will receive a red flag. If we receive another red flag, YouTube will ban us from streaming for at least one week. Weve known that this day would come, and have been preparing a back-up plan. Going forward we will begin including a link to LIVE stream on a platform called Twitch. It is a gaming platform, so it will look and feel a bit different, but most importantly we will not have a disruption in the regular streaming weekly LIVE services. He comments at the 28 minute mark that he had been healed of stage 4 cancer, and in January this year he was at home with Covid-19 for 10 days, then spent 5 days in hospital with double pneumonia, but he never thought that he would die. YouTube and other parts of Big Tech have pushed a lot of "medical misinformation' as well as suppressed truth about COVID-19 options and treatments (Facebook removed one of my documented and referenced posts related to natural approaches to improve the immune system about a year ago). YouTube, itself, has increased its censorship this year. It censored a video from us in the CCOG, that we still have up on another platform. Here is a link to the YouTube removed video: Disneys abominable promotions! A 'famine of the word' (Amos 8:11-12) is coming. And for years, I have warned that this would include pulling materials off the internet. This is one of the reasons that the CCOG has videos on multiple platforms (see CCOG Multimedia page). While we not YET at the true 'famine of the word,' we certainly see that the plan to remove information is getting widespread support from Big Tech as well as various governments. See also the article Preparing for the Short Work and The Famine of the Word. 08/15/21 a.m. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday. The earthquake was about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) northeast of Saint-Louis-du-Sud and 10 kilometers deep, according to the US Geological Survey. Haiti has already had many problems and troubles, and this quake looks to make matters worse. The quake was centered close to where most of the Continuing Church of God brethren in Haiti live. I received several reports related to CCOG members there. Five of the brethren in the area now do not have housing due to the quake. Here is one related photo: There look to be other issues as well. Our leader in Haiti, Nicolas Moise, has been going around his area to visit the brethren. He has sent a picture of Moma Simon, who has a broken left leg caused by her house falling on her: Please keep those in Haiti in your prayers. We are also trying to figure out how to best assist physically as well. 08/14/21 p.m. RCG's David Pack reportedly sent out the following that he wrote: For many reasons, we are still not out of time! The spectacular complexity of the picture has moved many BIG things we are waiting for closer to the start - but also widen the window of our wait. The idea of counting back from the Last Great Day no longer applies as we understand it - something a brief email cannot explain. Suffice to say, we are still right where we need to be. With no reason to believe we must "wait another year"! The Great Tribulation cannot start before 2025 (for biblically-reliable proof see the article When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?). The end is not yet (Matthew 24:6). David Pack will be proven wrong again. 08/13/21 a.m. In its newsletter today, CEG had the following: Suppressing Medical Opinions Life Site News wrote on August 4: Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet explained how her own clinical experience and medical research have shaped her understanding of COVID-19 and the mRNA jabs, and given her a burning desire to help the public with her insights. Vliet shared that her background in internal medicine and climacteric medicine, which studies the effects of hormonal changes on the body during menopause, has informed her understanding of COVID-19 treatment, as well as the side effects of the so-called vaccines Vliet said the coordinated government-media-big tech collusion is being dishonest about the actual effectiveness of the COVID jab in order to drive people to receive it. And the tragedy of it is that people are being totally lied to , when they are using the Delta variant as a reason to rush out to get the experimental COVID shot, because the COVID shots dont protect against the Delta variant Vliet lamented the fact that relatively few doctors are standing up to the suppression of medical information, and that even these doctors are being silenced Vliet said, Never in my career, never ever has there been this degree of censorship across the board : medical boards, governors, media outlets, government agencies, health systems, hospitals, medical schools, research institutions Never has there been such a coordinated draconian attacking physicians who are simply trying to do their job to assess the patient, determine treatment to the best of their ability, use the tools at hand, that are FDA approved medicines, widely available, and used every day in medical practice. Never have we had anything like this. It is totally unprecedented. When asked why she believes censorship and suppression of medical information is occurring, Vliet said There are 3 things that tend to motivate decisions like this: Money, power, and control Vliet said that people have given up their usual common sense approach to life when confronted with COVID-19 people are blindly going into one of the largest experiments in human history, asking no questions , and thats not what they do in any other aspects of their lives Sadly, she is absolutely right when speaking of blind submission and giving three reasons (and there might be more) for censorship and suppression of medical (and other) information: Money, power and control by the government, Big Tech, the mass-media and its medical pharmaceutical supporters. Sadly, the truth is that science has been suppressed on a lot related to COVID-19 for political, and sometimes financial, reasons. 07/23/21 a.m. LCG's presiding evangelist sent out the following: Greetings from Charlotte, Everyone should now be home from the Texas Teen Camp that we shut down because of COVIDmost likely the Delta variant that is sweeping across the world at this time. Both Carol and I, as well as others who were at the Texas camp, have come down with it. I took Carol to the emergency room per doctors orders, but she was not put in a room and was sent home after a long day sitting up. ... Gerald Weston The Westons and others in LCG (and various ones in other COGs as well as not in any COG) remain in my prayers. 07/17/21 p.m. This morning I was told by an LCG source that LCG cancelled its Teen Summer Camp because someone apparently had COVID and infected about three people (quantity uncertain). I reminded my source COVID policy issues, though not COVID itself, were blamed on the split from LCG by Sheldon Monson last Summer. 07/10/21 a.m. RCG's David Pack reportedly sent out the following: I am sending brethren this note one day before you receive the Member/Co-worker letter because I didnt want another day to pass without you hearing from me during these extraordinary times when we are all on pins and needles waiting for the return of Christ and the Kingdom of God. How strange it is to say this when over 2 billion Christians of this world should all be saying the same thing when probably very few are. With Part 306 now almost a month behind us, most are naturally wondering if we must wait another year. Just the news screams NO! We are still right where we should be. Why after giving His Church so much knowledge and such a marvelous picture would God expect us to sit on it until 2022 or beyond? In fact, even more has come clear. But there is not enough time for another message. We have long wrestled with all first-day events. Suffice to say the picture is still bad. All brethren living and deadexcept those kept by Christwill face the antichrist and show where they stand through an initial falling away first (apostasia). After this the Man of Sin will fully test those still asleep by the Day of Christ. While sobering to contemplate, this two-phase trial means all of Gods people can be complete much sooner than we had anticipated. Although we see through a glass darkly until the Kingdom arrives, never forget how far we have come in understanding. The little flock in David C. Pack Prophecy UpdateI am sending brethren this note one day before you receive the Member/Co-worker letter because I didnt want another day to pass without you hearing from me during these extraordinary times when we are all on pins and needles waiting for the return of Christ and the Kingdom of God. How strange it is to say this when over 2 billion Christians of this world should all be saying the same thing when probably very few are.With Part 306 now almost a month behind us, most are naturally wondering if we must wait another year. Just the news screams NO! We are still right where we should be. Why after giving His Church so much knowledge and such a marvelous picture would God expect us to sit on it until 2022 or beyond? In fact, even more has come clear. But there is not enough time for another message.We have long wrestled with all first-day events. Suffice to say the picture is still bad. All brethren living and deadexcept those kept by Christwill face the antichrist and show where they stand through an initial falling away first (apostasia). After this the Man of Sin will fully test those still asleep by the Day of Christ. While sobering to contemplate, this two-phase trial means all of Gods people can be complete much sooner than we had anticipated.Although we see through a glass darkly until the Kingdom arrives, never forget how far we have come in understanding. The little flock in Luke 12:32-35 is told to keep their lights burning. We are now in a very tight window for MANY REASONS. (If time permitted, I would explain why the first Kingdom including the Great Tribulation is the 75-day difference between the 1,335 days and 1,260, which matches the second half of the 7-year Kingdom.) Lets continue watching and praying that we will escape all evil that lies ahead. Stay alert! We cannot have long. The Day of the Lord must still arrive shortly after the Feast of Tabernacles. The math of the Bible will not permit longer than that. It is still a little while before we could even entertain another year. You can do the math!David C. Pack Well, I have done the math, and he is wrong. Here is a link to a sermon related to the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin: Great Tribulation: 2026 or 2027? Here is a link to an article with "the math": Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? 07/01/21 a.m. Here is a report we received last evening from CCOG's Canadian hosts Herb and Gisele Haddon: Good evening Dr.Thiel, For more than a year, probably even 2 or more years, my health has been deteriorating. The medical profession figured I was suffering from asthma, so treatment was administered. I continued to get worse. In the past year, several specialists examined me to offer their opinions. My breathing continued to regress. I often lost my breath. I began loosing muscle mass and strength throughout my whole body. I could not stand without aid. Even my voice was failing. March 23 tests were performed for ALS. The disease was confirmed. On April 19 a lung specialist examined me. The lungs were in great condition. It was the surrounding muscles to make the lungs function that were loosing their strength. May 12 I saw the ALS specialist who confirmed everything. Prayer requests were sent to the church for my healing. From the diagnosis forward everything is a blur. I can remember after being diagnosed with ALS that the doctors were always coming up with new treatments, so perhaps a cure is around the corner. A quick study online dashed those hopes. I was not prescribed any medication. I thought of natural medicines that you (Dr. Thiel) could administer. Surely there was hope there? As this disease has no cure, death is the only outcome. I was devastated! I had to turn to God to heal me. Giseles faith would prove to be strong as well as the whole Church praying to our Father for my healing. God has heard and answered. As my breathing was getting worse by the day, the inevitable happened. On Thursday June 17th, my mouth and tongue turned blue and I was falling in and out of consciousness. From responsive to unresponsive. Called the ambulance and was taken to the hospital. Was unresponsive all day and by evening the situation deteriorated so much that they put me on a respirator. At that time the Dr. told Gisele that the end would come in about 1 hour. All my family were called to say their goodbyes. Gisele refused to believe that my time was up because my work was not done. Haiti had to be helped. Told the Drs that God would heal him. This was not the end. They tried to convince Gisele to not hold on to false hope. She told them that faith in God would heal him. God had a purpose for me yet. As Gisele was standing next to me and rubbing me to wake up, I opened my eyes and told her to let me go. She was very emphatic that she would not let me go. My work was not done. I repeated twice more my request for her to let me go and both times she gave the same answer. After a few minutes I turned to Gisele and said you know what? I am healed! Gisele agreed. I remained lucid for the rest of the evening and all my children had the opportunity to spend time with me. Then unresponsive the rest of the night. The Drs at this point did not understand why I was not dead. Co2 levels still very high. Well over 100 at this time. The next morning they moved me to a ward. Was still unresponsive and did not remember the night before or what was going on. This went on until Sunday. I was put on oxygen and started coming around at the beginning of the week as the CO2 levels were starting to normalize and they had me on a different BIPAP with oxygen. From then on I could sit in a chair and walk a little bit. I was talking, no more confusion, no more hallucinations, these had been going on for about a week or two when I was home. They had me use a cough assist to clear my lungs as they were very full of phlegm. After a few days lungs all clear and barely out of breath. Could eat a meal without putting on BIPAP in the middle of my meal. Could carry a conversation without any problems. The Drs tried to explain away that my dramatic improvements were due to oxygen. They Removed the oxygen on Wednesday and oxygen levels are now between 93 and 99. So I guess oxygen was not the reason for improvement. Gisele told the Drs that God was responsible for his healing. She had faith that God would heal him through prayers. The Drs thought Gisele was in denial!! I believe they are the ones in denial refusing to believe that God can and does heal. She told them that medicine and science were not the answer to everything. Finally after getting well enough they sent me home on Monday. I am feeling better than I was a year ago. All tremors and other ALS symptoms are gone. Still weak physically but getting stronger every day. I truly believe in the power of faith, prayers and fasting. God was with me every step of the way. Praise be to Him. Thank you to all my brethren for all your prayers. God did hear. With love Herb and Gisele It should be noted that even though ALS is not supposed to go into remission, the medical doctors still believe that Herb has ALS. Does God still heal people today? Yes. I have received reports from various ones who have been healed in response to getting anointed cloths (cf. Acts 19:11-12) from the Continuing Church of God (CCOG). God does still heal people today, in accordance to His will of what is best for the sufferer. Herbert (Herb) W. Haddon, our host in New Brunswick, Canada had been having severe health issues for many months. The medical profession diagnosed and confirmed that he was suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Herb and I discussed the diagnosis and my limited clinical experience with itwe did NOT send him supplements for it. Consistent with James 5:14, Herb wanted the elders of the CCOG to pray for him. So I prayed for him and requested prayers for him in the weekly Continuing Church of God Letter to the Brethren, several times (see Letter to the Brethren: March 25, 2021, Letter to the Brethren: May 20, 2021, and Letter to the Brethren: June 10, 2021). While God has healed people in and out of the COG throughout the church age, this apparent healing may be a signparticularly if other healings of this magnitude or even greater take place. A few years back, we had a deaf man experience a miracle in that he was able to hear after Pastor Evans Ochieng preached in Migawi, Malawi (see Letter to the Brethren: February 18, 2016). God does heal! Healings can be a sign from God (Mark 16:18c). Herb Haddon, who was lame, now walks. The deaf man in Malawi was able to hear. Consider those in light of the following related to men John the Baptist sent to check up on Jesus: 4 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." (Matthew 11:4-6) As far as the poor having the gospel preached to then, we have more than 5,000 congregants in poor regions of Africa who are with us and regularly hear the good news of the Kingdom of God. Yet, many Christian people in these times act like they are 'above' accepting that poor Africans are important, despite the prophesied need for the fulness of the Gentiles to come in per Romans 11:25 (see also What About Romans 11:25 and the Full Number of the Gentiles?). Most end time Christians feel that they are 'above' accepting that God could have a prophet at this time (see Church of God Leaders on Prophets) and that God is intervening with dreams in the CCOG (see Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God) and accepting other supernatural signs now, despite that being prophesied for the last days per Acts 2:17-18 (see also Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?). The apostles were confirmed by signs that followed them (Mark 16:20) and there have been signs that have confirmed the Continuing Church of God (see also Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?). Laodiceans, sadly, seem to be offended by such things--or at least do not take them seriously enough to change. For more information related to Herb Haddon, check out the post Can Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Be Cured? A Miracle in Canada? God does heal! 06/19/21 p.m. In response to my 06/18/21 a.m. Banned's webmaster Gary Leonard again posted various falsehoods. We will not bother with those. Now, while I do not regularly read comments posted at his site, I just did and this time a few that posted comments pointed out aspects of the truth. Here are some of the comments: Sweetblood777 I do not know Bob and have never heard nor read a prophecy that came from him. Thus IMO he has yet to demonstrate that he is a prophet. On the other hand, I have never read nor heard anything that is morally wrong with Bob. He seems sincere though perhaps deluded. This site however has taken an overly negative and heavy view of Bob and makes me wonder why he is such a target compared to the many others that claim to be the leader of the COG movement. If 'Banned' were to concentrate on exposing a false prophecy given by Bob, then you all will have more credibility instead of coming across as a bully by attacking the individual. In my mind, Bob has destroyed his credibility by proclaiming a European superstate that will attack the U.S.A. etc. HWA got this all wrong. He was also wrong in determining which nation(s), are Babylon. These issues and others can be rebuked without hammering Bob to a 'cross'. June 19, 2021 at 2:30 AM Hoss Well do I remember when Bob departed from LCG. Reviewing the flurry of postings and correspondence, there seem to be a few parallels with previous places in COG history. Bob's departure, and starting his own COG are a bit like HWA/CG7. The sudden appearance of "CCOG" suggests this was, to some extent, in progress, at least in planning, some time before Bob's going. HWA's Eugene ministry was also in a position to become independent at short notice. And like GTA/WCG, where it was better, for a while, to keep GTA under control inside the WCG, some of RCM's words and apparent actions seem to show he thought Bob, under control, within the LCG would be better than him leaving - one way or the other. I know, there are varying points of view, and the truth in such matters are mixed in shades of gray... June 19, 2021 at 4:18 AM Anonymous said... Jim Meredith wrote: If you rebel against the government that God has put in place on this earth, and the leaders He and Christ have chosen, you will not be there at Christs return. Seriously?! How can he be so presumptuous to know who will and will not be at Christs coming?! His assertion sounds like a Papist exclaiming the Papacy is the Kingdom of God on earth and to disobey the Pontiff is to disobey God Himself! Such cultish talk. June 19, 2021 at 6:03 AM Anonymous said... not sure why you take such pleasure in provoking Dr. Bob.... he's probably the most benign of all the splinters...he certainly doesn't take advantage of anyone, what he teaches is as accurate, and maybe a bit more so, than most...and I'm talking about legitimate groups, not those such as Pack/Flurry and the other similar orgs...(maybe that scares you and you need to try to discredit him for your own sense of well being) sure, he goes off on this prophet thing, which those looking to follow a man might latch onto, but I think most look past that and simply read his doctrinal material, which is quite good. you just make yourselves look silly by constantly attacking him... June 19, 2021 at 6:49 AM Anonymous said... Gotta say this about Thiel, I love his courage in calling out Banned blog as liars. June 19, 2021 at 7:15 AM Yes, the Banned blog often posts falsehoods and some there have seen that. That being said, I received the following email today from CCOG evangelist Evans Ochieng: Pastor Dr Bob, Greetings from kenya. For the last month up to last week, I have been busy visiting the congregations in kenya and co-workers. And since the congregations in kenya are so many now I couldnt manage to visit all of them. I cant continue to visit since there is a big problem of covid 19 which has increased so much in kenya especially Nyanza and western Kenya. The areas have a curfew and nobody is found out as from 7pm till 5 am. The covid 19 cases are so many now in these areas and part of rift valley. So things have become so difficult in these areas heavily. And these are the areas where most of congregations are located. So we need more prayers to brethren and kenya at large. The work in kenya has expanded and the doors are open for the work. We have 23 congregations in kenya with 4,022 people. Apart from that we have many Co-workers who are studying our booklets and visit our website. Ive been getting many reports also from our deacons and hosts and pastors about how people do contact them about the truth which some of them getting from website, books and from our representatives. So the work in CCOG is expanding and being driven by the HOLY SPIRIT. These year we are going to have 9 feast sites in kenya and 1 in Tanzania. Total of 10 sites. Malawi and Mozambique, Ethiopia and Ghana. The work in CCOG is expanding day by day in Africa. The problem now in Africa is covid 19. It has blocked many things and people do survive through hardship. We ask for more prayers. Im planning to go to Nairobi next week if things cool down because Im planning to go and get ticket for my trip to Malawi and Mozambique. Moving is very difficult now in most of areas of kenya. CHURCH halls and places of prayers are closed. No gathering. So things are tough and rough. I recieved the parcel from Bill weekend. We thanked him for a good work. We need more prayers, the situation is tough here. This evening I recieved a massage that Teresia osutwa the mother of our strong member Charles osutwa from Mbani congregation is dead. I Will go there tomorrow very early in the morning. Some two weeks back, we lost a member from Eberege congregation in kisii and last week we lost a brother from Mozambique. Now we again lost a member from mbani congregation. More prayers Evangelist Evans. It is fantastic to see the growth we have had in Gentile regions like Kenya! In Romans 11, verse 25, the Apostle Paul wrote the following: 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:25) The Apostle Paul also wrote: 14 Judeans, 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16) Many today, instead of forbidding it like the Jews, downplay and/or ridicule reaching Gentiles in places like Africa. But, they do not seem to understand that the Bible teaches that WE MUST INSTRUCT MANY (cf. Daniel 11:33) INCLUDING GENTILES! Apostle Paul, he wrote: 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins. (Romans 11:26-27) So, in the sequence of Romans 11, we see the full number of the Gentiles will come into the faith (Romans 11:25), prior to Jesus return (Romans 11:26). The late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, taught the following about Romans 11:25: Now I want you to study carefully one of the most wonderful, important chapters in all the Bible the 11th of Romans. Verse 23 says those who abide not still in unbelief shall YET receive salvation. Now study carefully beginning verse 25: Blindness in part is happened to Israel [HOW LONG? Forever? No note it], UNTIL the fulness of the Gentiles be come in the end of this age during which God is calling a people from among the gentiles to bear His name (Acts 15:14). And so, says Romans 11:26, all Israel SHALL BE SAVED [how?]: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. The Deliverer, Jesus Christ, is coming again! When He comes, the gentile times will be over the BLINDNESS will be removed from the Israelites and their opportunity their FIRST chance of salvation will then come to those whom God had blinded! This is at the time when He comes to REIGN on HIS THRONE the throne of David, with the saints made immortal reigning and ruling with Him and the time is DURING THE THOUSAND YEARS! Notice verse 31. These blinded Israelites have not now, in this age, received mercy, that through the mercy of the gentiles saved in this age, they MAY, THEN, obtain mercy and salvation. How? Because these saved gentiles will then be kings and priests, assisting in this wonderful Work! (Armstrong HW. Where Will The MILLENNIUM Be Spent? Tomorrows Word magazine, September 1971, p. 5) 25: Blindness in part is happened until Israel-HOW LONG? Forever? No-note it-UNTIL the fulness of the Gentiles be come in -the end of this age during which God is calling a people from among the Gentiles to bear His name (Acts 15: 14). These blinded Israelites have not now, in this age, received mercy, that thru the mercy of the Gentiles saved in this age, they MAY, THEN, obtain mercy and salvation. How? Because these saved Gentiles will then be kings and priests, assisting in this wonderful work! (Armstrong HW. Where Will The MILLENNIUM Be Spent? Plain Truth, February-March 1954 , pp. 4-5) (25) For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel [or that part of Israel, meaning the great part, the big part all but a few, have been blinded. Its the big part actually] until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. [Or the number of Gentiles to be converted becomes complete as other translations have it] (Armstrong HW. Romans 11-13. Bible Study, June 27, 1980) Clearly, we are much closer to the time when all the Gentiles are to come in to later be kings and priests than when those articles were published (see also: Christians are to Rule). More of the Gentiles had to be called and converted and that is happening now! Here are some comments related to the fullness of the Gentiles by the old Radio Church of God: For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in (Rom. 11:25). God has a TIME SCHEDULE He is working out. (Armstrong GT. When You DieThen What Happens? Plain Truth, June 1967, p. 22) Isaiah 11 The Gentiles are going to seek God (verse 10) and Israel and Judah are going to be gathered THE SECOND TIME from the heathen nations (verse 11). This could not be speaking of any spiritual Israel. The last verses in this chapter speak of men crossing rivers and highways as they leave the Gentile nations and return the second time to the land of promise. This is the time spoken of by Paul. Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins (Romans 11:25-27). Here is GOOD NEWS! Here is part of the gospel message. Blindness is happened to Israel, not forever, but until the full number of Gentiles who are to be converted in this age comes into the Kingdom. Then Israel shall be forgiven and the vast majority of Gentiles shall seek God. (Hoeh H. The Coming UTOPIA Wonderful World of Tomorrow. Plain Truth, March 1957, p. 6; see also Hoeh H. The Coming UTOPIA Wonderful World of Tomorrow. Tomorrows World, May-June 1970, p. 22) Since the end of the age with Jesus returning does not come until the full number of Gentiles comes in, shouldnt reaching more Gentiles be part of the final phase of the work? And while the Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:3-9) and the messages of the three angels (Revelation 14:8-11; see also The Final Phase of the Work) will doing that during the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord, the way that Romans 11:25 is written shows that Christians are not to wait for that alone, but to also participate in that now. The Apostle Paul (the apostle to the GentilesRomans 11:13) and the other apostles realized that in the Book of Acts (cf. Acts 11). We in the Continuing Church of God believe that is so and have been pouring in resources to do into reaching Gentiles, including impoverished ones (see also How does the Continuing Church of God differ from other Sabbatarian COG groups? and the free booklet: Is God Calling You?). Now, getting back to Banned's webmaster, he downplays both the calling of Gentiles as well as dreams in the CCOG. But Gentiles are to be called. And as far as dreams go, consider the following: Dear pastor Greetings pastor. I believe you are doing good though you are having great thrust of fulfilling Matthew 28:19 of which we must do before the return of Christ. ... I had two dreams 1. Before our family joined CCOG my father was then working with voice in the Wilderness Church of God. When I was sleeping I had a dream and in my dream I saw a light and the light was not normal, the one who was standing by the was You pastor Bob according to my dream. Then I had voice shouting, "Arise you who are sleeping, for the Lord is near." I again I heard another voice shouting, "Come up Evans and let us do the work we are called to do." I then saw a man dressed in white clothes join hands with my father walking together towards a very big lake then I woke up. 2: In my second dream some weeks after my first dream and in my second dream I saw almost the same dream and now this was in New Zealand. I did not know about the CCOG group in New Zealand before I had the dream. Fred Related to the first dream, in March of 2014 Frederick's father Evans Ochieng came with the Continuing Church of God. When he came, he came with about 260 people from Kenya and Tanzania. His son Frederick's dream showed that we would have much growth in Africa. He and his father listened to God. In time leaders from other African countries, who did not know Evans Ochieng (nor about the dream), contacted me. We held a conference that many COG leaders from six African countries attended in 2017. As of today, we have over fifteen times as many in Kenya than when Frederick Ochieng had his dream. So, the dream of working the lake was confirmed--Evans Ochieng and I became a productive "fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). When I asked Frederick Ochieng about New Zealand, he said he knew nothing about New Zealand and any connection with the CCOG prior to his dream. Those in New Zealand have been heavily involved in supporting the work to reach people around the world. The New Zealanders have been the primary editors of our church publications, developed a website, put up and managed our Bible News Prophecy Flipboard page, greatly assisted with the Study the Bible Course, supported various aspects of message production, and produce our Bible News Prophecy online radio channel. Frederick's dream may have been telling him that I (Bob Thiel) was working with those in New Zealand to fulfill Matthew 24:14 and Matthew 28:19-20 to reach the world. Of course, Banned's websmaster and others who do not believe the Bible do not take Romans 11:25 seriously, nor dreams. But they should per Acts 2:17-18 (see also Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God). 06/18/21 a.m. Satan's assistants ("the devil ... he is a liar and the father of it," John 8:44) at the Banned by HWA site do not want people to believe my 06/17/21 p.m. post. So, let's look at some of their false statements and point out the truth. Here is a lie that Gary Leonard (its webmaster), started a post off with last night: It's a hot day in California, and in more ways than one. Our favorite self-appointed dreamy prophet and Great Bwana to Africa and 299 Caucasians, who was kicked out of the Living Church of God by Rod Meredith ... No, Dr. Meredith did NOT kick me out. It was I who left because of broken promises by him and others to correct doctrinal, historical, and prophetic errors he and the then other LCG evangelists agreed to correct, as well as other integrity problems in LCG. (Plus I could not accept the falling away change, which Richard Ames agreed to look at with me on October 8, 2012--see The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings). Anyway, all the top leadership of the Living Church of God know full well I was not kicked out--but left 12-28-12 after receiving an outrageous and inappropriate email from Dr. Meredith (see Roderick C. Meredith's Accusatory Letter to Bob Thiel). Gary Leonard cannot get over the fact that it was I who kicked out LCG, not the other way around. If he and others at his libelous site would stop repeating the lie I was kicked out of LCG, I would not feel the desire to sometimes comment about it. The evening the day I left, my LCG pastor sent me the following email: Dear Dr. Thiel, I am very sorry to see you... leaving the Living Church of God. In Christ's service, Jeffrey Fall Later in that same evening, even Jim Meredith (son of Dr. Meredith) emailed me and asked me to reconsider and come back. Here are some excerpts: Bob, as you know, we have never really seen eye to eye. ... But now you have made a potentially fatal error; ... You obviously took no time to fast and pray about dads response ... Bob, please take the time to carefully, and prayerfully consider what you are doing, and where you are headed. You are a bright, intelligent man, with a great potential ... If you rebel against the government that God has put in place on this earth, and the leaders He and Christ have chosen, you will not be there at Christs return. ... In Christian Love, Jim Meredith Living Church of God Office (704)844-1970 Jim Meredith, who was partially behind the 12-28-12 letter to me that Dr. Meredith sent, fully realized that I left, NOT that I was kicked out. As far as rebellion against God's government, I assert it is those in LCG that do not accept how GOD works (see The Bible, Peter, Paul, John, Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, Roderick C. Meredith, and Bob Thiel on Church Government). They are looking to men above God--that is something that Dr. Meredith himself warned about when he was part of the old Radio Church of God (Meredith RC. Second Commandment. Plain Truth, March 1960, p. 27). Here is the complete email response I sent Jim Meredith on 12-29-12: Dear Jim: My actual plan, which I did pray and fast about, was to discuss matters with your dad that I felt that he could correct. Instead, he refused to speak with me and sent me a letter making it clear that he felt that I, and not LCG problems, were the issue here. FWIW, I specifically told Dr. Fall what I wanted as the outcome, and you can check that with him. And what happened is not what I wanted. The accusation from you and your dad that this is all about my pride is one that you both may wish to be careful about as it is Satan that is the accuser of the brethren. If your dad would have spoken in depth with me, I had hoped and prayed that he would be able to see certain areas that needed correction and the matters actually resolved. It is not clear to me that you are aware of how many broken promises that you dad and Dr. Winnail have made to me (related to correcting literature, doctrinal matters, etc.). Anyway, when your dad sent me a letter calling me names and accusing me of twisting various matters as well as denying specific things he told me, combined with the fact that he would not even speak with me, I took this to mean that the mantle was no longer in Charlotte and further attempts at reconciliation were futile. It was he who refused to speak with me and try to resolve matters. Anyway, the last time I prayed for you and your dad was this morning, and you both will remain in my prayers. Regards, Bob Thiel Some may be interested to know that on February 20, 2013, less then two months after CCOG was declared, Dr. Meredith sent me an email asking if I would come back. My response, which I sent on 2/21/13, included the following: Dear Dr. Meredith: Good morning. ... On 12/28/12, after receiving your email to me, I telephoned Dr. Fall, discussed your email with him, and then told him that morally I could no longer have affiliation with the Living Church of God. I then sent you an email where I clearly stated to you that I was no longer with LCG. ... As far as me and the Living Church of God, there would have to be major specific changes for me to be able to come back. At this stage, without changes, I do not believe that LCG can possibly be the group that God will use to complete the final phase of the work. I have totally committed myself to support the Philadelphian end time work of God, which is why, to a great degree because of steps you did and did not take, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) had to be formed. You may be interested to know that I did not want to be in the position that I am now in. ... My attempts in 2012 to prevent the current situation were not properly reciprocated by you. Anyway, I continue to pray for you, your wife, and others in LCG pretty much daily. Sincerely, Bob Thiel Dr. Meredith did not respond to my response to him. The changes needed were not made, so there was no point in going back. More on why I left is in the article: the article: Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God. Gary Leonard's post also included the following: Having nightmares and dreaming up fantastical stories to prove your legitimacy does not make on a prophet either. Public/official 'prophet' recognition by LCG was NOT a factor in my choosing to leave--particularly since ALL the then LCG HQ evangelists stated that God might consider me to be a prophet. This was also directly confirmed to me by Dr. Doug Winnail in September 2012 and after I left in January 2013 (and that 2013 time was in writing). It is a FACT that not ALL LCG evangelists thought Bob might be a prophet. If any of them thought that then it is proof that these guys were not real ministers. As far as the "nighmare" crack goes, the word of God says that God speaks to prophets in dreams in Numbers 12:6 (for more on that, check out the article: Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God). Now, how could Gary Leonard state that the LCG evangelists did not say Bob Thiel might be a prophet as he was NEVER part of any of those conversations, has never met (or spoken with) me, nor did he ask them before making his assertions? Obviously, he simply cannot stand the idea that God could have a prophet and that the top leadership at LCG thought I may be one. Furthermore, as I posted yesterday, ALL the then LCG HQ evangelists stated that God might consider me to be a prophet. This is NOT just my word against the false testimony of Gary Leonard. On August 26, 2012, LCG evangelist Dr. D. Winnail flew out to my area to meet me. One of the things that Dr. Winnail told me was, We all think that you might be a prophet. In order to determine who We all was, on September 7, 2012, I asked if this was a reference to all three of the LCG Charlotte-based evangelists and Dr. Winnail concurred. Furthermore, on January 7, 2013, which was about two weeks AFTER I left LCG, Dr. Douglas Winnail sent me an email, which included the statement, we made comments to you that you may be a prophet. Jesus stated: 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12) So, Gary Leonard's false and evil statements about me are consistent with those Jesus said would happen to His blessed, like the prophets. On a positive note, one thing that false statements sometimes do is to trigger a truthful response. Hence my posts today and yesterday. The truth is available for those who do not want to believe lies. Furthermore, I noticed the following comments someone made at the Banned site today: A true prophet would not have to convict others that he is a prophet. ... Thus far, Bob hasn't given one prophecy (that I know about), that would indicate that perhaps he is a chosen one for this job. To that poster's credit, at least he added "that I know about" in the last comment. If he, or anyone else, would like to see a list of fulfilled predictions and links with others, check out one towards the end of the following article: Church of God Leaders on Prophets. As far as true prophets not needing to assert that they are prophets, both the Old and New Testament show that prophets DID decide they had to give reasons that they were true prophets as Amos, Jeremiah, Paul, and others did (see How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God). Consider that the Apostle Paul wrote: 20 Despise not prophesyings. 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21, KJV) Hopefully, you, the reader, take those scriptures seriously and have not despised prophesies and have truly PROVEN what you believe on this. If so you can actually be one who will "hold fast that which is good," which includes the truth about me and the prophet matter. Of course, many will choose not to believe the truth or be sufficiently diligent to "prove all things," but will instead love and believe a lie--even though the Bible warns against that (Revelation 22:15). 06/17/21 p.m. Someone told me today that a LCG minister wrote to him regarding the "main reason" that I left that church was because LCG did not consider me to be a prophet. That is untrue. As it turns out, the particular minister who indicated that never talked to me to ask why I left. So, how could he know the main reason I left? The only way would be if I told him, someone I spoke with told him (or someone else who told him what I said), or he read what I wrote about it. For those interested in the truth, here is a link to an article about why: Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God. The Bible warns repeatedly in the Old and New Testaments about not bearing "false witness." It is being a false witness to claim to know the "main reason" why I left when 1) it was not the reason at all and 2) the writer cannot read minds (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7). Yet, that is a false narrative which many in my former association have chosen to believe. In addition to bearing false witness, the Bible warns against "whoever loves and practices a lie" (Revelation 22:15). As people who truly know me realize, I left LCG because its top leadership informed me it would not correct doctrinal, historical, and prophetic errors that it had--and had previously agreed to correct. It is a lie to believe otherwise. For just one example of uncorrected errors, here is a link to LCG's 2011 Statement of Beliefs with my proposed corrections, December 2011 Proposed changes to LCG's Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. Dr. Meredith originally promised to completely make these corrections by January 2012--but he failed to do. Then on 28 December 2012, Dr. Meredith made it clear he completely renigged on that promise and many others--I left LCG that day. The prophet matter was NOT why I left (though it was a factor in deciding I had no choice but to then declare a separate organization). The only 'prophet' recognition that matters is God's, who appoints prophets per 1 Corinthians 12:28 (see also Church of God Leaders on Prophets). Many act like they do not real ize that, but instead talk against that which they do not want to accept (cf. Matthew 5:11-12; Acts 7:52). Public/official 'prophet' recognition by LCG was NOT a factor in my choosing to leave--particularly since ALL the then LCG HQ evangelists stated that God might consider me to be a prophet. This was also directly confirmed to me by Dr. Doug Winnail in September 2012 and after I left in January 2013 (and that 2013 time was in writing). Furthermore, as Dr. Winnail, Dr. Meredith, and Richard Ames were aware, it was certainly not my desire to start a separate church organization. Yet, sadly, most with LCG have chosen to believe something about my departure that is not true. The Bible specifically warns, "Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully" (Jeremiah 48:10). The above scripture is why I had to leave and biblically know why, without repentance, LCG cannot possibly lead the final phase of the work and CCOG can. Those who believe otherwise are trusting in a lie. 06/11/21 a.m. LCG had the following it its e-zine today: Bible prophecy reveals that Germany, not France, will lead Europe at the end of the age. The German-led King of the north will eventually become heavily involved in the Holy Land and closely tied to the Roman Catholic Church. Bible prophecy does not identify France as a major player in the future of Europe. Where exactly France will fit into a final configuration of nations or kingdoms in Europe remains to be seen, but Scripture is clear that Germany will be at the helm. LCG has been suggesting, for a long time, that France may not be part of the initial groups of nations that will support the rise of the final Beast power. That view is in error. LCG should realize that since it teaches that the final Beast power will be the rise of a new 'Holy Roman Empire,' and that the old 'Holy Roman Empire' included most of France, that France will be included. That does not mean that France could not have problems with the EU or even leave it, but that when reorganization of Revelation 17:12-13 occurs (see Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?), French territory will be included. Now notice something that specifically discusses France that the late COG evangelist Dibar Apartian wrote over 56 years ago: A Striking Parallel There may be a striking parallel between Reubens behavior in the past and that of France today. Indeed, in a few years, Reubens modern descendants will be at the side of the prophesied beast of Revelation when the Anglo-Saxons (the descendants of Joseph) are taken captive. France, like her forefather Reuben, will probably seek a compromise to prevent her former allies the very SONS of Joseph from being taken captive by the enemy. But what good will that really do? What good did it do to Joseph? A compromise never relieves one from ones own responsibilities. Without a doubt, Reuben loved his brother; he exerted himself in his own ways, through his own human reasoning, to save him. But the fact remains that he ended up by acting like a foe! France today also likes her kin, her natural allies. But, unless she repents, France will end up BEING a foe! (Apartian D. France: The Enigma of our Time. Plain Truth, August 1966, p. 32) Like all nations today, France has turned away from God. Catholic by faith, 9 out of 10 Frenchmen have never read their Bible, nor do they believe that, in its entirety, it represents the WORD OF GOD. What then will happen to France? Will she win the next WAR? She is presently a member of the Common Market which is already becoming a POLITICAL union. It will eventually include TEN nations or kingdoms. Will this union win the third WORLD WAR? God says that though He will allow it for a short while to conquer the descendants of Joseph (the BRITISH and AMERICAN peoples), He Himself will intervene to deliver His people. Jesus Christ, at His second coming, will fight and destroy those nations who rebel against Him (Rev. 17 : -14). (Apartian D. De Gaulle and the Next World War. Plain Truth, September 1964, p. 41) At the second coming of Jesus Christ, the TEN KINGS or KINGDOMS-including France-will be of one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast (Rev. 17:13). These shall make war with the Lamb , (Jesus Christ, and the lamb shall overcome them; for he is LORD of lords, and KING of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful (Rev. 17:14). This is the infallible prophecy of the Bible. Unless France wakes up and repents, she and the other nations will fight the Lord at His coming. They will be punished by sword, by famine and pestilence-by the plagues of Almighty God! (Apartian D. Prophecy Reveals the Future of France. Plain Truth, August 1963, p. 22) Thus, unlike some in LCG, Dibar Apartian realized that some of the Israelitish nations would be part of the Beast and will betray the sons of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh; see also Anglo America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel). The late Pastor General of the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, agreed: Poland, and as you know Romania is not really very enthusiastic with the Soviet, and neither is Yugoslavia. And I can begin to see some of those nations breaking loose from the Russian orbit and going in. Instead of the Scandinavian nations, they will go in with France and Germany; and with Spain and Portugal and Italy, and form the ten with the Romanand that will be the same territory that was occupied by the old Roman Empire. That is coming along. (Armstrong HW. Beasts of Daniel and Revelation. Bible Study, Date: November 8, 1980) Perhaps it should to be pointed out that several of the Israelite nations are ethnically mixed (per Davidiy Y. The Tribes, 4th edition. Russell-David Publishers, 2011 and other sources) and it may take them some time for the actual Israelites to separate out. Including some of Reuben. That being said, LCG has a variety of prophetic hesitation, confusion, and errors that, unlesss it changes, will prevent it from realizing when the Great Tribulation will begin until after it has. Some details are in the article LCG: What About the Living Church of God? Are there Doctrinal Differences with the Continuing Church of God? 06/04/21 a.m. Former WCG pastor Dennis Diehl listened to a recent RCG sermon and posted the following about it: Dave Pack is currently on sermon 302 continuing to show how easy and simple it now is to see where "they" didn't understand but now "he" does, the details of when Jesus will return. Currently it is this coming Fall for many reasons that Dave pulls out of his....mind. Dave notes that it was five years ago that he actually dreamed he would be giving 302 or 303 sermons on this. ... His use of NT scriptures on how soon the NT portrays Jesus return ... Dave sees obvious connections to his ridiculous views where there are none and never could be. But we knew that. So, the Good News for RCG is that "the math is absolutely correct" (I have stated in the past that real sermons should not have math in them) and his Jesus is coming in the Fall of '21. I suspect it "absolutely has to be Trumpets..." , "We missed it but now I clearly see it's Atonement", and "How could we miss it? It's so simple and now I see it. Last Great Day! That's because, brethren, it's a "Great Day! It's so clear!" David Pack has repeatedly been wrong on dates that he was sure were correct. He will be wrong again. Jesus cannot possibly return before 2028. Jesus will not be returning in the Fall of 2021--mark my words! Years ago, David Pack explained also how his new web plans would propel RCG to have a greater reach--historically, RCG has spent a huge amount on internet advertising promotions. But finances might now be a problem because his rcg.org Alexa ranking, this morning, was 719,015. On February 21, 2014, RCG's Alexa ranking was 38,722. This change essentially means he probably has less than 5% of the impact he had seven years ago (shadow banning, etc. also may play a role). 05/28/21 a.m. In its newletter today, CEG had the following: Mercy Triumphs over Judgement by Paul Niehoff (Australia) These are four simple words, but without them, we would have no hope. All we could expect would be death, even eternal death. ... Yes, mercy does triumph over judgment. Related to that, the CCOG put out a free online book and several sermons covering that and hundreds of related scriptures: Jesus warned about those who "have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith" (Matthew 23:23). Despite Jesus warning about the neglect of subjects like mercy, my prior COG still does not even mention the words mercy or merciful in its Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. But CCOG does--check out: Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God. Jesus said that the Philadelphians "have kept My word" (Revelation 3:8). We in the CCOG have striven to best do that. 05/13/21 p.m. LCG had the following it its weekly letter: Are You Filled with the Spirit? We read in the Scriptures inspiring accounts of numerous people who were filled with Gods Holy SpiritJohn the Baptist, his mother Elizabeth, and his father Zacharias (Luke 1:15), On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). Later, Peter and Paul are described as being filled with the Spirit (Acts 4:8). Paul admonished brethren, do not be drunk with wine... but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). How do you become filled with the Spirit? If we repent and make a commitment at baptism and receive the laying on of hands, we are promised the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)). God gives His Spirit to those who obey His commandments (Acts 5:32). Are far as the Spirit of God and Pentecost goes, notice something about the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2: 14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:14-18) Notice that the above was promised for the last days. To learn which COG group has that Spirit, check out the following: Remember that the Apostle Paul warned: 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21) If you are not part of CCOG and God is not supernaturally intervening via Acts 2:17-18 in your group, what makes you think He must do so later? Do NOT despise prophecies. 05/07/21 a.m. In its newsletter today, CEG had the following: Wearing or not wearing a mask, or getting or not getting vaccinated is not, per se, tantamount to accepting the mark of the beast, as long as they do not prevent us from worshipping God in the right way (However, wearing a mask in church services might very well prevent us from worshipping God in a proper way). Otherwise, these are personal decisions, based on ones individual situation. If a minister ought to travel overseas to visit the church or baptize or preach the gospel, but could only do so if he is vaccinated first, then vaccination does not prevent him from worshipping God and fulfilling his job as a minister; in fact, it might enable him to do so. If air travel in such a case would require the wearing of a mask, and if there was no other way to travel, then doing so would not constitute accepting the mark of the beast. This does not mean however that he must travel under those circumstances, because additional considerations, personal and otherwise, might have to be taken into account. These principles, discussed above, do not just apply to ministers. If one has to wear a mask or has to be vaccinated to be able to keep his or her job or to go shopping, then a decision to do so would not constitute the acceptance of the mark of the beast, as it has nothing to do with worshipping or not worshipping God in the right way. CEG's position on these matters is consistent with CCOG's. Masks and vaccines are not the Mark of the Beast. Information on that 'mark' can be found in the article: Mark of the Beast. As far as vaccine's go, CCOG's position is in the following article: CCOG on vaccines 04/22/21 p.m. Here is something added to the CCOG Letter to the Brethren: April 22, 2021: STRENGTH IN UNITY The decision of the Fair Work Commissions (FWC) order that Sydney Trains workers call off their planned legal strike action set down for Monday January 29 and cease overtime bans, as good as outlaws all strike action in Australia. It has wide implications for all trade unions and workers in Australia. Wynyard Station. The FWC ordered that all industrial action cease for six weeks. The secretary of the Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) Alex Claassens said the union would abide by the decision. The dispute relates to negotiations around a new enterprise agreement in which the NSW government has steadfastly refused to budge on a number of important issues including wage rises, staffing levels, the question of excessive overtime and staff shortages. In addition, the union is dealing with a government that is pursuing privatisation, contracting out and casualisation of labour. The FWCs decision takes an extremely broad interpretation of Section 424 of the Fair Work Act which questionably goes well beyond the original intent of the Fair Work Act. The government, through its legal representatives, claimed that the strike would bring the city to a standstill, cost the economy $90 million and force the cancellation of elective surgery. ACTU secretary Sally McManus condemned the ruling, saying, basic right to strike in Australia is very nearly dead. Rail workers followed every single rule and law, and still the Minister of the day can get an order to cancel bans on working excessive overtime, McManus said. When working people and their union go through every possible hoop and hurdle and are still denied these basic rights, it is no secret why so many workers havent had a pay rise. We need to change the rules, because Australia needs a pay rise. But the dispute is not just about pay rises. In its decision the FWC claims that an indefinite ban on overtime and the 24-hour stop work planned for Monday this week threaten to endanger the welfare of part of the population. Apparently overtired drivers working excessive overtime do not! The Commissions senior deputy president Jonathon Hamberger also ruled that the action threatened to cause significant damage to the economy of Sydney, the largest and most economically important city in Australia. The decision to send tired, stressed and demoralised drivers and other staff back to the dangerous working conditions is the government putting the public at risk of accidents in the network. The overtime ban the previous Thursday resulted in 1,300 services (40 percent) being cancelled, This shows the extent to which the government and Sydney Trains rely on workers doing overtime. Successive governments have cut staffing and failed to train enough drivers. There was a shortfall of 150 drivers when the government introduced an additional 1,500 services in November without any extra drivers. They apparently did so without consulting the drivers, guards, signallers, station staff, office workers or their unions first, let alone training and employing more drivers. The Rail Service is now calling on retired drivers to return! The union is not only seeking job security and additional staff but guarantees that jobs will not be filled by contractors. The use of contractors results in lower wages, the undermining of working conditions and de-unionisation. Wages disgrace NSW train drivers are the most qualified in Australia and the lowest paid. It takes a year to fully train a driver. There has been a steady flow of drivers from NSW to Queensland and Melbourne where wages are much higher. The union is seeking a six percent per annum wage rise over the coming three years which would still leave them falling behind their counterparts in those states. It is hardly an unreasonable demand. But NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance and Premier Gladys Berejiklian are still immovable on their public sector cap of 2.5 percent per annum, although at one stage during the negotiations they did test the water with a 2.75 percent rise. RTBU members resoundingly knocked that back. At the same time as being grossly underpaid, drivers are faced with poor maintenance. The maintenance budget was cut when Berejiklin was Transport Minister. They are confronted with signals that fail, impossible timetables that ignore speed restrictions on routes, broken rails due to maintenance cuts and numerous other sources or stress. Management are seen as pressuring staff to break the Rail Safety Act just to keep the trains running and on time. Safety of passengers has deteriorated with the removal of transit police and station staff from most stations, leaving no one to assist if someone becomes ill or it is necessary to deal with an aggressive passenger. Corners have been cut in every direction in preparation for privatisation. Privatisation The Coalitions government is privatising the states assets and services across the board, and in the process overseeing de-unionisation, casualisation and massive reductions in wages and working conditions. Sydneys trains are being prepared for private operators to take over. Some bus routes and the ferries in Sydney have already been privatised. When she was Transport Minister, Berejiklian shut down the rail service in Newcastle and replaced it with private buses! One of the aims of the new timetable was to create total chaos and frustration for the public. Then the government would be able to point to the failure of the public sector not management and itself and try to convince the commuting public of the lie that private, for-profit would be more efficient and cheaper! This attack on Sydneys public transport and the rights of its workers is a reflection of the wider agenda of attacks on organised labour and the privatisation of all but the most basic services. One of the priorities for the trade union movement is to build unity around defeating the pro-employer legislation and the governments imposing it. This necessitates the maximum possible unity, not just within the union movement but with the wider community. See CPA statements Right to Strike Editorial Putting the squeeze on universities Since 2011, federal funding for universities has been cut by almost $4 billion. However, the Turnbull government will now freeze its University Grants Scheme funding for two years. Moreover, from 2020 universities will have to meet unspecified government-determined performance targets ostensibly aimed at reducing student dropouts and improving graduate employment, but actually aimed at controlling the direction of university education. The government has also removed funding for 3,000 unallocated postgraduate places and dropped the threshold at which students must begin repaying HELP loans from $52,000 to $45,000. It now limits student loans for medicine, veterinary and dental courses to $150,000, and for all other courses to $104,000. Australian universities have entered financial commitments in the expectation that continuing grant increases would meet the soaring demand for university courses. However, the freeze will leave them high and dry, especially regional universities, which receive 45 percent of their funding from the grants. Greg Hill, chairman of the Regional Universities Network commented: We wont be hiring any staff. Well be reducing our course offerings and if theres no wriggle room well be mothballing courses. Enrolling at an alternative capital city university is often economically prohibitive for regional students, and reducing student drop outs and improving graduate employment depends on reducing the crippling university fees. The tertiary education umbrella organisation, Universities Australia, says the freeze will result in a nationwide funding shortfall equivalent to 10,000 student places in 2018. It will also have an adverse impact on future national scientific, industrial and cultural development. The recent Australia Day honours have been dominated by awards for science and medicine, and the Prime Minister has emphasised the national importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics for industrial and technological development. Yet the government has overseen the virtual destruction of some manufacturing industries, and the funding freeze will be a major blow for university education, including courses in health, nursing, education and agricultural science, in which many regional universities have specialised. As for arts courses, which can enrich our lives and inform us about history and human culture, the government despises them. The Australian Financial Review agrees. It recently referred with a sneer to low value degrees that teach dubious subjects with little rigour and dont offer much in the way of job prospects, adding Many [students] would have been better off doing proper vocational and technical courses than dubious arts and media studies degrees. Education not a commodity Education Minister Simon Birmingham says universities currently have an overall surplus of $1.6 billion, but seven universities are currently running deficits and the number is growing. Victoria University has been in deficit for four years and its current deficit is $11.4 million. Birmingham claims universities could cope with the funding freeze by cutting spending on administration and marketing. Theres no reason universities could not tap into that funding and grow enrolments for courses they see as having strong employment outcomes, he declared airily. Successive governments have required universities to meet funding shortfalls by enrolling as many students as possible, and the recent rise in administration costs mostly reflects soaring enrolments rather than inefficiency. The government believes the primary role of universities is to serve the needs of the nations major industries. But tertiary education should not be treated as a cash cow, a commodity to be sold for the maximum profit. Nor is it simply a source of corporate research or recruitment. Rather, universities form a vital part of the nations scientific, technical and cultural development, and access to education, including tertiary education, is a human right, not a privilege. The Financial Review scorned that idea, remarking: The Corbynite and New Zealand push for a return to free university education reflects such entitled delusions. Many conservative MPs who served as ministers in Australias federal and state coalition governments in former decades received university qualifications during the early 1970s, when university education was free. The Turnbull government opposes reinstatement of free tertiary education. Its sacrificing education, health, the environment and many other matters of public interest while spending astronomical sums on military capability and corporate welfare, and now it intends to impoverish universities and control the direction of tertiary education by imposition of its performance standards. The key to achieving a better deal for the nation regarding these issues is to eject the Turnbull coalition government from office, and as soon as possible. Right to Strike The Communist Party of Australia condemns the pro-NSW government decision of the Fair Work Commission in overturning the rail strike planned for January 29 being led by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU). Rail workers jobs have been shed and rail services cut, placing enormous pressure on the rail system and workers. NSW trains only function on the basis of workers working overtime at a time when job creation is a major issue. The CPA supports the demands of rail workers and rejects the FWC or any other party having the right to curtail the democratic wishes of the RTBUs membership in the only possible way that these workers can improve their lives, wages and conditions at work. This is yet another example of the broken nature of laws for workers in Australia. The FWC, playing its role as an arm of the state, has acted for the bosses and Liberal government in stopping the strike. The CPA fights to see that workers rights are restored in this country through a huge rewrite of industrial laws to give workers the unfettered right to strike and to collectively bargain across industries. The entire Fair Work Act is unfair and must be abolished and replaced with new laws that can actually assist workers against the huge power of their greedy corporate masters. To achieve these changes a huge struggle will have to ensue and the CPA is committed to working alongside all forces dedicated to genuinely improving the lives of workers in Australia. Solidarity with the RTBU. Solidarity with rail workers. The right to strike for all! Solidarity with Oaky North miners The Central Committee Executive of the Communist Party of Australia expresses our heartfelt solidarity, gratitude and respect to the Oaky North miners who are in their 200th day of being locked out by huge multi-national corporation Glencore. The CPA stands by the miners and their union, the CFMEU Mining and Energy Division, who are targets of the war on workers being waged by the ruling class and the Turnbull government. The agenda of employers and the Turnbull government is to de-unionise Oaky North mine. The workers have stood up and are fighting back against the reactionary political agenda that destroys working peoples lives in favour of the biggest possible corporate profits. The CPA recognises the fight of the Oaky North miners as the struggle of all working people in Australia. Our members are being organised to provide active support and assistance to the Oaky North miners. The struggle at Oaky North does not however stand alone. The attack on the miners in Queensland is unfortunately not isolated as the workers at Esso Longford and the Port Kembla Coal Terminal can attest also being under severe attack by their employers. The CPA Executive considered the current industrial struggles across Australia and supports calls for workers rights to be strengthened. The CPA advocates the full right to strike for workers including secondary boycotts, industry-wide bargaining and the removal of the ABCC. CDP under attack A United Nations committee has asked the Australian government to explain how it is going to rid racism from the remote area Community Development Program (CDP). CDP is the equivalent of Jobactive (formerly JSA) and Disability Employment Services in the rest of the country. This compulsory work-for-the-dole regime. which unions label as undermining basic rights to waged work and income equality, mainly for Aboriginal people, came to the attention of United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination at a hearing in Geneva last month. John Paterson. a spokesperson for the Aboriginal Peak Organisations NT (APO NT) alliance, said the program has been called out on the world stage. We already knew that the governments program is a racially discriminatory one, which is displacing waged work and causing suffering in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, he said. What else will it take for the government to listen to us and end CDP? Mr Paterson said CDP requires people on welfare payments in remote communities to work up to 760 hours more a year for the same basic payment as people in non-Indigenous majority urban areas. APO NT says CDP has about 35,000 participants, around 83 percent identifying as Indigenous. and that penalties, such as stopping welfare payments for weeks at a time, are applied to CDP participants at a disproportionate rate to Jobactive participants. Between July 2015 and March this year, 299,055 financial penalties were applied to CDP participants, compared to 237,333 applied to Jobactive participants over the same period despite CDPs caseload being less than 5 percent of Jobactives. People being penalised are some of the most economically disadvantaged in the country, live in communities with very few job opportunities, speak little or no English and have to contend with a welfare system that regularly leaves clients on hold for hours, if the phone line works at all, when they attempt to call. In some cases they are simply left with no food on the table. Aboriginal people have explained they have felt hoodwinked by the new system rolled out with a similar name to the community controlled CDEP (Community Development Employment Program). Scrapped The CDEP, which started in the 1970s and was applauded as instilling a sense of pride and dignity, as well as providing a basic income to participants in remote communities, was scrapped under the Howard governments Northern Territory National Emergency Response (the Intervention) in 2007. Last year. a spokesperson from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet told the Koori Mail that the compulsory work-for-the-dole program, is virtually the same as CDEP, just under a different government, and little more than getting rid of the E in the name. Cheryl Axleby, chief executive of South Australias Aboriginal community controlled legal service, the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement (ALRM), has likened the CDP regime to the days of indentured labour on cattle stations. She said the government does not understand that when people are kicked off welfare, it has a ripple effect across families. What worries me is our people who struggle, through no fault of their own, thats the reality of life. Some people struggle to get through one day. Theyre the fellas who get greatly impacted all the time, Ms Axleby said. Any wonder our suicide rates are high, that our life expectancy is a lot less and the level of stress we live with is very high. These sort of things just continue to perpetuate the type of violence against our family, because it is violence against our communities, in my view. Ms Axleby said it appears to be people being ordered to do unrealistic things to tick a box to meet government agendas. Its not giving them good life choices with employment. They might do training but it leads to no further employment. They go and do another training, and another one ... Our mob are the most trained people in this country, she said. And on very minimum wages. Its a breach of basic-human rights, and its sending a message out there if youre on a benefit that youre less of a human being for being so. Theres a lot of circumstances why people end up on benefits. If you look at Aboriginal people, intergenerational trauma, intergenerational unemployment, its not easy for people to just get up and make a difference in their lives. Ms Axleby described the dismantled CDEP as deadly. It (CDEP) led to genuine employment and fostered collectiveness and connectedness, she said. Ms Axleby said that since it was scrapped, in some regions, there have been disputes between levels of governments over who is responsible for municipal services. She criticised CDP for its punitive approach and accused the government of using it as a way to boost employment statistics to make itself look good. Why should our mob have to have to work more than any other general Australian? Its slave labour, she said. Strangling Adrianne Waiters, a director of legal advocacy at the Human Rights Law Centre, said the program is also strangling opportunities for waged work in remote communities. Some people are required to do work that they should be employed to do, she said. Instead, they receive a paltry social security payment that is nearly half of the minimum wage in Australia. It shouldnt take being hauled over the human rights coals for Australia to realise that this program must come to an end and be replaced by a community-led approach. In September, APO NT developed an alternative model the Remote Development and Employment Scheme aimed at fair work and strong, resilient communities, designed around services, opportunities and institutional arrangements. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote communities want to take up the reins and drive job creation and community development, John Paterson said. Communities need a program that sees people employed on decent pay and conditions, to work on projects the community needs. Our alternative scheme will do just that. Its time for government to work with us. A Senate Committee inquiry into the appropriateness and effectiveness of the objectives, design, implementation and evaluation of the CDP is scheduled to table its report. Submissions have criticised the government for developing the CDP without consulting with the people it affects and called for the CDEP to be returned. Derek Harris, chairman of the Ngaanyatjarra Council, in remote Western Australia, wrote in a submission to the inquiry that his people felt the government had stolen their self-respect when the CDEP was taken away, and they felt tricked by the similar naming of the CDP. The Ngaanyatjarra people have worked hard since before our grandparents time to learn how we can look after each other now that we live in communities. Living in communities has been a big change for us, he wrote. We now find ourselves in a situation where desert people cannot feed their families. Mr Harris said they felt frustrated and helpless, and that people had moved from their country to be closer to Centrelink offices. Many get into trouble when they are away from their country, he said. Koori Mail Call for solidarity with locked out Fijian workers The Australian Council of Trade Unions is calling on the government of Fiji to take action over the illegal treatment of Air Terminal Services (ATS) workers, who have been locked out by management and replaced by unqualified workers, potentially endangering Australian travellers. ACTU president Ged Kearney, speaking at a solidarity rally in Sydney last week in front of the Fijian Embassy in support of the workers. Since December 16, 2017 workers who carry out essential baggage handling, check-in, engineering and catering services for all airlines have been locked out by the management of the government-owned ATS. The locked-out workers, who, as shareholders, own 49% of the company, returned from a shareholders meeting on December 16 last to find themselves barred from entering. The workers are being targeted because they have raised issues about the companys poor management. ACTU president Ged Kearney, speaking at a solidarity rally in Sydney last week in front of the Fijian Embassy in support of the workers, said: The fact that government has the ability to fix this situation but refuses to do so is concerning given the history of labour abuses in Fiji which the international trade union movement had hoped had changed. This illegal action by the management of ATS is not only a clear violation of basic workers rights in Fiji, it is also a risk to the safety of Australian tourists. Since the lockout, management has been bringing in unqualified and unvetted workers to carry out vital work on Australian flights. Workers concerns include not having received a pay rise for 11 years, and management failure to resolve workplace grievances including sexual harassment claims. The Fiji Labour Minister should intervene immediately and put a stop to the lockout and our Government should use its diplomatic relations with the Fiji Government to resolve this dispute, said Kearney. Trump, North Korea, Iran: Some facts What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy? When the UN was established on October 24, 1945, a little over five months after the end of World War II, the organisations stated aims were to prevent further devastating conflicts. In spite of the fact that 193 out of the worlds 195 nations are Member States, it has failed woefully. The US has one of the worlds largest military budgets, accounting for gross domestic product, spending roughly US$618 billion a year on arms and other military capabilities. The US alone has been involved, since the UNs founding, in 57 overt murderous meddlings, government overthrows, bloody invasions and/or occupations. One estimate is that the US supremely ironically the base of the UNs Headquarters most likely has been responsible since WW2 for the deaths of between 20 and 30 million people in wars and conflicts scattered over the world. Donald Trump, addressing the UN General Assembly last September 19, made it chillingly clear that if he has his way he is headed for numerous more international September 11ths. The founding aims, for all its falling short, of the UN: We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind ... to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person ... of nations large and small to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours ... Just prior to Americas Congressional Budget Office announcing that the nations nuclear weapons program will cost a mind-bending US$1.2 trillion over the next 30 years to update and maintain, Trump used the UN to threaten the annihilation of North Korea and accuse Iran of pursuing death and destruction. At every level hypocrisy towers, along with might is right threats. The US military maintains plans to strike virtually anywhere on the face of the Earth within 60 minutes. Further, the USs overall military capabilities are unparalleled. The US has one of the worlds largest military budgets, accounting for gross domestic product, spending roughly US$618 billion a year on arms and other military capabilities. It has nearly 8,000 nuclear warheads in reserve, 13,900 aircraft, 920 attack helicopters and 72 submarines, along with 800 overseas military bases in 70 countries scattered across strategic areas throughout the world, and roughly 150,090 soldiers stationed across 150 countries. The US employs about 1,066,600 soldiers. The President and Commander in Chief of this arsenal of Armageddon, referring to North Korea, railed about a band of criminals arming itself with nuclear weapons ... What hypocrisy from the leader of the only nation on earth to have used them twice and used them again and again in the form of depleted uranium weapons in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya the Balkans and almost certainly Syria. The resultant cancers and birth defects are the shaming, horrifying legacy of criminality on an unprecedented scale the medical legacy of which will, of course, prevail for 4.5 billion years, the life of depleted uranium and the estimated life of the earth lest it ever be forgotten. Given Trumps terrifying threats of circumstances where ... we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea ... issued at the UN, no wonder that nation, isolated, threatened and vilified for over half a century, seeks what it sees as defence. Incredibly, Trumps paragraph including the total destruction of North Korea ended: The United States is ready, willing and able ... Thats what the United Nations is all about. Thats what the United Nations is for ... Perhaps he was confusing the UN with NATO. Iran targeted Iran is, of course, also in Trumps sights. Yet less than three weeks before his UN tirade, the International Atomic Energy Agency, charged with monitoring Irans nuclear power program, had confirmed that Iran was abiding by the 2015 multilateral agreement, which he incessantly accuses the country of violating. Moreover, The IAEA director, Yukiya Amano, confirmed to the Associated Press that the Agency has access to all locations without making distinctions between military and civilian locations. There is also a framework for the Agency to visit even the most sensitive sites. In May last year, at a Press Conference in Denmark on the Iran agreement, Amano stated: Iran is now subject to the worlds most robust nuclear verification regime. Our inspectors are on the ground 24/7. We monitor nuclear facilities remotely, using permanently installed cameras and other sensors. We have expanded access to sites, and have more information about Irans nuclear program. Peace, tolerance and international neighbours, however, were reduced by the President at the UN, to Iran being a corrupt dictatorship, exporting violence, bloodshed and chaos. It also funds terrorists that attack their peaceful Arab and Israeli neighbours. Iran of course, has not attacked another nation for over 200 years and fought only when defending its own territory against encroachment or attack. Current Middle East nightmares have entirely sprung from, as General Wesley Clark stated he was told shortly after September 11, 2001: Were going to take out seven countries in five years: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Iran ... As for a peaceful ... Israeli neighbour, Planet Trump is clearly set on disconnect. In complete disregard of the IAEA, Trump told the UN that a murderous regime was building dangerous missiles and that the 2015 agreement provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program. In an address on Iran Strategy on October 13 in the misnamed Diplomatic Reception Room he opened by saying he had ordered a strategic review of policy toward the rogue regime of Iran. He was announcing major steps ... to confront the Iranian regimes hostile actions ... Our policy is based on a clear-eyed assessment of the Iranian dictatorship, its sponsorship of terrorism and its continuing aggression in the Middle East and all around the world. Far from clear eyed, the all is blind, un-statesmanlike, including a one-sided, context-less, history of the US/Iran relationship, which itself needs a lengthy article to address reality. As for sponsorship of terrorism ... continuing aggression in the Middle East ... and around the world, perhaps a glance at Washingtons nationwide back yard and a bit of introspection might be worthwhile. Then there was this gem: The regime also received a massive cash settlement of US$1.7 billion from the US, a large portion of which was physically loaded onto an airplane and flown into Iran. Just imagine the sight of those huge piles of money being hauled off by the Iranians, waiting at the airport for the cash. I wonder where all that money went. Iran had in fact been owed US$400 million since 1979, over an order of US aircraft which were never delivered after the severing of Iran-US relations after the overthrow of the Shah in 1979. The interest has risen year on year and Iran was awarded the US$1.7 billion compensation by an international court in The Hague. It was not in fact even paid in dollars, since the US will not trade in dollars with Iran, so had to scrabble around assembling various other currencies to service the debt. Since, due to the US embargo on Iran, there are no currency trading mechanisms, the compensation had to be physically flown in and delivered. Trumps sabre rattling against Iran is chilling and of course has no mention of crimes of enormity by the US against the country: In August 1953, through the auspices of the US Central Intelligence Agency and British intelligence, in cooperation with forces loyal to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, the popularly-elected Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammad Mosaddegh, was forcibly removed from power. Demolished vehicles line Highway 80, also known as the Highway of Death, the route fleeing Iraqi forces took as they retreated from Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm. The tank visible in the centre of the picture is either a Type 59 or a Type 69 as evidenced by the dome-shaped ventilator on the top of the turret and the headlamps on the right fender. To insure the Shah retained power, General Norman Schwartzkopf, of Basra Road massacre infamy, had: Under a CIA operation called Operation Ajax been sent to Iran to encourage the Shah to return to power and, most crucially, helped him by forming and training security forces that would be loyal to the Shah. These would eventually metamorphose into the dreaded and feared SAVAK secret police, one of the most brutal foundations of the Shahs power. SAVAK basically served as an intelligence agency with unlimited police powers and a very effective deterrent to any opposition to the Shah. Officers of the organisation could spy on or arrest almost anybody at will and frequently used torture to gain information or to simply intimidate the populace. SAVAKs presence deepened in the 1960s and 1970s, when it arrested, tortured and killed untold thousands of Iranians anyone who was perceived to be a threat to the Shahs one-party rule. Trumps chilling threats towards Iran seem to include intended revenge for the hostage taking of personnel in the US embassy in Tehran in 1979. North Korea and Iran have both indicated willingness to talk. Wake up world. globalresearch.ca Trade as plunder I was hesitant to speak on this topic (trade deals) today as I know many people in the room will know much of the detail I will be talking about. However, I know the media blackout and the long time-frames over which these negotiations occur can lull people into a feeling that the issue has just gone to sleep and nothing is further from the truth. Firstly, I would like to give you a few statistics on the global situation in which these deals are being negotiated. The Worlds top 100 economies are made up of 31 countries and 69 corporations. Walmart comes in at #10, two places ahead of Australia and in the top 30 there are 10 corporations. Comrades, I would like to talk about a trifecta of trade deals often referred to as the Trinity the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), The Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Trade in Investment Services (TISA). Negotiations are done largely in secret. At the table are many of the corporations making up the worlds largest economies alongside trade ministers of the negotiating countries. The TPP negotiations commenced in 2005 and 12 years later the push for this deal continues despite the US under Trump withdrawing from negotiations. There are 29 chapters in an agreement that has little to do with trade. The remaining 11 countries, including Australia, were set to sign off the deal on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam before Canada failed to appear. Speculation the TPP was gone was short lived as Canada returned to the table with new demands. One was the renaming of the deal to the Progressive Comprehensive Trans-Pacific Partnership (PCTPP). The revived negotiations will suspend some of the most controversial clauses and it is proposed the new talks will occur over the next several months. Some proposals for stronger medicine monopolies, which would delay the availability of cheaper versions of medicines, have been frozen pending the possible return of the US to the deal. The proposed deal contains an Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) to give special rights to foreign investors to bypass national courts and sue governments in international tribunals over changes to domestic laws. This would prevent future Australian governments from re-regulating essential services like energy or financial services, and would result in more vulnerable temporary migrant workers, without testing if local workers were available first. The (PC)TPP will be the first agreement which exposes Australia directly to cases from US corporations. Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, US companies launch on average more than two cases a year against Canada and Mexico. The (PC)TPP has long-term implications for our national judicial systems and even wider concerns about democratic governance. Currently, the countries most hit by claims are Argentina and Venezuela, showing it is as much a political tool as economic. Prior to US withdrawal from negotiations US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter stated that the TPP makes strong strategic sense, and it is probably one of the most important parts of the rebalance, and thats why it has won such bipartisan support. In fact, you may not expect to hear this from a Secretary of Defense, but in terms of our rebalance in the broadest sense, passing TPP is as important to me as another aircraft carrier. It would deepen our alliances and partnerships abroad and underscore our lasting commitment to the Asia-Pacific. And it would help us promote a global order that reflects both our interests and our values. Deals are signed without Parliamentary scrutiny and the senate only votes on the implementing legislation (the TPP has 29 chapters and only a few of these will require changes to legislation) they dont get to vote on the whole agreement and they cannot make amendments to it. Senators are hindered by the lack of access to any independent, unbiased assessment of the deal done to facilitate their decision. Since the last Party Congress the Central Committee has made a number of submissions on the TPP and procedures to ratify agreements in Australia to senate enquiries. Australia has nothing to gain from a revived TPP and analysis has shown that it will deliver minimal extra market access and hardly any economic growth after 15 years. All the deals in the trinity are geared for the expansion of the already considerable power of transnational investors and greater restriction over the regulatory power of governments including preventing new regulatory initiatives and reverse privatisations. The (PC)TPP is set to have negative impacts on public services, government procurement, SOEs, intellectual property, and finance regulation. It will restrict the governments ability to legislate worker and food safety standards, provide affordable medical services and medicines and protect the natural resources when looked at from the interest of people and the environment giving greatly expand powers to transnational capital. The TTIP (described as the sister of the TPP) involving the US, Canada and the EU has been very much delayed. It has faced fierce opposition from organised movements with over 250,000 people marching against it in Berlin citing the agreement as undemocratic and warning it will lower food safety, labour and environmental standards. In 2016 it seemed the TTIP had collapsed when Trump put talks on hold but more recently US Commerce Secretary Ross has said: Its no mistake that, while we withdrew from TPP the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact with Pacific Rim nations we did not withdraw from TTIP indicating the US hopes to revive those talks. The most secret of the three is the Trade in Services Agreement, TISA. It is the largest trade treaty of its kind in history involving all the countries who are party to the (PC)TPP and the TTIP covering around 71% of world services trade (66% of world GDP). The predecessors of the TISA are the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) which failed because of peoples resistance and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) which came into effect in 1995. A very important provision of the GATS that is missing from the proposed TISA is the provision of protections of the interests of developing countries. Developing countries were given flexibility for opening fewer sectors, liberalising fewer types of transactions, and progressively extending market access in line with their development situation. The TISA has no special treatment for developing countries. To address any impediments to further liberalisation a group of some two dozen countries calling themselves The Really Good Friends of Services, RGFS, (US, EU, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and South Korea are the wealthy core of the group) set out in 2012 to pursue the TISA. Of note the TISA is being negotiated outside the World Trade Organisation process and excludes the OPEC nations, the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and emerging economies. The RGFS envisage the TISA becoming a multilateral agreement that other WTO members could join later. The hyper liberalised TISA provisions would be established as the global services standard and ultimately pressure will be exerted on other countries to sign on despite the agreement not being accepted within the WTO multilateral trading system and its agreements and rules. A major expansion brings in new disciplines, such as domestic regulation, transparency, and ecommerce, and new or revised annexes on specific sectors, such as maritime transport, telecommunications and financial services. WikiLeaks releases from the TISA show regulation of energy, industrial development, workers rights and the natural environment are all included. Proposals include technological neutrality denying regulators the right to distinguish solar from nuclear, wind from coal, or geothermal from fracking. There is a focus on environmental regulations and public services that allegedly interfere with free market efficiency. TISA will aim to ensure that national environmental protections within TISA countries will be harmonised down. Future environmental initiatives will be inhibited. As we move towards an even more unstable set of climate circumstances any such agreement is irresponsible to current and future generations. In the competitive delivery annex in the TISA, the market expansion of the major private operators is given priority an expansion that depends entirely on breaking open state ownership of post and delivery services in the developing world. Of serious concern, the TISA will reclassify many, if not all, migrant workers as independent service suppliers or worse, employees of a third party, i.e. a manpower agency located in the home country of the migrant that deploys employees overseas. No international agreement should be permitted to remove the responsibility of a country to protect employees and workers working in its jurisdiction. Regardless of any international agreement, the labour and employment laws of all countries should apply to all employees and workers, both domestic and foreign. TISA will strengthen the gig economy. TISA is intended to be ambitious with members opening up far more services to foreign competition than they had through the WTO or their bilateral agreements. Together, the three treaties form not only a new legal order that is hospitable for transnational corporations, but a new economic grand enclosure excluding China and all other BRICS countries. These treaties have huge implications for almost every critical issue that affects workers, their community and their environment; health, education, the environment, privacy, access to medicines, water, working conditions and the list goes on. These treaties must be met with the strongest possible resistance. In Australia too often, the movement against the treaties talk about clarifications, amendments, carve outs. This is dangerous and there is a role for Party members to play in these groups to ensure opposition is not scuttled by social democracy. One way to do this is to reject these trade deals outright and continue to put forward our demands for the direct provision of services by government, the rejection to privatisation of services such as electricity and water utilities, health and education. In the same way we need to seek to clarify to our class that our elected governments must be able to address serious environmental concerns through intervention that cannot be dictated to or hindered by leaving it to the market to decide. As a first step Party members need to keep themselves informed. The TPP has had good coverage in our paper the Guardian and I am sure this will continue. I would encourage comrades to access some of the back articles and follow progress in the Guardian. As a second step we must do everything we can to get around the obvious blackout in mainstream media. For those of us in a position to do so we must use our roles in rousing a much-needed union response that is currently not happening. But all comrades can play a part by broadening the distribution of the Guardian. Branches should also consider forming (PC)TPP/TISA broad committees working particularly with the trade union movement. This is an address given by Elizabeth at the Communist Partys 13th National Congress in December last year. What Darkest Hour doesnt tell you about Churchill The latest Winston Churchill film, Darkest Hour, is already being tipped for the Oscars, with Gary Oldmans portrayal of Churchill at the helm of speculation. I can attest, having already seen the film, that Oldmans performance is indeed brilliant, but let us be clear. While it is a great piece of cinema that, artistically speaking, deserves, and will almost certainly receive, numerous awards, it is also a film that glorifies a certifiably vile man. Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill. When watching, we should bear in mind that Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, the man voted greatest Briton by the British public in 2002, was not just a terribly inconsiderate man, as one of his secretaries once described him. In fact, she said shed never known anyone who was so inconsiderate. He was also a staunch imperialist, a racist supremacist, and a eugenicist who advocated the forced sterilisation of the mentally ill, prevention of their marriage, and their internment in compulsory labour camps. In December 1910, aged 36, Churchill wrote to Prime Minister Herbert Asquith warning of the unnatural and increasingly rapid growth of the feeble-minded and insane classes (general terms then used to describe the mentally ill and impaired). Their rapid growth, he argued, coupled with the steady restriction [of the] thrifty, energetic, and superior stocks (folks like himself, of course), constituted a national and race danger which it is impossible to exaggerate. He argued that they should be sterilised or segregated under proper conditions so that their curse died with them and was not transmitted to future generations. He told Parliament of the need for compulsory labour camps for mental defectives and that for tramps and wastrels [] there ought to be proper labour colonies where they could be sent for considerable periods and made to realise their duty to the state. As he put it, 100,000 degenerate Britons should be forcibly sterilised and others put in labour camps to halt the decline of the British race. Only a decade earlier, at the age of 26, Churchill had declared his lifes commitment to the improvement of the British breed. As historian John Charmley, author of Churchill: The End of Glory: A Political Biography (1993), wrote, Churchill saw himself and Britain as being the winners in a social Darwinian hierarchy. Indeed, the reality omitted from most depictions of our greatest Briton, including from Darkest Hour, is that he was both a right-wing nationalist and a white supremacist. It should be no surprise that the far right has always idolised him, from the British National Party, English Defence League, and Britain First to neo-conservatives in the US. When speaking in 1902 of the great barbaric nations who may at any time arm themselves and menace civilized nations, he asserted that the Aryan stock is bound to triumph. In 1937, aged 62, he justified mass genocide of Indigenous peoples on the grounds of white supremacy, announcing to the Palestinian Royal Commission: I do not admit [] that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly-wise race, to put it that way, has come in and taken their place. Of Palestinians themselves he said that they are just barbaric hordes who ate little but camel dung. But what of the argument that he was a product of his time didnt everyone think like that back then? As historian Richard Toye has shown in his book, Churchills Empire: The World That Made Him and the World He Made (2010), they didnt. Many of Churchills colleagues saw him at the more extreme end of racist and imperialist ideology, referring to him as a Victorian because of his outdated views. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin was warned by Cabinet colleagues not to appoint him and his doctor, Lord Moran, said of his approach to Chinese and Indians: Winston thinks only of the colour of their skin. It should be no surprise then that he was vehemently opposed to Indian independence, declaring that Gandhi ought to be lain bound hand and foot at the gates of Delhi, and then trampled on by an enormous elephant with the new viceroy seated on its back. Gandhi-ism and everything it stands for will have to be [] crushed. He would later remark: I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion. It also warrants noting here his advocacy for the use of chemical weapons to repress other peoples under Britains imperial rule. When Iraqis and Kurds revolted against British rule in northern Iraq in 1920, Churchill, then secretary of state at the War Office, said: I do not understand the squeamishness about the use of gas. I am strongly in favour of using poison gas against uncivilised tribes. It would spread a lively terror. Of course, you will detect none of this side of Churchill from watching Darkest Hour because, as usual, he is portrayed as a flawed but lovable rogue who endeavoured virtuously to save democracy and the free world from the jaws of fascism. The problem with this cliched narrative, however, is that, contrary to virtually every mainstream account, Churchill was in fact explicitly and openly supportive of fascism prior to the second world war, notably in Italy. He wrote lovingly to Mussolini: What a man! I have lost my heart! [] Fascism has rendered a service to the entire world [] If I were Italian, I am sure I would have been with you entirely. As late as 1935, he wrote affectionately of Hitler: If our country were defeated, I hope we should find a champion as indomitable to restore our courage and lead us back to our place among the nations. Like the US government and much of the British Establishment at the time, including the royal family and the intelligence services, Churchill enthusiastically favoured fascism as a bulwark against Bolshevism and only became overtly anti-fascist when German expansionary ambitions directly threatened the empire. None of this is an exaggeration. You can, as is nowadays fashionable to say, fact-check it all. And this is to illustrate but a fraction of Churchills odiousness. The truth is that, behind the cult-like worship and glorification of him that plagues the Anglosphere, manifested in films like Darkest Hour, Churchill was in reality a horrid man who, if around today, would most certainly be ridiculed and reviled by decent-minded folk for the hideously archaic views he possessed. Morning Star Most movies go through a long gauntlet of edits, rewrites, and compromises. We like to think that scripts are only slightly changed to tell the same story more effectively. But as it turns out, some stories have been so thoroughly altered that the finished product is the exact opposite of what the original writer planned. Here are six unused endings to iconic films that you would never believe were part of the original drafts. 6 Lethal Weapon Ended With Riggs And Murtaugh Never Seeing Each Other Again The Ending We Know: With their adrenaline-filled adventure over and all the bad guys dead, Riggs and Murtaugh realize they've formed a lifelong partnership. Riggs spends Christmas with Murtaugh's family instead of alone, tasting bullets. He may have lost a wife, but he beat depression with the help of his new family. Merry Christmas from everyone at Lethal Weapon! Continue Reading Below Advertisement How It Almost Ended: In the original version, Murtaugh says, "It's a mean old world," and mentions that he wants to quit the force. Riggs calls him old, and then they part ways, never to see one other again. That's it. That was almost the final scene of one of the greatest action franchises in film history. Continue Reading Below Advertisement That leaves Riggs once again on his own, battling depression, with no friends or support system. No one in his life to help him if he puts that gun back in his mouth. Not wrapping that plotline up would have been sad and disturbing, but not as sad and disturbing as the reality it would have created wherein pop culture nerds endlessly debate whether or not Riggs killed himself at the end of Lethal Weapon. The possibility of Dell becoming a public company again via a reverse merger with its VMware subsidiary shook investors and left VMware partners questioning what impact the deal would have in the technology sales trenches. VMware shares dropped $24.95 (17%) to $125.05 in trading on Monday after CNBC reported that VMware might actually buy the larger Dell to pave the way for Dell to go public without filing for an initial public offering. The market capitalization of VMware which Dell owns 80 percent of and participates in that investment through a tracking stock stood at $50.90 billion on Monday, down from $60.47 billion at the close of business Friday. [Related: Report: VMware Might Buy Dell In Reverse Merger] Dell's board of directors is scheduled to meet later this month to discuss its options in the wake of new interest tax deduction limitations that went into effect with the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act by Congress last month. That bill limits the tax deductibility of interest payments to 30 percent of a company's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). That severely impacts the $50 billion in debt that Dell has on its balance sheet in the wake of its historic acquisition of storage market leader EMC for $67 billion in 2016. Some partners are questioning what impact a reverse merger would have on VMware's ability to partner with Dell EMC rivals such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Cisco and NetApp. "VMware now plays Switzerland to the rest of the industry," said John Woodall, vice president of engineering at Integrated Archive Systems, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based solution provider who works closely with Dell EMC as well as Cisco and NetApp. "If Dell said that VMware has to work with its own stack more closely, it doesn't matter whether Dell EMC buys VMware or VMware buys Dell EMC: the upside for Dell EMC is it gets full control of its destiny. It gets control of the orchestration and automation tools." Another solution provider told CRN on condition of anonymity that it is difficult to see how a VMware acquisition of Dell would work for the channel given how closely VMware has teamed with Dell's rivals in the past. "Many vendors talk to VMware first of all when it comes to their products to make sure they are ready to work with the VMware hypervisor," the solution provider said. "VMware's primary value to the market is that it has the best hypervisor. And the hypervisor's success is dependent on being independent. Now, what if VMware is firmly and unequivocally integrated into a hardware vendor?" Dell EMC is already looking at how to use VMware as part of a larger assault on the storage market, Woodall said. "Dell EMC is going after Cisco's Hyperflex business," he said. "Irrespective of how it handles VMware, Dell EMC is more competitive in Cisco accounts. And Dell EMC with VMware will be even more competitive." CTA has recently interviewed Torin Gilalta, technical officer at the Caribbean Agri-business Association (CABA). CABA works to provide a private sector mechanism to facilitate organized, coordinated planning and development of regional programmes and projects in the agri-business sector in CARICOM. With help from CTA, CABA has been able to build an e-commerce platform (www.cabacaribbean.com & www.mycaribbeanshop.com). CABA also has a social media platform (www.talkagri.com) and a programme that certifies basic agricultural skills (www.agri-educate.com). Most recently, CABA has established the Caribbean Agri-business Export Company (CABEXCO). Building an e-commerce platform is a long-term project and involves many components. How has CTA helped you build this platform? CTA has greatly assisted us in the establishment of this platform through the provision of technical and financial support. This support allowed us to establish a suite of tools, one of which is an e-commerce platform. We started by creating an online directory where businesses throughout the Caribbean can be listed and have their information shared globally. It has profiles for each of the over 400 and growing listings, where members can share detailed information about their firm, its capacity and structure. The e-commerce component, which was incorporated into the directory, is an online shopping platform that allows businesses to sell their products worldwide. Does the e-commerce platform target individuals or businesses? Anyone, anywhere in the world can access the goods sold on the platform. Be it an individual or business, CABA will work with you to become export ready to either sell your branded products through the platform or under our common regional brand. CABA has employed industry-leading technical consultants to assist us with the marketing and operation of the website as well as to build awareness around the services that we offer. How did CABEXCO come to be established? Initially we worked with 10 firms, through the ACP-EU TBT programme and CTA partnership, where technical support was provided to these firms to become HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) certified and organized for them an agribusiness forum to meet potential buyers. Being HACCP certified is key to accessing the export market. This group of 10 firms has now come together to be the initial members of CABEXCO. In January 2017, the board was elected and we will not begin the process of implementing the requisite logistics that will allow us to activate the e-commerce platform. CTA recently organised the Data4Ag week in The Hague in the Netherlands. What did you learn at the event? I learned of the extensive impact of data and its importance in the decision-making process, which enforces the direction our www.CABACaribbean.com and www.AgriCarib.org websites have taken to become a central repository for information for agribusiness stakeholders. The event, which was well hosted, also allowed me to network with fellow stakeholders and discuss opportunities for collaboration to advance agribusiness development, utilizing data facilitation as a key pillar in this process. I was also able to meet with Mrs Marissa Areli, from Women in Business Incorporated (WIBDI), where they have developed the Farm-to-table app with help from CTA, which links farmers to the markets and tourists and the tourists in turn to the farmers. We are now discussing the possibilities of creating a similar version for our website linking agro-processors and other agri-entrepreneurs to various stakeholders. Bob Licursi knows firsthand the questions that can come up when a medical ailment affects ones life at home, with the East Norwalk resident having helped his own parents with those queries. He is getting plenty more questions from all comers these days in West Norwalk, on the heels of Senior Depots arrival there last month Senior Depot opened in mid-December at 770 Connecticut Ave., its second location after a flagship store in Brookfield, with information online at www.seniordepotstore.com or via telephone at 203-956-0962. Owner Marty Lynch bills his company as a medical supply superstore, carrying everything from everyday health care products like compression stockings to improve blood circulation, to systems to help people navigate their homes like stair lifts or reclining chairs that elevate to ease them into the standing position. The store also makes plenty of higher priced items available for rent, to include wheelchairs and electric scooters. Lynch also runs an affiliate company called Cornerstone Medical Services that sells to health providers like nursing homes and hospices. The Norwalk store is managed by Licursi, who previously worked at Senior Depot in Brookfield. He said the location appealed for a number of factors, including close proximity to major retailers like Costco and Walmart, as well as neighboring Darien a short distance west. Licursi said the company is getting customers as well from Westport, Wilton and other lower Fairfield County towns. Whether for seniors shopping for themselves or family members shopping on their behalf, an assistive device is often an unexpected purchase, with Licursi noting his own experience helping his parents with purchases as they required them. Licursi believes it is a category that does not lend itself to online shopping, given the need to try out available models to determine optimum comfort and utility for the person who will use the item. And while assistive devices for the home are becoming more available in retail outlets, whether pharmacies or home improvement stores, Licursi said many of those locations lack staff who understand the nuances of what they are selling, and the needs of people buying them. (Were) trying to have a store where seniors just feel comfortable coming in, Licursi said. They dont want to go to Walmart and ask an 18-year-old (associate). ... A lot of people arent going to nursing homes they are staying at home, and we want to make it easier for them to be at home. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman FAIRFIELD A Fairfield man was sentenced Tuesday to one year and one day in prison for distributing heroin and fentanyl involved in an overdose death, according to the Department of Justice. John Vibbert, 37, of Fairfield was will have three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. SHELTON Four people were taken into custody in connection with a vehicle theft after police dogs found the suspects in the woods following a short pursuit. When Shelton Police tried to stop a vehicle for a minor violation on Howe Avenue on Sunday, the driver didnt pull over and instead sped up, according to a statement from Detective Christopher Nugent. A check on the vehicles marker plates showed that it was stolen, and police followed the vehicle through Derby and on to Route 8 Southbound. Walgreens is pulling about 74,000 units of its Well at Walgreens brand pain and itch relief cream because the packaging is not child resistant as required by the Poison Prevention Packaging Act. The cream contains lidocaine, posing a risk of poisoning to young children. There have been no injuries or incidents from the cream, which was sold in an orange package with a purple stripe. The packaging contains the UPC bar code 3 11917 18962 8 on the back. The product was sold in Walgreens stores nationwide and online at www.walgreens.com. Consumers should place the recalled cream out of the reach of children and return it to Walgreens for a full refund. Call 866-323-0107 or visit www.natureplex.com and click on Product Safety Recall for more information. And if the clamp breaks, the mobile will fall Lights and Lullabies is recalling about 37,000 travel mobiles in the United States because the clamp attaching the mobile to the crib rail can break causing the mobile to fall, posing an injury hazard to an infant in the crib. Vtech has received six reports of the clamp cracking, but no injuries have been reported. The mobiles were sold in blue and pink at a variety of places, including Kmart, Wal-Mart and Amazon.com. Consumers should stop using the mobiles and contact Vtech for a full refund or a replacement. Call 800-521-2010 or visit vtechkids.com and click on Support for more information or register online at https://www.vtechkids.com/support/support_form. Panera recalls cream cheese for listeria fears Panera Bread is conducting a nationwide recall of all 2-ounce and 8-ounce cream cheese products sold in its U.S. bakery-cafes. This recall was initiated after samples of one variety of 2-ounce cream cheese from a single production day showed a positive result for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. Panera is recalling all varieties of unexpired 2-ounce and 8-ounce cream cheese products with an expiration date on or before April 2. This recall only affects cream cheese sold in Panera Bread United States bakery cafes. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. A full list of the recalled products is available at http://bit.ly/2DPEG8Y. Consumers in possession of these products should discard them and contact Panera Bread Customer Service at 855-6-PANERA or visit Panera.custhelp.com for a full refund. For any other questions, visit www.panerabread.com/recall. Amanda Cuda SHELTON Mayor Mark Lauretti is not surprised the governor postponed $4.3 billion in transportation projects, including one which would improve rail service by adding more trains and making track improvements on the Waterbury line through Valley municipalities. When you are not managing money properly and constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul this happens, said Lauretti, Sheltons 14-term mayor and a leading candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. It all goes back to the commitments the state makes without properly budgeting for them. This is a constant problem. Earlier in January, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said he is putting off the transportation projects until state lawmakers approve more money for them. He called on the General Assembly to appropriate money to the state's Special Transportation Fund, which finances transportation projects. The fund will be in deficit by July. On Friday, Lauretti along with Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti, Derby Mayor Richard Dziekan, Seymour First Selectman Kurt Miller and Beacon Falls First Selectman Chris Bielik will be joined by Naugatuck Mayor N. Warren Pete Hess and Waterbury Mayor Neil OLeary in a summit meeting with state legislators to point out the need for improvements on the Waterbury line. Increasing the number of trains and stops on the Waterbury line is vitally important for all the Valley towns, said Cassetti. We are adding apartments to our downtown. Shelton has added apartments. Derbys future is based on apartments and retail downtown. We need every cent the state can provide to improve the Waterbury line. Derby Mayor Richard Dziekan agreed that increased service is vital to the Valleys redevelopment. If we are going to rebuild our downtowns we need more commuter-friendly train service, the mayor said. If we dont have that, whos going to move here? There are usually eight daily trips from Waterbury to Bridgeport and seven coming back. Commuters must transfer in Bridgeport to a New York or a Waterbury bound train. The line originates and ends in Waterbury with stops in Derby within walking distance to downtown Shelton, Ansonia, Seymour, Beacon Falls and Naugatuck. Cassetti said downtown Ansonia is gearing up for the creation of 90 new apartments there. We really need a covered station with kiosks, he said. Ansonia now has a covered waiting area much like that at bus stops. Hess, a Democrat who is supporting Lauretti in his gubernatorial bid, will chair the summit at Naugatucks Town Hall from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Lauretti stopped short of saying he would fund the increase if he becomes governor, an office hes running for once again. The easiest thing to say would be yes, but having watched whats transpired (in Hartford) for the last 25 years that would be disingenuous, the Shelton mayor maintained. But at the end of the day mass transportation is the key to economic growth in this state. State Sen. George Logan, R-Ansonia, who will attend the summit with other Valley State legislators include State Representatives Linda Gentile and Nicole Klarides-Ditria said its important to find funding for the line. The key is to re-prioritize how the state spends money, he said. Logan said the line could use anywhere from three to five more locomotives, each costing about $8 million. With that he believes the line could become a hub for freight trains coming as far as Canada and traveling to New York. By once again using trains to move cargo, the senator said hundreds of trucks could be taken off the roads. Im going to push hard for the funding, he said Im always getting stopped by people telling me they would take the train if they could only get to where they are going and then back...We need more service. Over the summer, the Interactive Advertising Bureau released its new standards for online and mobile advertisers. These new standards involve "sunsetting" a few practices -- such as the giant, annoying ads that take over your screen and won't let you click away -- while also creating guidelines around new technologies such as AR, VR, 360-degree ads and emoji ads. Entrepreneurs or independent companies that want to secure media dollars from brands and agencies need to be sure they understand the standard terms and conditions of the IAB. While these industry standard terms can seem overwhelming at first glance, theyre the best road map for anyone working on creative production or media-related activation with a major brand or agency, both domestically and globally. The IAB's framework also helps brands and agencies understand how to conduct business with new technologies, and the guidelines are designed to ensure media is lightweight and adaptable to various screen sizes and the creative is encrypted where needed and supportive of privacy concerns. Related: How Marketing and Advertising Are Bound to Change in 2018 Most importantly, the IAB provides a clear road map for how media and media-led digital investments are governed and paid. Most media companies will not accept or pay for content or ads that do not follow IAB guidelines. As with any set of guidelines, some buyers will make an exception, but the standards are important because they establish a common language and best practices. For entrepreneurs and independently held media companies looking to secure media dollars from a brand or agency, there are a few important points to consider: 1. Get the most bang for your buck. Production fees for various ad unit sizes, rich media and ad serving can increase quickly. Determine the risk versus reward of proposing various ad units, and remember that skimping on production often does more harm than good. Also, carefully evaluate how the creative message should best be conveyed. Is a 15-second ad going to garner more attention than a 30-second spot because the consumer is engaged? Is it worth it to create a separate or different mobile expense because smaller ad units won't convey the message? It's also important to follow the IAB's LEAN guidelines to ensure your ads can do their job. LEAN -- which stands for light, encrypted, AdChoice-supported and non-invasive -- was created as a way to combat the increasing use of ad blockers. By adhering to these rules, you're reducing the risk of your ads getting blocked -- thus making the most of your ad dollars. Related: Digital Marketing Channels Are Flatlining. Here's What to Do to Stay Afloat 2. No viewers = no money. If creative cannot be seen by real people, it won't make any money. One of the core reasons ads are not viewed is because they do not adapt to the proper screen or the file sizes are too large to load properly. That's why it's more important than ever to adhere to the IAB's new Standard Ad Unit Portfolio to ensure the ads you're uploading are the proper sizes. The new standards have also expanded the guidelines to new types of creative, including AR and VR, social media and mobile video. Standing out is critical, and rich media is a key component to garnering attention, but it's important to use the required file sizes so the content actually loads. Many times, organic content loads before advertising does, and the consumer has already moved on before he has a chance to see the creative. Also be aware of where on the page the creative is being placed, and ensure its actually viewable without needing to scroll. 3. Embrace the new. High-impact opportunities (such as 360-degree ads, VR and AR) are typically much more expensive to produce, and the market has been slower to accept these types of experiences. Oftentimes, however, the engagement of these high-impact experiences can make the increased production costs of the ad placement worth it. Related: Why Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Will Be Important for Your Business For example, Hong Kong Airlines created a 360-degree video ad to allow viewers to "walk" through the plane's business class cabin and experience the luxury for themselves. The airline company created a more traditional ad, as well, but the 360-degree ad was 35 times more effective than the traditional version, according to a report from Business Insider. Volvo took a similar approach when it released its XC90 SUV. The car manufacturer partnered with Google Cardboard so that when users downloaded the Volvo app, they could "sit" in the driver's seat of the SUV and cruise through the picturesque countryside. 4. Put money on mobile. Pay special attention to the mobile and tablet experience. Ad sizes should not need to be recreated because they only work on desktop, and it's important to consider the best way to showcase content on mobile. Everyone knows that mobile is important, but it's now more important than ever. In 2016, more than half of Google's search queries came from mobile devices, according to a report from media buying agency Zenith, and according to another Zenith report, 73 percent of time spent online in 2018 is predicted to be through a mobile device. Also, 60 percent of global online advertising spend is expected to come from mobile ads in 2018, so advertisers that aren't optimizing for mobile will be missing out. Perhaps the most important advice for an entrepreneur who is partnering with a global brand or agency is to carefully review where the investment or media fulfillment is placed on the IAB contract. Then, ensure that in addition to the most creative elements included in the program, there are multiple avenues to fulfillment that ensure the ads are viewable and can fully deliver on media impressions. Because creating ads that don't deliver is just as harmful as not creating ads at all. Related: Don't Get Left Behind by the New Online Advertising Standards Watch All of the Best Super Bowl Ad Teasers Here Before Sunday's Big Game Billionaire Jeff Bezos Will Star in Amazon's Super Bowl Ad Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com Relocating your business is a decision no executive should take lightly. The impact on your customers, management and (especially) employees makes it a decision many executives are reluctant to make. However, there are reasons you might consider moving. The reality is that some locations may offer better proximity to suppliers or customers, favorable tax treatment or other financial incentives, a lower cost of living, a higher quality of life, or access to a talented, educated workforce. Hopefully the community in which your company is headquartered offers most or all of those benefits. If not, here are three communities you should consider: Provo, Utah. Provo is located on the northern end of the Wasatch Front, which includes Ogden and Salt Lake City. Together these cities make up a region increasingly known as the Silicon Slopes. A low cost of living, highly educated workforce, and proximity to some of the worlds best ski resorts and outdoor recreation activities have made the region a mecca for tech talent looking to escape the high cost of living in Silicon Valley. Related: 6 Regions Where Tech Jobs Boom the Housing Is Scary Expensive That concentration of talent makes Provo (and the entire region) a desirable destination for any company looking to employ skilled technology workers. Provo has also been consistently ranked as a city with a high quality of life and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU), which itself is home to top-ranked business and law schools. Incidentally, I grew up here -- and both Simplus and Osmond Marketing are headquartered here. Hamilton County, Indiana. Hamilton County is located in the northeastern suburbs of Indianapolis and includes the communities of Fishers, Carmel and Noblesville. A low cost of living and strong public schools make these suburban communities a desirable destination for employees, while the proximity to major freeways and a strong manufacturing sector help make Hamilton County one of the fastest growing and most business-friendly counties in the country. The cities of Hamilton County also consistently rank high in various quality-of-life surveys. This year both Fishers and Carmel were ranked in the top 50 on the 2017 version of Money magazines 100 Best Places to Live list. St. Charles County, Missouri. Located in the western portion of the St. Louis region, St. Charles County is also one of the countrys fastest-growing tech communities. The county also has a low cost of living, and like Hamilton County, Indiana, the communities of St. Charles County are consistently described as among the best places to live. Related: 8 Reasons to Launch Your Startup Outside of Silicon Valley Both OFallon and St. Peters ranked in the top 50 on the 2017 version of Money magazines 100 Best Places to Live list. The communitys location along Interstate 70 and near Interstate 55 makes it an important logistical hub and a great location for a manufacturing business. The city of St. Charles also has one the countrys most storied historic Main Streets, along with OPO Startups, a unique coworking facility housed in a renovated, historic post office. The facility even received a special mention in a November speech by President Trump. An important decision. Relocating your business is an expensive decision. It will disrupt your business and your employees. But sometimes disruption is exactly what you need. In certain instances, a relocation -- if done strategically -- can breathe new life into your company. It can attract new, diverse, and talented employees, and improve your bottom line via a lowered tax burden and a reduced cost of doing business. Related: The Top 4 Tax Strategies To Save Your Business Money If youre thinking of a relocation in 2018, take that decision seriously. And you can start doing that by considering communities that will make your company stronger and better positioned to compete in your market. Related: Thinking of Moving Your Company? Think Fly-Over States. Focus On the Solution Is the Key Mantra for This Entrepreneur Love the Boonies! 5 Tips for Recruiting Top Talent for a Rural Location Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com SUZANA NORBERG JANUARY 24, 2018 POSTED IN: EDITORS PICK, SDSU'S OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE How do you distinguish quirkiness from insanity in a leader? What are the red flags to watch for? What are our expectations of a leader? A fluke-survivor of the Peoples Temple and decade-long resident of Synanon an alternative community in Santa Monica, Calif. that disbanded in 1991 will share her analysis of both cults, as part of the Love Library Series through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at SDSU. Laura Johnston Kohl will compare and contrast the styles of leaders Jim Jones and Charles E. Dederich, both of whom were drawn to California and had their greatest success here. She will also reflect on the members who were drawn to join each group why did Peoples Temple members mostly join as extended families, and Synanon members join as individuals? Kohl feels that to properly understand the Peoples Temple, it needs to be considered in the historic perspective of the 1960s and 70s. In less than a decade, we had Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy, John Kennedy, Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers all killed by vigilantes, said Kohl. So by 1970, I really felt that I needed to take charge and not be a victim and see our democracy go down the drain. Like many others, Kohl joined out of disillusionment for society, and the desire to create a better world. Then, on Nov. 18, 1978, at the command of Jim Jones, 917 residents of Jonestown lost their lives. Kohl happened to be in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, on church business. We know so much about him, yet there are 917 people who need to have their stories told too, said Kohl. So I dont want the story to die because its so uncomfortable or difficult. I think we really have to investigate it. Ive lived in two cults over my lifetime and I have a perspective now of why Peoples Temple was able to gain so much power, and a sense of what leadership styles seem to draw people in. Kohl is happy to answer questions, and even invites them. I think Ive been asked every question over the last 39 years and Ive survived those too. Leadership Styles in Famous/Infamous Cults: Peoples Temple and Synanon is on Thursday, March 29, from 12:50 pm, at the SDSU Love Library. Following Kohls presentation, participants will view the Peoples Temple at Jonestown Special Collection, held in Special Collections and University Archives. The cost is $15. OLLI membership ($30) is required to register. Every semester, OLLI at SDSU offers intellectual and literal adventures for adults age 50 and better, but participants of all ages are welcome to this special lecture. To register, call (619) 594-5152. When a pair of burglars escaped from Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum on a frosty December morning in 2002 with two of the artist's priceless 19th Century paintings in tow, it sent shock waves through the art world. But despite pulling off a theft the FBI called one of the top 10 art crimes of all time - and in less than four minutes - Octave Durham and his accomplice Henk Bieslijn still had work to do. They now found themselves in possession of two paintings that were valued by investigators at a combined 80million, but were impossible to sell through ordinary channels - given that any attempt to do so would immediately link them to the heist of the century. Now a new documentary, Stealing Van Gogh, has revealed how Durham and Bieslijn's links to the criminal underworld allowed them to get the red-hot spoils of their audacious raid off their hands for a jaw-dropping sum - albeit one far less than the paintings were actually worth. In it, independent arts crime investigator Arthur Brand explains how stolen art is used as a 'bank note' to be traded for arms or drugs in the criminal underworld - with a 'standard value' of 10 per cent of the figure it would fetch on the open market. Scroll down for video Presenter Andrew Graham-Dixon pieced together the story of the two paintings in BBC Two documentary Stealing Van Gogh The two thieves - Octave Durham and his accomplice Henk Bieslijn - climbed a ladder (left) and smashed a window. They then escaped down the front of the building (right) They had tied a rope around a flagpole before the theft, and climbed down it after grabbing the two paintings, but they made a mistake - leaving behind a hat with DNA on it Presenter and art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon pieced together the story of the two paintings, and explored the wider world of art crime in the BBC Two documentary Stealing Van Gogh. Seascape at Sheveningen, painted in 1882, and Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen, which is dated between 1884 and 1885, were taken from Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum on December 7 2002 by thieves who climbed on to the roof, used sledgehammers to smash reinforced security glass, and swiped the two artworks closest to the hole they'd made - escaping via a rope tied to a flagpole less than four minutes later. Octave Durham, pictured, along with his accomplice Henk Bieslijn were behind the 2002 theft It would be some 14 years before they were finally recovered, almost 2,000km away in a mafia hideout in Naples, Italy. At the time of the heist, neither painting had ever been sold, meaning they had no market value, but investigators estimated the value of the stolen works at 80million. According to Brand's insight, this would suggest the criminals had 8million in black market goods on their hands. Indeed, police who tapped the duo's phones after DNA matching that of the convicted crooks' on hats left at the scene of the crime on December 7 2002, heard conversations about money that indicated they had sold the paintings on by 2003 or 2004. Evidence suggested the pair went on to splurge on luxury watches, cars, and trips to New York and Disneyland Paris, proving the fact the paintings were stolen did not prevent them exchanging hands for cash. 'The art world and the criminal world are far more incorporated than people think,' Brand said in the documentary. View of the Sea at Scheveningen (pictured) was one of two oil painting by Vincent Van Gogh worth millions of dollars which was snatched by thieves on December 7, 2002 Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen was the other oil painting that was stolen, portraying the village where Van Gogh's parents lived The paintings eventually ended up in Italy, where they were discovered secreted behind a false wall inside a Camorra safe house in Naples (pictured) 'Stolen art goes from hand to hand very quickly, it is used as a bank note in the criminal underworld. They use it for trading arms, drugs 'The standard value is ten per cent. It means if you steal a painting worth 10million you can use it as a bank note for 1million - ten percent of the value on the open market,' he said. While they were stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the paintings eventually ended up in Italy, secreted behind a false wall inside a Camorra safe house in Naples. Independent arts crime investigator Arthur Brand was one of the men on the trail of the missing artworks, and explained how paintings can become valuable currency They were recovered in 2016, 14 years after the original theft, and returned to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam An elite art crime squad within the Italian Carabinieri carried out investigations into the stolen artworks, and told Graham-Dixon of their conviction the two thieves were only successful in their theft because they liaised with an 'insider' within the Van Gogh Museum. The paintings were eventually recovered in 2016, 14 years after the original theft and returned to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. But not before they had been passed from pillar to post as the thieves tried to rid themselves of the precious but incriminating pieces. Since the Nazis first confiscated a Van Gogh painting in 1937, more than 40 of his masterpieces have been stolen in 15 separate heists from galleries all over the world. While many of the missing works have since been recovered, its believed there are still around 85 of Van Gogh's masterpieces in unknown locations around the world. Stealing Van Gogh is available to watch on BBC iPlayer She's the enthusiastic primary school teacher who never goes a year without tirelessly decorating her classrooms. Hannah Girling spends her holiday transforming her immaculate classroom into a colourful space by filling it with rainbow posters, personalised desk labels, charts and bright decor. The 24-year-old, who goes under Miss Girling's Classroom on Instagram, teaches Year 5 students at Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School in Western Australia. Here, the young teacher, from Perth, offers a glimpse into her vibrant learning space. School teacher Hannah Girling (pictured) transforms her classrooms into colourful spaces The 24-year-old spends her holiday decorating her classrooms ahead of the school year The teacher would spend hours carefully crafting inspirational walls for her students 'My students seem to love it in our classroom, it's definitely our "happy place",' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I have always loved bright, colourful things, so it made sense to me to make my classroom like that as well. 'In order for students to learn and have a love for school, classrooms should be positive, happy, welcoming and engaging environments. 'Having a great classroom to work in is only one part of engaging the students, but I do believe it is an important part. 'The bright colours naturally make it a happier place. It's important to take student needs into consideration as well when decorating your classroom. 'You may have a student with special needs - such as sensory issues - that needs accommodations made for them.' The teacher fills her classroom with rainbow walls, colourful posters and 'learning goals' Every year, she pins the students' colourful art on the 'wow wall' so parents can see their work The optimistic teacher made colour-coded drawers with each child's name labelled in front Over the summer break, Miss Girling spent just under two weeks transforming her classroom into stimulating spaces in preparation for her new students (pictured the 2018 classroom) The dedicated teacher has been documenting her classroom preparation to nearly 35,000 of her Instagram followers ahead of the 2018 school year. 'My favourite part of my 2018 classroom is my whiteboard area. I use my whiteboard every single day, so this year I was lucky enough to get a second one,' she said. 'I've added neon lights to brighten it up. On the floor of my whiteboard area is a gorgeous black and white rug, and some bright fluffy mats. This area will be great for small group work.' She explained her favourite feature in her new classroom was the 'wow wall' - a space where she displays her students' artwork for everyone to see. 'I love my wow work wall. This rainbow area is used for displaying my students' work throughout the year,' Miss Girling said. 'We display a variety of things on here, but we love to put our art up for everyone to see. It's a great way for the students to display the work they are proud of, build classroom culture and brighten up the room with their fantastic work.' The dedicated teacher has been documenting her preparation to nearly 35,000 of her Instagram followers ahead of the 2018 school year The books are perfectly organised into colour-coded plastic tubs so they are easily accessed Every year, she pins the students' colourful art on the 'wow wall' so parents can see their work She has a 'wow wall' where she displays students' work for everyone to see, including parents Over the summer break, Miss Girling spent just under two weeks transforming her classroom into a stimulating space in preparation for her new students. 'This was a record for me,' she said. 'I usually spend a large chunk of my holidays doing setup and prep, but it was much easier this year as I stayed in the same classroom with the same year group. 'Between 2016 to 2017, I moved from Year 3 to Year 5 so I had to set up a new classroom from scratch. 'It had furniture and other classroom items, but it was mainly a blank slate that needed a lot of love. 'It took most of my holidays to organise that room. This year, I just had lots of cleaning and giving old areas a new life.' The 2018 working space: The teacher has perfectly organised her cupboards and drawers Miss Girling, who is a big supporter of the Sydney Swans, decorated her classroom with red and white balloons after her team beat Fremantle Dockers in August last year She said her favourite feature was the 'wow wall' where she displays the students work Over the summer break, Miss Girling prepared little birthday gifts for each of her students Staying true to her eye-popping rainbow style, Miss Girling covered her walls with bright posters and charts. She wrote all of her students' names on Pokemon's Poke Balls before she stuck it to the door to welcome them into their new classroom. She hung her own name above her working desk, as she covered the white walls with inspirational banners after spending hours carefully crafting them. The optimistic teacher has also made colour-coded drawers with each child's name labelled in front. Brightening her space with attention to detail, Miss Girling said every item in her classroom has a purpose. 'I try to make sure that each item in my classroom has a purpose and will be useful for the students,' she said. 'It is very easy to accumulate of lot of things that you'll only use once or don't really need. When buying items, I love to select the most colourful option. 'A great example of this is my chair I use at my desk. I could've gone with a plain black one, but I absolutely loved the rainbow one, so I had to get it. 'It has really helped brighten up my classroom.' The 'currently reading' display will encourage her students to write down the book theyre currently reading - this way she's across what they are reading and can engage in discussions Miss Girling said she believed her colourful classrooms makes a difference with teaching Haiku wall: Haikus are traditionally about nature or the seasons so each of her students chose a particular season to write their poem about She spends hours crafting inspirational posters for her students, including learning goals Miss Girling said she found inspiration to set up her classrooms by getting an idea of what her students may like to see in their learning space. 'When I am deciding about what to display in my classroom, I think about what the students may like or what they might need,' she said. 'I believe it is important to think of them when organising and setting up a room, as they will be the ones coming in each and every day. 'The Instagram teaching community is a fantastic place to get ideas and inspiration from. There's a huge amount of incredibly passionate and creative teachers on there.' Miss Girling believed her colourful classrooms make a difference with teaching. 'I do believe being organised definitely helps my teaching and everyday activities with my students,' she said. 'When I have planned my day and week well, I am able to be much more flexible when things arise and shuffles need to happen. 'I am also much calmer and focused when I am organised, and this is passed onto my students.' Miss Girling said she now has two whiteboards this year - one of her many favourite features Miss Girling has been documenting her amazing classrooms on Instagram for three years In her first year of teacher, Miss Girling said she spent around $6,000 setting up her classroom Miss Girling who started teaching full-time in April 2015 said the best part about her 'incredibly tiring and demanding' job was the young students In her first year of teaching, Miss Girling said she spent $6,000 on decorating her classroom - but she has managed to reuse her materials after accumulating them over the years. 'I spent approximately $6,000 to set up my first ever classroom and collect resources. Thankfully it has become less each year, but I still spend a few thousand,' she said. 'Kmart is a teacher's heaven. I am not able to go into Kmart without walking out with things I didn't plan on purchasing. 'I get many of my resources from a variety of places. Lots of discount stores are great for small, bright, colourful pieces.' Miss Girling who started teaching full-time in April 2015 said the best part about her 'incredibly tiring and demanding' job was the young students. 'Knowing that I am making a positive difference in these children's lives, no matter how small or big, is such a lovely thing to know, especially when it is tough,' she said. 'I loving building positive relationships with my students and watching them grow over the year. Seeing their faces light up when something clicks or they come up with an idea is one of the best things I've ever experienced. She crafts colourful posters for her students for every special occasion, including Easter Brightening her space with attention to detail, Miss Girling said every item has a purpose Miss Girling has been documenting her amazing classrooms on Instagram for more than three years, and she uses the platform to share her tips to fellow teachers 'I enjoy helping them build their self-confidence and encouraging them to tackle things head on with no fear. 'The amazing students make all of the long hours and endless jobs so rewarding and worth the effort. I try to build a positive classroom culture. 'In my class we are a "family", which means we support and look out for each other. Our school places a large focus on the word "respect". 'Our students are encouraged to think of this whenever they carry out any actions. I love encouraging students to be the best versions of themselves.' Miss Girling has been documenting her amazing classrooms on Instagram since day one of teaching - and she uses the platform to share her tips to fellow teachers. For new teachers who want to organise their classrooms, Miss Girling advised: 'Make sure you are purchasing [items] you actually need, and not just want. 'There have been so many times that I've just had to have something, and then found it to not be particularly helpful or useful in the classroom,' she said. 'Buy second-hand where you can to save money. Re-use and recycle your old items instead of throwing them out, lots of the time they can be made to look new again.' A big-name UK-based fashion label has been accused of stealing a design from an independent New York fashion label. Ragged Priest, which is headquartered in London, was called out in an Instagram post on Saturday shared by PR Director Rachel D'Amico, who shared a passionate plea for large labels to stop 'ripping off' the creations of smaller, independent brands. Alongside her poignant caption, Rachel shared two images of a pair of jeans by indie label StickyBaby that are printed with broken hearts, with one picture showing the jeans being modeled by Bella Hadid during a day out in Paris last year. Denim wars: UK-based fashion label Ragged Priest has been accused of stealing the heart-print design from independent label Stickybaby (pictured) that were once worn by Bella Hadid 'Bella Hadid in ORIGINAL, handmade StickyBaby jeans from last year,' Rachel wrote in the caption of her post, before adding: '@theraggedpriest please stop stealing from young independent designers. 'Youre better than F21 and Zara. and everyone else please support ORIGINAL designers and artists and the big brands who do the right thing by collaborating with them instead of blatantly ripping them off.' Although Rachel did not share a picture of the offending Ragged Priest designs she was referring to as far as her copying claim, the brand's website currently features several very similar designs that have the same broken heart pattern in a variety of different colors and shades. However, while Rachel was incredibly passionate in her post, Ragged Priest refused to take the claims lying down, responding to her post in a comment in which a spokesperson denied all claims that the brand had copied StickyBaby's designs. The brand claimed that featuring a broken heart on clothing is not 'copying' because a 'broken heart is a thing' and can therefore be used in a variety of different designs. 'Please stop calling us out on social media saying that we have copied someone when this is 100% not the case,' the comment read. Support original designers: The Instagram post encourages people to shop from independent brands Common design: The Ragged Priest denied that they had stole design ideas from Stickybaby 'There is a broken heart emoji, did they copy feeling sticky? No. Why's that? Because a broken heart is a thing. 'A thing commonly used by many people.' The comment went on to claim that Ragged Priest had been offering these kinds of designs since before StickyBaby ever began operating, saying: 'We have been doing custom denim applique WAY BEFORE feelin sticky. It's how we started 10 years ago. 'We have had Rihanna, Beyonce, Cara Delevigne [sic], Bella Hadid,and many many more famous people wear our products over the years, so we don't need to copy something as basic as a heart Jean to get kudos (no disrespect meant). 'So your wrong and out of order to say that we saw Bella in these jeans and copied them. Our jeans are a version of a style we have been running with for 4 years. You can go back through our insta thread to check the origins of our design go way back before feelin sticky created hers.' 'If we wanted we could go back three years ago and say she is copying us by using applique letters and angst words on jersey. Something we have been doing way before her. Would we do that? No, because we understand that when designers are following a trend, similarity occurs.' Jean Queen: Supermodel Bella Hadid in Paris, France, wearing independent label Stickybaby All smiles: Bella takes stroll in Paris, France, in April wearing the Stickybaby heart-print jeans 'It's happened to us more than enough times and will happen again. It sucks, but what sucks even more is being wrongly called out on social media for apparently copying a design that was created AFTER our original version of our supposed copy?? Feel free to email us @ info@theraggedpriest.com if you want actual dated proof.' But despite the brand's reply, many of Rachel's followers were not convinced, with one person commenting: 'YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. Boo to them!' Another added: 'Oooh I am MAD.' It is not the first time that Ragged Priest has hit the headlines in recent months; just a few months ago the brand went viral after a pair of its barely-there jeans appeared on fashion site ASOS. Called 'chaps' the jeans from Ragged Priest's Black Label collection created a stir on Twitter after one customer spotted the slashed jeans held together by a pair of metal chain suspenders - revealing a large portion of the upper thigh. And as for Stickybaby, which was designed and created by Amanda Litzinger in Brooklyn, New York,she said the label continues to get 'an influx of attention' since Bella Hadid was seen wearing the brand. Last May, Amanda told W Magazine: 'I couldnt make up a more ideal person to embody the brand. Thats what I put into it: confidence and power.' 'People dont know about small brands. People are always looking for cool clothes and Ive got em.' When it comes to wedding photos, more often than not they tend to be similar to each other - and although beautiful, they're not necessarily unique. Sydney-sider Ryan O'Kane, 35, married his wife Jazmyne Gosliga, 23, in January this year and he decided he wanted his wedding photos to stand out from the crowd. 'The idea mostly occurred after the wedding. I was looking at some of the amazing pictures and thought it might be fun to play around a bit,' he told FEMAIL. 'Give everyone a lightsaber, maybe a dinosaur or two? They were mostly for my own amusement, but Jaz laughed at a few so I put them up on Instagram.' Sydney-sider Ryan O'Kane, 35, married his wife Jazmyne Gosliga, 23, in January this year (pictured) While Ryan had always edited photos he had taken - even before his wedding - he thought that the wedding shots were too good an opportunity to pass up, and so set to work: 'I mean when do people pose like that in any other aspect of life?' he said. 'I liked creating a story in a single image, that might also draw a smile,' Ryan added. In some of the photos, dinosaurs can be seen arriving onto the scene, while in others guests hold lightsabers and the married couple emerge from burning flames. 'Its always seemed surreal to me [posing for wedding photos] so I thought Id spice them up a bit. Luke Marshall, our photographer, is a great sport as well and I think he shot a few with my edits in mind,' he added. He decided he wanted his wedding photos to stand out from the crowd so edited them with a fantasy twist Ryan thought that the wedding photos were too good an opportunity to pass up 'I liked creating a story in a single image, that might also draw a smile,' he explained 'Luke Marshall, out photographer is a great sport as well and I think he shot a few with my edits in mind,' Ryan said Ryan explained that he's only put the tamer ones on the Internet, and while it's just for fun there are a few he's quite fond of. 'There are a couple that I am thinking of framing because they make me smile,' he said. 'There are also a few that I maybe went too far with. Jaz has editorial say on those.' Overall he said people's reactions have been positive and he believes sometimes wedding photos can be too serious. The idea to edit the wedding photos came after the event took place as while Ryan was looking at the images he thought it might be fun to play around with them Ryan explained that he's only put the tamer ones up online, which he's done just for fun 'There are a couple that I am thinking of framing because they make me smile,' he said 'In this case I just wanted to put a wee twist on the process. I guess it's also an extension of the day itself,' he said. 'We had great fun and a lovely day. I wanted to share some of that through these pics and hopefully make a few people laugh.' Each picture usually only takes a minute or two to edit but because Ryan really loves the process he can take anywhere from half an hour to 45 minutes to truly perfect it. Overall he said people's reactions have been positive and he believes some times wedding photos can be too serious 'Some have takes a couple of hours, but I can get carried away sometimes. General rule of thumb is until Jaz says "get off your phone now",' he said. 'I love the fantasy world, so these are just a little outlet for that. Its a lot of fun to play with the images and try different ideas out. 'But Luke Marshall has been amazing in letting me tinker with his hard work. I tend to like the absurd, so I am very lucky that I have married someone that has a similar sense of humour.' With Valentine's Day just weeks away, couples all over the world are trying to decide how to surprise their sweetheart. But everyone knows that the holiday's real gifts are given in the bedroom. And sex therapist Isiah McKimmie has shared her tips with FEMAIL for steaming up things in honour of the February 14 holiday. In the lead-up to Valentine's Day, McKimmie recommends that couples build up their intimacy outside of the bedroom to help their connection once the lights go off. Sex therapist Isiah McKimmie has shared her tips with FEMAIL for steaming up things in the bedroom on Valentine's Day 'Put some thought and effort into planning your Valentine's Day together, and what you might like to try in the bedroom,' she told Daily Mail Australia. While sexy lingerie is a fun way to mix things up on the holiday, McKimmie said it is still 'really important' that women feel comfortable. 'But try to stretch yourself a little,' she added. 'Try something a little different to your regular underwear.' 'Something timeless and lacy can help you feel sexy and confident.' When Valentine's Day arrives, McKimmie recommends building anticipation by sexting throughout the day. 'Research has shown that women who engage in sexting with their partner during the day are more likely to reach orgasm during sex in the evening,' she said. McKimmie recommends building anticipation planning Valentine's Day with your partner and then sexting throughout the day before you see each other 'It's also a great way to bring a smile to your partner's face.' When it's time for the bedroom, McKimmie said it is important that couples make take their time with each other. 'We have such busy lives, the reality is that if we don't make time for intimacy with our partner, it doesn't happen - or it only happens late at night when you're both tired,' she said. 'Making time for sex ensures that it happens, and allows you to relax and enjoy it more.' 'Spending at least 20 minutes in foreplay can enhance enjoyment and increases your chances of having an orgasm.' For those who'd like to introduce new props, McKimmie suggests playing with a blindfold to really spice the night up Even the less adventurous couples can mix things up with something small, whether it's lighting a candle to starting with a massage or a shower together. And for those who'd like to introduce new props, McKimmie suggests playing with a blindfold to really spice the night up. 'Taking away the sense of sight involves a lot of trust and can build intimacy,' she said. 'It also enhances the other senses, such as touch.' McKimmie said it is also important to give your lover positive feedback throughout the night. 'Telling your partner what you're enjoying is a great way to increase turn on for both of you, and can be a good way to start "talking dirty,"' she said. And McKimmie said it can always help to give your partner a 'little show of your pleasure'. 'Yes, it's vulnerable,' she said. 'But that's what makes it so beautifully intimate.' A Perth mum-of-two is off all her antidepressant medication for the first time in 22 years after losing 30 kilos. Kate Cave, now 48, tipped the scale at 105.7kg when she decided it was finally time to make a big change. The mum had gained 20kg almost instantly after she was put on medication for manic depression following the birth of her second son. 'The medication they put me on was really strong, and my weight just went out of control after that,' Kate told Daily Mail Australia. Kate Cave, 48, is off all her antidepressant medication for the first time in 22 years after losing 30 kilos in 14 months. At her heaviest, Kate weighed 105.7kg 'It almost felt like it was overnight.' On top of the medication, Kate was battling symptoms from her depression and found that she never had any energy. 'At the start it was really horrible,' she said. 'You're not feeling well on yourself anyway and then you've got this instant weight gain.' 'I tried to lose it, but due to my health and medication I could never keep it off. Then you start feeling really low on yourself and the cycle starts again.' Although the depression became more manageable after a decade, Kate put on another 10kg after she and her husband worked in the mines for a couple of years. Kate was working long hours in administration and never had energy to exercise or cook at the end of the day. It was at her youngest son's 21st birthday (pictured) in January 2016 that Kate finally decided she would make a big change The decision came after Kate struggled to lose weight for decades, eventually needing two shoulder operations due to issues in her joints Instead she and her husband indulged in roadhouse food like burgers, fish and chips, and 'nothing healthy', she said. The extra 30kg began to take a toll on Kate physically, causing pain in her joints. She had to undergo two shoulder operations and doctors said she would need to have a hip operation as well. 'All my joints were starting to fail me, it was horrible,' she said. 'I knew I had to do something.' It was at her youngest son's 21st birthday in January 2016 that Kate finally decided she would make a big change. 'I looked at my sons, who are both in their early twenties, and I thought "Wow, you're going to be parents soon and I'm going to be a grandma,"' she recalled. 'I don't want to be a grandma that sits on the sidelines. I want to be able to enjoy my grandchildren when they come.' 'I was looking at my life and thinking wow, I don't want to be this person anymore. I don't want to have to rely on my medication anymore. I need a lifestyle change.' Kate signed up for Jenny Craig, a program she had first tried while trying to lose weight during her thirties With the program Kate learned about portion control and completely transformed her fridge. She also kicked her weekly takeaway habit After the party, Kate made three goals to celebrate the fact that she was turning 50 in three years. 'I was going to be healthy and fit, I was going to lose 30 kilos, and my third major goal was I wanted to be off all of my medication before I turned 50,' she said. She signed up for Jenny Craig, a program Kate had first tried while trying to lose weight in her thirties. Kate liked that the program came with a consultant that she had to see every week, and meals that were ready every night. While she wasn't cooking on her own at first, the meals helped teach Kate to become aware of food portion sizes. 'I learned all about good vegetables and salads, good fats versus bad fats, and starchy versus non-starchy vegetables,' she said. 'My fridge changed.' Her weekly takeaway habit now only happens once a month with her husband, and Kate now loves her frequent visits to the local vegetable shop. Kate also began walking every day, downloading the Pokemon Go app to help motivate herand making exercising fun Kate also began walking every day, downloading the Pokemon Go app to help motivate her exercise. 'I know it sounds funny, but it really made exercising fun,' she said. 'I was capturing Pokemon, and it really made it enjoyable, I loved it!'. Kate began to feel amazing as the pounds slid off, especially after she realised she needed to ask for a size small while shopping. 'You start getting an appreciation for yourself,' she said. 'And after the first 12 months I started cutting down on my medication as well.' 'I started becoming a different person - I had more energy, was more relaxed, it was wonderful.' By June 2017 Kate had achieved her first two goals. She now weighs 75.7kg and no longer has to have a hip operation. By June 2017 Kate had achieved her first two goals. She now weighs 75.7kg and no longer has to have a hip operation As of October, and with the help of her doctor, Kate is now completely off all her medication after 22 years. 'It's like I'm having to learn who I am again because it's been so long since I haven't been taking anything,' she said. 'I'm fit, I'm healthy, my life has changed for the better.' Kate still eats five meals a day and exercises four times a week, still bringing out the Pokemon app every time there's a new one to catch. And now the mum can do things she was never able to before, including riding a horse with her husband - who used to work as a jockey. When they tried to go together five years ago, Kate realised she was 15kg over the weight limit to ride a horse. 'After I reached my goal he took me on a horse trip and it was like, wow I can finally get on this and do this,' she said. 'It was awesome.' The Duchess of Cornwall has arrived in Wiltshire for a day of solo engagements. Camilla, 70, kicked off her day with a visit to St Mary's Church of England Primary School in Marlborough, which she will officially open this afternoon. She received a riotous reception from pupils who had lined the streets of Marlborough to catch a glimpse of the Duchess, with many waving Union flags. Dressed in a green button-down dress coat - an old favourite - the Prince of Wales' wife looked to be in excellent spirits as she waved and chatted to locals in the old market town. Scroll down for video Camilla arrived in Marlborough on Tuesday for a busy day of engagements in Wiltshire. She was greeted by dozens of pupils from newly-opened St Mary's Church of England Primary School Where are your coats? While Camilla was wrapped up in a warm button-down dress coat with leather gloves, the pupils of St Mary's Church of England Primary School braved the cold Waving Union Jack flags and wearing smart red jumpers, the primary school children looked excited to meet the Duchess of Cornwall Both the school-children and Camilla looked in animated spirits as the Duchess made her way into the newly opened school hall She teamed the tweed number with black leather gloves, elaborate flared sleeves and a pale beige scarf as temperatures plummeted to a chilly six degrees. The Duchess of Cornwall will also tour Arkell's Brewery, in nearby Swindon, during their 175th anniversary year. An engagement at Clarence House kept Charles from joining his wife in Wiltshire today. Charles, who is patron of the the Global Crop Diversity Trust, will host a reception on the theme of 'Food Forever - Actions for a Resilient Food System' at the couple's London home. No winter blues here! Dressed in a green button-down dress coat, the Prince of Wales' wife looked to be in excellent spirits as she waved and chatted to locals in the old market town Heading west: Camilla will spend the day in Wiltshire, heading to Arkell's Brewery, in nearby Swindon, this afternoon A very regal hello: The youngsters waved their flags high in the air as the Duchess approached The pupils shared a joke with the visiting royal ahead of a tour of their new school Camilla took her time as she wandered up the line of school-children eager to meet her Head teacher Anne Schwodler offers a tour of the colourfully-decorated classrooms at St Mary's school Camilla seemed interested in the school's learning materials as she chatted with a member of staff The Duchess enjoys a lesson in phonics as she joins a table of primary school-children at work An older pupil explains her work to the Duchess during a tour of another classroom A very special guest in assembly! Camilla sits on stage with dignitaries from the Wiltshire area And she's off! The Duchess of Cornwall wil visit a brewery in Swindon this afternoon Cheerio! Camilla offers a wave as she leaves the school in bright sunshine The Duchess teamed her tweed coat with a shirt featuring elaborate fluted sleeves, black gloves and a gold bracelet as she waved goodbye to locals at the end of her Marlborough visit It has already been a busy week for Camilla, and her hectic schedule will continue tomorrow with a visit to the Royal Academy of Dance's Silver Swans programme promoting ballet classes for the over-55s. It was recently revealed that Camilla's son, Tom Parker Bowles, had split with his wife Sara after 12 years of marriage - news which has 'deeply saddened' her according to the Daily Mail's Richard Kay. Advertisement William and Kate kicked off their four-day Scandinavia tour this morning, affording them the opportunity to catch up with their European royal counterparts in Sweden and Norway. The couple will be hosted by the Swedish royals in Stockholm over the next two days, before being greeted by the Crown Prince of Norway and his wife in Oslo on Thursday - two colourful families whose pasts are inextricably linked, as King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and King Harald of Norway are second cousins, once removed. The Cambridges were today welcomed to the Royal Palace for lunch with Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife Queen Silvia and their daughter Crown Princess Victoria, 40, and her husband Prince Daniel who attended William and Kate's wedding in 2011. Their family, the House of Bernadotte, has ruled Sweden since 1818. Afterwards, the Crown Princess couple accompanied the Cambridges to the Nobel Museum, the first of several joint engagements they will undertake together in the next two days, including a black tie dinner at the residence of the British ambassador this evening, along with members of the Swedish royal family. Although there's been no official announcement on the guest list, the Duke and Duchess are expected to meet Crown Princess Victoria's handsome younger brother Prince Carl Philip and his former glamour model wife, Princess Sofia; while her sister Princess Madeleine and her husband Chris O'Neill may also put in an appearance. Tomorrow Crown Princess Victoria and her husband will join the British royals at the Karolinska Institute where they will learn about Sweden's approach to managing mental health challenges, before visiting a school together. Next it's on to an interactive exhibition of UK design, fashion and brands that operate in Sweden followed by a private tea at Haga Palace ahead of a gala celebrating Swedish culture at the Fotografiska Gallery. On Thursday, the Cambridges will fly on to Norway where they will be met by Crown Prince Haakon and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Their House of Oldenburg was founded in 1825. Here Femail reveals the royals that Kate and William will be forging closer relationships with over the next few days in Scandinavia. Scroll down for video Meet the Scandis! Members of the Swedish and Norweigan royal households who will host the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge this week include (1) Prince Daniel of Sweden, (2) Princess Sofia of Sweden, (3) Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, (4) Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, (5) Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, (6) Crown Princess Haakon of Norway, (7) Queen Silvia of Sweden, (8) King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, (9) Queen Sonja of Norway, (10) King Harald of Norway, and (11) Princess Martha-Louise of Norway A royal welcome: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are welcomed in Stockholm today by (L-R) King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Prince Daniel and Crown Princess Victoria - who is first-in-line to the Swedish throne How are Norway and Sweden's royal families linked? King XVI Gustaf's great-great-uncle Prince Carl, brother of King Gustav V had a daughter named Princess Martha, born in 1901. Princess Martha was King Gustav's first cousin, twice removed and went on to marry Crown Prince Olav of Norway. Their son who is now King Harald of Norway, was born in 1937 and is the second cousin once removed of King XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Advertisement Carl XVI Gustaf and his wife Silvia, the King and Queen of Sweden At the age of 71, the second-longest reigning monarch in Swedish history - who took to the throne in 1973 and survived the country's landmark constitution the following year - still has an active role in public duties, albeit mainly ceremonial. The king and his wife Silvia, nee Sommerlath, 74, his German-Brazilian consort, have been handing over increasing numbers of engagements to their eldest daughter Victoria in recent years, fuelling speculation that the monarch may abdicate, allowing the Crown Princess to take the throne. The presenter of the Nobel Peace Prize and a keen environmental campaigner has been embroiled in a string of controversies over the years including accusations of secret affairs and wild parties. The grandfather-of-six is said to own a fleet of Porsche 911s and was involved in a high-profile car crash in 2005 which made international headlines. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, now both in their seventies, have sat on the Swedish throne since the early 1970s but are increasingly delegating royal duties to their three children - Victoria, Carl Philip and Madeleine, and their partners Crown Princess Victoria, eldest daughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf, and her husband Prince Daniel Crown Princess Victoria, now 40, studied diplomacy and Swedish foreign policy before becoming a full-time working member of the royal family. The glamorous Yale graduate, who speaks four languages, was not expected to take to the throne when she was born in 1977 but a change in the law of succession three years later changed that. In 2010, she married her former personal trainer Daniel Westling in front of 1,200 guests at Stockholm Cathedral, and have since settled comfortably into public life with their two children, Princess Estelle, five, and Prince Oscar, who turns two in March. A very modern fairytale: Former personal trainer Daniel Westling married his client, Crown Princess Victoria, who is first in line to the throne. The couple are parents to Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar (pictured) Prince Carl Philip, son of King Carl XVI Gustaf, and his wife Princess Sofia Sweden's real-life Prince Charming broke the hearts of royal-watchers across the globe when he announced his engagement to Sofia Hellqvist in 2014, four years after news of their relationship first hit headlines. Daniel, who is dyslexic, dismissed reports that his fiancee was 'not welcome' in the House of Bernadotte and condemned the public 'bullying' of Sofia. Regardless of the controversy, thousands lined the streets of Stockholm for their wedding later that year. The couple welcomed their first son, Prince Alexander, in April 2016 and another little boy, Prince Gabriel, arrived in August the following year. Queen in waiting: Crown Princess Victoria (left, with her husband, former personal trainer Prince Daniel) will host the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge this week. Pictured right: Her younger brother, former 'wild child' Prince Carl Philip and his wife, Princess Sofia Princess Madeleine, youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and her husband Christopher O'Neill The reigning couple's youngest child, Princess Madeleine, is an art history and psychology graduate who followed in her sibling's footsteps by marrying a 'commoner' three years after breaking off her engagement to a lawyer named Jonas Bergstrom. The 35-year-old occasionally carries out royal engagements on behalf of her father both in Sweden and abroad, as well as undertaking charity work with children's charity Min Stora Dag, despite once describing herself as naturally shy in an interview. Currently seventh-in-line to the Swedish throne, the keen equestrian is expecting her third child with American financier Christopher O'Neill in March - around the same time as the Duchess of Cambridge. They are already parents to Princess Leonore, three, and Prince Nicolas, two, and live a relatively private life in London where O'Neill's works. He declined a royal title when he married the princess in 2013 so he was free to pursue his career. Shunning royal life: Based in London, Princess Madeleine is expecting her third child with American financier Christopher O'Neill in March - around the same time as Kate Who's who in the Swedish royal family? King Carl XVI Gustaf (born in 1946) and Queen Silvia (born in 1943) are the head of the Swedish royal family, also known as the House of Bernadotte. Crown Princess Victoria, Duchess of Vastergotland (born in 1977), is their eldest daughter and heir to the throne. She is married to Prince Daniel, Duke of Vastergotland, and they have Princess Estelle, Duchess of Ostergotland, born 2012, and Prince Oscar, Duke of Skane, born 2016. Their eldest son is Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Varmland (born 1979). He is married to Princess Sofia, Duchess of Varmland, and they have Prince Alexander, Duke of Sodermanland, born 2016, and Prince Gabriel, born in 2017. Their youngest daughter is Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Halsingland and Gastrikland, born 1982, who is married to Christopher O'Neill. They have Princess Leonore, Duchess of Gotland, and Prince Nicolas, Duke of Angermanland, born 2015. The couple, based in London, are expecting their third child in March 2018. Princess Birgitta is also a member of the Royal House. She is the King's second sister and the widow of Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern. Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler, the King's first sister, and his third sister, Princess Desiree, Baroness Silfverschiold, who is married to Baron Niclas Silfverschiold, and Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson, who is the King's fourth sister and married to Consul General Tord Magnuson, are also members of the Royal Family. The King's aunts, Marianne Bernadotte, Countess of Wisborg, and Gunnila Bernadotte, Countess of Wisborg, are also listed. Advertisement King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway Norway's royal couple marked their 80th birthdays last year with a family trip to Cape Town, South Africa along with their two children and grandchildren. The celebrations continued back in Oslo where they invited royals from Sweden, Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark to help them mark their milestone birthday. King Harald V, who took to the throne in 1991 after the death of his father Olav V of Norway, spent part of his childhood in exile during the German occupation of WWII and has represented his country as an Olympic sailor. He and his wife Queen Haraldsen, nee Haraldsen, are parents to Princess Martha Louise, 46, and Crown Prince Haakon, 44 - who will take to the Norwegian throne ahead of his older sister due to the country's laws of succession. Reigning monarch: King Harald V and his wife Queen Sonja (centre) have sat on the Norwegian throne since 1991 and have two children and five grandchildren (pictured here at Oslo's Royal Palace in 2017 with son Crown Prince Haakon, second right, his wife Mette-Marit, their daughter Martha-Louse, fourth left, and their grandchildren) WHO'S WHO IN THE NORWEGIAN ROYAL FAMILY? King Harald V (born in 1936) took to the throne in 1991 after the death of his father Olav V of Norway that year, and is married to Queen Sonja of Norway (born in 1937) nee Haraldsen. Princess Martha Louise of Norway (born in 1971) is their first and only daughter, however she is fourth in line to the throne after her younger brother Crown Prince Haakon (born in 1973) due to the Norwegian law of succession. She was married to author Ari Behn for 12 years before splitting in 2016, and the former couple have joint custody of their three daughters Maud Angelica Behn (born 2003), Leah Isadora Behn (born 2005) and Emma Tallulah Behn (born 2008). Their youngest son, Crown Prince Haakon, married Crown Princess Mette-Marit in 2001 and the couple are parents to Princess Ingrid Alexandra (born 2004) and Prince Sverre Magnus (born 2005). Former waitress Mette-Marit (born 1973) also has Marius Borg Hiby (born 1997) from a previous relationship. As he is a direct descendant of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, King Harald is the 73rd in the line of succession to the British throne. He is also the second cousin once removed of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, via King Oscar II of Sweden (1872-1907). Advertisement Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit of Norway Norway's heir apparent is fond of a prank; during his parents' formal 80th birthday celebrations last year he confused dinner guests by shaving his beard off halfway before the meal, rendering him unrecognisable. And it seems he has passed his cheeky sense of humour onto his son, 12-year-old Prince Sverre Magnus, who famously performed the 'dab' dance move as various members of the royal family assembled on the balcony of Oslo's royal palace for formal photographs. He and his wife, Princess Mette-Marit, are also parents to Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 14, who is the goddaughter of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. Crown Prince Haakon, Norway's heir apparent, poses with his wife Princess Mette-Marit and their children, Prince Sverre Magnus and Princess Ingrid Alexandra during National Day of Norway celebrations in May 2017 Princess Martha Louise of Norway The eldest child of the royal couple is not set to take the throne thanks to succession laws - a fact which may well have saved the Norwegian royals escape controversy as Martha Louise is a divorcee. The 46-year-old split with novelist Ari Behn in 2016 after 14 years of marriage and are parents to Maud Angelica Behn, 14, Leah Isadora Behn, 12 and Emma Tallulah Behn, nine. In a joint statement, they said they felt 'guilty' that they could not make their marriage work but concluded that it would be 'unwise' to continue in their unhappy union. She runs the Her Royal Highness Princess Martha Louise's Fund, similar to the Prince's Trust, which helps to fund non-governmental projects helping disabled children. Light-hearted: Martha Louise, who is active on social media and has a blog called Soulspring, has joked that she would be more likely to find a unicorn under her Christmas tree than a new boyfriend (pictured here in Oslo in 2017) A super-organised mother cut the time it takes to get her two child ready for school in half using a few common Bunnings and Kmart items. Belinda Hampson was rushed off her feet getting daughter, eight, and five-year-old son out the door to school in western Melbourne every day. Last year it took a frantic 40 minutes with the pair losing their shoes or having to run around the house getting what they needed for class. A super-organised mother cut the time it takes to get her two child ready for school in half using a few common Bunnings and Kmart items Her immaculate setup includes a plastic drawer for every day's gear, lockers for bigger items, and basket for recess snacks So the 35-year-old spent the Christmas holidays overhauling their routine and on their first day back on Monday had them gone in just 20 minutes. Ms Hampson simply brought everything her kids needed for school into one place and organised them with plastic containers, cabinets, and baskets for just $200. 'Letters home from school always got put somewhere and the kids couldn't remember where, and school uniforms, bags and lunch boxes were all in different locations so I brought them all together,' she told News Corp. Her immaculate setup includes a plastic drawer for every day's gear, lockers for bigger items, and basket for recess snacks. She also made a study desk including a wooden hanging board held containers filled with pencils and highlighters, jars of rubbers, a whiteboard, and a list of chores WHAT BELINDA USED Plastic drawers for for every day's gear Lockers for bigger items Baskets for recess snacks Chalkboard with after school schedule Clock colour-coded to match after school schedule Mini-whiteboards for each child Laminated to-do lists for each morning Hooks for hairbrush and schoolbags Advertisement Then there's a schedule for what days each child has news, sport, and library, and one for when they get home from school - complete with a colour-coded clock. Under the after school schedule was a reminder for both children that their mother loved them. Lily's read 'you are beautiful' as cruel bullies in the past said she was 'anything but'. Finishing touches included hooks for schoolbags and hairbrushes, and a morning to-do list for both kids. 'The kids love it, they try to beat each other finishing the tasks. Putting it all in one spot it is so much easier... and stress free,' she said. Ms Hampson said it also give her children structure, discipline, and helped them respect their belongings and take pride in their work. Ms Hampson also reorganised her kitchen pantry (before pictured) She again used various storage tubs and containers, and next plans to overhaul her linen cupboard She also moved the dining table and put a dedicated study desk near the school ready wall, which she said helped them do homework better. A wooden hanging board held containers filled with pencils and highlighters, jars of rubbers, a whiteboard, and a list of chores were all part of the setup. 'The response I've had from other parents has been amazing I hope it has help inspire a few mums out there and help them and the kids,' she said. Ms Hampson suggested mothers wanting to do the same start with a list of what they want to change and what would help. Then they should find spots to put their newly organised storage and look on social media for inspiration on how to do it. Ms Hampson also reorganised her kitchen pantry, again using various storage tubs and containers, and next plans to overhaul her linen cupboard. She is already mother to three daughters, but Queen Maxima of the Netherlands appeared to be feeling broody today as she doted on an adorable baby. The Dutch royal, 46, beamed as she cuddled up to the baby during a visit to the Babyhuis Foundation in Dordrecht, south Netherlands. Maxima looked chic in typically bright ensemble, opting for an orange fitted suit and a green pussybow blouse. The mother-of-three seemed in high spirits as she posed with other mothers and their babies at the non-profit organisation. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked in high spirits as she cuddled up to a baby during a visit to the Babyhuis Foundation in Dordrecht, south Netherlands Wearing her blonde locks down over her shoulders, Maxima went for a subtle make-up look for her visit. The Dutch queen accessorised her elegant look with a pair of pear drop earrings, along with a gold bracelet. The Babyhuis Foundation provides care and guidance to new mothers and their babies. It also offers living space and guidance to pregnant women and women who have recently given birth. The 46-year-old beamed as she posed with mothers and their babies being helped by the non-profit organisation Maxima, who opted for a chic orange suit for the engagement, was seen doting over the baby she cuddled up to Maxima and her husband King Willem-Alexander, 50, are already parents to three children: Catharina-Amalia, 14, Alexia, 12, and Ariane, 10. The Dutch queen was born in Argentina and married Willem-Alexander in 2002, three years after meeting her husband-to-be in Seville, Spain. Despite reportedly having no inkling that Willem-Alexander was heir to the throne when the pair first met, she eventually became queen consort when her husband ascended to the throne. Willem-Alexander became king when his mother, Beatrix, abdicated in April 2013 after 33 years as reigning monarch. The Dutch queen opted for a typically bright ensemble for her visit, pairing her orange suit with a green pussybow blouse The Babyhuis Foundation provides care and guidance to new mothers and their babies Ivanka Trump clearly had her fill of over-the-top glamour this weekend, stepping out on Tuesday morning in a very demure, pared-back ensemble, after getting very dolled up to attend a black-tie function on Saturday night. The first daughter, 36, was seen leaving her house in Washington, D.C. a little before 9 this morning, with her hair pulled back in a discreet low do, wearing minimal - if any - make-up, and opting for a low-key ensemble that was a world away from the bedazzled dress she rocked over the weekend. She kept out the cold D.C. weather in a long, black coat and matching knee-high boots, finishing off her minimalist look with classic pearl earrings. Bare-faced: Ivanka Trump cut a demure silhouette this morning as she headed out to work with barely-there make-up and a simple outfit, with only minimal accessories Greeting the day: The first daughter, 36, was seen leaving her house in Washington, D.C. a little before 9 this morning, with her hair pulled back in a discreet low do Warm: Ivanka fended off the cold D.C. weather in a long, black coat and matching boots Ivanka, who wore red under her coat, went for a nude lip and shunned heavy eye make-up in favor of a fresh-faced appearance, which also included bare nails. She smiled as she walked from her home to the parked Secret Service vehicle waiting for her at the start of her work day. Her husband and fellow White House adviser Jared Kushner, 37, was also pictured leaving the house this morning a little after 7, sticking to his classics in a black suit and white shirt. Jared flashed a smile as he stepped out to hop into his own car on his way to work. The White House is currently gearing up for President Donald Trump's State Of The Union address, which he is scheduled to deliver tonight. Details: She finished off her minimalist look with classic pearl earrings and bare nails Keeping it simple: Ivanka, who wore red under her coat, went for a nude lip this morning Light: The former model shunned heavy eye make-up in favor of a fresh-faced appearance Changes: Her toned-down look came after a glamorous weekend outing, during which she cut an elegant silhouette in an evening dress Schedule: Ivanka left her home this morning as the White House prepared for President Donald Trump's State Of The Union speech, which he is due to give tonight Fresh: The first daughter has been known to like bolder lip colors and edgier looks, but kept things simple this morning Duo: Her husband and fellow White House adviser Jared Kushner, 37, was also pictured leaving the house this morning a little after 7, sticking to his classics in a black suit and white shirt Yesterday evening, Ivanka took to Instagram to share a throwback photo of her glamorous weekend outing with Jared, in stark contrast with this morning's simple look. She can be seen in the photo, which was taken on Saturday, donning an elegant black dress with a shawl-like attachment, with her hair swept up in an elegant up-do. Ivanka completed her outfit with a dark smoky eye and a bright red lip, giving the ensemble a distinct formal touch. Jared, meanwhile, opted for a simple black tuxedo and bow tie. His wife captioned the photo 'With my love' and indicated it was taken by their four-year-old son Joseph. Tiffany Trump, 24, was also dressed to impress on Saturday night in a formal white and gold floor-length dress. The Georgetown Law's students gown featured cut-out shoulder sleeves and cut-out in the midriff. Her hair was also in an upsweep with curls framing her face. She posted a video of herself and a friend walking down the hallway of the Trump International Hotel in their evening wear. Throwback: Yesterday evening, Ivanka took to Instagram to share a photo of her glamorous weekend outing with Jared, in stark contrast with this morning's simple look Evening wear: On Saturday, Ivanka donned an elegant black dress with a shawl-like attachment, while opted for a simple black tuxedo and bow tie Sister: Tiffany Trump, 24, was also dressed to impress on Saturday night in a formal white and gold floor-length dress Earlier last week, Ivanka remained in the nation's capital while her husband and fellow White House adviser, Jared, 37, accompanied her father to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Instead, she headed to Greenville, South Carolina, with Republican Senator Tim Scott to talk about the tax reform passed by the Trump administration last month, and how it affects families. Ivanka's visit to South Carolina came as Jared was heading back to the US along with the rest of the US delegation in Davos. Jared and White House communications director Hope Hicks were seen together on the tarmac on Friday, getting ready to leave Switzerland at the close after Trump's address. Trump's son-in-law has appeared in high spirits throughout the visit, and was seen smiling widely among the crowd, including before a meeting between President Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May. Duties: While her husband was in Davos last week, Ivanka remained at home in Washington, DC and was seen leaving her home in a blazer and black pants on Friday morning (left and right) Return: White House communications director Hope Hicks was seen preparing to leave Switzerland alongside Jared, who seemed in high spirits on Friday Meanwhile Tiffany's last big public outing was at the Playboy Mansion's New Year's Eve party, held at the Culver Hotel in Los Angeles, where fellow party-goer Candace Jordan snapped some pics of the A-list attendee, showing the blonde smiling happily while posing with other guests. Tiffany was the guest of honor at the Playboy event, which was hosted by Cooper Hefner and his fiancee, former Harry Potter star Scarlett Byrne. It marked the first New Year's Eve party since the death of the magazine's founder and Cooper's dad, Hugh Hefner, who back in 1990 had been hoping to get Tiffany's mom Marla Maples as one of his bare-all bunnies. Tiffany managed to steal the show in the room packed full of bodacious beauties thanks to her high-hemmed and low-cut sequin mini dress, which fit her like a second skin and showed off her enviable figure. Following her stay in Los Angeles, Tiffany then embarked on a wild weekend in Las Vegas, where she celebrated the birthday of her close friend Andrew Warren, and also served as a flower girl at the surprise wedding of two of her close friends, NYC Prep reality star Peter Carey Peterson and Hamptons royalty Quentin Esme Brown. Dax Shepard was willing to do anything and everything to help his wife Kristen Bell during her pregnancies even if meant volunteering to get a little too close to her nether regions with a jar of coconut oil for a medically beneficial massage. Kristen, 37, has just debuted a brand new web series on Ellen DeGeneres' site EllenTube called Momsplaining, in which the mother-of-two is both charming and brutally honest about the realities of motherhood. In the premiere, Kristen reveals that Dax once made the sweet if unwelcome offer to massage her perineum, and also demonstrates what childbirth feels like by attempting to force a watermelon through a strechy hair tie. Real mom talk: Kristen Bell stars in a new web series called Momsplaining, in which she gets real about motherhood Family: The 37-year-old has two children with her husband, Dax Shepard Funny lady: The mother-of-two has been outspoken about how motherhood can be incredibly unglamorous Kristen has two daughters with her husband Dax: Four-year-old Lincoln and three-year-old Delta. The actress, who also stars on the NBC comedy The Good Place, has spoken candidly about how unglamourous motherhood can be in the past. 'It's nice to sort of see the moments where you're not in a dress and you have avocado on every part of your shirt and you smell like urine,' she told E! News after the release of Bad Moms. But avocado stains and urine smells are nothing compared to the harsh realities Kristen bravely delved into in the first episode of Monsplaining. 'Parenting is hard AF,' she says in the beginning seven-minute video. 'I created two tiny humans. Does that make me an expert? Not exactly. But I do know moms can learn from each other. 'And I want to share what I know.' She explains that for this episode, she'll be spending the day with a first-time expectant mother. Getting ready: In the first episode of the show, she takes on the topics of pregnancy and childbirth, starting out by attending a birthing class Expert: She serves as the birthing partner for Rya Meyers, an actress who is pregnant with her first baby It's a horror show: Kristen makes jokes during the class and brings up uncomfortable subjects like cracked nipples Yikes: She also makes funny-but-true cracks about pooping during delivery and how breasts change from breastfeeding 'She's gonna s*** her pants today!' she says. 'I'm just kidding... she's gonna do that on the delivery table!' Kristen goes to meet Rya Meyers, an actress who is pregnant with her first baby. After sharing introductions, Rya begins to tear up, seemingly overwhelmed by emotion. She tells Kristen that it's 'really only when I'm pregnant'. 'Yeah, it is the hormones. But also I'm a pretty big celebrity,' Kristen deadpans while taking her hands. At Bini Birth in Sherman Oaks, California, the two take part in a pregnancy glass, with Kristen acting as Rya's birthing partner. A doula leads the class, having the group test out some techniques for relieving pain and discomfort during labor. She then opens up the room to questions and Kristen has several, taking out a clipboard folder with a list. 'Do you have any before and after diagrams of what happens to your boobs?' she asks. 'Do you have any tips on how to pretend you're asleep so that your spouse can get up to feed the baby? True story: She also takes Rya to her own OB-GYN Dr. Michele Hakakha Bladder control: Kristen admits she peed her pants while pregnant but thought it was her water breaking Not pretty: She pretends to deliver Rya's baby after the doctor explains the importance of perineal massage Good hubby: Kristen shared that Dax was ready to help continue the awkward massage at home to help his wife, but she wasn't having it 'Two words: Cracked nipples. It's not really a question, but it is a horror show, so let's discuss,' she says in a business-like tone. After the class, they head to the office of Dr. Michele Hakakha, Kristen's own OB-GYN. 'So now that we scared you, here's your chance to ask my OB-GYN anything you want,' Kristen tells Rya. Dr. Hakakha explains a few points, including that when a woman's water breaks, it doesn't look like it does in the movies with 'gushing' 'sometimes it's just a little leak.' 'And, if you're ever nervous about, "Is it pee? Is it my water breaking?" just head in to Dr. Hakaha's office. She will have no shame in telling you, "No, you in fact just peed your pants,' says Kristen, who indicates that that did in fact happen to her. They also discuss what the vagina looks like after birth. 'It's gonna look like an autopsy,' says Kristen. 'That's what my husband calls my C-section.' Horrifying: At a restaurant with her Bad Moms co-star Kathryn Hahn, Kristen offers a demonstration with a hair tie and a watermelon Scary anaology: She tries to show how a vagina will stretch like the hair tie, but it awkwardly ends up breaking Don't worry... Rya looks incredibly alarmed, but Kristen promises that even though vaginas can go the way of the hair tie, they can be stitched back up, too Warm moments: She also says that in the end you get a baby and holding it is the best feeling Speaking of C-sections, Kristen asks the doctor if she actually took her organs out and put them on the table during the procedure because Dax had made it seem 'very dramatic'. In fact, Dr. Hakaha says, she only took out the uterus to sew it back up. Despite Dax's flair for drama when recounting the big day, Kristen admitted he was very eager to make her pregnancy and the birth as easy as possible, even if the mechanisms weren't always pleasant. Dr. Hakaha practiced perineal massage on Kristen, which stretches out the skin and tissues of the birth canal to make delivery smoother and prevent tearing - and Dax was ready and willing to help continue the practice at home. 'Lord, he was really ready to step up to the plate,' said Kristen. 'He, like, came in with coconut oil and I was like, "Get outta here!"' After the OB-GYN, Kristen and Rya head to a cafe to have lunch with Kristen's Bad Moms co-star, Kathryn Hahn. Flashback: In December, Kristen shared photos of herself in the hospital in labor with her youngest daughter, Delta Good guy: In addition to not being squeamish about the massage, Dax seemed to get a kick out of the mesh underwear Family of four: The couple have two daughters, Lincoln and Delta Private: Kristen and Dax are very private when it comes to photos of their girls Together, they advice Rya to 'steal everything' from the hospital, including the pads, swaddle blankets, and mesh underwear. 'The mesh underwear,' Kathryn chimes in. 'A lot of stuff is happening down there after you give birth for quite some time. That's why you need those... you need something to hold a giant pad.' Kristen also has a waiter bring her a large, uncut watermelon to demonstrate what childbirth is like. She uses a stretchy hair tie in place of a vagina, and then struggles to stretch it out enough to push the watermelon through it. When the hair tie snaps and breaks, Kathryn says plainly, 'Sometimes that happens.' 'And if it does, they can stitch you up,' says Kristen. It's not all terrifying, though. The women also gush about the 'straight-up highs' of holding their babies in the very beginning. 'As hard as it was, it's a very special experience,' Kristen says. 'It's the most beautiful thing on the planet to hold that baby in your arms and look into its eyes and know that it will one day grow up to resent you. It's very special.' A woman has blasted Walmart, accusing the company of discrimination after revealing that her local store locked up its 'ethnic' beauty products. The woman, known only as Khadijah, who is a student at University of California Riverside and goes by the username @Kadia2_ on Twitter, took to the social media site to share several photos of her local Walmart, where locked glass cases contained beauty products designed for African American customers. She wrote: 'If Walmart is gonna lock up hair products they need to do it for all of them not only the ethnic hair products'. Viral: Twitter user Khadijah is calling out Walmart for locking up 'ethnic' beauty products, and has suggested the store doesn't have the same security measures in place for other brands Spot the difference: Products marketed for African Americans were locked up (left) while non-ethnicity specific products were not (right) Calling them out: She also suggested that Walmart don't have the same security measures in place for make-up that 'gets stolen all the time' Under a second picture she added: 'They said it's b/c people steal them and open them but people do the same thing to the closed lotions and makeup YET THEY'RE STILL NOT LOCKED UP'. Continuing her point, she typed: 'Makeup gets stolen all the time & instead of locking it up they put security systems so don't come at me w/ that "it gets stolen a lot" bs b/c its an inconvenience for people who simply want to take care of their hair while nonethnic products have easy access'. She also posted a picture of similarly priced, non-ethnicity specific products that were not kept locked away. And since being posted, the series of tweets has sparked lots of supportive comments from similarly outraged individuals. Twitter user Kenni Zellner wrote: 'Girl do NOT listen to these people. Whats going on here is OBVIOUS and I am so happy that you pointed it out. Walmart is one of the sh**tiest companies on the planet and this is just a NEW way that theyre awful'. And Briggslady shared: 'People aren't understanding the bigger picture here. Certain people are being punished for what others have done. I say lock it all up so no one feels singled out for having to deal with, finding, waiting and asking a crap Walmart employee to get you some beauty goods.' While Jean O'tunde suggested: 'They could at least throw in a few other products to not make it so obvious'. However, not everyone on Twitter agreed and although Khadijah's tweet quickly went viral, many people commenting on the thread have challenged the validity of her claim. Argument: Some Twitter users have suggested Walmart doesn't just target products designed for African American customers Two sides: However, lots of others have agreed with Khadijah Obvious: One woman said what Walmart is doing is obvious Anger: Another woman voiced her anger towards the apparent policy Similar story: Essie Grundy, 43, from California, has taken a law suit against Walmart after an employee wouldn't let her carry some lotion from the glass case to the cash register Former FBI agent and radio talk show host Hal Turner wrote: 'They lock them up because the "certain people" STEAL THEM SO OFTEN. If the STEALING stops no one will have to lock up such products. I suggest your problem is not with Walmart; your problem lies with certain elements of society. HINT HINT.' And Bimbloonie typed: 'Each Walmart is different. Clearly at this one, such products are being stolen the most. This isnt racist in the slightest.' The tweets come just days after another California woman started legal proceedings against the Walmart for implementing extra security measures on products marketed toward black people. Essie Grundy, 43, a mother-of-five from Perris, Los Angeles, has revealed how all beauty products marketed for black people at the Walmart near her home are placed in a locked glass case, while cosmetics targeting other ethnicities are freely available at the Walmart near her home. She has also shared how when she wanted to choose a lotion, she wasn't allowed to touch it and a Walmart employee instead carried it to the register. Grundy added that she felt like a 'criminal' as people watched her be escorted to the front of the store. Speaking about the case, Grundy's lawyer, Gloria Allred stated: 'As a result of this discriminatory business practice and policy, we filed a lawsuit this morning against Walmart.' 'It perpetuates a racial stereotype that African Americans are thieves,' she added. Kim Kardashian faced furious backlash for cultural appropriation after debuting her 'Bo Derek braids,' but people are actually comparing her new hairdo to that of another white woman: Monica Geller. The 37-year-old reality star took to Snapchat on Sunday to unveil her silver cornrows, which were inspired by Bo Derek's appearance in 1979 film 10. Kim quickly came under fire for attributing her new look to a white woman who has been incorrectly credited for popularizing the traditionally black hairstyle. However, amid the controversy, people have been taking to Twitter to share photos comparing Kim's cornrows to the sea-shell adorned braids Courtney Cox's character Monica got to deal with the humidity in Barbados on a 2003 episode of Friends. Controversy: Kim Kardashian is facing backlash for calling her new cornrows her 'Bo Derek braids,' in reference to the white actress' 1979 film 10 'Who wore it better?' Amid the controversy, people have been taking to Twitter to share photos comparing Kim's cornrows to the braids Monica Geller wore on an episode of Friends Throwback: In the 2003 episode of Friends, Monica gets her hair braided with seashells to deal with the humidity in Barbados Poll: Plenty of people shared photos of the two women and asked: 'Who wore it better?' 'Who wore it better?' Claudia Oshry tweeted, sharing side-by-side snapshots of Kim and Monica modeling their braids. 'All I can see when I look at these pictures of Kim Kardashian is Monica when she goes to Barbados,' a woman named Brook commented. Diane Alston added that Kim is 'serving serious Monica Geller vibes.' Some people even suggested that Kim shouldn't be criticized because Monica got similar cornrows back in 2003. 'People should leave Kim alone. It was funny when Monica did it,' one person argued, while others pointed out that they though Monica wore her cornrows better. Comparison: Diane Alston tweeted that Kim's photos were giving her 'serious Monica Geller vibes' Reminder: A woman named Abbey said she thinks about the Friends episode in which Monica got her hair braided whenever she sees Kim's braids Line: One woman quoted Chandler Bing's comment about Monica's new 'do Friends fan: A woman named Brook also said that Kim's 'do reminds her of the time Monica got her hair braided in Barbados Opinion: Jessica Williams made it clear she thinks 'Monica wore the braids better' than Kim Just a thought: One person argued that people should leave Kim alone because it was 'funny' when Monica did it Another similarity: Dana Balsitis shared a photo of Monica in Barbados before she got her hair braided, joking that Kim has stolen that voluminous look as well Friends has been criticized for certain episodes and plot lines that have been deemed everything from sexist to transphobic in recent years. If the episode where Monica got her hair braided aired today, it's likely that it would face backlash for cultural appropriation and racism, as her cornrows quickly became the butt of her friends' jokes. Meanwhile, Kim has made it clear that she doesn't care what her critics think. Posting a slew of very racy pictures on Instagram on Monday evening, the 37-year-old captioned an image of herself on the phone with the words:' Hi, can I get zero f***s please, thanks.' Wearing a dressing gown and socks, she was still sporting the blonde braids which led to the initial backlash. 'Hi, can I get zero f***s?' Kim hit back at furious fans accusing her of 'cultural appropriation' with her 'Bo Derek braids' on Instagram on Monday Daring: Kim posted more images of herself wearing a very low cut white top with a skimpy thong and others, in which she was topless Very cheeky: Another showed her lying on a bed in the same number, alongside a retro camcorder which was pointing towards her Kim also posted more images of herself wearing a very low cut white top with a matching skimpy thong and others, in which she was topless. Another showed her lying on a bed in the same number, alongside a retro camcorder which was pointing towards her. When she first unveiled her cornrows in a Snapchat video, she said: 'So guys, I did Bo Derek braids, and Im really into it.' However, the comment was immediately blasted by her followers, who branded her 'disrespectful' and accused of her cultural appropriation. She's not shy! Topless Kim held open a fur coat to expose her body as she wore nothing else but a thong Splashing around: Kim was pictured taking a shower in her shirt in another image Looking booty-ful: Kim posed for this racy snap as she looked at different Polaroid images of herself Backlash: Kim was accused of cultural appropriation on Sunday, for showing off her newly-braided hair on social media and referring to them as 'Bo Derek braids' The TV star was immediately slammed by her followers after revealing in the selfie video she was 'really into' her new look, inspired by the famous American actress. One fan responded by writing: 'Im still a bit peeved on how @KimKardashian had the audacity to call these braids Bo Derrick braids' (sic) While another added: 'Kim Kardashian on snap talking about some Bo Derek braids. Kim they are called CORN ROWS.' Further fans were more critical, writing: 'Kim K got braids like these. And gave credit to Bo Derek for the style. Am i wrong for being bothered. Because Im super bothered. Thats who tf you give credit for for that style !? Seriously.' Not happy: The 37-year-old infuriated fans by calling the style her 'Bo Derek braids' in reference to the actress' appearance in 1979 film 10 (above) Others pointed out that her braids are actually Fulani braids, a hairstyle derived from the Fulani people of East Africa and West Africa. 'They are called Fulani braids or some may even say corn rows, You could of called them either one but you called them 'Bo Derek' giving credit to a white woman for a black style knowing you already catch heat for culture culturing.' 'You should be ashamed of yourself for calling your Fulani braids, bo derick braids....you are truly a culture vulture [sic],' someone else wrote. Another added: 'Kim Kardashian should have learned by now how to properly deal with black culture and considering she has three black kids this behavior is disturbing.' While a further fan blasted: 'First of all, f*** you @KimKardashian for wearing cornrows and calling them "Bo Derrick braids." Second of call f*** you again for crediting the creation of "Bo Derrick braids" to a white woman who was culturally appropriating cornrows to begin with.' Disgruntled: The TV star was immediately slammed by her followers, after revealing in the selfie video she was 'really into' her new look, inspired by the famous American actress Hilarious: However a selection of fans saw the more humorous side and made a number of jokes about her comments Light-hearted: Yet, a number of other followers rushed to defend her and claimed fans were making a big deal out of a playful post However a selection of fans saw the more humorous side and joked of her comments with a variety of memes. One wrote: 'Kim Kardashian really said Bo Derek braids knowing damn well what she was doing.' While another added: 'Kim called corn rows bo Derek braids. This is why people dont like her lmao.' Yet, a number of other followers rushed to defend her, and claimed fans were making a big deal out of a playful post. 'Whats the problem with Kim Kardashian having braids? Stop making nothing into something,' one person wrote, while another chimed in: 'I actually like Kims braids lol' and 'You look so good with braids!!!! Haters gonna hate.' It may only be day one of Copenhagen Fashion Week but Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has already come out on top in the style stakes. The 45-year-old arrived at the exclusive Hotel d'Angleterre in Copenhagen on Tuesday to present the annual Designers' Nest Award for 2018 - an accolade created to reward a promising design student with DKK 50,000 (AUD $10,308). The effortlessly stylish royal ensured all eyes were on her as she arrived at the hotel in a burgundy and 'petrol blue' suit by one of her favourite designers, Jesper Hvring, and a new coat in the same shade of blue. It may only be day one of Copenhagen Fashion Week but Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has already come out on top in the style stakes The 45-year-old arrived at the exclusive Hotel d'Angleterre in Copenhagen on Tuesday to present the annual Designers' Nest Award for 2018 She completed the look with an understated yellow gold Orit Elhanati necklace worth AUD $2,200, AUD $3,000 gold earrings by Dulong Fine Jewelery and a number of bracelets Keeping her look stylish with a touch of edge, the mother-of-four accessorised with a pair of AUD $700 Leopard-Print Calf Hair Pumps by Gianvito Rossi and a Carlend Copenhagen python clutch. She completed the look with an understated yellow gold Orit Elhanati necklace worth AUD $2,200, AUD $3,000 gold earrings by Dulong Fine Jewelery and a number of bracelets. Mary was all smiles as she arrived at the award ceremony and spent time meeting members of the public who greeted her with flowers. The effortlessly stylish royal ensured all eyes were on her as she arrived at the hotel in a burgundy and 'petrol blue' suit by one of her favourite designers, Jesper Hvring, and a new coat in the same shade of blue Mary was all smiles as she arrived at the award ceremony and spent time meeting members of the public who greeted her with flowers She then met with a number of design students before presenting the prestigious prize to this year's winner, Axel Enqvist, who describes himself as being 'interested in the functionality of clothes' She then met with a number of design students before presenting the prestigious prize to this year's winner, Axel Enqvist, who describes himself as being 'interested in the functionality of clothes'. It's been a busy week for the Princess, who on Friday attended the 2018 Women's Board Award in an elegant yet edgy get-up. Mary was seen laughing and chatting with guests as she arrived at the Copenhagen ceremony before presenting the award to the 2018 winner and addressing the attendees. On Friday the royal arrived at the 2018 Women's Board Award She was all smiles as she arrived at the Copenhagen ceremony before presenting the prestigious award to the 2018 winner and addressing the attendees Always one to experiment with her style, the Princess donned a chic camo blouse believed to be from Proenza Schouler and a striking new knee-length leather skirt. The skirt featured a sheer panel along the hem and its A-line shape balanced the high neck blouse and flattered her shape. Mary completed her look with a pair of snakeskin Prada pumps and understated jewellery by her favourite jeweller, Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen. Always one to experiment with her style, the Princess donned a chic camo blouse believed to be from Proenza Schouler and a striking new knee-length leather skirt The look divided the online fashion community, however, with style bloggers debating the royal's outfit on various royal style forums. 'Leather can be very elegant, but this is not how it's done. Leather needs simple, no-fuss items... Mary's outfit is guilty of that,' one blogger wrote. 'I think she looks good, and appropriate for the event. I think the skirt is interesting and the hem treatment lightens it up,' another argued. Despite her increasingly demanding schedule, the mother-of-four appeared relaxed and cheerful as she mingled with attendees and posed for snaps with fellow presenters Despite her increasingly demanding schedule, the mother-of-four appeared relaxed and cheerful as she mingled with attendees and posed for snaps with fellow presenters. The Women's Board Award, of which Princess Mary is a patron, has been held annually since 2014 and was established to put a focus on the achievements of women in management and on boards. The partners behind the Women's Board Award are among the companies that have chosen to place a positive focus on the challenge of putting diversity on the strategic agenda. This year, Princess Mary awarded the prize to Marianne Kirkegaard, the CEO of CSM Bakery Solutions in Atlanta, USA. The Women's Board Award , of which Princess Mary is a patron, has been held annually since 2014 and was established to put a focus on the achievements of women in management This year, Princess Mary awarded the prize to Marianne Kirkegaard (right), the CEO of CSM Bakery Solutions in Atlanta, USA The 49-year-old 49-year-old joined CSM Bakery Solutions, one of the world's leading bakery companies in 2011. In 2016 she was appointed CEO of the company and the same year she was admitted on Insight Success' recognised list of the 30 most influential women in American business. 'As a female leader in a still-man-dominated business world, I have experienced that in many contexts extra effort is required to be considered for the most exciting jobs in the management and management context,' she said. 'On the other hand, I have also experienced that due to the debate about women in management, we get extra attention and in many contexts benefits when we get the jobs in question.' It's the chocolate maker associated with cheap and cheerful treats such as Kit-Kats and Rolos. But Nestle has now launched a new gourmet range of Swiss chocolate bars into the UK in a bid to rival luxury chocolate makers such as Lindt. Its new Les Recettes De L'Atelier chocolate bars are already popular in Europe, but it's the first time they've been on sale across the Channel. But they will set you back much more than a pack of 1.50 Kit-Kats as the most expensive 195g bar costs 3.50 - which is also more than double that of a 200g bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut. The new Les Recettes De L'Atelier are aimed at lovers of premium, gourmet chocolate as they are embedded with big chunks of real fruit and nut (pictured an Orange Zest and Cacao Nib bar) The new chocolate brand, which roughly translates as 'recipes of the artisan's shop,' is only being launched in Sainsbury's stores. The Swiss chocolate blocks contain natural fruit and nut pieces, and come in seven different flavours, including Salted Caramel, Cranberries, Almonds & Hazelnuts, and Orange Zest and Cacao Nibs. The cheapest bars are 2 for a 115g bar, and go up to 3.50 for a 195g bar - about on par with Lindt's prices as Lindt sells a 150g Dark Hazelnut bar for 2.50. However a 200g bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut is currently on offer at Sainsbury's for 1.50. The bars come in seven different flavours, including Raising, Almonds and Hazelnuts (pictured) The 190g bars are priced at 3.50, but there are smaller bars which cost just 2. Flavours include Raisins, Almonds and Hazelnuts (left) and Salted Caramel (right) The premium chocolate bars are already popular in Europe. They were first launched in Switzerland and France in 2014 The pieces of fruit and nut are embedded into the top of each chocolate square so that they are visible when you open up the packet. The Les Recettes De L'Atelier range was first launched in Switzerland and France in 2014 and has become Nestle's fastest growing confectionery brand in Europe. It's now sold in 15 countries. The bars are available in seven different flavours in the UK: Raisins, Almonds and Hazelnuts; Orange Zest & Cacao Nibs; Whole Roasted Almonds & Hazelnuts; Salted Caramel; Roasted Almonds; Blueberries, Almonds & Hazelnuts; and Cranberries, Almonds & Hazelnuts. Alex Gonnella, marketing director for Nestle's UK confectionery business said: 'Premium chocolate is one of the fastest growing areas in confectionery and, until now, has been a gap in what we offer here in the UK. 'What has already been achieved with Les Recettes De L'Atelier is very impressive, it's a brilliant, luxury product and the reception we've seen from our colleagues here at Nestle alone tells me that it will be very well received.' Health officials have today announced they will launch an investigation into the scandal-hit vaginal mesh implants. The Department of Health and Social Care will begin a national audit to determine exactly how many women have been affected by the controversial devices in England. Thousands of furious victims claim to have been left to endure unbearable pain and on the brink of suicide from the 'barbaric' procedure, often dished out following childbirth problems. But the true percentage of complications is unknown, with the Government having repeatedly been accused of sweeping the issues under the carpet. Campaigners have welcomed the decision to investigate the usage of mesh, amid mounting pressure for a complete ban, backed by MailOnline. NHS England estimates 100,000 women have undergone the procedure since it was introduced for surgeons to treat incontinence and prolapse in the 1990s. The Department of Health and Social Care will begin a national audit to determine exactly how many women have been affected the controversial devices in England Chiefs have remained adamant that only three per cent of patients will experience complications of vaginal mesh, which can curl, twist and cut through tissue. However, an array of trials into mesh - made of brittle plastic - have revealed the true rate of serious side effects is likely to be nearer the 10 per cent figure. At least 4,800 women have suffered lacerations and nerve damage from the mesh in England, but only 1,000 have reported it to the MHRA. However, campaigners stress these are just the tip of the iceberg and that actually there are thousands more - but they have been kept silent. Despite the risks, which have been widely publicised in recent months, most women experience no problem and doctors are adamant the procedure is beneficial. Kath Sansom, founder of Sling The Mesh, welcomed the announcement. The audit will begin in the coming weeks. She told MailOnline: 'It is time this damage stopped. There are no long term studies that truly capture the level of suffering, women are ignored and belittled by surgeons who do not log problems on any database, women are on the brink of suicide. 'And all for an operation that was not life saving but was supposed to improve quality of life. 'We have heard of surgeons who tell patients the implant is like a soft ribbon, another says it hugs the bladder like a teddy bear, others surgeons deny it is mesh and insist it is tape, some say it is not polypropylene it is plastic yet it is the same thing. 'The truth its it is a harsh piece of plastic with razor sharp edges in the most private part of a womans body and when it goes wrong it causes total devastation.' She added: 'The biggest tragedy is that it has taken so long for the Government to sit up and take notice. 'Tribute must go to all of the campaigners across the UK who have worked so hard raising awareness on this issue, some since 2007. 'Sadly it took a journalist being mesh injured for it to get the widespread media coverage it deserves and for the Department of Health and Social Care to know they could no longer bury their heads in the sand.' The All-Party Parliamentary Group on surgical mesh implants demanded the audit, which is expected to be completed in April. GRANDFATHER, 65, SLAMS THE CONTROVERSIAL VAGINAL MESH PROCEDURE THAT LEFT HIS BELOVED WIFE SUICIDAL A 65-year-old grandfather slammed the controversial vaginal mesh procedure that destroyed the life of his beloved wife and left her contemplating suicide. John Sharman, from Reading, revealed Lynne's heartbreaking account of the scandal-hit surgery in December. The father-of-three said it left her in unbearable pain and unable to have sex, following the emergence of hundreds of similar stories. John Sharman, from Reading, revealed Lynne's heartbreaking account of the scandal-hit surgery in December Speaking to MailOnline, he explained her painstaking ordeal from a man's point-of-view, often forgotten amid the scores of women who have spoken. Mr Sharman announced he has sometimes thought about leaving Mrs Sharman, who he has been married to for 43 years, due to the effect the mesh has had on their marriage. Mr Sharman, who met his wife at a chess club, told MailOnline: 'It does impact your relationship and now I'm more of her carer than I am her lover and a husband. 'She has been left in constant pain which has totally altered our sex life, social life and the way we operate and what we do.' Advertisement Patients already given vaginal mesh implants will be tracked and followed, allowing for health chiefs to get the clearest answer yet on their safety. MP Owen Smith, chair of the APPG on surgical mesh implants, announced he was 'delighted' that the Government has listened to concerns. 'Over the last two years Ive been urging Ministers to conduct an investigation to fully determine problems related to mesh surgery,' he said. 'Im delighted the government has listened to our concerns and has now agreed to undertake this audit to get a better understanding of complications related to mesh. 'I hope the audit will provide crucial answers about the proportion of women adversely affected by mesh surgery.' Sling The Mesh has more than quadrupled in size since last April when the scandal came to light, with 5,300 women now backing their cause. The campaign group blasted the Government's 'weak' decision back in December to recommend a ban on vaginal mesh implants for one procedure. Nice, which advises the NHS, announced the surgery should only be banned for prolapse - when organs fall out of place, and not incontinence. It is believed of the women in Sling The Mesh who have been given the controversial implant, three quarters were fitted with the device to treat their incontinence. The Nice verdict came after the Government released its three-year investigation into the mesh scandal last September. It rejected calls for a ban at the time It followed the landmark news from New Zealand that all forms of pelvic mesh would be banned - becoming the first major country to do so. WHAT ARE VAGINAL MESH IMPLANTS? THE CONTROVERSIAL DEVICES THAT HAVE BEEN COMPARED TO THALIDOMIDE WHAT ARE VAGINAL MESH IMPLANTS? Vaginal mesh implants are devices used by surgeons to treat pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence in women. Usually made from synthetic polypropylene, a type of plastic, the implants are intended to repair damaged or weakened tissue in the vagina wall. Other fabrics include polyester, human tissue and absorbable synthetic materials. Some women report severe and constant abdominal and vaginal pain after the surgery. In some, the pain is so severe they are unable to have sex. Infections, bleeding and even organ erosion has also been reported. Vaginal mesh implants are devices used by surgeons to treat pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence in women WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MESH? Mini-sling: This implant is embedded with a metallic inserter. It sits close to the mid-section of a woman's urethra. The use of an inserter is thought to lower the risk of cutting during the procedure. TVT sling: Such a sling is held in place by the patient's body. It is inserted with a plastic tape by cutting the vagina and making two incisions in the abdomen. The mesh sits beneath the urethra. TVTO sling: Inserted through the groin and sits under the urethra. This sling was intended to prevent bladder perforation. TOT sling: Involves forming a 'hammock' of fibrous tissue in the urethra. Surgeons often claim this form of implant gives them the most control during implantation. Kath Samson, a journalist, is the founder of Sling The Mesh Ventral mesh rectopexy: Releases the rectum from the back of the vagina or bladder. A mesh is then fitted to the back of the rectum to prevent prolapse. HOW MANY WOMEN SUFFER? According to the NHS and MHRA, the risk of vaginal mesh pain after an implant is between one and three per cent. But a study by Case Western Reserve University found that up to 42 per cent of patients experience complications. Of which, 77 per cent report severe pain and 30 per cent claim to have a lost or reduced sex life. Urinary infections have been reported in around 22 per cent of cases, while bladder perforation occurs in up to 31 per cent of incidences. Critics of the implants say trials confirming their supposed safety have been small or conducted in animals, who are unable to describe pain or a loss of sex life. Kath Samson, founder of the Sling The Mesh campaign, said surgeons often refuse to accept vaginal mesh implants are causing pain. She warned that they are not obligated to report such complications anyway, and as a result, less than 40 per cent of surgeons do. Advertisement Officials in the country declared in December they would remove the controversial implants from supply and limit the use of surgical mesh products. Tiresome fights by campaigners, backed by MailOnline, has also led to Australian health officials making a similar move for prolapse operations. Watchdogs in the country banned the use of vaginal mesh implants for prolapse earlier in the same month after a review found benefits 'do not outweigh the risks'. Vaginal mesh has been subject of various legal proceedings across the world, with figures suggesting more than 100,000 are suing manufacturers of the devices. The scandal came to light last April, when the NHS tried to dodge media attention over the implants that left hundreds of women in agony. Im delighted the government has listened to our concerns and has now agreed to undertake this audit to get a better understanding of complications related to mesh MP Owen Smith, chair of the APPG on surgical mesh implants Senior doctors immediately called for a public inquiry into the controversial mesh, with some claiming the scandal could be akin to thalidomide. At the time, 800 women were suing the NHS and device manufacturers. However, it is unsure how many women are now looking to take action in Britain. Mesh, introduced 20 years ago and dubbed 'gold-standard', was promoted as a quick, cheap alternative to complex surgery for incontinence and prolapse. Because it did not require specialist training to implant, victims of the procedure have since begged for tougher regulations to conduct such surgery. Vaginal mesh has been considered a high-risk device for nearly a decade in the US, with bodies accepting up to 40 per cent of women may experience injury. Some studies, published in an array of scientific journals, have shown that pain, erosion and perforation from the surgery can strike up to 75 per cent of women. The alarming evidence prompted officials in three US states to suspend the practice and saw them call for an urgent review into its safety. Scottish officials asked for it to be suspended in Scotland in 2014 pending a similar review, but hundreds of women are still believed to be having the surgery. Leading mesh manufacturer Johnson & Johnson was forced to pay out $57 million last September to a woman fitted with the implant. Ella Ebaugh, 51, from Philadelphia, was awarded the eight-figure sum after a jury found the company to be negligent and its product defective. As the flu outbreak wreak havoc on American families, doctors are warning of a lesser-known virus that is just as threatening. The adenovirus which often infects the airways and the intestinal tract shares several symptoms with the flu, including congestion, sore throat, cough and fever, and can cause the common cold. Like the flu, adenovirus, which occurs more often in children than adults, can be fatal - an outbreak killed 10 people in the US in 2007. The vaccine to prevent the flu is is licensed with US military personnel only, but doctors say the adenovirus is a serious threat and the exclusive vaccine should be made available to everyone. The adenovirus shares several symptoms with the flu, including congestion, sore throat, cough and fever, and can cause the common cold 'We are seeing severe adult infections,' Dr Adriana Kajon, lead study author of a CDC report published this week in Emerging Infectious Disease, told NBC News. 'That's a big deal, especially for a disease that by all means is vaccine preventable. But this vaccine is not licensed to be used in civilians.' Adenoviruses, which are very common, are caused by a group of viruses that can infect the urinary tract, nervous system, airways and lungs. Some strains can cause an eye infection. The illness, which is a common cause of fever, sore throats, the pink eye, and diarrhea, are usually spread from an infected person to another by way of close personal contact, coughing and sneezing. Outbreaks are common among those in closed quarters like schools or prisons. A previous report During 2007, a strain of the virus called adenovirus 14, dubbed the killer cold virus, caused outbreaks in New York, Oregon, Washington and Texas, according to a 2017 CDC report. 'Whether you're a healthy young adult, an infant or an elderly person, this virus can cause severe respiratory disease at any age,' John Su, who investigates infectious diseases for the CDC and contributed to the 2017 report, told Reuters. During that year, about 140 people were sickened by the virus and more than 50 hospitalized, including 24 admitted to intensive care units, according to the CDC. Adenoviruses rarely cause serious illness or death, according to the CDC, but people with weakened immune systems, or existing respiratory or cardiac disease have a higher risk of developing a severe infection. In a healthy person, the adenovirus is usually mild and is resolved within a week, according to Dr Ananya Mandal, an associate professor at the Bankura Sammilanin Medical College. However, in a recent report, Kajon and her colleagues described the case of a healthy 43-year-old woman who contracted the illness in 2012. During the hospital stay she suffered brain swelling and bleeding. The adenovirus developed into pneumonia, respiratory failure, and anuria which occurs when the kidneys don't produce urine. The condition is so risky, yet only US military recruits are vaccinated against two major strains of the disease. Furthermore, doctors aren't even testing for the condition. 'Unless you look for it or you suspect it's circulating or you are using diagnostic testing capabilities that can tell it apart, you are going to miss it, especially during flu season,' said Kajon, an infectious disease specialist at the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute in Albuquerque. However, according to Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, this is because adenoviruses are causing illnesses particularly in military recruits. In fact, a report published in the Emerging Infectious Diseases said adenoviruses are commonly isolated in military recruits. So common that the Department of Defense administers the vaccine to new members. The vaccine against adenovirus types 4 and 7 was approved by the FDA in March 2011. However, Kajon and her colleagues said the vaccine, which is administered orally, should be available to civilians. 'On the basis of the severity of the clinical presentation of some cases in this study, the (adenovirus) vaccine currently licensed for military use should be considered a potentially valuable resource to prevent disease in susceptible populations living in closed communities, such as college settings, summer camps, and long-term care facilities,' they wrote. Adenoviruses can be diagnosed using a blood, urine or swab, or stool test, and chest x-ray. 'Usually symptoms are used to diagnose adenovirus infections,' Dr Mandal said. 'There are however laboratory serological tests that help in the diagnosis of adenovirus infections. These tests are useful during outbreaks of this infection.' People can reduce their risk of catching the adenovirus the same way the would the flu washing their hands, covering their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands, or by avoiding people who are sick. Specs are no longer just for seeing with there are now a range of high-tech smart goggles to treat a host of conditions, from diabetes to vertigo. There are even goggles to help you lose weight. FOR DIABETES AND INSOMNIA Goggles that shine bright light into the eyes are being tested as a treatment to prevent type 2 diabetes. They are based on the idea that the body clock, which controls the release of hormones, is regulated by light. Light-detecting cells in the eyes, known as photoreceptors, send signals to the body clock in the brain, which then sets our sleep and wake rhythms. Recent research by Northwestern University Hospital in the U.S. showed that our body clocks also dictate when the pancreas produces insulin in order to control blood sugar, with our sensitivity to insulin reducing during the night, according to another study published in the journal Diabetes last year. Re-Timer: Goggles that shine bright light into the eyes are being tested as a treatment to prevent type 2 diabetes. These circadian rhythms, as theyre known, can be impaired by staying indoors, working irregular hours, or a lack of sunlight in winter. The goggles, called Re-Timer, have four tiny light-emitting diodes (LEDs) built into the top of the frame they look like a pair of white specs without lenses. The lights are switched on to expose the eyes to bright light in the morning to increase insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar. The goggles are being trialled at Northwestern University with 34 patients with pre-diabetes. They will wear them for an hour each morning for four weeks and their glucose levels will be measured. The glasses were first developed to treat insomnia and jet lag. For sleep problems, they use green light which stimulates the part of the brain responsible for regulating the sleep-wake cycle. FOR VERTIGO Israel-based Spoton Therapeutics goggles look like ordinary specs, but the lenses have marks tiny rectangles on them to help patients with dizziness. The marks are placed so they are in the patients peripheral vision. These reference points are thought to help steady the user. The glasses are now being used in a clinical trial at the Meir Medical Center in Israel. Previous trials found that 67 to 80 per cent of patients had significant improvement or their symptoms disappeared while wearing them. Jaydip Ray, a professor of otology and neurotology at the University of Sheffield, said: Patients with dizziness and vertigo often have a mismatch between their visual and positional clues. This technology is an interesting way to correct this mismatch. FOR DIETERS Japanese scientists have developed specs (Metacookie+) that use virtual reality to make food look 50 per cent bigger. This is based on the idea that feelings of fullness are influenced, in part, by what we see, and the brain can be tricked into believing we have eaten more than we have. Research at the University of Tokyo suggests people will eat nearly 10 per cent less. The specs can also emit a variety of scents as you eat a cookie, tricking your taste buds into thinking youre having different flavours. Metacookie: Japanese scientists have developed specs (Metacookie+) that use virtual reality to make food look 50 per cent bigger FOR PARKINSON'S Special virtual reality goggles have been developed to tackle the symptoms of Parkinsons. The progressive disease is caused by a loss of cells in the brain that help control movement and other functions: one of the main symptoms is problems with gait, which can lead to falls. A number of centres have been investigating the use of virtual reality, where images, including steps and stairs, are superimposed onto the real view through goggles while the patient walks on a treadmill, to retrain the brain. Last year, a study at Tel Aviv University in Israel with 25 people showed that after six weeks, patients increased their walking speed and stride length, had greater endurance, and were better able to navigate around obstacles. Patients also reported enhanced quality of life and fewer falls and near falls, said the researchers. FOR PAIN Doctors have developed goggles that display distracting images to reduce the need for painkillers when burns dressings are changed. In a study at Oregon Clinics Burns Unit involving 18 patients, half wore the goggles and watched 3D images while their dressings were changed. They needed 39 per cent less painkilling medication, reports the Journal of Burn Care Research. FOR POOR APPETITE Older and infirm people can often experience problems with eating, but it is tricky for healthcare staff to monitor this, especially if the patient is living at home. Researchers have developed smart specs that can do just that, reported the Journal of Biomedical Health Information last year. The device like a regular pair of specs contains tiny electrodes in the arms which measure electrical activity in the muscles of the face involved in chewing. A study at the University of Passau, Germany, involving ten people found the specs can spot when people are eating, what type of food and whether it is hard or soft, with 95 per cent accuracy. Living in a spotlessly clean home appeals to many, but lacking time and energy can mean that some chores dont get done as often as wed like. Including, it seems, even changing our bed linen. A recent survey found that barely a quarter of UK adults change their sheets every week, with one in four leaving their bed linen unwashed for at least three or four weeks. But would such chore-dodging have an impact on our health? How often do you really need to wash stuff? It really depends on how many people live in your home and how dirty clothes, products or surfaces get, says Lisa Ackerley, visiting professor in environmental health at the University of Salford. Experts reveal how often you should clean your household items - and it's probably more often than you think In general, we do need to think about practising good, targeted hygiene that is, to know when to act and where specific germs may be coming from. So concentrate on cleaning and disinfecting those areas that may be harbouring harmful germs kitchen worktops, where raw chicken has been prepared, for example, whereas floors can be cleaned normally. However, the important things to target arent always obvious jobs, such as cleaning the loo (which doesnt need doing as often as you might think). For example, when was the last time you washed your childs teddy bear? If youre struggling to remember (or know for certain that the answer is never), experts suggest this is done once a month, as stuffed toys can be a repository for dust mites a source of allergy in many children. The advice is either to put the teddy into a dishwasher or washing machine at 60c, where the high temperatures will kill the mites. Or, if you fear damaging the toy in such a hot wash, put it in the freezer overnight to kill bugs, then wash at a low temperature to physically remove dead mites. Here, we ask experts to reveal the other cleaning jobs they think you really cant afford to skip... THE BATHROOM TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER: EVERY FORTNIGHT When was the last time you cleaned your toothbrush holder? Surprisingly, this was the third most germ-infected place in the home after dish cloths and kitchen sinks according to a 2011 study by U.S.-based public health organisation NSF International. This is due to bacteria from sources such as food (from your toothbrush) and saliva, as well as yeast and mould that form on moist or wet surfaces. A loo seat should be cleaned every five days as they are typically thought of as the most germ-ridden area of the house They should be cleaned every fortnight by rinsing under hot water and then scrubbing the inside with a bottle brush or pipe cleaner, says Professor Damian Walmsley, scientific adviser to the British Dental Association. Then fill with a baby bottle cleaner, such as Milton, and leave for around ten to 15 minutes, before rinsing and leaving to air-dry. BATH TOWELS: AFTER THREE USES TOWELS can spread bacteria and viruses such as the herpes simplex virus, the type that causes cold sores, and the fungi that cause athletes foot both thrive in damp conditions and can survive for hours on a soggy towel. Bath towels should therefore be washed after every three uses, suggests Professor Lisa Ackerley, at 60c or more. The same goes for bath mats, which collect germs and fungi straight from wet feet, while loo mats may also have droplets of urine. Wash these twice a week, laundering at 60c to be sure bacteria, viruses and dust mites have been destroyed, says Dr Jean Emberlin, Allergy UK scientific director. If lower temperatures are used, then a laundry disinfectant should be added to the wash. HAND TOWELS: EVERY DAY Ideally, hand towels should be changed daily if they are used by all the family. Damp hand towels offer the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive especially when kept in a warm, moist bathroom. And few people wash their hands for long enough to remove germs completely (requiring at least 15 seconds of rinsing and scrubbing the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice), which increases the chance of bacteria transferring to the hand towel when someone dries their hands. A 2013 study from the University of Arizona in the U.S. found E.coli present in more than a quarter of the household towels they tested. Loo seats should be cleaned every five days and hand towels should be washed every day LOO SEAT: EVERY FIVE DAYS The loo is thought of as the most germ-ridden place in the house. But, actually, dish cloths carry six times as much bacteria as loo handles in the UK, according to a 2014 study by the Global Hygiene Council, an international body funded by consumer goods company RB. In fact, few germs are spread by sitting on loo seats and urine carries no great risk of infection. It seems that hands spread far more disease, such as cold and flu bugs, if you dont wash them. Nevertheless, you should still disinfect the toilet each day, say experts. Give it a quick squirt of bleach. The seat and even the loo handle are fine to leave for five days between cleans ideally, you should use an antibacterial spray and paper towels, rather than a cloth. SHOWER CURTAIN: EVERY TWO DAYS The shower walls and curtain provide ideal conditions for the growth of mould, which, though not infectious, can release spores that trigger respiratory problems, says Professor Ackerley. So it could be particularly problematic for people with asthma. And if you live in a hard water area, it is easier for bacteria to stick to the limescale on the walls. Ideally, disinfect the shower walls, basin and door after every use, and wash shower curtains every couple of days. The best thing is to have more than one curtain, so you always have a fresh one on the go, says Professor Ackerley. THE KITCHEN WASTE BIN LID: DAILY The lid on the waste bin is a haven for bacteria or particles of food that may be left there. Spray it with disinfectant, then wipe with a paper towel once a day, advises Sally Bloomfield, chairman of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene and honorary professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Kitchens are a prime place for bacteria build-up DISH CLOTHS: DAILY The average used dish cloth harbours 4 billion living germs, six times as much bacteria as a loo handle, and has been described as the bug super-highway of the kitchen by the Global Hygiene Council. Rinse dish cloths every time you use them and then put in the dishwasher once a day the hot temperatures and detergents will kill germs, says Professor Bloomfield. Its a quick way to do it, since youre likely to use the dishwasher on a daily basis. Dont drape cloths over bacteria-ridden taps or leave them in the sink, as youll spread more germs when you use them, because the cloths will stay damp and bacteria will multiply. If you put them in the washing machine, dont wash them with underwear, which can carry bacteria. Keep cloths for cleaning the bathroom separate from those used in the kitchen and wash at 60c after every use, using a detergent containing active oxygen bleach to kill bacteria found in lavatories. Dont kid yourself a quick rinse of a cloth in warm water will kill bugs: if you can immerse your hands in the water, its not hot enough, adds Professor Ackerley. TEA TOWELS: DAILY A 2015 study by Kansas State University found that, surprisingly, tea towels were the most contaminated surface during food preparation, fast becoming covered in bugs that can cause food poisoning. The researchers suggested that bacteria such as salmonella can grow overnight on a tea towel or dish cloth, even if you have rinsed them out in the sink. Fridges need cleaning once a week to make sure they stay hygenic Change them every day and never dry your hands on them! says Professor Ackerley. Launder at 60c or above, washing separately to regular towels. Washing underwear with household items such as tea towels is a big no, as if Staphylococcus aureus and E.coli are present, they will be transferred to your cloths and then on to kitchen utensils. FRIDGE: ONCE A WEEK Ideally, the fridge should be cleaned once a week with hot water and a mild disinfectant the type you use to clean babies bottles, or put the shelves in the dishwasher, says Professor Bloomfield. This will ensure any harmful bacteria, such as listeria from cheese or from raw meat juices, is killed by the high temperatures, adds Dr Paul Matewele, an expert in microbiology and immunology at London Metropolitan University. Also make sure you clean the fridge handle with disinfectant. SINK: ONCE A WEEK The kitchen sink will be spattered with the remains of food, where bacteria can flourish, says Dr Matewele. Clean it with bleach at least once a week. But if youve been cleaning dirty vegetables or handling meat, do it as soon as you have finished, as these harbour harmful bacteria, adds Professor Bloomfield. Pouring diluted bleach down the sink at least once a month will keep bacteria at bay and pipes unclogged. WASHING MACHINE: ONCE A MONTH A Washing machine that is only ever run at low temperatures i.e. 40c or below will be heaving with mould and bacteria, says Professor Ackerley. Research by the University of Arizona has suggested this can pass to clothing. Once a month, put it on the hottest wash with a bleach-based detergent designed for washing machines, to kill bugs, says Professor Ackerley. THE BEDROOM BED SHEETS: ONCE A WEEK Humans shed half an ounce of skin each week a lot of which will be deposited in bed. Meanwhile, such warm, moist environments as your bed are ideal breeding grounds for dust mites, with the average bed containing 10 million: your shed skin can encourage numbers, as it provides a food source for the bugs. This can be an issue for those with allergy and can also lead to skin irritation. So experts suggest changing bed sheets weekly. The key is the quality of the wash, says Allergy UKs scientific director Dr Emberlin. To save energy, were advised to wash at 30-40c. But its important to wash sheets at 60c to kill mites. DUVET: AIR DAILY, WASH EVERY THREE MONTHS Bed sheets should be changed once a week and duvets should washed every three months - but aired daily Its not just our sheets we need to clean. We sweat around 200ml of fluid at night this means duvets are the perfect, moist environment for dust mites and fungus to grow, while they can also harbour skin scales. These can lead to allergies such as hay fever and infections including conjunctivitis. So, each morning, pull back the duvet, leave it off for at least 15 minutes and open the window to release moisture and humidity. If the duvet has a synthetic filling, wash it every three months at 60c to kill off dust mites, says Professor Ackerley. Feather fillings need professional dry cleaning twice a year, although some can be washed, too. PYJAMAS: EVERY THREE WEARS according to the American Cleaning Institute, pyjamas should be washed after three or four wears the exception being if youve showered before bed (as youll remove dead skin cells and most bacteria), in which case you could go a few days longer. We all carry bugs on our skin, such as Staphylococcus aureus which can cause a range of illnesses, from skin infections to (more rarely) meningitis. These bacteria are mostly harmless, unless they get in an open cut. But the longer you wear dirty pyjamas, the more exposed you may be. Wash pyjamas at 60c or if at 40c, do so with a laundry product that has a disinfectant to kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria, says Professor Ackerley. MATTRESS: EVERY TWO MONTHS Air your mattress as often as possible, says Stephen Foster, a community pharmacist from Kent, who specialises in allergies and respiratory conditions. When changing sheets, leave the mattress exposed for at least 15 minutes. Vacuum the bed once a week to pick up dust mites. Carolyn Forte, director of the Cleaning Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, also suggests sprinkling it with sieved baking soda before vacuuming every couple of months. This will draw out dirt and moisture. THE LIVING AREAS CARPETS: DEEP CLEAN TWICE A YEAR Unwashed carpets can be a haven for dust mites, suggests Professor Ackerley. This can trigger eczema, asthma and allergies. She adds: Each mite produces about 20 waste droppings every day, equating to some 20,000 particles of faeces in every cubic foot of air. Cushions should be washed every three months - you can place them in the freezer in a carrier bag for 24 hours to kill dust mites And if people dont take off their shoes, its possible they could bring in the bugs E.coli and salmonella found in human and animal faeces, while pets can spread fleas. Its estimated 95 per cent of flea eggs, larvae and pupae are found in your home furnishings such as carpets rather than on your pet. So steam clean your carpets twice a year. CUSHIONS: EVERY THREE MONTHS Cushions can harbour dust mites, so either have them professionally cleaned, says Dr Emberlin, or place them in a carrier bag and put this in the freezer for 24 hours. This will kill the dust mites then, once you take the cushions out and defrost them, just go over them with a vacuum on a high power to get rid of the dead mites. PHONE/TV REMOTE: ONCE A DAY A 2008 University of Virginia study of household surfaces showed the remote control was a hotspot for cold viruses which can survive on surfaces for up to two days. Whats more, TV remotes have lots of nooks and crannies where bacteria can linger and are hard to reach with a cursory clean. Wipe the remote regularly, at least every day, with an antibacterial wipe, says John Oxford, professor of virology at Queen Marys College, London. The same applies to phones. Hospitals are hiring paramedics to treat people inside A&E as they struggle with an influx of patients and a shortage of nurses. NHS trusts in Herefordshire, Northamptonshire, Kent and Devon have advertised for ambulance staff to work in their emergency and urgent care departments. But it means paramedics are quitting frontline duties to work inside hospitals, leaving under-pressure ambulance services with fewer staff. Paramedics are skilled at administering emergency first aid and treating minor injuries, which supporters of the move say makes them ideal to work in emergency departments. But critics claim the fact hospitals are being forced to recruit paramedics lays bare the crisis facing the NHS. NHS trusts in Herefordshire, Northamptonshire, Kent and Devon have advertised for ambulance staff to work in their emergency and urgent care departments Around 33,000 nurses left the health service last year, it was reported this month. One of the sites which advertised this month for an in-house paramedic is Hereford County Hospital, where a 22-year-old woman claimed she had to lie on a waiting room floor in agony for five hours before a bed became available as the flu crisis saw waiting times soar. Other hospitals recruiting for paramedics in recent weeks include the William Harvey Hospital, in Ashford, Kent, and Kettering General Hospital, in Northamptonshire. Torbay Hospital, in Devon, has already taken on three paramedics for its emergency department, one of whom transferred directly across from the areas ambulance service. At some hospitals paramedics do everything from triaging patients as they come in, treating them and discharging them. At others, their duties are more limited. Kevin Brandstatter, national officer of the GMB union, said: The use of paramedics to undertake treatment of patients in A&E departments is one example of the crisis facing the NHS. Government pay policy has led to severe staff shortages, with 10 per cent of nursing staff leaving within 12 months. Paramedics have complained of their ever increasing workload, stress, and danger from potentially violent patients. One answer to the staffing crisis is for the Government to lift the cap on public sector pay and ensure that the salaries attract new staff to the NHS and encourage those working in hospitals and ambulance trusts not to leave. In the Kent area, where hospitals advertised for in-house paramedics this month, there is currently a paramedic shortage. The vacancy rate at the South East Coast Ambulance Trust (SECAMB) is around 16 per cent. Up to 5 per cent of paramedic posts are unfilled at South West Ambulance Service Trust, which serves Torbay, and around 30 posts are vacant at East Midlands Ambulance Service, which covers Kettering, according to the latest available figures. West Midlands Ambulance Service, which covers Hereford, is the only service in the country to have filled all its paramedic positions. It said none of its paramedics were working for Hereford County Hospital. It means paramedics are quitting frontline duties to work inside hospitals, leaving under-pressure ambulance services with fewer staff. Paramedics are skilled at administering emergency first aid and treating minor injuries, which supporters of the move say makes them ideal to work in emergency departments At Torbay Hospital, three in-house paramedics treat and discharge patients with minor injuries who have previously been triaged by a nurse. A Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: Our Emergency Paramedic Practitioners are an immensely valuable part of our extended Emergency Team, who bring with them a different but extremely valuable skills set. Wye Valley NHS Trust which runs Hereford County Hospital already has two paramedics in its emergency department which can triage and treat patients. It has advertised for a third, with the job ad for the role stating they will be responsible for proactive discharge planning. A Wye Valley NHS Trust spokesman said the move had been very positive and enhanced patient care. They added: Given the national shortage of nurses this is also a proactive way to increase our staffing levels in the Emergency Department and something which has been adopted successfully by other Trusts. At Kettering General Hospital, paramedics working in A&E department carry out roles including ambulance streaming and resuscitation. It has advertised for more paramedics to man its urgent care department where less serious A&E cases are dealt with to guide the patient through their journey in the department. The trust said it had employed paramedics for the last four years. A spokesman added: [The] hospital has employed paramedics within its emergency department because we have found their skill sets provide good support to our A&E team. Critics claim the fact hospitals are being forced to recruit paramedics lays bare the crisis facing the NHS East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust said in its advert for in-house paramedics that they must have a willingness to be able to work hard in a fast moving environment. A spokesman said: The role is open to all registered healthcare professionals, [including] paramedics, and will provide additional, flexible staffing to care for patients within the emergency departments while allowing skilled professionals to expand their skills and experience. A spokesman for SECAMB said: We recognise the need to close the vacancy gap and we are continually recruiting hard for paramedics, as are other ambulance trusts. A father cruelly dubbed 'The Tree Man' has revealed the agonising bark-like warts that covered his hands and feet have regrown despite him having 16 operations to remove them just last year. Abul Bajandar, 27, from Bangladesh, had 11lb of the growths removed after they left him unable to hold his daughter. Mr Bajandar, a rickshaw driver, suffers from epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) and was overjoyed when doctors seemed to have successfully treated the rare condition, saying, 'I hope the curse won't return again.' Yet, new images reveal the growths have reappeared on Mr Bajandar's hands, dashing doctors' hopes they could have cured the first EV sufferer. Mr Bajandar was previously forced to stop working due to his excruciating condition, leaving the father-of-one desperately anxious about his daughter's future. It is unclear if he is able to work now the disorder has reappeared. Abul Bajandar has revealed the bark-like warts that covered his hands and feet have regrown despite him having 16 operations to remove them just last year (pictured last week) Mr Bajandar had 11lb of the growths removed after they left him unable to hold his daughter before they were removed last year (picture before the surgery) Mr Bajandar (pictured with his family last week) was previously forced to stop working due to his excruciating condition, leaving him desperately anxious for his daughter's future WHAT IS EPIDERMODYSPLASIA VERRUCIFORMIS? Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) is a rare, inherited skin disorder that causes wart-like eruptions. These can be reddish-brown to violet and may have scaly surfaces or irregular borders. They most commonly occur on areas exposed to the sun, such as the hands, feet, face and ear lobes. EV is thought to be caused by sufferers' having an impaired immune system, making them more vulnerable to HPV and wart-causing viruses. Some 10 per cent of sufferers come from marriages with blood relatives. In up to 60 per cent of cases, EV lesions transform into skin cancer if exposed to UV light. There is no cure. Lesions can be removed as they appear. EV's prevalence is unknown, however, reports state just four cases have been diagnosed worldwide. Source: DermNet New Zealand Advertisement Unbearable pain Mr Bajandar, who previously described his pain as 'unbearable', is thought to be one of just four diagnosed cases of EV worldwide. Samanta Lal Sen, who performed Mr Bajandar's surgery at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said the removal operation was 'a remarkable milestone in the history of medical science'. At the time, Mr Bajandar, who was in hospital for around 30 days after the procedure, said: 'I can hold my daughter in my lap and play with her. I can't wait to go back home.' He met his wife Halima Khatun before he contracted the disease, but it had taken hold by the time they married, against her parents' wishes. 'I hope the curse won't return' Mr Bajandar, who was described by a doctor as the 'most loved' patient in this hospital, initially thought the warts were harmless until they grew and covered his hands and feet, forcing him to stop work. He planned to set up a small business using the money donated from well wishers around the world. Mr Bajandar said: 'I was so worried about raising my daughter. I hope the curse won't return again.' Doctors thought they had successfully cured the first person suffering from the disorder (pictured last week) Mr Bajandar was overjoyed when he had the agonising growths removed (pictured after the operation last year) A pioneering 'brain pacemaker' can slow down the progression of Alzheimer's by increasing their focus and attention, a study has found. Symptoms improved in all three patients after the device - similar to a heart pacemaker - was fitted directly into their skulls. Researchers were 'encouraged' after one of the sufferers can now cook a meal - a simple task she was completely unable to do before the trial. LaVonne Moore, 85, from Delaware, Ohio, is also playing her favourite hymns on the piano, years after being struck down by the incurable disease. The delicate surgery involves drilling holes in the skull and implanting thin electrical wires into the frontal lobes of the brains. Researchers were shocked after one of the sufferers, LaVonne Moore, 85, can now cook a meal - a simple task she was completely unable to do before the trial (pictured with husband Tom) DID THE PACEMAKER WORK? 85-YEAR-OLD SUFFERER IS NOW ABLE TO COOK A MEAL - A SIMPLE TASK SHE COULDN'T DO BEFORE Each patient showed improvement during the Ohio State University of Deep Brain Stimulation on dementia. LaVonne Moore, 85, of Delaware, Ohio, was not doing any meal preparation when she entered the study in 2013. After two years of the pioneering treatment she could prepare a simple meal on her own - assembling the ingredients and cooking them. She was able to organise an outing including arranging transportation and destination, planning for the weather and bringing the required money. Each patient showed improvement during the Ohio State University of Deep Brain Stimulation on dementia, including LaVonne Moore (pictured) Mrs Moore also regained independence to select her clothing attire, the results published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease showed. Her husband Tom, 89, said her Alzheimer's has progressed - but more slowly than he expected. He said: 'LaVonne has had Alzheimer's disease longer than anybody I know - and that sounds negative. 'But it's really a positive thing because it shows we're doing something right." He said she didn't hesitate to volunteer. He said she told him: 'I will do anything to help others not go through what I'm going through.' Advertisement It is already used to reverse cognitive decline in more than 135,000 people with Parkinson's disease. Ohio State University researchers conducted the first attempt at using the gadget for dementia, which came back with promising results. Dr Douglas Scharre, co-author of the research, suggested that it offers a whole new approach to combating the devastating condition. He said: 'We have many memory aides, tools and pharmaceutical treatments to help Alzheimer's patients with memory. 'But we don't have anything to help with improving their judgments, making good decisions or increasing their ability to selectively focus attention on the task at hand and avoid distractions. 'These skills are necessary in performing daily tasks such as making the bed, choosing what to eat and having meaningful socialising with friends and family.' Dr Scharre said the pilot study shows promise in enabling Alzheimer's patients to retain mental function for longer - improving their quality of life. Most treatments focus on improving memory, but his team aimed at slowing the decline of problem-solving and decision-making skills. Researchers implanted the device in the hope of boosting their cognitive and behavioural skills. The findings were published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Called deep brain stimulation (DBS), the device is similar to a cardiac pacemaker except the wires are implanted in the brain rather than the heart. Electrodes send electrical impulses to specific parts of the organ. WHAT IS DEMENTIA? THE KILLER DISEASE THAT ROBS SUFFERERS OF THEIR MEMORIES Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of neurological disorders A GLOBAL CONCERN Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of progressive neurological disorders (those affecting the brain) which impact memory, thinking and behaviour. There are many different types of dementia, of which Alzheimers disease is the most common. Some people may have a combination of types of dementia. Regardless of which type is diagnosed, each person will experience their dementia in their own unique way. Dementia is a global concern but it is most often seen in wealthier countries, where people are likely to live into very old age. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED? The Alzheimers Society reports there are more than 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK today, of which more than 500,000 have Alzheimer's. It is estimated that the number of people living with dementia in the UK by 2025 will rise to over 1 million. In the US, it's estimated there are 5.5 million Alzheimer's sufferers. A similar percentage rise is expected in the coming years. As a persons age increases, so does the risk of them developing dementia. Rates of diagnosis are improving but many people with dementia are thought to still be undiagnosed. IS THERE A CURE? Currently there is no cure for dementia. But new drugs can slow down its progression and the earlier it is spotted the more effective treatments are. Source: Alzheimers Society Advertisement Dr Scharre said: 'The frontal lobes are responsible for our abilities to solve problems, organise and plan and utilise good judgments. 'By stimulating this region of the brain the Alzheimer's subjects cognitive and daily functional abilities as a whole declined more slowly than Alzheimer's patients in a matched comparison group not being treated with DBS.' The study found the implant reduced the overall decline in performance typically seen in people with mild or early stage Alzheimer's. Dr Ali Rezai, another co-author of the study, said the findings suggest DBS should be investigated further in the coming years. The researchers now plan to explore non-surgical methods to stimulate the frontal lobe - which would be a less invasive option to slow down symptoms. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of degenerative dementia, affecting an estimated 500,000 Britons and more than five million Americans. These figures are expected to triple to two million and 16 million respectively by 2050. The disease - which has no cure and is not easily managed - becomes progressively disabling with loss of memory, cognition and worsening behavioural function in addition to a gradual loss of independence. DBS is a surgical procedure that has become an established NHS treatment for Parkinson's sufferers whose condition does not respond to drugs. Experts welcomed the findings and described the results as 'encouraging'. But they said it was too early to 'draw any firm conclusions' as only three participants took part in the study and more research is needed. Dr Doug Brown, chief policy and research officer at Alzheimer's Society, said: 'Given that we haven't had any new treatments for dementia in over a decade it's encouraging to see techniques from other diseases being tested for dementia. 'But it will need further more in depth research before we can draw any firm conclusions.' Stunned doctors have removed a nine-foot (2.8m) tapeworm that was growing inside a man in Singapore. The parasite, which was pulled out the unnamed patient's rectum, had to be folded 18 times so that it could fit into this picture. The patient, who was left appalled, did not display any symptoms of having a tapeworm - which can cause severe abdominal pain and be deadly. It is unsure how the man became infected as tests have been inconclusive, but they can be found in undercooked pork, beef and fish. Experts at the Singapore General Hospital's Department of Microbiology, believe it is most likely to have come from ingesting raw fish. The nine-foot (2.8m) parasite, which was pulled out the unnamed patient's rectum, had to be folded 18 times so that it could fit into a picture Raw fish consumption has been on the rise in Singapore and across the world amid the soaring popularity of sashimi. Tapeworm infections occur after ingesting the larvae of diphyllobothrium, found in freshwater fish such as salmon. While cases have increased in poorer areas due to improved sanitation, cases have increased in more developed countries. Professor Hsu Li Yang, an infectious diseases expert at the hospital, said: 'The patient was somewhat appalled when the worm was passed out via the rectum.' He shared details of the 2016 case to illustrate the issue of people being infected with parasites after eating raw or undercooked seafood. Professor Hsu said the 2.8 metre-long worm was clearly a tapeworm as no other human parasite could grow to such a length. 'The question is what tapeworm, which will also help answer how the patient had acquired the worm,' he added. Humans can contract tapeworm infections from sushi by eating raw fish that has been infected with the worm in its larvae stage. When fish eat tapeworm eggs, the hatching larvae attach themselves to the intestinal wall of the fish and the worms infect the fish flesh. Because sashimi is not cooked, the larvae can in turn transfer into the flesh of any human that eats the fish. Once a human is infected, a tapeworm will grow inside the intestine to a length of up to 15m over a period of weeks. It can survive for years and go undetected for weeks or months, in turn releasing its own eggs that infect other parts of the human body. Symptoms include fatigue, constipation and abdominal discomfort - which can be so mild the victim may not notice anything is wrong. If larvae begin to migrate to other parts of the body they can start to eat away at the liver, eyes, heart or brain and cause life-threatening conditions. Headaches have become so common that they are often considered as just part of everyday life. But now a leading doctor has revealed exactly when you should seek medical help for the agonising pain. Dr Michael Munger, from Overland Park, Kansas, says any more than two headaches for three weeks is a cause for concern. However, it doesn't mean sufferers should panic as it isn't necessarily an emergency and only signals a potential medical problem, he warned. Dr Munger, the president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said having a check-up allows doctors to get to the root cause of the headache. A doctor has now revealed exactly when you should seek medical help for your headaches Dr Munger revealed that 'some people just live with it', when he was asked about how often his patients complained about headaches. He warned that headaches - widely considered the worst kind of pain - can be a sign of brain tumours and aneurysms, in rare cases. 'You don't want people to over-react, but you also don't want them to under-react,' he told The Washington Post in an in-depth interview. Nauman Tariq, who is director of the Headache Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, warned that patients shouldn't rely on painkillers for too long. 'Over-the-counter drugs seem safe, but not so when they're taken frequently,' he said. 'Long-term or frequent use can be more damaging than the headache itself.' LED BULBS COULD BE CAUSING HEADACHES Energy-saving lightbulbs could be giving us all headaches as they flicker too much. LED bulbs can bring on feelings of dizziness and pain within just 20 minutes of switching them on, an expert warned last July. Professor Arnold Wilkins, professor of psychology at the University of Essex, said the flickering of the unpopular lights is stronger than for traditional lightbulbs. While fluorescent lights, such as those in offices, dim by around 35 per cent with every flicker, LED lights dim by 100 per cent. It means they effectively turn off and on again hundreds of times every second. This can cause headaches by disrupting movement control of the eyes, forcing the brain to work harder. Flickering LED bulbs could double the chances of suffering a headache, Advertisement An array of studies have shown that over-the-counter painkillers can cause ulcers, kidney problems, liver damage - and even be worse for headaches. Figures from the World Health Organization estimate half of the adult population endures at least one headache each year, including tension headaches, sinus headaches and migraines. Episodes of pain can last up to several hours, but often fade on their own or through the use of medication available over-the-counter. Officials say patients should seek advice from their GP if they are often struck down by headaches and if painkillers don't work. If the pain is accompanied by blurry vision, drowsiness or a sore scalp, patients are urged to visit A&E or call 999 for medical assistance. The NHS states that headaches can sometimes be brought on by cold or flu, both of which are common illnesses in the winter. But stress, eyesight problems, dehydration and taking too many painkillers are other known causes of agonising headaches. It comes after research in November revealed that headaches trigger more suffering than pain in any other part of the body. Duke University scientists claimed discomfort will always feel worse in the head - regardless of if someone is struck at the same force elsewhere. They discovered a previously unknown network of nerves that sends pain signals from our heads directly to the part of the brain that deals with emotion. A smokefree generation is now 'within sight', health officials say on the back of new figures showing a further drop in smoking rates. Data released today shows nearly 66,000 adults dropped the notoriously bad habit in the space of six months with the help of the NHS. However, in some areas of the country as many as 85 per cent of those trying to give up were able to, while it was as low as 23 per cent in other parts. Cumbria had the lowest rates of successful quitters, while Slough had the highest percentage across England for those were were able to quit. The statistics are the first to be released following the strict legislation adopted last May that was aimed at deterring people from smoking. It suggests the Government measures, including a blanket ban on selling packs of 10 cigarettes and menthols, have helped to keep the trend downwards. Commenting on the new figures, Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Public Health England, said: 'A smokefree generation is now within sight. Data released today shows nearly 66,000 adults dropped the notoriously bad habit in the space of six months with the help of the NHS Cumbria had the lowest rates of successful quitters, while Slough had the highest percentage across England for those were were able to quit 'While those smoking is overall in decline, the numbers smoking in poorer communities are much higher. 'Only by everyone pulling together can we hope to end the loss of life and suffering smoking has wreaked and PHE will work unceasingly to make this happen.' More than 134,000 had sought help from NHS stop smoking services between April and September last year - including 1,800 teenagers. The free service offers smokers face-to-face help and email support in order for them to adhere to their desired quit date. Those seeking to give up the bad habit can be given nicotine patches, gum, nasal sprays and stop-smoking tablets. E-cigarettes may be recommended. However, the figures released by NHS Digital revealed that just under half of those who had set themselves a quit date were able to stick to it. Some 31,000 people were lost in the system, meaning officials are unsure whether their attempts to quit smoking were successful or not. And 36,600 were unsuccessful in their quest to stop the notoriously bad habit - which is known to directly cause cancer and heart disease. THE AREAS OF ENGLAND THAT WERE LEAST SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR ATTEMPTS TO GIVE UP SMOKING BETWEEN APRIL AND SEPTEMBER 2017 AREA OF ENGLAND SETTING A QUIT DATE SUCCESSFUL QUITTERS % OF SUCCESS Cumbria 1,589 367 23.08 Swindon 2,255 630 27.96 Trafford 137 38 28.13 Herefordshire 575 163 28.35 Birmingham 1,153 329 28.51 South Gloucestershire 2,747 814 29.64 Bournemouth 2,190 696 31.80 Bristol, city of 2,035 652 32.06 Blackburn with Darwen 3,193 1,086 34.00 Lambeth 2,996 1,046 34.90 THE AREAS OF ENGLAND THAT WERE MOST SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR ATTEMPTS TO GIVE UP SMOKING BETWEEN APRIL AND SEPTEMBER 2017 AREA OF ENGLAND SETTING A QUIT DATE SUCCESSFUL QUITTERS % OF SUCCESS Slough 1,850 1,577 83.21 Staffordshire 45 37 82.00 Bracknell Forest 1,304 1,028 78.79 Windsor & Maidenhead 683 510 74.75 Croydon 881 654 74.28 Havering 89 63 70.37 Essex 1,471 1,013 68.87 Rutland 1,040 711 68.29 Bath and North East Somerset 1,295 881 68.00 Southwark 686 461 67.16 Estimates suggest there are around seven million smokers in England, and figures last summer showed 600,000 completely gave up the habit in 2016. Every year smoking kills 79,000 people across the country, and for every death, another 20 have a smoking-related disease, such as cancer. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN UP SMOKING SINCE 2006 WITH NHS HELP? Data from NHS Stop Smoking Services show that more than 3 million adults have given up smoking in the past decade with their help. YEAR 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 HOW MANY? 319,720 350,800 337,054 373,954 383,548 400,955 373,872 299,968 229,688 195,170 155,875 Advertisement And figures also show that one person is admitted to hospital every minute due to smoking. Smoking causes almost 90 per cent of lung cancers, and can also trigger tumours in the kidney, pancreas, mouth and stomach, among others. Inhaling carbon monoxide - found in cigarette smoke - also decreases the ability of blood to carry oxygen, putting a strain on the heart. But giving up smoking would see the blood improve, and the body become rid of the harmful poisons which cause major damage to the body. The new NHS data follows the release of a hard-hitting TV advert before Christmas that was designed to encourage thousands of adults to quit. It showed how poisons from the tar in cigarettes enter the bloodstream and flow through the body within seconds, damaging major organs. Legislation that came into action last May made it illegal to sell branded cigarettes, packs of 10, small pouches of tobacco and flavoured fags in the UK. Manufacturers were told all packets had to be the same olive green colour, with the same font, size, case and text appearance. The move followed a ruling from the European Court of Justice which approved new rules in a bid to slash the number of smokers across the EU by 2.4 million. Katharine Gallagher, 27, died on December 5, 2017, in her Tustin, California, home. The Boston University graduate started experiencing flu-like symptoms on Thursday night and went to the doctor on Sunday where was sent home with antibiotics. Two days later her boyfriend came home to find her dead on the bathroom floor after she appeared to be getting better that morning . She had caught severe acute bronchial pneumonia. Jonah Smith, 17, died December 29, 2017, when his heart stopped beating in the backseat of his sister's car. His family said he showed no flu-like symptoms except he had complained of a backache, but continued to go to work at a fast-food restaurant and see friends. After his death, doctors confirmed that the teen from Arizona had the flu and pneumonia and believe he may have suffered from an underlying medical condition, though he was never known to have one. Kyler Baughmen, 21, became sick on December 23, 2017, with a mild cough and runny nose. The body builder celebrated Christmas and went back to work December 26, but the following day was rushed to the hospital. He died on December 28 from kidney failure due to septic shock caused by the flu. Jeremy Westerman, 27, fell ill with the swine flu around Christmas. The fitness trainer had symptoms of nausea and lethargy but did not seek treatment. His parents say he became violently ill on January 2 and went to bed with a high fever and died in his sleep. He was one of at least 20 to die of the virus in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this flu season. Katie Oxley Thomas, 40, of San Jose, California, died of the flu just 48 hours of falling ill. The mother-of-three and marathon runner's condition declined so quickly that she was moved to intensive care, placed on life support and died all in the span of 15 hours on January 4, 2018. Her family said she had received her flu shot before getting sick. Jenny Ching, 51, went to the hospital in Massachusetts with flu-like symptoms. After being diagnosed with the flu she developed an infection and pneumonia. The mother-of-two died on January 6, 2018, just a week after being diagnosed. Jonah Rieben, four, died on January 6, 2018, just hours after first showing symptoms, making him the first child to die from the flu in Ohio this season. The boy who loved to play with his 16 adoptive siblings was born with Noonan syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes heart defects and developmental delays. Doctors are still investigating if his condition contributed to his death. Jonah's older brother, who also suffers from a disorder, is in the hospital with a severe case of the flu. Nico Mallozzi, 10, of New Canaan in Connecticut, had been sick and bed-bound all weekend during the hockey tournament in Buffalo, New York, forcing him to miss every game. Eventually, he was hospitalized and diagnosed with Influenza B, which had developed into pneumonia and caused sepsis. He died on Sunday January 14, 2018, in a Buffalo hospital. Zainab Momin, a third-grader of Montgomery, Alabama, died on Tuesday January 16, 2018. She died in hospital the day her school was closed due to snowy weather. More details are pending about her specific case and symptoms. She is the first child to die of the flu in Alabama this season. Amanda Franks, 38, was killed by the flu on January 17 after being diagnosed just three days prior. The mother-of-four from New Hampshire was prescribed Tamiflu but did not take it because 'the doctor said the side effects were a lot of times worse than the flu'. Septic shock set in and she died in the ambulance on her way to the hospital. Emily Grace Muth, six, was killed by the flu on Friday January 19, 2018. She first fell ill on that Tuesday and went to urgent care where she received Tamiflu. By Friday her breathing was labored and her mother called the ambulance but they said to keep her hydrated and she would be okay within a week. Hours later she stopped breathing and died. Tandy Harmon, a 36-year-old mother-of-two in Oregon died on Friday, January 19, 2018. She went to the hospital with flu symptoms on Wednesday, but was told to go home to rest and hydrate. Hours later, Harmon was back in the emergency room, where she quickly declined and had to be placed on life support by that evening. Harmon had developed MRSA and pneumonia and died two days later. Lily Kershaw, 5, died of the flu on January 22 in Nebraska. She was the first child to die of flu-related causes in the state so far this season, although there have been 21 adult fatalities so far. More details are pending about her specific case and symptoms. Dylan Winnik, 12, died of the flu on Tuesday January 23, 2018. He fell ill two days earlier and his parents thought he had the common cold because his symptoms were mild. The seventh-grader died two days later. Dylan is the first flu death in Palm Beach County, Florida, this season. Timothy Schell, 51, died of the flu on January 31, just days after taking a flight from his home state of Michigan to Colorado. He suddenly developed symptoms after landing in Colorado where he and his wife, Dana, intended to spend their vacation skiing. Schell - nicknamed 'Smiley' - was young at heart and always laughing, his obituary said. Savanna Jessie, seven, was killed by the flu on Thursday February 1, 2018. The first-grader was found unresponsive in her Columbus, Indiana, home the morning after. She was taken to the hospital where she received treatment but was sent home and put to bed. She tested positive for influenza B, strep throat and scarlet fever at the time of her death. Angie Barwise, a 58-year-old who beat the flu once this season, was killed by another strain of the virus on February 3, 2018. The grandmother from Fort Worth, Texas, was diagnosed with influenza Type A three days after Christmas and recovered after being prescribed Tamiflu. She fell ill again weeks later and was diagnosed with influenza Type B, which led to pneumonia and sepsis, killing her. Jenna Libinsky, 24, died on February 7 in a Las Vegas hospital after coming down with the flu in late January. She had gone to the doctor five times in eight days after January 25, but wasn't feeling better despite treatment. After her death, her father Neil said that the family just thought it was a bad chest cold. Heather Holland, 38 died from the flu on February 11 in Weatherford, Texas. The mother-of-two hesitated to buy the Tamiflu prescribed by her doctor because, as she told her husband, it 'cost too much'. Within four days of her diagnosis, Heather's body had gone into septic shock, a condition that ultimately killed her. Aaron Masterson, 12, was declared brain dead and taken off of life support on February 11. Aaron, a middle-schooler from Huntsville, Alabama, suffered from cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that damages the lungs and restricts the ability to breathe. His pre-existing condition weakened his immune system, making his flu diagnosis far more severe and caused him to suffer brain damage. Aaron was one of more than 63 children to be killed by the flu this season. Nevaeh Hernandez, six, died from the flu on February 12, in spite of getting vaccinated against the illness. The first hospital Nevaeh went to reportedly failed to diagnose the virus and sent her home with a 104 degree fever. After her condition continued to worsen, her mother took her to another hospital where she slipped into a coma. Her father, who is in armed services and was stationed in Germany, flew home after hearing she was in a coma but she had died by the time he arrived. In recent months, the bitcoin explosion has seen scrutiny from different sources, including environmentalists. Concerns have been raised over the amount of electricity needed to mine bitcoin. There have been some shocking estimates. In November 2017, just before the price of bitcoin exploded to reach nearly $20,000 a coin from $1,000 it started the year at, Digiconomist estimated the power usage consumed to run the cryptocurrency was higher than the entire Republic of Ireland. Bitcoin bounty: Estimates have shown just how much energy is needed to mine the cryptocurrency Since then, with the digital currency seeing its popularity surging, the strain on the energy network has increased. It's on pace to use a whopping 45TWh (terra watt hours) of electricity this year, ahead of the needs of Hungary and New Zealand. It will represent roughly 0.2 per cent of global consumption. Consumption is estimated to have almost doubled in the last three months and more than quadrupled in less than a year, leaving environmentalists worried over the impact it is having. Credit Suisse eggheads have also calculated the bitcoin price that would be needed to incentivise miners to gobble up all the world's generation capacity as $1.1million per coin. Luckily, it's nowhere near there now but that frightening prospect and potential environmental disaster waiting to happen highlights why some are willing to burn through energy to mine the coins. Now, one expert is warning that those mining bitcoin from the comfort of their own homes in Britain could be paying over the odds on their energy bills. Yes, really. But if the bitcoin miners are more savvy, he also believes they could be exploiting legislation designed to protect vulnerable customers by offering them lower energy bills. Joe Malinowski, founder of comparison website The Energy Shop, said: 'If you are mining bitcoin, or planning to, you are going to need electricity and lots of it. 'Being on the right tariff is therefore critical otherwise you could be spending hundreds if not thousands over the odds. 'No point making money on the one hand if you just end up giving it all back to your energy supplier right?' He points out that the cheapest option is a prepayment Economy 7 tariff, which has costs limited to protect customers who tend to me more financially vulnerable. HOW MUCH ENERGY DOES BITCOIN MINING USE? The Energy Shop has crunched the figures to show how much it can cost individuals to mine bitcoin, rather than some industrial scale operations. Its figures assume an already purchased mining rig which in simple terms is a computer system used for mining bitcoins. To mine bitcoin you need a bitcoin wallet, the mining rig, access to a mining pool, and mining software. Mining is the process of adding transaction records to bitcoin's public ledger, or the blockchain. There are different types of mining rig. The Energy Shop has compared the electricity costs for a modern efficient bitcoin miner, such as the Antminer S9, with an earlier less efficient version such as the Antminer S5+. It assumes an individual miner has unlimited fast broadband connection so there are no incremental internet access or data charges. Figures show that to run an Antminer S5+ 24 hours a day, 365 days a year takes up 30,100kWh of energy. That falls 8,780kWh if usage is restricted to seven hours per day, which is based on it being run overnight. For a more modern machine, the Antminer S9, usage is a slimmer 12,045kWh run 24/7, or 3,513kWh for seven hours per day. In contrast, the typical household fridge freezer uses between 150 to 270kWh of energy per year to run 24 hours a day, typically one of the biggest energy sappers in a home. The figures show that an efficient bitcoin miner running constantly all-year round will consume as much power as four average-sized family households typically do in a year. An older less efficient miner will consume as much electricity as almost 10 households. And remember, this is based on one rig. Many involved in this could be running more than one machine. Mining: Individuals can mine bitcoin - and one of the biggest costs is the drain on electricity HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? According to The Energy Shop, day rates range from 11.3p/kWh to 21.7p/kWh depending on supplier. Night time (off-peak) rates range from 4.3 p/kWh to 25p/kWh. With electricity being the largest variable cost of bitcoin mining, being on the right tariff can be key aspect of doing it profitably. The Energy Shop says that miners should avoid standard variable tariffs - a rule of thumb for most households. It estimates that having Npower as supplier, using the S5+ would cost 5,292 if in constant use, while the S9 would cost 2,118 a year on a standard deal with the energy giant. The cheapest standard variable rate of the big six from British Gas would still cost an S5+ user 4,434 a year and an S9 user 1,774. As such, it estimates miners can save up to 1,300 by switching - as could many households whose energy use is more prosaic. This is Money has outlined some of the top tariffs below: THE 10 CHEAPEST ENERGY TARIFFS IN THE UK Provider Tariff Average cost Saving v average bill Outfox the Market Zapp! November Tariff (medium consumption) 807 328 Avro Energy Simple and Control 840 295 Breeze Breeze Fixed 1 Year January 2018 842 293 Tonik Positively Green v7 842 292 Igloo Energy Pioneer 845 290 Bulb Vari-Fair 855 280 Pure Planet 100% green 860 275 Iresa IRESA Flex5 12month Fixed Direct Debit 860 275 Gen4U GENU Easy V1.2 861 274 People's Energy The People's Tariff 868 267 Source: energyhelpline.com, 19/01/2018, all calculations are for an average usage dual fuel household paying by monthly direct debit on a single rate meter. Average usage as defined by OFGEM is 12,000 kWh pa of gas and 3,100 kWh pa of electricity. Includes publicly available tariffs that are available in at least 12 of the 14 regions of the UK. Excludes exclusive, collective and other tariffs that are not generally available. IF YOU DO BUY INTO BITCOIN Find out how bitcoin and the blockchain works, so that you have some understanding of the system, the ledger, the major players and the public and private key elements. Remember bitcoin yields nothing and its main source of value is scarcity. Most bitcoin activity is trading not investing. Research coin wallets, the digital vaults where cryptocurrency is held, and consider security carefully. Bitcoins have been stolen before, understand how this happened. Be prepared for extreme volatility. The price can move by 20 per cent in one day and you could easily lose half of your cash in a far quicker time that investing in the stock market. Consider how you would cash in any gains. There are reports that this has proved hard for some people. A time of market stress could lead to people being locked in and unable to trade. Read our guide to How to be a successful investor, which looks at the far less high octane world of long-term investing and how to make it a success. What is bitcoin? The digital currency that most will be familiar with is free from government interference and can be shared instantly online. It doesn't rely on trusting one central monetary authority. The underlying technology is blockchain, a financial ledger maintained by a network of computers that can track the movement of any asset without the need for a central regulator. WHAT ABOUT AN OFF-PEAK TARIFF? Joe Malinowski says: 'Off-peak Economy 7 tariffs can offer unit prices up to 70 per cent cheaper that standard variable day rates and so cannot be ignored. 'Rather ironically the cheapest Economy 7 rates currently on offer are regulated prepayment rates from one of the Big 6. Legislation designed to protect vulnerable customers may be helping grow profits for bitcoin miners.' Bitcoin mining difficulty is set to increase, due to its algorithms. It will become increasingly more energy intensive and expensive to mine bitcoin. Legislation designed to protect vulnerable customers may be helping grow profits for bitcoin miners The more miners that join the network, the harder it gets to mine bitcoin successfully. As such, if small scale mining is profitable now, it will become less so in future unless computer efficiency grows in line with mining difficulty - or unless the price of bitcoin keeps rising to compensate for the increase in difficulty. It is difficult to know how profitable bitcoin mining at small scale really is. Given the rate at which new mining capacity is being added it strongly suggests that industrial scale mining is a profitable business, particularly in those countries where electricity costs are relatively much cheaper, such as China. But on a small scale the data is patchy. In the unlikely event that you do decide to be a bitcoin miner, it is therefore important to secure the lowest possible unit prices - and switching to an Economy 7 tariff may be the way to do this. The upside is that costs are much lower. The downsides are two-fold. Firstly, users can only participate during off peak hours typically seven hours during the night so overall mining revenue will be lower. Secondly, Economy 7 tariffs offer cheaper night rates but usually charge more for daytime usage, so you need to consider not just what you will save on mining at night but also any off-setting increase in costs from higher day rates. However, for those only mining at night, the cost saving can be a huge 70 per cent, as the unit rate can be cut from 16.2p/kWh to just 4.3p/kWh. The cheapest night rate unit is currently a prepayment standard variable tariff provided by one of the Big 6. The rate is determined not by competitive forces but by regulation. The tariff in question is a prepayment tariff where the rate is partially set by a prepayment price cap designed to protect vulnerable customers. Ironically the prepayment cap is actually offering bitcoin miners the opportunity to get ultra-cheap electricity for profitable gain. Mr Malinowki adds: 'We wonder how many miners are vulnerable customers.' Buy-to-let has taken a bit of a bashing over the past two years with some landlords forced to sell up as profits dwindle - but it's still possible to make a decent return. Research from specialist buy-to-let mortgage broker Mortgages for Business shows landlords who let out property on a room-by-room basis last year raked in yields of 8.9 per cent on average. This compares to a much lower, though still healthy, 5.6 per cent yield on 'vanilla' buy-to-lets where the whole property is let on one tenancy agreement. Landlords who let out property per room last year raked in yields of 8.9 per cent Multi-units, such as blocks of flats, generated yields of 8.1 per cent in 2017, compared to 8.3 per cent the year before. Although all three property types saw yields fall last year compared to 2016, profit margins remain significant, with the firm putting this down to landlords buying lower cost properties and renting them out for more. The research found that the average value of a vanilla buy-to-let property in 2017 was 305,283 - a 19 per cent decrease on the average in 2016 when it was 375,409. Jeni Browne, of Mortgages for Business, said: 'These results suggest that landlords are seeking lower value properties and, anecdotally, we hear that they have been looking further north for their acquisitions where prices are cheaper. 'The benefits of this strategy include less stamp duty, future capital growth, and scope for rental increases which thus allow for slightly higher yields.' The findings tally with separate research out last week revealing Nottingham and Liverpool as the best cities in the UK in which to be a landlord. Another trend identified in the Mortgages for Business research showed the rising popularity of purchasing buy-to-lets through a limited company, likely down to more attractive tax breaks. According to the firm, limited companies accounted for 49 per cent of all buy-to-let mortgage completions in the final three months of last year, compared to 31 per cent in Q4 2016. Should you invest in an HMO? Houses in multiple occupation - or HMOs - have become an increasingly popular option for landlords on the hunt for better returns after tax changes began to push up their costs. Buy-to-let crackdown April 2016 3 per cent stamp duty surcharge introduced for all buy-to-let purchases. January 2017 Bank of England imposes stress testing on buy-to-let mortgages less than five years. Rent must now typically cover mortgage payments at 145 per cent at a mortgage rate of 5.5 per cent. April 2017 Phased reduction of tax relief on buy-to-let mortgage interest begins. October 2017 Bank of England imposes portfolio rules for landlords with four or more properties, meaning lenders must review a landlord's full portfolio of properties when each new mortgage is assessed. As a result, profits across the board have dropped for buy-to-let investors, with traditional properties let on a single lease typically the worst hit. Jeni Browne, of Mortgages for Business, said: 'The attractiveness of HMOs as a buy-to-let investment has increased in recent years not only because of the higher yields on offer but because serious investors are keener to diversify their portfolios. 'With more landlords vying for these properties, prices have been pushed up more quickly than the rents which, I would suggest, is one of the main reasons we are seeing their yields drop. 'Although, I suspect that the granting of fewer new HMO licences is also having an impact.' A HMO is where a landlord lets out several bedrooms in one property to tenants on separate assured shorthold tenancy agreements that allow shared use of common areas such as the kitchen and bathrooms. This has several advantages for the landlord, including the fact that if one tenant moves out, they are still receiving rent from the others and can therefore keep up with their mortgage payments. Another advantage is that it's usually possible to charge more rent overall if there are multiple tenants than would be reasonable if the same property was let on a single lease to a family for instance. HMOs are more complicated to look after than traditional buy-to-lets though, with many being bound by strict licensing rules. These vary by local authority, must be complied with and often involve extra costs. Mortgage lenders are also stricter about handing out loans against HMOs. The more mainstream lenders tend to avoid this type of lending but there are several smaller specialists such as Paragon, Shawbrook, Aldermore and Precise Mortgages that offer complex buy-to-let via a broker. Browne added: 'Savvy landlords like to have a good mix of properties. They like the consistency of vanilla buy-to-lets and the higher returns of more complex property types. 'Although lower than previously, 8.9 per cent is still an excellent return for HMOs, not only when compared to vanilla buy-to-lets but also other, non-property assets.' Carillion was in charge of 57 contracts across the UK worth a total of 5.7billion when it collapsed earlier this month, industry experts revealed today. Ten of those projects were individually worth more than 150m, according to figures published by construction analysts Barbour ABI. The largest was a 1.3billion contract for building parts of the HS2 railway line, which was awardeed in July 2017 when the company was already suffocating in debt - a decision that has cast doubt on the diligence of senior Whitehall officials. The British construction firm Carillion employs 43,000 staff worldwide. The company announced its immediate liquidation on 15 January after failing to secure financial rescue The construction giant, which along with auditors and regulators is facing an inquiry from MPs today into the management of its pension scheme, went into liquidation on 15 January after a string of profit warnings. It left debts approaching 5billion including a pension deficit of up to 2.6billion. Other examples of the biggest jobs it left unfinished are an army basing programme in Salisbury at 340million, the Aberdeen Bypass valued at 530million, and Cp5 Midland Main Line Electrification, a rail improvement plan, coming in at 518million. Road and rail infrastructure projects were a speciality for Carillion, but what happens now to these projects is 'a matter for conjecture,' said ABI's lead economist Michael Dall. The map shows the locations of the 57 projects abandoned by the failed Carillion, according to industry analysts Barbour ABI, with a large cluster in Greater London. 'If the reason Carillion went bust was due to under-bidding then it stands to reason that the financial terms will have to be renegotiated,' said Mr Dall. He added: 'There is no doubt this will happen but will it happen quickly enough to save the many firms in the Carillion supply chain?' A Carillion sign at the collapsed company's construction site at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Merseyside. The firm, the second biggest contractor in the UK by revenue, was also involved in 16 framework contracts as part of a list of companies pre-selected or pre-qualified to undertake works for an organisation. It is not known whether any work was gained from this set-up. But Carillon is just one firm serving as an example for a sector in desperate need of rejuvenation, Mr Dall believes, noting how tight margins tend to be in primary contracting - between 0 and 2 per cent, compared to the 15 to 20 per cent margins of house builders. He said: 'There's a flaw in this business model. The industry has to get away from these sort of suicide biddings and get smarter at managing their budgets, or simply charging more. 'It's just not a sustainable business model. You have to reappraise the whole business model to make sure it doesn't happen again.' A wife accused of murdering her husband kept secret diaries with her boyfriend prior to his death, where they revealed their forbidden love. Sofia Sam and her lover Arun Kamalasanan faced the Supreme Court in Melbourne on Monday charged with poisoning 33-year-old Sam Abraham to death using cyanide in 2015. Prosecutor Kerri Judd told the jury Ms Sam and Mr Kamalasanan started the shared diary in 2013. According to The Age, the pair have pleaded not guilty to the murder. Sofia Sam (left) is accused of murdering her late husband Sam Abraham (right) using cyanide Ms Sam, 32, pictured with her hand on the casket, is shown grieving at her husband's funeral 'You know why I need this diary?' Ms Sam, 36, is alleged to have written. 'It's a secret I will tell you later on.' Other entries in the diary lamented that her life lacked the freedom she desired, and that 'especially girls have to suffer always'. The court also heard that Ms Sam also wrote love notes to Mr Kamalasanan; 'I'm waiting for you', 'I miss you a lot', 'can you hold me tight?' and 'I want to drift away in your love'. One entry read simply: 'An idea without a plan is no more than a dream' with a circle around it. It has been revealed that Mr Kamalasanan kept an electronic diary of his own, in which he allegedly wrote: 'I just need to love you until my last breath'. Detectives allege that Ms Sam (right) and lover Mr Kamalasanan poisoned Mr Abraham (left) Detectives allege that Ms Sam poisoned Mr Abraham with cyanide before he was found dead in his Epping home in suburban Melbourne in October 2015. Ms Sam and Mr Kamalasanan, 34, are said to have become friends while studying engineering in India and remained in touch. It is alleged that Mr Kamalasanan moved to Melbourne from India on a student visa to be with Ms Sam in July of that year, leaving his wife and son behind. It's scary enough to walk on this cliff-side footpath on a sunny day, let alone when it is covered with snow. The perilous walkway is situated at a staggering 7,000 feet high on China's Huashan mountain and is just 11 inches wide. A stomach-churning video has captured how the workers at the scenic spot carefully walked on the 165-foot-long planks as they removed snow from the ancient trail. Don't look down! A worker uses a shovel to remove snow from a cliff footpath at 7,000ft high Watch your step! The worker prevents himself falling by hooking him to the metal chains One of the workers told Pear Video that they tried to keep the footpath clean so they would sweep the narrow platform after every snow. He said they would first use shovels to break the snow before using big brooms to sweep it away. They would then put salt on the surface of the footpath. The video shows that workers attaching themselves to the metal chains on the cliff using a rope and hooks in order to protect themselves. Dangerous job: One workers says they would sweep snow off the footpath after every snow Dedication: The workers would use shovels and brooms to sweet snow before scattering salt The danger of their job doesn't seem to bother the workers. The same worker told Pear that they usually live on the mountain and go home once a week. 'But once we leave our room, we would see amazing views,' he explained the joyful part of his job. Dating back to the 13th century, the Huashan footpath attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world every year. The vertigo-inducing footpath was built by Taoism master He Zhizhen some 700 years ago It is situated at a staggering 7,000 feet high on Huashan mountain and is just 11 inches wide The vertigo-inducing footpath was built by Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) Taoism master He Zhizhen (1212-1299). Master He wanted meditate in a secluded cave on Huashan, so he built the walkway to help him reach the cave. Today, the hiking trail also consists of vertical ladders and a series of steps carved into the cliff face. Tourists walk on the infamous wooden path with a safety belt. A paedophile faces deportation after trying to meet up with a 12-year-old girl who turned out to be a member of an online vigilante group. Al-Imran Ali, 34, arrived at Salford Quays tram stop with a condom and a burger from Burger King after spending 12 days messaging who he thought was a young girl. Instead, he had fallen for a trap by online vigilantes from the group 'Silent Justice' who use fake internet profiles to catch would-be sex offenders. Ali was sentenced 10 months in jail and faces deportation back to Pakistan after spending eight years in the UK on an expired student visa. Al-Imran Ali, 34, is facing deportation after getting 10 months in jail for getting caught propositioning an underage girl. Ali messaged a 12-year-old girl on a dating website, but he was actually talking with a member of Silent Justice It was revealed during a Manchester Crown Court sentencing hearing how Ali contacted an account on a dating website that was operated by Silent Justice. Prosecutor Martin Callery said at the hearing: 'He was the subject of an operation undertaken by a group called Silent Justice. 'They are a group who track down paedophiles, and those who make communication with young people, or seemingly young people, through social media.' Ali messaged 'Nicola', who he thought was 12 years old, on the dating website saying 'Hi'. She responded saying: 'Hi, I'm Nicola, 12, from Lancashire.' Their conversation then moved onto WhatsApp where they proceeded to talk for 12 days before agreeing to meet up. 'Those conversations for his part became increasingly more sexualised, increasingly more graphic,' Mr Callery said. Ali asked 'Nicola', who was actually a 49-year-old woman, if she had a boyfriend and if she had periods. Then he asked her when they could meet up and repeatedly begged her to send him photos of herself. Ali was caught at Salford Quays tram stop by members of Silent Justice, and they published the meeting on Facebook . He denied that he was meeting up with a 12-year-old girl Ali was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court (pictured) to 10 months in jail with probable deportation back to Pakistan. He was in the UK for eight years on an expired student visa The pair agreed to meet at Salford Quays tram stop with the instructions that 'Nicola' was not supposed to wear underwear. Ali, who was living in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, was confronted by members of Silent Justice in November of last year. The entire interaction was recorded on Facebook by the group in a 40-minute live video. The group, led by an unidentified woman, cornered Ali outside and revealed that they were calling the police based on the evidence they had against him. Ali said repeatedly: 'This is a misunderstanding. I'm very sorry, love. Please, it will never happen again.' The Silent Justice members revealed that 'Nicola' said her age seven times, yet Ali still enticed her to meet him with no underwear or bra on. 'There's a lot of fake people on the internet,' Ali said. 'I just came here to see if she was a child.' Caught: The woman who posed as 'Nicola' called Ali while he was being interrogated by Silent Justice members. He picked up the call which let the members know they had the right guy He attempted to defend his decision to meet up with a 12-year-old girl saying that he thought she was 'lying about her age' so he didn't she was that young. Members of the group repeatedly asked Ali what he was planning to do had a 12-year-old girl showed up. But Ali continually denied that he was interested in young girls and claimed it was all a big misunderstanding even after his messages were read. These messages included him asking for pictures of 'Nicola' in the toilets and saying she needed come and make him happy. The members even had the woman who posed as 'Nicola' call Ali while they were questioning him to prove they had the right guy. After Ali was arrested, he said he had a condom on him because he was going to visit a massage parlour. He also claimed he didn't remember the WhatsApp conversations with 'Nicola'. Ali later admitted to one count of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming in court. His solicitor, Lindsay Orr, said it was 'highly likely' that Ali would be deported after serving his sentence. Ms Orr added that the broadcast of Ali being confronted by Silent Justice, which she said was viewed online by 40,000 people, would have 'repercussions' when he returned to Pakistan. Judge Anthony Cross, who sentenced him to 10 months, said: 'Quite obviously you have a sexual interest in young female children, and your actions were clearly sexually motivated.' Madison Lee Stewart faces a charge of malice murder in the death of her 16-month-old son, according to Houston County sheriff's Sgt Heath Collins A 19-year-old mother was arrested after drowning her baby in a bathtub when he wouldn't stop crying, police have said. Madison Lee Stewart faces a charge of malice murder in the death of her 16-month-old son, according to Houston County sheriff's Sgt Heath Collins. Collins said the child, Hunter Sebastian Stewart, died early Saturday morning in Warner Robins, a city in central Georgia. The incident occurred in the bathroom of a safe house for battered women, where Stewart said she'd been staying for an undisclosed amount of time because she had no other place to go. Stewart allegedly got up around midnight because the baby was crying, then filled the bathtub and submerged the child in water, Collins explained. She initially told police that the boy had drowned while she was giving him a bath. But later when she was interviewed at the station she described a different series of events, and according to police she said she was angry Hunter had woken her up. In that fit of rage she told police she held the child face down until he stopped moving, the Macon Telegraph reports. He says Stewart told authorities she was stressed and had been going through a lot. 'The circumstances of the killing show an abandoned and malignant heart,' the arrest warrant reads, according to the Telegraph. When officers arrived around the scene at around 1am Saturday, the boy was clothed in a wet T-shirt and jeans on the bathroom floor where he had been laid. He had no vital signs and was pronounced dead at Houston Medical Center. Stewart was being held without bail Monday in the Houston County jail. The report did not say if she had an attorney. 'It's just a tragic situation,' Houston Sheriff Cullen Talton told the paper. 'I tell you what, it makes me sick just to thin somebody would do something like this.' Police found the man Stewart identified as Hunter's biological father, but he denied he was related to the child. A couple returning from an Australia Day celebration were horrified to discover their puppy had been brutally killed in their home. Talaraha Daley and Anthony Staveley, from Lawrence on the NSW mid-north coast, left their three dogs at home while they went to a birthday dinner on Friday night. When the couple returned the next morning, they were surprised when only two of their dogs greeted them at the fence. An Australian couple came home to discover their Bull Arab puppy Rex (left) brutally murdered 'We were singing out for the third one, Rex. We had a look around for him and my partner found his collar around the back of the house,' Ms Daley told the Daily Examiner. The pair had just walked out on to the verandah when they discovered their Bull Arab puppy dead, with his neck snapped. Heartbroken, the couple thought their puppy had possibly been attacked by a dingo or neighbouring dog. But when they went to bury him, they saw blood on the shovel and realised the tool had been moved from its usual spot. 'We moved some plants and stuff from that area, and we found a lot of blood there,' Ms Daley said. 'It's quite disturbing to come home to something like that, to be honest I feel disgusted and very sad.' Coffs/Clarence Local Area Command got in touch with the couple after they posted the incident to Facebook Neighbours told the couple they had heard barking but didn't think much of it. Ms Daley said her puppy 'wouldn't harm a bloody fly!'. While the pair initially didn't contact police about the brutal murder of their puppy, Coffs/Clarence Local Area Command got in touch with them after they posted the incident to Facebook. Police are now investigating the matter. A Missouri man was charged Monday with three counts of first-degree murder and other crimes after a toddler and her parents were killed in rural southeast Missouri. Authorities identified the victims as Samara Fontaine Kitts, 23, her 24-year-old boyfriend Harley Michael Million, and their 17-month-old daughter Willa Fontaine Million. Drew Atchison, 24, of Williamsville, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and child kidnapping. He is jailed and does not yet have a listed attorney. Scroll down for video Drew Atchison, 24 (pictured), has been accused of murdering a Wayne County, Missouri couple and their young daughter The bodies of Samara Kitts, 23 (left); Harley Million, 24 (right); and their 17-month-old baby girl Willa (center) were found on Monday buried underneath blankets and trash Atchison reportedly confessed to stabbing the couple to death at their home (pictured) on Thursday, and then fatally shooting the baby the following day Courtesy of KFVS12 Court documents obtained by KFVS-TV said Atchison confessed to the killings. The documents listed no motive, but Facebook shows that Atchison and Million attended the same high school. Deputies said in the court documents that Atchison fatally stabbed the adults Thursday at their home in Wayne County. He allegedly put the bodies in the back of Million's truck and left the child alone overnight, locking her in a room with dogs. On Friday, according to court documents, Atchison returned to the home, destroyed evidence, then took the child as he drove Million's truck to neighboring Butler County. The documents said he threw the knife used in the killings in the woods. Atchison fatally shot the child and buried her with her parents beneath blankets and trash, the court document said. He then hid the truck in a carport near his home. Court documents do not reveal a motive behind the attack. The victims pictured left and right Facebook shows that Atchison (pictured) and Million went to the same high school The bodies were found Monday, a day after relatives alerted police that the family had not been seen for several days. A relative of the victims said in a statement that Kitts and Million weren't married but had been together for eight years and were 'amazing parents to Willa.' 'They were a loving family and amazing parents to Willa. They weren't married, but they had been together for the last eight years, since high school. They both have large families who love them very much and a large circle of life-long friends,' the statement read. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says the country will vote in late May on whether to lift a constitutional ban on most abortions. The government met Monday evening to agree on details of a referendum on the eighth amendment to Ireland's constitution. Varadkar says voters will be asked whether they want to retain the amendment, or repeal it and hand responsibility for legislating on abortion to parliament. The 1983 amendment commits authorities to defend equally the right to life of a mother and an unborn child, giving this largely Roman Catholic nation the strictest abortion ban in Europe. Abortion is legal only in rare cases when a woman's life is in danger. Varadkar, who leads the center-right Fine Gael party, has said he will campaign to ease the abortion ban. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says the country will vote in late May on whether to lift a constitutional ban on most abortions. He is pictured here with a two-month-old baby at the launch of the new Crumlin Children's Hospital in Dublin The referendum will ask citizens whether they want to retain the Eighth Amendment of the constitution, or repeal it and replace it with an enabling provision that gives responsibility for legislating on abortion laws to the Irish parliament. Mr Varadkar said Health Minister Simon Harris would prepare draft legislation proposing laws allowing for unrestricted abortions up to 12 weeks that would be published prior to the referendum. Those proposed law changes would only be tabled on the floor of the Dail for a vote in the event of the referendum backing repeal of the Eighth Amendment. 'I know this will be a difficult decision for the Irish people to make,' said Mr Varadkar. 'I know it is a very personal and private issue and for most of us it is not a black and white issue, it is one that is grey - the balance between the rights of a pregnant woman and the foetus or unborn. Mr Varadkar said Health Minister Simon Harris (pictured) would prepare draft legislation proposing laws allowing for unrestricted abortions up to 12 weeks that would be published prior to the referendum 'It is a matter for people to make their own decision based on the evidence they hear, compassion and empathy and I want the debate to be respectful on all sides and it should never be personalised.' Mr Varadkar said he had thought 'long and hard' before deciding to support abortion without restriction in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. He said he came to that view after listening to medical experts, the public, his own Fine Gael party, ministers and friends. 'Above all I have listened to women,' he said. Mr Varadkar added: 'The question has to be a yes or no one - do we reform our abortion laws or do we leave them as they are? 'For my part I will advocate a yes vote. My own views have evolved over time - life experience does that.' Mr Varadkar said: 'The saddest and loneliest journey is made by Irish women who travel to foreign countries to end their pregnancies. That doesn't have to happen.' The Prime Minister said the draft laws would only permit abortion after 12 weeks in 'exceptional circumstances', such as a serious risk to the life or health of the woman or in the event of a fatal foetal abnormality. Addressing the press after a four hour Cabinet meeting on the contentious issue, the Taoiseach said if the Eighth Amendment was repealed abortion would 'no longer be an article in the constitution, rather a personal, private matter for women and their doctors'. 'I know this will be a difficult decision for the Irish people to make,' he said. 'I know it is a very personal and private issue and for most of us it is not a black and white issue, it is one that is grey - the balance between the rights of a pregnant woman and the foetus or unborn.' The Prime Minister said the draft laws would only permit abortion after 12 weeks in 'exceptional circumstances', such as a serious risk to the life or health of the woman or in the event of a fatal foetal abnormality Mr Harris said: 'Just because an issue is complex or sensitive it does not mean it can be ignored. 'I welcome the decision the Government has made. It is very important to stress any legislation to amend the constitution would remain subject to review. 'The Government does not intend to, or wish to, limit the power of our courts to interpret law. Anyone who wants any change to our regime it is necessary to repeal the Eighth. 'This issue is not going away. It is time for the people of Ireland to have their say on that.' Salim Mehajer has traded in his designer wardrobe, diamond accessories and marble encrusted mansion for tracksuit pants, Velcro sandshoes and a dingy, concrete prison cell. The disgraced former Auburn deputy mayor, who was arrested on January 23 for allegedly staging a car crash, has spent seven days behind bars a stark contrast to the sprawling four-storey Lidcome property and waterfront Vaucluse apartment he has previously called home. Although NSW Corrective Services would not confirm with Daily Mail Australia which facility the 31-year-old is being held ahead of his hearing at the Downing Centre Court on Thursday, new inmates are typically sent to the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre in western Sydney. Salim Mehajer has spent a week in prison a stark contrast to his lavish lifestyle New South Wales detectives arrested Salim Mehajer (centre) on January 23 at an apartment in Vaucluse where he was living Although NSW Corrective Services has not confirmed which facility the 31-year-old is being held ahead of his hearing at the Downing Centre Court on Thursday, new inmates are typically sent to the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre (pictured) in western Sydney Pictured is Mr Mehajer's marble encrusted Lidcombe home, which he leased last year Upon arrival, it is believed Mr Mehajer would have had to undergo a strip search by officers before being handed a set of prison clothing a green t-shirt, shorts and trackpants to replace the black suit he was seen wearing at the time of his arrest. After he was processed, the 31-year-old would have been interviewed by a prison psychologist and assigned to a cell within the facility that houses 13,000 inmates, according to News.com.au. Police claim Mehajer staged the crash in Lidcombe in October last year in order to avoid facing court over an alleged assault on a taxi driver. After extensive inquires, investigators arrested Mr Mehajer at the Vaucluse home he moved into last year after splitting with his ex-wife Aysha and leasing his Lidcombe mansion for $2,950 a week. Mr Mehajer has been charged with perverting the course of justice and conspiring to cheat and defraud, which carry maximum prison sentences of 14 years and 10 years, respectively. Police also arrested Mehajer's friend and business associate, Ahmed Jaghbir, 28, and also charged him with perverting the course of justice and conspiring to cheat and defraud. Police claim Mehajer (pictured at the scene) staged the crash in Lidcombe in October last year in order to avoid facing court over an alleged assault on a taxi driver Pictured is the Mercedes Salim Mehajer was driving when he collided with a Mitsubishi in October Police also arrested Mehajer's friend and business associate, Ahmed Jaghbir, 28, (pictured together) and also charged him with perverting the course of justice and conspiring to cheat and defraud Prisoners at the maximum security prison are seen looking at the intake section where prisoners arrive by truck and get processed before entering jail or are sent for their court appearance Prisoners work in the yard looking down from the security tower Jaghbir allegedly said he was instructed to arrange the October collision to buy Mehajer some more time before his scheduled court hearing that day, the court heard. Shortly after the arrests of Mehajer and Jaghbir, investigators arrested Elias Moufferrige, 30, and his wife Malinda Moufferrige, 31, at a home at Lidcombe. The couple was taken to Auburn police station, where they were charged with conspiring to cheat and defraud in relation to the crash. They were granted bail to appear at Burwood Local Court on February 12. Pictures taken at the scene of the crash show Mr Mehajer being pulled from the vehicle and placed into a neck brace, before being treated for neck pain and taken to hospital. Mr Mehajer pictured on the day of his 2015 wedding to Aysha at Lidcombe in Sydney's south-west The 31-year-old often flaunts his designer clothing, jewellery and cars on social media Mr Mehajer is seen sitting on top of a white Roll's Royce Last year, Mr Mehajer travelled to Las Vegas for the Floyd Mayweather fight Mr Mehajer's arrest comes just weeks after he debuted his new relationship with model Melissa Tysoe, who he said he met at a New Year's Eve party (pictured together) Ms Tysoe (pictured) and Mr Mehajer said they have 'immense connection' His passenger and the occupants of the Mitsubishi - two women, aged 31 and 32 - were not reported to have been injured during the incident. Mr Mehajer's arrest comes just weeks after he debuted his new relationship with model Melissa Tysoe, who he said he met at a New Year's Eve party. The 31-year-old, who often flaunts his designer clothing, jewellery and cars on social media, has posted numerous images of the couple together, claiming they shared and 'immense connection.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Mehajer's attorney Tom Hughes for comment. Melbourne's heatwave that produced searing temperatures well into the 40s and mass blackouts across the city have been replaced overnight with freezing cold winds and heavy rain. On Sunday evening, about 68,597 homes plunged into darkness as Victorians sweltered through the hottest night in years, with mercury not falling below 30C until 4am. Temperatures peaked at around 35C on Monday, with the city centre already soaring to 28C by 6am. However, residents awoke Tuesday morning to an unrecognisable setting, with temperatures hovering in the low double digits, with temperatures set to max some 15 degrees lower than the previous day. As much as 80mm has drenched parts of Victoria, with flash flooding occurring in suburban and regional areas of the state. Melbourne's heatwave that produced searing temperatures into the 40s and mass blackouts across the city have been replaced almost overnight with freezing cold winds and rain The state has been pummeled by rain after temperatures dramatically fell overnight Residents awoke Tuesday morning to an unrecognisable setting, with temperatures hovering in the low double digits Temperatures peaked at around 35C on Monday, with the city centre already soaring to 28C by 6am Towns without power stretch across the state, with the Bellarine Peninsula one of the hardest hit Health officials in Victoria issued warnings over the weekend as temperatures skyrocketed into the mid 40s, reaching as high as 46 in some areas. Parts of South Australia and south-western New South Wales also dipped into the 40s, as the heatwave swept through the southern region of the country. The high humidity made conditions even more unmanageable, with spectators and players struggling through the days and nights at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Several athletes were forced to retire while others sustained injuries as the scorching summer weather rolled through. People have had to use candles as they struggle with no power across most of Sunday evening because if Victoria's heatwave 'I don't want to lose $100 worth of food,' one woman took to social media to say Health officials in Victoria issued warnings over the weekend as temperatures skyrocketed into the mid 40s, reaching as high as 46 in some areas A southerly change at around 5pm on Monday afternoon saw temperatures drop 10 degrees in a matter of hours Tuesday's polar swing came as welcome relief for residents, however the crazy Victorian climate offered up new headaches as flash flooding, heavy rain and storms replaced the sweltering heat Tuesday's polar swing came as welcome relief for residents, however the crazy Victorian climate offered up new headaches as flash flooding, heavy rain and storms replaced the sweltering heat. A southerly change at around 5pm on Monday afternoon saw temperatures drop 10 degrees in a matter of hours, producing heavy rain that saw Melbourne soaked by 35mm and regional Victorian areas see as much as 70mm. Weather warnings are now in place for areas including Morwell, Traralgon, and Falls Creek on Tuesday with as much as 80mm to drench over a nine-hour period. Adelaide is also set to cool off from its own summer treatment, but isn't expected to see any precipitation. The other major cities are all set to enjoy typical January days with temperatures into the high 20s and early 30s. Darwin, Canberra and Brisbane can expect a few showers, but the worst of the weather will be localised to southern parts of Victoria. A teenage boy who raped and sexually assaulted his seven-year-old niece has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years' probation. The 17-year-old Queensland boy appeared in Warwick District Court on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent treatment of a child under 12 and one count of digital rape. Judge Leanne Clare labelled the acts as 'despicable' as the offender claimed not to remember the abuse, The Courier Mail reports. A 17-year-old Queensland boy appeared in Warwick District Court (pictured) on Monday, for raping and sexually assaulting his seven-year-old niece The teenager pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent treatment of a child under 12 and one count of digital rape (stock image) The little girl was just seven when the abuse began by her then 16-year-old uncle on three separate occasions. Crown prosecutor Sam Bain told the court the abuse began when the boy took the girl into his room to kiss her. The abuse escalated in April last year when the boy was caught with his niece in his bed. The 17-year-old told Defense lawyer David Jones he didn't remember the abuse, but if the young girl reported it to the police, it 'must be true'. The little girl was just seven when the abuse began by her then 16-year-old uncle on three separate occasions (stock image) 'It's a despicable offence and one ought to feel heavy shame,' Judge Clare said. Judge Clare said because the little girl was so young, she was 'vulnerable'. 'You didn't use additional violence but you didn't need to,' she said. The boy was sparred jail due to his age and lack of criminal record, and no convictions were recorded. Instead, he was ordered to complete 80 hours of community service as well as probation. 'Every time you do it (community service) I want you to remember this is punishment for what you did to this little girl,' Judge Clare said. A highly-classified memo said to lay bare the FBI and DoJ acting against President Donald Trump before the election should be published, the House Intelligence Committee voted along party lines on Monday night. Trump himself must now decide on its publication and will have a window of five days to make his decision, a timeline he will adhere to, according to Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley, who spoke to CNN on Monday night. The committee, which is majority Republican, voted down a proposal to release the Democratic-authored minority memo as well. The memo is now on its way to the White House for the president to review, CNN later reported. The move comes after a 'release the memo' campaign by Republicans, who believe it will show that the FBI and DoJ wrongly surveilled at least one member of the Trump campaign on the basis of the notorious 'golden showers' dossier, drawn up by British spy Christopher Steele. The memo, drawn up by Republican committee chair Devin Nunes, represents another potentially explosive twist in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Scroll down for video Vote: Devin Nunes (left), the Republican intel chair, got a party-line victory in his 'release the memo' campaign, while ranking Democrat Adam Schiff had an attempt to publish a matching dissenting memo voted down The White House says President Donald Trump has not decided whether he'd authorize the release of a classified House Intelligence Committee memo, but says he favors 'full transparency.' White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that 'no one' at the White House has seen the memo, so the president was not prepared to make a decision. A number of conservatives favor releasing the memo, which they believe could discredit the findings of the investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. White House aides have previously said Trump favored releasing the document, which is in contrast to the stance of the Justice Department. The issue is also set to roil the Republicans. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina vocally opposed its publication, saying the decision should be made by someone who does not stand to gain or lose politically by its publication. The highly sought after memo says, according to the New York Times, that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein approved a request last spring for extended surveillance on Carter Page, an unpaid foreign policy adviser to Trump's presidential campaign. Republicans appear poised to argue that Rosenstein did not thoroughly review the request to spy on Carter through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), using the law enforcement official as a weapon in their power struggle with DOJ. A highly sought after classified memo says that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein approved a request last spring for extended surveillance on Carter Page (pictured), an unpaid foreign policy adviser to Trump's presidential campaign. Page is seen here during a December 2016 visit to Moscow Page is under scrutiny for a 2016 trip he made to Moscow where he met with Russian officials. It was a scholarly visit in which he says he made it clear he was not there representing the presidential candidate. A report he provided to the campaign afterward with his insights and an offer to set up a trip to Russia for Trump has made him a person of interest in investigations into alleged collusion, though. House Republicans on the Intelligence Committee are now claiming, per the Times, in an unreleased memo that Carter was surveiled last year with a warrant that Rosenstein signed off on. The memo is said to suggest that Rosenstein did not do his homework before he OK'd the warrant that followed on a previous request for surveillance that had been justified at the time by the so-called dirty dossier that ex-British spy Christopher Steele compiled on Trump. Trump has denied the salacious findings in the dossier that law enforcement officials have not otherwise been able to verify. Steele is known to have been contracted by a Republican candidate competing against Trump in the primary. He was paid to finish the job by Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic Party. Republicans who have seen the Intelligence Committee's memo have been demanding the public release of the document that is said to reveal the Obama administration surveillance on the Trump campaign in 2016. 'It's troubling. It is shocking,' North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows said last week.'Part of me wishes that I didn't read it because I don't want to believe that those kinds of things could be happening in this country that I call home and love so much.' House Intel made the four-page memo available to members of the House last week. They are still keeping it at arm's length from their counterparts in the Senate and are refusing to provide a copy to the Department of Justice. Rosenstein is a Trump-appointed DOJ official. His opinion that FBI Director James Comey should be fired was used as the basis by Trump for the law enforcement official's canning. It was Rosenstein who later angered Trump when he authorized a special counsel investigation into Russia's attempts to manipulate the 2016 election. Trump is said to have considered firing Rosenstein as a result of the designation of Robert Mueller as special counsel before moving to get rid of Mueller himself before changing his mind on the advice of counsel. Rosenstein is a Trump-appointed DOJ official. He angered Trump when he authorized a special counsel investigation into Russian attempts to manipulate the 2016 election Republicans have been teeing up their memo on surveillance as a bombshell that will justify demands for an independent investigation of DOJ and the FBI, which had been conducting the Russia probe until Rosenstein brought in Mueller. Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said last week in a statement that the GOP-authored memo was sensational and that the opposing party had 'selectively and misleadingly' characterized classified information 'in an effort to protect the President at any cost.' As the Times article on Rosenstein was released, a debate was raging in Washington over whether the classified memo should be made public. In a Sunday morning appearance on CBS, White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short intimated the president's belief that it should. 'We haven't obviously read the memo. It's classified. So it's hard for me to speculate on what's in the memo,' he said. 'I do think that we typically prefer transparency. And so if there are concerns that I think it would be helpful for Americans to know about, we would be open for that being released.' Republican Sen. Susan Collins said Sunday that she was concerned that classified information would be compromised, however. 'That's a really serious matter. So, to me, the preferable way to handle the allegations of wrongdoing by certain FBI agents and a lawyer there is to leave it in the hands of the inspector general, Michael Horowitz. I know him. He's aggressive. He will do a fair investigation,' she told CNN. On CBS' 'Face the Nation' Short had argued 'there's plenty of ways you can redact a document to make sure that methods are not revealed' and assuage concerns like those outlined by Collins. 'But if there are serious concerns about unmasking that happened in the previous administration, then I think that the American people should know that,' he said. Stephen Boyd, an assistant attorney general, told Chairman Nunes last week that it would be 'extraordinarily reckless' for the committee to do so. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican who's read the memo, indicated on Meet the Press that it may be time for Trump to step in. 'Having read this memo, I think it would be appropriate that the public has full view of it,' he said. Democrats have repeatedly complained that the memo is an effort to undermine Muellers Russia investigation. For weeks, Republicans have called for the release of the memo, which they claimed would bolster GOP members claims of bias in the FBI. Under the rules, Trump now has five days to either review or turn down publication. However recently following repeated reports about it, Trump began agitating for the release of the memo. When traveling to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum last week, the president expressed frustration that his own Justice Department didn't want the memo released. Schiffs comments indicate that there has been yet another partisan breakdown on a panel that previously had a reputation for bipartisan cooperation. Schiff said the new standard for the panel seems to be: 'If its good for the president, then fine, regardless of its impact' on the FBI or other government agencies. He said the majority had no intention of having the document vetted before its release. The conclusion is pretty cooked, he said. He ran through a series of votes where the majority got rolled, including losing an effort to allow a separate minority-drafted memo to see the light of day. That Democratic-authored minority memo 'is more of a counter-argument for all the errors and inaccuracies in the majority memo, which at the end of the day is frankly one big propaganda piece,' Rep. Denny Heck, a Democrat from Washington, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee told CNN. Stephen Kinnock (Lab, Aberavon) was cross. He had done his usual thing of moaning about Brexit and a minister had responded by suggesting that Mr Kinnock was speaking eloquently on behalf of the EU. Point of order! exploded Mr Kinnock (son of former EU Commissioner Lord Kinnock and ex-MEP Lady Kinnock). Gaseous Speaker Bercow, who does so love a point of order, extended his left little pinkie, gathered the wings of his court-attendants gown and scrunched his eyebrows as though a dilemma of the rare gravity had arisen. Mr Kinnock, husband of a former Danish premier, simmered with fury. He complained that Brexit minister Robin Walker had chosen to impugn my motives and question my patriotism. He demanded an apology and a retraction. If they were made, well, well leave it at that. Stephen Kinnock, pictured with his wife and former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, accused minister Robin Walker of questioning his patriotism Quite what he intended to do to little Walker who has the manner of a trainee manager at one of the better London hotels if no retraction was forthcoming, we were not told. The husky Kinnock larynx imparted almost gangland menace to his utterance. Could young Robin find himself swimming with the fishes? Would the Walker lineages crown jewels be placed in a walnut cracker if he did not absolve Mr Kinnock of being an agent of the EU? A look of bland innocence fell across Mr Walkers chops. He said he had no earthly desire to impugn Mr Kinnocks motives but he did simply note that, in asking his earlier question, the gentleman had been reading from the EUs negotiating guidelines. Ha! Thats not an apology, thundered Mr Kinnock. Ill be in touch. Another MP, from the margins, warbled: Hes threatening him! Tempers, tempers. If our political class seems to be going nuts at the moment, it is because the next part of the Brexit departure negotiations is about to begin and hot-bods on both sides are trying to influence the opening positions. The pro-Euro loonies such as Anna Soubry (Con, Broxtowe) and Helen Goodman (Lab, Bishop Auckland) yesterday slagged off the pro-Brexit brigade there was reheating of stuff about how they were swivel-eyed etc and generally talked down Brexit. The anti-EU types, for their part, leaned hard on the Government to stop being so unutterably wet. Sir Edward Leigh (Con, Gainsborough) coined the acronym Bino Brexit In Name Only. He was not impressed by the idea. Anna Soubry (pictured) is a leading anti-Brexit voice in the Conservative party The session had opened with an urgent question from Brexiteer Sir Bill Cash (Con, Stone) of baffling length and complexity. Answer that! laughed a bystander. Miss Soubry yapped some rudery which was lost in the hubbub. Shed pick an argument with a scarecrow, that one. Fidgety. Fighty. Mr Walker listened to the old Bill with the patience of someone who has been on an anger management course (advanced diploma) and somehow managed to coo his appreciation for the question. Paul Blomfield, from the Labour front bench, claimed that the Government was ruptured by extreme infighting on its own benches. How unlike Labour! Stephen Gethins, for the SNP, said his party was the real Opposition on Brexit. Mr Walker said that if the SNP aspired to be the Opposition, it might help if more of its MPs turned up in the Commons. I could see only four present at that point. But heck, Theresa May would call that a majority. Miss Soubry, with her customary flair for peace and harmony, sneered that the Government should stand up against Tory Brexiteers there are only 35 of them. This drew barks of no there arent from pro-Brexit Michael Fabricant (Con, Lichfield). One of the little Scots Tory Europhiles, name of Masterson, had vacated his usual seat at the far end of the House and had gone to sit near La Soubry. I was expecting the Brexiteers to be noisier but they seemed rather calmer than the more swivel-eyed Europhiles. Meanwhile, Eurosceptic Peter Bone (Con, Wellingborough) counted that it was now just 424 days until we left the EU. They cannot pass fast enough. A Labour councillor has quit the party after almost 20 years with a furious attack on the direction it has taken under Jeremy Corbyns leadership. Nora Mulready, 35, was an activist in Haringey, north London, where the council could become the first to be taken over by hard-Left Momentum supporters. In a resignation letter posted online, Miss Mulready accused them of moral deterioration, exploitation and keeping people in positions of deprivation. Labour councillor Nora Mulready (pictured) has quit the party after 20 years and launched a furious attack on Jeremy Corbyn and Momentum She said they were trying to manufacture anger and hatred as fuel for their desired class war. The party she had joined in childhood had gone suffused with the hard Left at every possible level. She concluded: These politics are immoral, are destructive, cause great harm to the poorest, and great harm to society, and they now dominate the Labour party. Her departure illustrates the growing influence of the hard Left on the party as more moderate members are forced out. Haringey could become the first council in Britain to have a majority of Momentum members after local elections in May. Seventeen sitting Labour councillors have been replaced by candidates backed by the movement following a series of purges and resignations. About 21 sitting councillors already support Momentum, a grassroots alliance that grew out of Mr Corbyns leadership campaign. The organisation boasts 30,000-odd members, who style themselves as a sort of neo-Marxist praetorian guard of Labour activists. Earlier this month, Momentum took charge of Labours policy-making national executive committee. And it is reported to be plotting a national purge of moderate Labour MPs to wipe out the last vestiges of resistance to Mr Corbyns agenda. In her letter, Miss Mulready criticised the reluctance of many of the most senior members of the Labour Party to condemn human rights transgressions in Iran. She said: With the influence and influx of Stop The War ideologies, Labour has been dragged so deeply down the rabbit hole of anti-imperialist theories that they cannot condemn dictatorial, theocratic, repressive Iran in case it somehow strengthens, or implies support for, democratic, secular and free America. Miss Mulready criticised the direction of the party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership and said that were trying to manufacture a class war Miss Mulready also weighed into the dispute over a public-private sector partnership to redevelop council estates in Haringey. Last week, Labours ruling body voted to advise the council to halt the controversial scheme with developer Lendlease. Activists deselected several sitting Labour councillors who backed the so-called Haringey Development Vehicle to build 6,000 homes. Twenty-two councillors wrote to the national executive committee asking it to intervene. The body voted unanimously to ask the local authority to halt the plan unless there was successful mediation. Writing about the housing decision, Miss Mulready said: I have nothing nothing but contempt for these politics, which only achieve keeping the downtrodden, downtrodden. A Labour spokesman declined to comment last night. Piers Morgan has revealed the fascinating reason why Donald Trump had a piece of paper covering his glass of water during their recent interview. In an interesting insight into life as the president of the United States, Morgan explained that it was to prevent Trump from being poisoned when drinking water. Discussing the ITV interview where Trump and Morgan faced off, the Good Morning Britain presenter described the swarm of employees surrounding the president. Scroll down for videos. Piers Morgan has revealed the fascinating reason why Donald Trump had a piece of paper covering his glass of water during their recent interview He said: 'One woman who came in, working for the White House for years - she said she's here for the presidential water - it's my job to supply the water.' Dubbing it the 'new Watergate', Morgan continued and said the dark haired woman returned shortly after with a jug of water and carefully poured a glass for the Trump. 'She gets a glass and pours a glass of the presidential water in and then she produces a presidential seal napkin and a presidential seal cover - she then placed them [over the water].' Cheekily asking whether he too could have some presidential seals, Morgan added that he had been rebuffed and told they were only for the US leader. Quized on whether they were used because Trump is a renowned germophobe, Morgan elaborated: 'It happens for every president - it's all about the president protected. 'From germs that might incapacitate him - but predominantly from being poisoned.' In an interesting insight into life as the president of the United States, Morgan explained that it was to prevent Trump from being poisoned when drinking water Discussing the ITV interview where Trump and Morgan faced off, the Good Morning Britain presenter described the swarm of employees surrounding the president Viewers were intrigued by the President's drinking habits, with several pointing out that the renowned germaphobe had the white cover on his glass of water. A bemused Graeme Demianyk posted an image of the water with the caption : 'Trump's glass of water with paper cover #TrumpMorgan.' And another view wrote: 'He's covered the top of his water glass with the paper coaster thing. That is proper paranoid. Does he think Piers is going to lace his drink?' Viewers were intrigued by the President's drinking habits, with several pointing out that the renowned germaphobe had the white cover on his glass of water Morgan tweeted: 'Incredible response to #TrumpMorgan... love him or hate him - and there's no middle ground! - nobody in the world draws a bigger, more visceral reaction than Donald Trump' Usually mild-mannered Bake Off host Sue Perkins was rather more direct, firing off a x-rated tweet which read: 'I'd rather d***** with a hedgehog than listen to another second of this circle-w*** #TrumpMorgan.' In the wide-ranging interview, Mr Trump was also questioned over anger about the invitation extended to him by Prime Minister Theresa May on behalf of the Queen. Mr Trump said: 'I think I'm very popular in your country.' Morgan interjects: 'Let's not be too hasty Mr President.' Mr Trump went on: 'I know but I believe that, I really do. I get so much fan mail from people in your country. 'They love my sense of security, they love what I'm saying about many different things. 'We get tremendous support from people in the UK.' Asked about opposition to his state visit by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Mr Trump is quick to say 'I don't know the man'. As for calls to ban him from visiting the country, he added: 'Well, that's their problem - I could very nicely stay home.' Mr Trump claimed Mrs May invited him to the UK twice this year during their meeting at the Swiss ski resort. Downing Street did not confirm the Mail on Sunday's claim that an informal visit in July would be followed by a state visit in October. A Number 10 source said: 'An invitation has been extended and accepted, and details will be set out in due course.' Police hunting for the Night Watcher have been denied access to DNA databases held by the Ministry of Defence. Detectives believe the burglar has a military background and would have given a genetic sample to help identification in case of his death in combat. They have some suspect DNA they want to test but defence chiefs insist on further evidence before opening up their highly sensitive database. It is understood one defence official told investigators their request was a fishing trip and a genuine link needed to be shown first. Detectives believe the burglar (pictured in a CCTV image from Maidenhead) has a military background and would have given a genetic sample to help identification in case of his death in combat If the professional burglar was a policeman or had been convicted of a crime his profile would have been flagged up. Police officers must hand over their genetic profile as part of recruitment checks and so that they can be ruled out of investigations. Det Insp James Derham of Kent Police said: Police hand over their DNA in case of cross contamination at the scene. The military database is held for other reasons and they are not willing to hand that data over for criminal investigations. It is understood that servicemen and women hand over a DNA sample before joining tours in dangerous territories and war zones. This map shows the seven burglaries across the Home Counties that have been linked to the Night Watcher However, it is unclear how many identities are held in total or how long the profile is kept. Defence officials fear that granting access to the police would breach data protection laws. Police do have access to Ministry of Defence police records as part of everyday data sharing agreements, but these are limited. An MoD spokesman said: We are working with the police in their investigation. We are unable to share DNA taken from personnel before they are deployed on military operations as it is restricted under data protection. If service personnel are convicted of a crime or are under suspicion, DNA records are shared with the police. The tickets for President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address on Tuesday had to be reprinted after a typo. Photos of the spelling error, which said 'State of the Uniom' instead of 'State of the Union', were shared on Twitter. The tickets, which are issued by the Office of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper, are provided for spouses and guests of members of Congress and give access to seats in the gallery. Scroll down for video The tickets for President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address on Tuesday had to be reprinted after a typo in which 'State of the Uniom' was printed accidentally (above) Trump (pictured, Monday) is scheduled to deliver the address to Congress on Tuesday at 9pm EST. He is expected to address a number of issues, including infrastructure, trade and the ongoing immigration stalemate While it is unclear how many of the tickets printed had typos, all affected tickets have been reprinted and are in the process of being redistributed, a source in the Sergeant at Arms office told CNN. A spokesman for the House Sergeant in Arms office told The Hill that the typo was not impacting the distribution of the tickets. Several in Congress took the opportunity to make fun of the comical error. Rep Raul Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona, tweeted a picture of the ticket with an insult aimed at Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. 'Just received my ticket for the State of the Union. Looks like @BetsyDeVosEd was in charge of spell checking #SOTUniom,' he tweeted. And he was not the only congressman to take aim. While it is unclear how many of the tickets printed had typos, all affected tickets have been reprinted and are in the process of being redistributed, a source in the Sergeant at Arms office told CNN A spokesman for the House Sergeant in Arms office told The Hill that the typo was not impacting the distribution of the tickets Several in Congress took the opportunity to make fun of the comical error including Rep Raul Grijalva, Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi and GOP Senator Marco Rubio (above) GOP Senator Marco Rubio wrote: 'Looking forward to tomorrows State of the Uniom.' And Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois, joked: 'This will be the last year I go to a scalper for tickets to the "State of the Uniom". #SOTU.' The president is scheduled to deliver the address to Congress on Tuesday at 9pm EST. Trump is expected to address a number of issues, including infrastructure, trade and the ongoing immigration stalemate. Outspoken former senator Jacqui Lambie claimed she was always more popular with male voters because 'all women are b**ches'. The former Tasmanian senator made the controversial statement on Tonightly with Tom Ballard on Monday. Ballard asked Ms Lambie why she was polling better with men than women, to which she said 'women don't like me, they're b**ches'. Scroll down for video Ballard asked Ms Lambie why she was polling better with men than women, to which she said 'women don't like me, they're b**ches' Her comments shocked Ballard, with the ABC host prompting her for a serious answer. The former senator continued to push the boundary, suggesting she would get more votes if she was cast as the new 'Bachelorette' on Channel Ten's dating show. 'Well, give me that Bachelorette and we'll be polling a hell of a lot better I tell you,' Ms Lambie said. Ballard urged Ms Lambie to turn her attention from her 'loins' to the votes and said she surely couldn't be serious when she called all women 'b**ches'. 'Mate, we're all bi**ches, and I'm one of the biggest one, I would know, I'm the queen bee,' she said. The interview was one of Ms Lambie's first since she was forced to resign from the Senate amidst a dual-citizenship saga that gripped parliament. 'Mate, we're all bi**ches, and I'm one of the biggest one, I would know, I'm the queen bee,' Ms Lambie said Ms Lambie's comments shocked Ballard (together), with the ABC host prompting her for a serious answer Three months after her resignation, Ms Lambie said she focused her attention on securing seats for running candidates in the upcoming state election. Ms Lambie said Tasmania's education system needed urgent attention, and the state's health system was a 'clusterf***'. Ms Lambie also called for the abolition of section 44 of the constitution, which saw seven parliamentarians referred to the High court for having dual-citizenship in 2017. Several resignations followed, including former senator Lambie's in November. Several resignations followed, including former senator Lambie's in November Section 44 disqualifies anyone who has any allegiance to a foreign power including any Australian who holds dual citizenship. Speaking on Monday night, Ms Lambie said there was far too much red tape preventing the best candidates from running for government. Ms Lambie said out-dated rules cut down the 'gene pool' which she claimed was already 'f*****'. Advertisement A group of renowned artists and photographers have teamed up to help empower young survivors of human trafficking who are often sold off in places like Ghana for as little as $20. New York based anti-trafficking organization Beauty for Freedom is set to host an upcoming exhibition that will raise awareness of the victims' plight and funds for the rescue of more survivors in Ghana. It will feature 15 renowned artists who have worked with the young survivors that are part of the Ghanaian anti-trafficking organization, Challenging Heights. Photographer Erica Simone traveled to Ghana last year to host workshops with some of the locals and teach them how to use cameras for the first time. Some of the images have been incorporated into an exhibition in New York for anti-trafficking organization Beauty for Freedom Beauty for Freedom is set to host an upcoming exhibition that will raise awareness of the victims' plight and funds for the rescue of more survivors in Ghana. Above is a photo Erica Simone took while in Ghana last year MANHATTAN DJ NIGHT FUNDRAISER Beauty for Freedom will team up with Manhattan-based music event Tongue In Cheek for a DJ party on February 2nd to raise money and awareness. The three British born New Yorkers, Oli Evans, James Yates and Paul Hamilton, behind Tongue In Cheek, believe in creating events of uplifting positivity with freedom of expression and diverse inclusivity. 'Beauty For Freedom is an embodiment of this concept of communal awareness and giving back', said James Yates. Advertisement Among those artists is Franco-American photographer Erica Simone who traveled to Ghana last year to host workshops with some of the locals and teach them how to use cameras for the first time. 'Watching kids take photographs for their first time ever is a very gratifying experience. Seeing how some can get so lost in thought over composition, proud to show me a reflection they captured in a puddle of water or a silly face their friend made - it's as if I get to relive my first moments with a camera again,' Simone said. 'When I asked 'my kids' what they enjoyed most about taking photographs, many replied as I would, that they enjoyed interacting with people and connecting with their community... some things are simply universal.' Some of the photos and others that Simone took will feature in the exhibition in New York later this week. The 15-piece, mixed-media exhibition will feature art collaborations using the Challenging Heights youth's photography re-interpreted and re-imagined by the artists. The exhibition will feature 15 renowned artists who have worked with the young survivors that are part of the Ghanaian anti-trafficking organization, Challenging Heights Erica Simone said of her experience in Ghana: 'Watching kids take photographs for their first time ever is a very gratifying experience' Some of the photos will feature as collaborations in the exhibition in New York later this week The 15-piece, mixed-media exhibition will feature art collaborations using the Challenging Heights youth's photography re-interpreted and re-imagined by the artists The goal of the exhibit is to empower the young survivors of trafficking as artists and creatives The goal of the exhibit is to empower the young survivors of trafficking as artists and creatives while raising funds for the rescue, recovery, education and reintegration of more survivors in Ghana. Joining Simone is Nick Walker, Ydania Lopez, Mark Wagner, Laura, Anne Brooks, Jose Castillo, Alfredo Martinez, Michael Raeuschl, Zephy, Travis McCann, Jerry Chu, and Sophie Bartsich. One hundred percent of the proceeds of the artwork sold will benefit the rescue and recovery programming for Challenging Heights and Beauty for Freedom's travel-abroad arts therapy programming. For details on the exhibition on February 2, visit: beautyforfreedom.org. The exhibition will also raise funds for the rescue, recovery, education and reintegration of more survivors in Ghana Joining Simone is Nick Walker, Ydania Lopez, Mark Wagner, Laura, Anne Brooks, Jose Castillo, Alfredo Martinez, Michael Raeuschl, Zephy, Travis McCann, Jerry Chu, and Sophie Bartsich One hundred percent of the proceeds of the artwork sold will benefit the rescue and recovery programming for Challenging Heights and Beauty for Freedom's travel-abroad arts therapy programming Challenging Heights is a local, survivor-led organization working to end child trafficking, reduce child slavery and promote childrens rights in Ghana The exhibition will be curated by Monica Watkins, Daria Borisova, Jerry Chu and Anne Verhallen Ghana. Founded in 2005 by James Kofi Annan, a survivor of child traffick- ing, Challenging Heights rescues, rehabilitates and reintegrated children who were trafficked into the fish- ing industry on Lake Volta Millions of prescription-only drugs are being siphoned off from chemists and wholesalers to be sold illegally at a huge mark-up Millions of prescription-only drugs are being siphoned off from chemists and wholesalers to be sold illegally at a huge mark-up. Criminals have sold the treatments for up to 200million on the online black market, say regulators. Drugs such as painkillers and Valium, costing around 1 wholesale, are being sold for 30 to 40 by criminals. In the scam, wholesalers and pharmacists are bribed or tricked out of the medications which are usually for anxiety and insomnia. Tens of millions of the drugs have been smuggled out of the supply chain. Just one operation is understood to have seized more than two million tablets. Since January 2014, criminality involving about 80 firms and pharmacies plus 54.5million tablets has been uncovered by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency. Alastair Jeffrey, head of enforcement at the MHRA, told an investigation by BBC Radios File on 4 programme: They have a sales team, a distribution team. This is a huge business and theres a massive criminal profit to be made. A typical example would be a wholesaler dealer or a pharmacist ordering vast amounts of these particular types of medicines on behalf of the criminal who would sell them on the internet. We have responsibility for regulating the supply chain and it is our priority to make sure that supply chain is secure. Criminals have sold the treatments for up to 200million on the online black market, say regulators. In the scam, wholesalers and pharmacists are bribed or tricked out of the medications which are usually for anxiety and insomnia (stock image) Criminals typically obtained a genuine Wholesaler Dealers Agreement or faked one, then requested an account for medication by email. They paid in advance in cash then picked up the drugs from the premises. In other cases, pharmacists were bribed to order drugs or offered over the wholesale cost to sell them to offenders, according to File on 4: A Deadly Prescription aired at 8pm tonight. In 2017, the MHRA expanded its operations to 19 active inquiries and it has made 40-plus arrests. It said the scam has not affected legitimate supplies to the public. A mystery object has washed up on a New South Wales beach baffling locals. The unidentified object has been described as two pieces of three-metre long PVC piping. The piping is wrapped in black plastic and a fishing net, the Northern Star reported. It has a clear plastic dome with the slightly faded words Falcon written in black A mystery object has washed up on a New South Wales beach baffling locals It has a clear plastic dome with the slightly faded words Falcon written in black. Evans Head man Ken Miles stumbled across the weird object at Airforce Beach on Monday morning. 'Inside (the dome) it looks very mechanical but it's not attached to the initial pipes,' Mr Miles said. 'I lifted one end, the PVC is quite light, it would float like crazy.' After speaking to a fishing expert, Mr Miles may have found an answer. 'It's apparently an FAD or a fish aggregating device,' Mr Miles told 7 News. FAD's are used to attract seafood. They are usually tethered to the ocean floor with weights. The unidentified object has been described as two pieces of three-metre long PVC piping Mexico and the US are looking into whether armed US federal air marshals could be deployed on commercial cross-border flights. According to a Mexican document seen by Reuters, officials from both countries agreed to 'study the convenience of negotiating an agreement for the deployment of Federal Air Marshals on commercial flights' in a meeting on January 18 at the Mexican foreign ministry. Mexican officials are hoping that improving cooperation with the US on security, immigration, and foreign policy might convince President Donald Trump to take a softer stance on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Mexico and the US are looking into whether armed US federal air marshals (pictured, September 2008) could be deployed on commercial cross-border flights Mexican officials are hoping that improving cooperation with the US on security, immigration, and foreign policy might convince President Donald Trump to take a softer stance on NAFTA (Pictured, an Aeromexico plane in Mexico City, January 2018) In 2003, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the US, Mexico agreed to place Mexican security agents on certain flights, but said it would never allow US officials on board its commercial airlines, let alone armed. A Mexican official with knowledge of the plan said the hardest part of the negotiations would center on allowing US officials to carry arms, given that the use of weapons by foreigners in Mexico is sensitive and tightly regulated. US Federal Air Marshal Service spokesman Thomas Kelly declined to answer questions on the proposed agreement, but said air marshals 'are armed Federal Law Enforcement Officers with the mission of in-flight protection of US-flagged aircraft, crew members and passengers.' The US Department of Homeland Security places sharp-shooters on domestic and international commercial flights to and from the US to prevent militant attacks. A Mexican official said it was still to be decided if the air marshals would fly on just US-bound flights, Mexico-bound flights, or both and if they would be traveling on US-owned airlines or also Mexican carriers (Pictured, an Aeromexico plane lands in Mexico City, January 2018) A Mexican official with knowledge of the plan said the hardest part of the negotiations would center on allowing US air marshals (pictured) to carry arms, given that the use of weapons by foreigners in Mexico is sensitive and tightly regulated The Mexican official said it was still to be decided if the air marshals would fly on just US-bound flights, Mexico-bound flights, or both. There is no set date for when the agreement might be struck, or come into effect, the official said. It was not immediately clear if the marshals would travel solely on US-owned airlines or also on Mexican carriers. The document also showed that the two agreed to several other security measures to tackle 'transnational criminal organizations' and 'to map their business models in both countries and design a joint operational strategy to combat them'. The document also showed that the two agreed to several other security measures to tackle 'transnational criminal organizations' (Pictured, an Aeromexico plane passes over Mexico City, January 2018) Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said in September that he views cooperation with the US as the best way to achieve Mexico's foreign policy aims (Pictured, a gun-wielding air marshal during a simulated hijacking) Mexico, Canada and the US are currently in the midst of fraught negotiations to reshape NAFTA, a lynchpin of the Mexican economy that Trump has threatened to abandon. Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said in September that he views cooperation with the US as the best way to achieve Mexico's foreign policy aims. Mexico bolstered anti-narcotics collaboration last year as US concern mounted over heroin-related deaths, inviting US officials to inspect the army's opium poppy eradication efforts. Mexico has also hewed closer to the US on sensitive foreign policy issues including Venezuela, North Korea, Israel and Honduras. The son of Chinese businessman and political donor Huang Xiangmo has been revealed as the mystery buyer of a billion-dollar Sydney Harbour apartment project. China's biggest property developer, Wanda, informed the stock market in Hong Kong it had sold One Circular Quay, which is under construction, and the Jewel project on Queensland's Gold Coast. The two projects, which were once valued at $1 billion each, sold for a combined price of $312 million in cash and $807.1 million in debt repayment, Fairfax Media has reported. Wanda had been planning to develop a luxury hotel, 186 apartments and space for retail on the Circular Quay site. Scroll down for video An artist's impression of One Circular Quay, bought by the son of a Chinese billionaire Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo with Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister, Julie Bishop The site of the proposed One Circular Quay apartment development at 1 Alfred Street Wanda's announcement stated the purchaser was AWH Investment Group, of which Mr Huang ceased to be a shareholder two weeks ago. The billionaire's 23-year-old son Huang Jiquan, who lives at Mosman on Sydney's lower north shore, replaced his father on the share register as a director of AWH. Fairfax reported the private company shared a North Sydney address with property developer Huang Xiangmo's company, Yuhu Group. AWH was formed late last year as Wanda, which has been under pressure from the Chinese Government to reduce its foreign debts, was searching for a buyer for its Australian assets. A week after AWH was registered as a company Huang Xiangmo stood down as president of the Australian Council for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China. While the council had been accused of lobbying on behalf of the Chinese government, Mr Huang said he wanted to concentrate on his extensive businesses. Billionaire businessman Huang Xiangmo (seated left) with former premier Mike Baird (right) Former senator Sam Dastyari received donations from Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo Labor senator Sam Dastyari, who received political donations from Mr Huang and made comments supporting China's stance in the South China Sea against his party's position, resigned from federal Parliament. Mr Dastyari had also been accused of warning Mr Huang his phone might be tapped during a meeting at the businessman's Mosman mansion in October 2016. The senator insisted he never received or passed on classified security information to Mr Huang, who has links to China's Communist Party. Another director of AWH is listed as Xiaozhi Luo, 31, also of Mosman. A person by that name was the signatory on a $10,000 donation made to the Liberal Party in 2016 by another of Mr Huang's companies. Diane Keaton has expressed her support for Woody Allen, despite his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow's allegations that he molested her as a child. 'Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him. It might be of interest to take a look at the 60 Minute interview from 1992 and see what you think,' Keaton tweeted on Monday. The actress was referring to a 60 Minutes interview in 1992 when Allen publicly denied the allegations that he inappropriately touched Dylan, who was seven years old at the time. That particular interview occured during a bitter custody battle between Allen and his ex-partner Mia Farrow. Scroll down for video Diane Keaton (pictured with Woody Allen in June 2017) has expressed her continued support for Woody Allen, despite his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow's allegations that he molested her as a child 'Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him,' Keaton tweeted on Monday The actress was referring to a 60 Minutes interview in 1992 when Allen publicly denied the allegations that he inappropriately touched Dylan, who was seven years old at the time. Keaton is pictured with Allen on the 1977 drama/romance Annie Hall Allen and Keaton have remained close friends and collaborated throughout the years. They are pictured together on the set of comedy film Sleeper in 1973 Allen and Keaton have remained close friends and collaborated throughout the years, most famously on the 1977 drama/romance Annie Hall. Last year, Allen made a special appearance at the 45th Annual AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony in June to honor his longtime friend Keaton. 'The minute I met her, she was a great, great inspiration to me,' Allen said during his introduction of Keaton at the event. 'Much of what I've accomplished in my life I owe, for sure, to her. Seeing life through her eyes. She really is astonishing. This is a woman who is great at everything she does.' And Keaton isn't the only star who is supporting Allen. Alec Baldwin has also continued his defense of the embattled director. And Keaton isn't the only star who is supporting Allen. Alec Baldwin has also continued his defense of the embattled director. Baldwin (carrying daughter Carmen, Sunday) first defended Allen last Tuesday and again on Sunday Baldwin previously, the actor had called Farrow's allegations 'unfair and sad' but, on Sunday, he took his comments a step further and compared Farrow to Mayella Ewell, the character in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, who falsely accuses an African American man of rape. Previously, the actor had called Farrow's allegations 'unfair and sad' but, on Sunday, he took his comments a step further and compared Farrow to Mayella Ewell, the character in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, who falsely accuses an African American man of rape. '[One] of the most effective things Dylan Farrow has in her arsenal is the "persistence of emotion," Baldwin tweeted. 'Like Mayella in ['To Kill a Mockingbird'], her tears/exhortations [are] meant [to] shame u [into] belief in her story. But I need more than that before I destroy [someone], regardless of their fame. I need a lot more,' Baldwin added. On Sunday, it was also reported that Allen's new film Rainy Day in New York may not even make it to the big screen, as stars start distancing themselves from the director and Amazon tosses up whether to end their relationship. It comes after Dylan gave her first TV interview this month insisting that she was telling the truth about being molested by him when she was just seven years old. Farrow, now 32, first publicly accused him of abuse in 2014 but brought the claims to light once again this year when the #MeToo movement was thrust into the spotlight. Now, there are reports that Hollywood could be turning their back on the director as a result of the widespread movement. The New York Times reports that Amazon is seriously considering ending its relationship with Allen ahead of the release of his upcoming movie Rainy Day in New York. Amazon financed the film but ending the relationship could leave the film without distribution, sources said. An Amazon spokesperson wouldn't comment, saying there was no release date yet for the film. It comes after Allen's adopted daughter Dylan Farrow (left) gave her first TV interview this month saying she was telling the truth about being molested by him when she was seven Allen has repeatedly denied the abuse claims made by Farrow and he was never charged Dylan has publicly called out actors for working with or supporting Allen in the past. Some stars associated with Rainy Day, including Timothee Chalamet, Selena Gomez and Rebecca Hall, have reportedly said they will donate their salaries from the movie to the Time's Up sex harassment campaign or other charities. Allen, who has repeatedly denied the abuse claims made by Farrow, said she was was 'cynically' aligning herself with Time's Up movement. The director's sister and producer, Letty Armstrong, suggested Farrow was capitalizing on the movement. Farrow hit back, telling the Times: 'If Woody Allen and his surrogates' response to this is that I'm capitalizing on a moment in which it is in vogue to carefully look at the facts, rather than rely on thin defenses from powerful men without question - a moment in which the truth is in fashion - I'd say they're right.' Woody Allen's new film Rainy Day in New York may not even make it to the big screen. Timothee Chalamet (above on set), one of the stars of the upcoming film, has already said he will donate his salary to charity Farrow has publicly called out actors for working with or supporting Allen in the past Allen was never charged in relation to the allegations and has long denied them. But Hollywood stars are continuing to distance themselves from the director. Colin Firth was the latest to refuse to ever work with Allen again in light of the sex abuse claims made by Farrow. Firth starred in Allen's 2014 film Magic in the Moonlight, shot before Farrow detailed the alleged abuse for the first time in her own words in an open letter published on a New York Times blog in 2014. However he recently told the Guardian newspaper: 'I wouldn't work with him again.' In recent weeks, actresses including Greta Gerwig, Rebecca Hall, Ellen Page and Mira Sorvino, have announced they regret working with Allen. Oscar-winner Natalie Portman also told Oprah Winfrey in a televised interview with other actresses that she believed Farrow. Stephen Walker, 38, of Pennsylvania told police that he was caught in the act with another man in the back of his box truck by the man's ex-boyfriend when he crashed his car A truck driver from Delaware who was arrested at JFK Airport on Saturday for crashing his vehicle while leaving a scene was 'having sex' and high on crystal meth. Stephen Walker, 38, of Pennsylvania was said to have told police that he was caught in the act with another man in the back of his box truck by the man's ex-boyfriend. The Newark, Delaware, man was startled and crashed his four-dour sedan, sources told the New York Post. 'I crashed because we were having sex,' Walker was said to have admitted. Prosecutors say the man added: 'Yes, I was driving the truck. We did crystal meth.' Walker wasn't wearing any pants when he was taken into custody. He was found hiding in a horse stable at JFK's animal-screening facility. The man was in New York dropping off freight and lives with his brother back in Delaware, according to prosecutors. Walker was arraigned Sunday on attempted grand larceny, reckless endangerment, impaired driving and other charges. The Newark, Delaware, man was startled and crashed his four-dour sedan (pictured here) He was given a bail to be held on $5,000. Prosecutors described him as a truck driver from Newark, Delaware, where he lives with his brother. 'Drugs and alcohol makes me more awake,' Walker allegedly explained to cops. It is unknown if Walker's lover or the jealous ex were spoken with during the ordeal. Neither were arrested during the altercation. A man in Indiana was perplex and reasonably apprehensive when he received a Facebook message over the holiday's from his Filipino half-sister. Jane DeGrand grew up in Manila, Philippines and was raised by a single mother. Her father was an American who fell in love with her mom in the early 70s while serving in the Air Force. And after taking an online DNA test, she found that she has a half-brother living in Indiana - Chris Livesay. Their father John Livesay lived in Crawfordsville for most of his life, but spent a few years in the late 60s and early 70s in the Philippines while serving in the Air Force. Jane DeGrand grew up in Manila, Philippines and was raised by a single mother. And after taking an online DNA test, she found that she has a half-brother living in Indiana - Chris Livesay Their father John Livesay lived in Crawfordsville for most of his life, but spent a few years in the late 60s and early 70s in the Philippines while serving in the Air Force She decided to message Chris in December after getting her dad's name from her mom and finding a likely match to the Livesay family tree from Ancestry DNA A photo shows their dad sitting in the grass with Jane's mom, who is feeding him fresh coconut He met Jane's mom there, but never knew he had a daughter on the way. 'Apparently my mom didn't know she was pregnant until she was already five months pregnant,' Jane told Fox 8. She said growing up the first thing people would ask when meeting her is who her dad was. 'Who's your dad because I look different than any other Filipino - I stick out in the Philippines,' Jane said. She attended college in the United States and now lives in Washington, DC. She decided to message Chris in December after getting her dad's name from her mom and finding a likely match to the Livesay family tree from Ancestry DNA. Chris explained that after seeing Jane's birthday on her Facebook profile he realized that they could be connected - but was nonetheless apprehensive. Chris and Jane were able to visit their father's burial site in Indiana together, marking the first time the three were ever in the same place Ancestry DNA couldn't give a 100 percent confirmation that the pair were related - so they took an official DNA test that cleared any doubt. She is pictured in a Facebook photo left, and right with Chris Livesay and his mother But then, he remembered that his dad had slides from his time stationed in the Philippines. 'That's when he brought up, "My dad has these slides" that he knew he had from the military,' Jane told the outlet. One of the pictures is of Jane's mom and their dad - in which they're lying sitting in the grass together. 'I was like well that's my mom - and that's my mom feeding your dad coconuts,' Jane explained. Jane is pictured with the extended Livesay famliy after visiting Chris at his home in Indiana Ancestry DNA couldn't give a 100 percent confirmation that the pair were related - so they took an official DNA test that cleared any doubt. 'It kind of validated me as having a father. He did exist,' Jane said. 'Even thought he didn't know I existed, I know he actually existed and he is real.' Jane eventually visited Chris and his family at their home in Indiana in January - and the pair were even able to visit their father's burial site. She told Fox 8 that instead of spending her long-weekends in Virginia Beach, she plans on spending the time in Indiana getting to know John and his family. British jihadis who went to fight for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq could now be on the battlefield in Afghanistan after travelling through porous borders, ministers fear. Foreign Office minister Mark Field said yesterday that there was a risk that some of the hundreds of UK nationals who went to the Middle East could now have joined ISs branch carrying out deadly attacks in Kabul. Speaking in the Commons, he was also questioned about the Governments policy on Afghan interpreters, many of whom have been abandoned in the war-ravaged nation despite helping the British Army. British jihadis who went to fight for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq could now be on the battlefield in Afghanistan after travelling through porous borders, ministers fear. Pictured is the huge car bomb which killed dozens at the weekend A member of Afghan security personnel arrives at the site of an attack at a military academy in Kabul, Afghanistan today He said it was right that interpreters who risked their lives for UK troops should be properly protected, adding that he would be very disturbed if that were not the case. But the Daily Mails Betrayal of the Brave campaign has shown that hundreds of interpreters have been denied sanctuary in Britain even though they are at risk from Taliban reprisals. In recent days, we have revealed a string of scandals over the Governments policy on the issue. Labour MP John Woodcock asked Mr Field what the Governments estimate was for the number of British citizens who had transferred to Afghanistan to fight for IS. Mr Field responded: Clearly, there is a concern that the porous borders on all sides of Afghanistan are open to those from Daesh, or so called Islamic State, and obviously there, therefore, is the risk that some of the many hundreds of UK nationals who have been fighting in Syria and Iraq may find their way to Afghanistan. Mr Woodcock said: The Afghan conflict has been going on for more than a decade so the ministers admission will heighten fears that British jihadis will get even more trained and battle hardened before finding their way back to the UK to commit acts of terror. Though Daesh is being driven out of Iraq and Syria, its operatives are still at large and its twisted ideology still has the capacity to corrupt and brainwash people back in the UK. Foreign Office minister Mark Field (left), when questioned by Labour MP John Woodcock (right), said yesterday that there was a risk that some of the hundreds of UK nationals who went to the Middle East could now have joined ISs branch carrying out deadly attacks in Kabul Mr Fields comments came after IS militants attacked Afghan soldiers guarding a military academy in the capital Kabul yesterday, killing at least 11 and wounding 16. The attack was the latest in a wave of relentless violence in Kabul this month unleashed by the Taliban and the rival IS group, which has killed hundreds. MPs heard that 2017 was a record year for civilian casualties in Afghanistan, where Britain still has hundreds of troops stationed. Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry asked if ministers planned on relocating more former interpreters to the UK given the rapid deterioration of the security position in the country. Mr Field said he would be very disturbed if the interpreters were not being looked after, but could not comment on individual cases. Theresa May is facing a devastating Tory donor revolt amid mounting unrest over her 'timid' leadership. More than a dozen of the party's biggest financial backers demanded her resignation at a fundraiser last week, according to one businessman in attendance. The latest blow comes after a torrid few days for the Prime Minister, with jibes at her lack of a Brexit vision, 'timid' policies and bungled reshuffle. But there was a glimmer of light for Mrs May today as a poll found 69 per cent of Tory voters want her to stay to finalise a deal with the EU. An event last Thursday saw a quarter of the 50 party financial bakers present demanding the resignation of Theresa May (pictured in Downing Street yesterday) The PM - who held a Cabinet meeting this morning - will he hoping she can turn it round with a successful trip to China over the coming days. Last week's fundraising dinner proved a hotbed for discontent, according to The Times, who reported an attendee as saying: 'Among even the most loyal middle-ranking donors there is utter despair. 'Dominic Johnson [a Tory party treasurer] stands up and says: "I love Theresa May, who could possibly want to replace her?" What he didn't expect was about a quarter of the room to say "yes [we do]". This was a room of very, very traditional donors.' Repeated reports of vicious infighting in the previous week prompted Tory loyalists to rally around Mrs May yesterday and warn infighting would hand power to Jeremy Corbyn. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, a leading Brexiteer, urged Cabinet ministers to calm down and stick to what Mrs May says on Brexit. Theresa May held a Cabinet meeting this morning, with Michael Gove (left) and Liam Fox (right) among those attending Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, pictured heading out of No10 today, could also be a leadership contender if Theresa May is ousted from the top job Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley, pictured heading to Cabinet this morning amid ongoing speculation the PM could face a leadership challenge He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: My view is leaving is the right thing to do and we will benefit from it in due course. 'I have a very simple message for my colleagues, generally: people should just calm down. The reality is this was always going to be bumpy. 'I think the best message I might send to Liam Fox and others is that, actually, if Cabinet ministers said a little less and speculated a little less about where they were, and stuck to what Theresa May has said, we might not have all of these disagreements.' The Prime Minister is facing attacks from all sides of the Tory factional war, with Brexiteers insisting she is not being tough on the EU and Remainers warning the Government is letting down the country. One source close to the European Research Group (ERG) of Brexit-supporting backbench Tory MPs put her chances of survival at '50-50'. But research by YouGov for political consultants WPI found 69 per cent of Tory voters wanted the PM to hang on. Culture Secretary Matt Hancock (right) and Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt were also at Cabinet today That was against just 18 per cent who wanted her to stand down and let someone else take over. Among the public as a whole 41 per cent wanted Mrs May to stay, while 34 per cent said she should go now, and a fifth were unsure. Underlining the lack of alternatives, the poll found Boris Johnson as leader would make 11 per cent of people more likely to vote Tory - but would turn off 20 per cent. David Davis, Amber Rudd and Amber Rudd were also net negatives for the party's ratings. Culture Secretary Matt Hancock called for calm yesterday, warning his colleagues to 'pull together and pull behind the Prime Minister'. And senior backbencher Charles Walker said that anyone thinking the PM might be pressured into naming a date for her departure should 'sit in a darkened room and put a cold towel over their heads'. Sacked Cabinet ministers Nicky Morgan and Justine Greening led criticism of Mrs May yesterday, warning she should have resigned as PM in the aftermath of the election disaster last year. But Mr Hancock told the World at One programme: 'I think we should all pull together and pull behind the Prime Minister. 'There are challenges facing the country that we need to rise to together, there's also some huge opportunities that we need to take advantage of. 'The biggest risk to our country would be a socialist government that would send us backwards and would undermine all of the work that we have done to get the economy going - with a record number of jobs - and in a whole host of areas where we have made progress.' The new criticism came after former party chairman Grant Shapps demanded Mrs May set a date for her departure in a furious attack yesterday. The public rows come amid rife rumours that Brexiteers are close to forcing a new leadership contest on Mrs May by sending letters to the powerful 1922 committee. Senior backbencher Charles Walker said that anyone thinking the PM should name a date for her departure should 'sit in a darkened room and put a cold towel over their heads'. The spat has intensified as negotiations reach a critical point - with the UK and EU laying their cards on the table about the kind of relationship they want to see. Mrs May gathered her Brexit 'war Cabinet' yesterday morning to try to hammer out an agreed position. But there is still a huge battle going on about how close the UK's economy should be to the EU after we formally leave. In a sign of the weakness of her position, Downing Street confirmed yesterday that Mrs May will make a limited speech focused on security cooperation in Munich next month - rather than setting out a new vision of Brexit as had been expected. In a blog for the ConservativeHome website, Mrs Morgan - now chair of the Commons Treasury committee - wrote: 'There were times last year for the Prime Minister to step aside immediately after the June 2017 election, or after Party Conference. 'That didn't happen. Maybe the Cabinet should have asked her to go, but they didn't.' 'We are now into a critical nine months for the future of the country, so the Cabinet need to get a grip by acting collectively to shape Brexit and agree an ideal end-state based in reality, on what Parliament will approve eventually and then stick to it.' Ex-minister Nicky Morgan (file picture) said Mrs May should have been kicked out of No10 last year - and urged ministers to take matters into their own hands by driving forward policy while Justine Greening (right) said the PM had an 'impossible' task Miss Greening, seen as a Remainer, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I remain a strong backer of the Prime Minister. 'I've been very disappointed to see the soundings off. I think they need to stop and I think people need to get behind her. 'I think she is doing an important job for our country. We need to support her in that impossible, almost, task that she has negotiating Brexit.' Trade Secretary Liam Fox, a Brexiteer, also attempted to shore up Mrs May's position. Responding to claims the government is being too timid, he pointed out that it only had a majority in parliament with support from the DUP. In a message to Eurosceptics, he told Bloomberg: 'They would be foolish to do anything to destabilise the government and the prime minister. Nothing will change the electoral arithmetic.' He added: 'Ultimately we have to get an agreement that will please different wings of the Conservative Party but most importantly that is good for the country.' One backbencher told The Guardian: 'She's as vulnerable as she's ever been. She's got to make a decision.' Tory MP Johnny Mercer told a panel discussion in London this morning: 'How long has the PM got? 'I am of the view any sort of change of leadership is not helpful at the moment and I don't support that but I do think the window is closing because politics can be quite a brutal game.' Ex-minister John Whittingdale said there should be no leadership election now, but admitted there were 'issues of leadership' that should be dealt with after a Brexit deal is done. Charles Walker, vice chair of the Tory backbench 1922 committee, dismissed rumours that the number of MPs who had sent letters calling for Mrs May to resign was approaching 48 - enough to trigger a formal leadership contest. He told BBC Radio 4's World at One that committee chairman Sir Graham Brady never disclosed such information. 'Nobody knows but Sir Graham Brady and if you asked him he wouldn't tell you,' he said. Heidi Allen declared that infighting was letting the country down and called on the PM to 'get a grip'. Responding to rumours that civil servants are preparing concessions on trade, a senior pro-Brexit Tory said: 'It comes back to the fact that no one knows what the prime minister really thinks everyone's projecting their worst fears on to her.' Boris Johnson narrowly avoided a blunder as he left Downing Street yesterday - with the top of a document marked 'official: sensitive' poking out of his folder David Lidington (left) and David Davis were seen arriving at Downing Street yesterday as the PM held a meeting of her Brexit 'war Cabinet' Trade Secretary Liam Fox, a Brexiteer, also attempted to shore up Mrs May's position. He is pictured outside No10 yesterday It comes as Tory Party chairman Grant Shapps said that unless the Prime Minister announces a timetable for the end of her 'uninspiring' leadership, she could soon face a vote of no confidence. His powerful intervention came as the party is convulsed by plots, feuds and increasingly outspoken criticism of Mrs May by Tory MPs dismayed by her botched reshuffle. The febrile atmosphere has been intensified by the need for the Government to set out its vision of an 'end state' for Brexit to EU negotiators within the next month triggering open Cabinet battles between 'soft' Brexiteers such as Chancellor Philip Hammond and the hard Brexit camp led by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer told The Mail on Sunday: 'We need to be doing better, or we will pay the price.' Several Tory MPs are thought to have decided over the weekend to send letters to Sir Graham Brady, the Chairman of the party's 1922 Committee, calling for a leadership contest. If Sir Graham receives a total of 48 letters, he is obliged under party rules to spark that contest with a confidence vote. Sir Graham has not revealed how many letters he has received, but senior sources believe that it was already 'nudging 40' before the latest batch went in this weekend. So who's first in line to step in and take over? Our very rough guide... Boris Johnson (left) and Jeremy Hunt (right) Amber Rudd (left) and Michael Gove (right) Jacob Rees-Mogg (left) and David Davis (right) Sajid Javid (left) and Dominic Raab (right) Priti Patel (left) and Gavin Williamson (right) Andrea Leadsom (left) and Tom Tugendhat (right) Penny Mordaunt (left) and Nicky Morgan (right) Advertisement Former Tory Party chairman Grant Shapps says that unless the Prime Minister announces a timetable for the end of her 'uninspiring' leadership, she could soon face a vote of no confidence Mr Shapps has not yet sent a letter himself, because he says he feared that a leadership contest would destabilise the Government. But friends say that after Mrs May's reshuffle earlier this month notable for Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt's refusal to move jobs Mr Shapps' stance is shifting. Writing in this newspaper, he says that Mrs May's loss of authority was making it 'excruciatingly difficult' for her to 'demand obedience from her own Cabinet'. The Welwyn Hatfield MP said that it was 'becoming increasingly clear day by day that we cannot continue to muddle along like this' and Mrs May should 'name a date' and 'do so before it is too late'. Mr Shapps dismisses the argument used by many May loyalists that she should not go before Brexit in March 2019 pointing out that Neville Chamberlain was replaced by Winston Churchill when we were at war with Germany in 1940. Downing Street 'outed' Mr Shapps last October for collecting a list of the names of Tory MPs who were privately saying that Mrs May should stand down but had not necessarily written to Sir Graham. Mr Shapps says he was trying to 'control the process' so that any bid to start a leadership contest could be timed to the maximum advantage of the party. It is understood that Mr Shapps made clear to Downing Street that he would not send his own no-confidence letter if No 10 worked with him to 'gauge the mood' in the party but the offer was rebuffed. Captain Mercer, a former Army captain who entered the Commons in 2015, warned that unless the Government's performance improved the party could face electoral wipeout. The Afghanistan veteran said: 'We need to be doing better, or we will pay the price with the electorate. We have to face down some of the very clear challenges on the NHS, housing and defence.' Asked about Mrs May's performance, he stopped short of calling for Mrs May to step down, saying: 'I'm not going to comment on the Prime Minister.' The botched reshuffle and lack of clarity over Brexit have stirred resentments on the backbenches among even normally loyal MPs. Captain Mercer, a former Army captain who entered the Commons in 2015, warned that unless the Government's performance improved the party could face electoral wipeout Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin in Shropshire who once called for rebellious colleagues to be sacked said this weekend: 'There is a growing frustration that No 10 is not plugged in to the views and opinions of many backbench MPs or even interested. 'The PM is also being criticised for taking her very small group of allies for granted. A big mistake.' Mrs May's most senior Cabinet Ministers are becoming increasingly entrenched in their positions on Brexit. Mr Johnson was rebuked by fellow 'soft' Brexit Cabinet Ministers last week led by Mr Hammond when he pre-briefed a Cabinet call for a Brexit dividend for the NHS. He is also planning to set out his personal vision for a 'clean' EU withdrawal next month. Mr Hammond then caused fury among the Brexiteers when he claimed last week that Brexit would involve 'very modest' changes to the status quo. Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has accused the Government of a 'timid and cowering' approach to the Brexit talks. He warned: 'The leader is important but the party is more important. Brexit is more important than anyone other than the Queen.' Bitcoin robbers who stormed into a traders house and tied up his girlfriend were left with nothing when his transfer of the crypto-currency failed to reach their account. Four thugs wearing balaclavas broke into Danny Aston's 800,000 converted barn in Mouslford, rural Oxfordshire, during a terrifying raid. They held Mr Aston, 30, at gunpoint as they tied up his girlfriend Amy Jay, 31, and put the couple's child outside in a buggy. The thieves, three black men and one white, battered their victim over the head, while they ordered him to transfer his holding of Bitcoin - a cyber currency currently worth 8,000 per coin. The village of Moulsford (pictured in a general view), which has featured in several episodes of Midsomer Murders, was the scene for the UK's first armed Bitcoin heist Mr Aston, who was with another man and his partner at the time, was later taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. His head injuries were not thought to be serious. The aggravated burglary was described as the UK's first Bitcoin heist. A spokesman for Thames Valley Police re-appealed for help from the public in tracking down the four attackers who struck soon after 9.30am last Monday. 'At around 9.40am on Monday we received a report that a group of four men entered a residential property in Offlands Court, off Reading Road. The occupant, a man who was outside the property, shouted for help and was pulled into a property,' said the spokesman. 'The offenders threatened the two men and a woman who were inside the property, with what appeared to be a firearm and demanded one of the occupants to transfer Bitcoins electronically to another account. 'The victim was struck to his head but was not seriously injured during the incident. He attended the John Radcliffe Hospital and was later discharged. 'Nothing was stolen during the incident. 'All of the offenders were men - three are black and one is white. They were all wearing tracksuits/sports clothing. Detectives are investigating the circumstances of the aggravated burglary.' Detectives believe the robbers, who were still being hunted, knew about his fortune because of his prolific trading accounts on the internet. On just one account, Mr Aston has carried out more than 100,000 trades with 16,375 people in less than three years. He is considered a 'trusted' trader by more than 3,000 users. It is not known how much he was forced to transfer. Bitcoin exists only in cyberspace and can be exchanged anonymously at the click of a mouse. It is then exchanged for normal money. It is favoured by criminals because it cannot be tracked by officials, making it difficult to catch thieves and money-launderers. The family have been in hiding since the raid at their attractive rural home, where several episodes of Midsomer Murders have been filmed. Staff and children were locked inside a nearby independent school, Cranford House, as police used a helicopter to track the suspects and searched the village for clues. The gunmen forced crypto-currency trader Danny Aston to transfer a fortune in Bitcoin to them on his computer. The barn sits off a main road down a private and residential lane A mother on the school run said: 'I saw four young men in black tracksuits with the hoods pulled up, crossing the road to the property where it took place. They were aged 18 to 25, dark-skinned and super-fit. They jumped over the fence on the other side of the road. 'I didn't see any gun, but that's what people locally are saying and that the men wore balaclavas which I didn't see either, just the hoodies pulled up. It was a strange time for them to choose because there are always so many parents coming and going directly opposite. I'd be amazed if more people didn't see them.' A neighbour said: 'The couple have left and are staying with relatives. They haven't been back since. We are all obviously a bit shaken up, even though a few days have passed now.' Another resident said: 'The village is in a state of shock. For something like this to happen here is terrifying. It's a very quiet place.' Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is a customer at the Winston Churchill-inspired cafe which was stormed by a 'hard-left mob', it has emerged. It comes after Boris Johnson called on Mr Corbyn to denounce the 24-year-old activist who stormed the Blighty UK cafe shouting that the wartime prime minister was a 'racist'. Halimo Hussein, 24, was among campaigners who burst into the cafe in Finsbury Park, north London, and urged customers to boycott it for 'colonialism'. The politics student, who is the co-president of Equality and Liberation at SOAS, University of London, later asked the owner to apologise to the local community. Now the cafe's owner, Chris Evans, has revealed that Mr Corbyn has been to the cafe with his wife and shared a picture of him with the Labour leader on Facebook, according to The Sun. Chris Evans, the owner of the Winston Churchill-themed cafe, is pictured with Jeremy Corbyn who he says has been to the cafe with his wife Halimo Hussein (left) seemed to be leading the chants and kept repeating 'we have nothing to lose but our chains' Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson condemned their actions on Saturday and said that Jeremy Corbyn should 'denounce' the group The group read from scripts as they urged customers inside the packed cafe to boycott the Blighty UK Mr Evans told Sun Online: 'They say they're Corbynistas but he's been in the cafe before for a coffee and his wife has brought bread from us - are they going to boycott him now? 'I don't know if you can ever win against these people. If you can't, do you then just say f*** it and whitewash the walls and call yourselves the 'Bland Cafe' just to please them and lose your regular customers?' Boris Johnson was outraged after watching a video of the 'hard-left mob' inside the cafe after they launched a 'disgraceful attack' on the UK's finest ever wartime leader'. It comes as other Tory MPs branded Ms Hussein and the other eight campaigners as 'childish' and 'puerile'. Mr Johnson tweeted on Monday afternoon: 'Disgraceful attack on our finest ever wartime leader by hard-left mob. 'Jeremy Corbyn should denounce the actions of these 'activists' immediately.' Meanwhile, Jack Lopresti, the Conservative MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, said her behaviour was 'ignorant' and praised the 'courage and leadership' of Sir Winston. He told MailOnline: 'This outrageous behaviour represents the hard left's politics which is of the most puerile and ignorant kind. 'Without the bravery, courage and leadership of Sir Winston Churchill, we would not be living in a free country where we have the freedom to express our personal views, regardless of how, in their case, ridiculous or offensive they are.' Michael Fabricant, Tory MP for Lichfield, told MailOnline: 'It is thanks to Winston Churchill that fools like these are able to hold their childish views and not be thrown into a concentration camp. 'They should think about this before the next time they behave like yobs. 'As the local MP, I hope Jeremy Corbyn will join me in condemning these actions.' Police were called after the nine campaigners stormed the eatery, which has already been under attack from vandals and more Labour activists. Owner Chris Evans, 47, reported the intruders, who are also leaving scathing online reviews slating the cafe, to police after his staff were left shaken. He was also forced to remove a giant mural of Churchill after it was daubed with graffiti which branded the former prime minister 'scum' and and 'imperialist'. Mr Evans said: 'If you cannot celebrate Britain and great Britons you are just erasing history. And if you cannot celebrate Churchill, you cannot celebrate anyone.' It has now emerged that the group's leader, Ms Hussein, is an avid Labour supporter and Jeremy Corbyn fan. Ms Hussein, whose family fled the civil war in Somalia, could be heard shouting: 'We have nothing to lose but our chains.' Ms Hussein, who who studied at William Morris Sixth Form in Hammersmith, west London, also uploaded a picture on her Facebook page which read: 'No Tories on my profile.' She also posted a photograph of her with fellow Labour supporter, comedian Russell Brand, on her Facebook page. A giant mural of Winston Churchill was daubed with graffiti which branded the prime minister 'scum' Halimo Hussein (centre) led the chants inside the packed cafe on Saturday and repeatedly shouted: 'We have nothing to lose but our chains' She also uploaded this photograph of Jeremy Corbyn and wrote online: 'The moment we found out Jeremy was elected. The look on the rest of their faces has made my day In 2015, the student also said 'another five years of austerity, snaking the poor, students and migrants' after David Cameron was re-elected. And when Corbyn was elected the leader of the Labour Party in 2015 she uploaded an image of the moment he found out he was in charge. She wrote: 'Found my cover photo' and she added that the moment had 'made her day'. Ms Hussein was elected Co-President of Equality and Liberation by her fellow students and said 'I F***ING WON' when the news was announced. Outlining her policies and aims before the vote, she said: 'Decolonial politics should be at the forefront in pushing for institutional change. 'I want to fight against the exploitation of our tutors and cleaners, SOAS claims to be committed to living wage yet disregards workers rights.' Ms Hussein also left a scathing online review of the cafe which read: 'Bland breakfasts and awful watery tasting coffee, toilets filthy.' It also emerged that she has backed the anarchist online trend which uses the hashtag #RobThisEngland. People on social media who use the hashtag are seen to be committed to not paying for services and goods. In 2016 she wrote on Facebook: 'I will live and embody the spirit of #RobThisEngland from not paying back tuition fees to not paying for TV license.' The Labour activists are behind an online campaign against the business and its sister cafe, Blighty India in nearby Tottenham. Labour Party members Ewa Lefmann and Zainab Khan originally started a petition demanding that Mr Evans ditches his Churchill theme, which they claim uses 'history in a light-hearted fancy dress manner'. Nine protesters then burst into the cafe on Saturday and stood in front of startled diners, chanting about racism and taking it in turns to read from a prepared script. One woman declared: 'We cannot accept the unashamed colonial and gentrifying presence of this cafe' before the group chanted 'You will never make colonialism palatable'. The next to speak was Ms Hussein who said: 'To the owner of the cafe, apologise to the local community for their poorly thought and insensitive branding and promptly change it from the menu to the aesthetics and decor of the cafe'. The cafe's signature dish is 'The Winston' - a traditional full English breakfast with Cumberland sausage and Yorkshire black pudding Nine protesters stormed the cafe in north London on the weekend and were heard chanting 'Churchill was a racist' Boris Johnson (pictured) said that the group launched a 'disgraceful attack on our finest ever wartime leader' and described them as a 'hard-left mob' The other female protester resumed: 'To the customer, we ask you that you boycott this cafe until they take the concerns of the community seriously'. Other group chants included 'It is our duty to win' and 'We must love and support each other'. As they trooped out, a customer hit back: 'Churchill fought for our freedom', to which the group chanted: 'Churchill was a racist'. Ms Hussein is a staunch supporter of the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn. While running for office in her student union, she explained: 'I want to bring decolonial politics to the forefront in our fight for institutional change.' She is pictured on Facebook with comedian Russell Brand, a fellow Corbyn supporter. Ms Hussein also left a scathing online review of the cafe that read: 'Bland breakfasts and awful watery tasting coffee, toilets filthy.' Owner Mr Evans said: 'I have already invited these people in for coffee to discuss their concerns. 'Instead, they have come in and shouted at my customers. My staff have been left frightened and so I am reporting the incident to the police today. A group of protesters stormed the cafe and sang it is our duty to fight for our freedom Nine demonstrators burst into the Blighty UK Cafe in North London on Saturday and told customers to boycott the place for 'celebrating colonialism' 'I would much rather they came to debate in a civilised manner what it means to be British in modern Britain. 'As far as I am concerned, if you cannot celebrate Britain and great Britons you are just erasing history. 'And if you cannot celebrate Churchill, you cannot celebrate anyone.' Mr Evans previously reported vandals to police for defacing the cafe's striking street art mural of Churchill's famous two fingers pose alongside the slogan 'double shot', jokily claiming that he was ordering a double espresso. After a spate of graffiti attacks over several years, he decided it was easier simply to ditch the design. Blighty India boasts a neon portrait of Gandhi, Bollywood posters and India flags as part of the cafe chain's branding celebrating Commonwealth countries. Diners a the cafe drink from Churchill mugs underneath model Spitfires and Union Jack flags. The cafe's signature dish is 'The Winston' - a traditional full English breakfast with Cumberland sausage and Yorkshire black pudding. And they can pose for pictures alongside a sculpture of the wartime leader - whose extraordinary achievements are currently being celebrated in hit movie Darkest Hour - or inside a World War II air raid shelter. One of the diners said that Churchill fought for the UK's freedom which resulted in the group chanting: 'Churchill was a racist' When one diner says 'Churchill fought for our freedom', a protester replies 'Churchill was a racist'. The wartime leader is seen leaving Downing Street in an undated image The cafe's menu offers a vegan breakfast called 'The Gandhi' as well as 'Bombay Hash', 'Bengali Breakfast' and 'Eggs Kerala' and the cafe stages regular curry nights, yoga classes and creates cocktails with name like 'Bombay Sunrise'. In their petition, Haringey residents Ewa Leffman, Zainab Khan, and Jasmine Davies are calling for Tottenham MP David Lammy to intervene. They claim the cafes 'insensitively evoke memory of the Empire', writing: 'We understand that many see the Commonwealth as a celebration of a group of countries but it has little to do with cafes. 'While Blighty does make a point of sourcing its coffee from countries that are in the Commonwealth, we feel its framing of the Commonwealth is an outdated concept using its history in a light-hearted 'fancy dress' manner. 'We would like to step in now and ask them to adjust their brand whilst there's still only two branches.' Khan, whose family moved from India in the Sixties, complained that Blighty India 'ignores the suffering the Empire caused and turns colonial rule into a frivolous theme'. She is pictured on Facebook outside 10 Downing Street, campaigning against then PM David Cameron. She wrote: 'Just going in to kick Dave out'. She is also pictured with Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow, who she jokes is her 'best friend now' after repeated meetings. There is no suggestion that those behind the petition or protest in the cafe were involved in the vandalism of the Churchill mural. One diner tweeted about the protesters: 'They had a script and everything. Could have at least bought a coffee' Stunned customers carried on eating, drinking and talking during the demonstration on Saturday A debate is also raging about the cafes on social media. Activists from Black Lives Matter UK tweeted: 'So glad people are calling this Empire nostalgia out'. But other customers and local residents are calling the campaign against the cafes 'madness'. Alexander Hamilton, who was dining during the demo, tweeted: 'Just been a reluctant part of some form of anti-Churchill protest at @BlightyUKCafe. 'They had a script and everything. Could have at least bought a coffee'. Another customer wrote to the cafe, saying: 'I was horrified to read about the attack on your cafe and this pressure from a group of self-appointed nobodies trying to stop you presenting it in the way that you wanted and intended. 'After all, if they do not like your cafe nobody is forcing them to patronise it - but they would like to force their views on others and stop them from enjoying Blighty being presented in the form you intended. 'I hope plenty of others show their support for you.' Another resident wrote: 'Sorry but is this a joke? They're a small business providing employment in the local area. 'Stop harassing them! Surely there are more worthy campaigns!? I didn't know they existed, so I'll now definitely give them my custom!' Revealed: Labour activist, 24, who led the 'hard left' charge against Churchill at themed 'Blighty' cafe is a Corybn fan who 'idolises' Russell Brand The Labour activist who led anti-Winston Churchill chants at a cafe dedicated to the wartime prime minister is a 24-year-old student and devout Jeremy Corbyn supporter. Halimo Hussein is a politics student at the School of Oriental and African Studies University of London and stormed the Blighty UK cafe with eight other activists on Saturday. The group began chanting anti-Churchill songs and urged customers to 'boycott' the north London cafe before Ms Hussein told the owner to apologise to the local community. Ms Hussein (pictured with Russell Brand in 2017) is a student at the School of Oriental and African Studies University of London Ms Hussein also uploaded a picture on her Facebook page which read: 'No Tories on my profile' She was seen throughout the video leading chants and repeatedly shouted: 'We have nothing to lose but our chains.' Just hours after the video emerged a host of MPs and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson criticised the student and branded her 'childish' and 'puerile'. Mr Johnson also called on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to denounce the 'hard-left- group after they stormed the cafe. And it has now emerged that the leader is a devout Labour supporter who uploaded a picture on her Facebook page which read: 'No Tories on my profile.' She also posted a photograph of her with fellow Labour supporter, comedian Russell Brand, on her Facebook page. In 2015, the student also said 'another five years of austerity, snaking the poor, students and migrants' after David Cameron was re-elected. And when Corbyn was elected the leader of the Labour Party in 2015 she uploaded an image of the moment he found out he was in charge. She wrote: 'Found my cover photo' and she added that the moment had 'made her day'. She was elected Co-President of Equality and Liberation by her fellow students and said 'I F***ING WON' when the news was announced. Ms Hussein (right) left a scathing online review of the cafe which read: 'Bland breakfasts and awful watery tasting coffee' Ms Hussein is a devout supporter of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and could be seen and heard throughout the clip Ms Hussein, who studied at William Morris Sixth Form in Hammersmith, west London, outlined her policies and aims before the vote. She said: 'Decolonial politics should be at the forefront in pushing for institutional change. 'I want to fight against the exploitation of our tutors and cleaners, SOAS claims to be committed to living wage yet disregards workers rights.' Ms Hussein also left a scathing online review of the cafe which read: 'Bland breakfasts and awful watery tasting coffee, toilets filthy.' It also emerged that she has backed the anarchist online trend which uses the hashtag #RobThisEngland. People on social media who use the hashtag are seen to be committed to not paying for services and goods. In 2016 she wrote on Facebook: 'I will live and embody the spirit of #RobThisEngland from not paying back tuition fees to not paying for TV license.' Travel Online has launched a 24-hour holiday sale, offering hefty discounts on hotels and flights to Fiji, Bali, Phuket and Noosa. A six-night stay at Fiji's Shangri-La Resort and Spa, including a return flight with baggage allowance, is on sale for $1,240 per person, departing from Sydney. The deal includes a daily breakfast buffet, six hours of free baby-sitting, four 30 minutes massages on the beach and a romantic meal for two. Travel Online has launched a 24-hour holiday sale, offering hefty discounts on hotels and flights to Fiji (pictured), Bali, Phuket and Noosa The travel website is offering two packages deals for anyone looking to holiday in Bali (pictured) A five-night stay at an ocean view room at Sheraton Fiji Resort, including a return flight, is on sale for $1,290 per person, departing from Sydney. The package includes a couple's dinner up to $200, two $50 spa vouchers, free breakfast and free wifi. The third Fiji deal includes a five-night stay at a two bedroom lagoon villa at Sheraton Denarau Villas and a return flight for $1,039, departing from Sydney. It also offers a couple's dinner up to $200, two $50 spa vouchers, free breakfast and free wifi. The travel website is offering two packages deals for anyone looking to holiday in Bali. For $1,379 per person, holidaymakers can enjoy seven nights at Padma Resort Legian, including 30 per cent off spa treatments, free internet access, and a free breakfast buffet. It also includes a return flight, including taxes and baggage. Three package deals are up for grabs for popular holiday destination Phuket (pictured) For those wanting to stay closer to home, The Sebel in Noosa is offering two nights in a one bedroom apartment with free wine, high tea for two and a late checkout for $275 (pictured) The second deal, listed at $939, includes a seven-night stay at The Camakila Legian, a 60 minute massage voucher for two people, a buffet dinner for two and late checkout. It includes a return flight, including taxes and baggage. Three package deals are up for grabs for popular holiday destination Phuket. The first includes an eight-night stay at Phuket Graceland Resort & Spa and a return flight for $1,235, departing from Sydney. The Patong Merlin Hotel is offering eight nights in a standard room, 25 per cent off spa treatments and a return flight for $1,159, from Sydney. Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort is offering five nights in a lagoon view room, 20 per cent of spa treatments at Banyan Tree Spa, free wifi and a return flight for $1,209. For those wanting to stay closer to home, The Sebel in Noosa is offering two nights in a one bedroom apartment with free wine, high tea for two and a late checkout for $275. A teenager with a severe scalp condition has opted to completely shave her head after she was left humiliated when boys from her high school filmed themselves ripping off her wig for a $5 bet. Lauren 'Lulu' Williams, 16, was cruelly targeted by her classmates in the middle of the hallway at Franklin High School in Tennessee on Friday. The horrific incident was captured on camera and shared on Snapchat with the caption 'weave snatching'. The video shows a male student ripping off Lulu's wig before running away down the hall. Scroll down for video Lauren 'Lulu' Williams, 16, has completely shaved her head after she was left humiliated when a group of boys at Franklin High School in Tennessee ripped off her wig on Friday Authorities and officials from Franklin High are investigating the bullying incident. The school district said they would prosecute delinquent behavior to the fullest extent of the law. Lulu's outraged mother Myckelle took to Facebook to publicly share the story after her daughter called her 'screaming and crying' over the incident. 'Lulu has a scalp condition that causes severe dryness and hair breakage and loss, and had been so ashamed of her appearance that she had taken to wearing wigs in an effort to still feel beautiful. We all know how easy it is to feel insecure at age 16,' she wrote on Facebook. 'These kids not only tore her wig off in the middle of school, but video taped it. They followed her to the bathroom as she screamed and cried and proceeded to tape her OVER the stall as she cried and begged for her wig. Lulu wears a wig (pictured on the right) because she suffers from a scalp condition that causes severe dryness and hair breakage and loss (left) Lulu, pictured after shaving her head, had called her mother 'screaming and crying' immediately after the horrifying incident Following the traumatic ordeal, Lulu bravely decided to shave her head (pictured above) in a bid to stop the bullies from winning 'Later I had to take her to the hospital for abrasions and whiplash.' Following the traumatic ordeal, Lulu bravely decided to shave her head in a bid to stop the bullies from winning. 'She was not wanting to feel controlled by her hair any longer, and take back her control,' Myckelle said. 'I admire the strength and beauty of my little Lulu and know that she will inspire many others even through this difficult time in her life.' In a statement, Franklin High School said they started investigating the incident immediately after it was reported to them on Friday. 'This type of behavior can never be tolerated at school. In addition to school discipline, Williamson County Schools prosecutes delinquent behavior to the fullest extent of the law,' it read. Lulu's outraged mother Myckelle took to Facebook to publicly share the story after her daughter called her 'screaming and crying' over the incident The Trump Administration has published a list of senior politicians and oligarchs close to President Vladimir Putin as part of a sanctions law designed to punish Russia for interfering in the US election. The list - published just before midnight last night - includes 114 senior figures in President Putin's government and 96 oligarchs worth over $1 billion each. But President Putin has blasted the US for releasing the list, calling it a 'hostile step' that will further damage US-Russian ties. 'I am offended, you know,' Putin joked with supporters today after mentioning that his own name was not on the list. Putin Press Secretary Dmitriy Peskov - who is himself on the list - said the release was a 'direct and obvious' attempt by the US to influence Russia's upcoming presidential election. US President Donald Trump (center), is pictured with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (left) and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (right) on January 29, 2018 in Washington, D.C. Putin Press Secretary Dmitriy Peskov (pictured) - who is himself on the list - said the release was a 'direct and obvious' attempt by the US to influence Russia's upcoming presidential election He added that the list shows that the US views the entire Russian government as enemies. Although he said Russia should not 'give in to emotions' before studying the list and its implications carefully, Peskov pointed out the name of the law: 'On countering America's adversaries through sanctions.' 'De facto everyone has been called an adversary of the United States,' he said. The seven-page unclassified list - which does not immediately trigger sanctions - features Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and top officials in Russian intelligence agencies. The administration faced a deadline on Monday to impose sanctions on anyone determined to conduct significant business with Russian defense and intelligence sectors, already sanctioned for their alleged role in the election. Pictured: The names on the list Russia's President Vladimir Putin is pictured here during a meeting with the prime minister of Israel in Moscow, Russia on January 29 2018 The list's publication was required by a law passed by Congress last year to punish Russia for meddling in the 2016 US election. But the US surprised observers by announcing it had decided not to punish anybody under the new sanctions, at least for now. Some American lawmakers accused President Donald Trump of giving Russia a free pass, fueling further questions about whether the president is unwilling to confront Moscow. Among those featured on the list are Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich and Arsenal Football Club part-owner Alisher Usmanov. Its publication is widely expected to infuriate Putin and send shivers through his inner circle and Moscow's elite, threatening to cut them off from world finance. Members of Congress, including Democrats and some of Trump's fellow Republicans, have been clamoring for his administration to use sanctions to punish Moscow for past election interference and prevent future meddling with American democracy. The Trump administration had until Monday to release the list, aimed at exposing those who have gained wealth or power through association with Putin. It has been informally referred to as the 'Putin list.' The list does not trigger any U.S. sanctions targeting the individuals. Senior Russian officials and business leaders, many of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, also noted that the U.S. report bore similarities to the Forbes Russian billionaires rankings and publicly available lists of government employees. 'The list compilers demonstrated a good knowledge of internet resources,' joked a person close to the Kremlin and influential business people. 'They also found the Forbes lists ... Serious and thoughtful work.' Who are the biggest names on the 'Putin list'? The loyalist who turns off the gas supply to other countries and the billionaire who hosted Trump's 2013 Miss Universe Eugene Kaspersky A profile by Wired claimed that Kaspersky (pictured) himself has 'cultivated the image of a wild man with cash to burn' Russian cyber security tycoon Eugene Kaspersky has been accused of running a firm controlled by Russian spies that was last month banned by all American government agencies. He is the founder and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, a company whose technology has 400 million users in 32 countries around the world. The 52-year-old, who has a net worth estimated at more than $1.3billion, graduated from a university which was sponsored by state institutions including the KGB. In 2017, his firm ran into controversy when it was accused of being a vehicle for hackers to steal security secrets from the US National Security Agency, and was banned by all American government agencies last month. Britain's National Cyber Security Centre also warned government departments not to use it on systems that contain official secrets. Whistleblowers claimed the firm is controlled by Russian spies who could use it to access secret files. The software firm has denied these claims and has always vehemently rejected the suggestion that it is helping Moscow spy on other countries. A profile by Wired claimed that Kaspersky himself has 'cultivated the image of a wild man with cash to burn.' The 2012 article said Kaspersky sponsored the Ferrari Formula One team, that he had been known to party with Bono in Dublin and had thrown New Year's Eve parties for 1,500 people. In 2011, his son Ivan was kidnapped for a ransom of more than $4million. Russian special forces were able to trace the kidnappers' phone call and Ivan, who was 20 at the time, was later freed in a rescue operation. Kirill Shamalov Kirill Shamalov, Putin's 'undeclared son-in-law' Vladimir Putin's undeclared 'son in law' surged into the Forbes list of richest clans in Russia in 2016 - reportedly because he married the president's daughter. But reports have emerged that Kirill Shamalov may have been stripped of half his wealth after splitting with Putin's daughter Katerina. There are claims in Russia that the 35-year-old businessman has been linked with glamorous London-based Zhanna Volkova. The Kremlin has adopted its usual policy of refusing to discuss the strongman's family - just as it never confirmed 31-year-old Katerina's 2013 marriage to Shamalov, son of a long-time Putin crony Nikolay Shamalov. The pair wed in a sumptuous ceremony at Igora ski resort near St Petersburg and the couple rode in a traditional sleigh pulled by three white horses. All guests were sworn to secrecy, and no official announcements were made, because Putin forbids discussion of his family matters. The relationship catapulted Shamalov to billionaire status, but a key element of his wealth was reportedly held in trust as a Putin family member. The end of her marriage was reported by Bloomberg citing anonymous sources which claimed the split means the tycoon was forced in April last year to divest a 4.3 per cent stake in Sibur gas and petrochemicals giant which he had been awarded ahead of his wedding to the Russian president's younger daughter. There are claims in Russia that the 35-year-old businessman has been linked with glamorous London-based Zhanna Volkova (right). Left: Putin's daughter, Katerina He made 'zero' from the deal, and as a result has lost his billionaire status, it was reported. Sources close to Shamalov denied this version of events, suggesting he suffered from an unlucky investment, but he declined to comment. As recently as last year his wealth was put at $1.3 billion. Now it is estimated at $800 million dollars by Bloomberg but it maybe less because of interest payments on a massive loan, and possible divorce costs, say Moscow reports. Mikhail Prokhorov The billionaire owner of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets, Prokhorov has at times had an uneasy relationship with the Kremlin The billionaire owner of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets, Mikhail Prokhorov has previously been arrested on suspicion of arranging prostitutes for his guests. A Russian media outlet he owned was raided by law enforcement in 2016 after publishing articles critical of people close to Putin. Prokhorov sold the company months later. A key investor in metals, Prokhorov ran against Putin in the 2012 Russian presidential election, finishing a distant third. In 2007, he was arrested in France on suspicion of arranging for prostitutes to visit his guests. But three days later, he was released without charge. France's prosecutor said he had paid expenses for women to come to the resort his guests were staying at but said they were not professional prostitutes. He has long been involved with sports and was a key figure in the former New Jersey Nets' 2012 move to Brooklyn. Prokhorov also ran Russia's federation for the winter sport of biathlon ahead of the 2014 Olympics, when Russian athletes were accused of being part of a doping program. He has denied any wrongdoing. It was reported he had paid a Russian Olympian millions in hush money not to reveal the country's doping system. The 6ft 9in oligarch is thought to be worth $8.9 billion. Dmitry Rybolovlev Rybolovlev has a keen interest in soccer as the owner of the Monaco club Fertilizer magnate and AS Monaco FC chairman Dmitry Rybolovlev was indicted - but later freed - over the contract killing of a director at a company he part-owned. He also bought a Palm Beach mansion from Trump for around $95 million in 2008, a deal that Trump called in 2016 'the closest I came to Russia' when pressed on his ties to the country. Rybolovlev has a keen interest in soccer as the owner of the Monaco club, a regular in the Champions League. His lengthy divorce from ex-wife Elena ended with an undisclosed settlement in 2015 after a legal battle in which his former spouse laid claim to billions of dollars in assets. Rybolovlev was also an investor in Alevo, a U.S. battery manufacturer that filed for bankruptcy protection in August. In 1996, Rybolovlev was officially indicted over the contract killing of Evgeny Panteleymonov, the director of a company - Neftekhimik - part-owned by Rybolovlev. Panteleymonov had been shot in his own home. The prosecution alleged Rybolovlev had bought two pistols in 1995 without a license and later given them to Panteleymonov's killers. But 11 months later, Rybolovlev was freed after the sole living witness recanted his testimony. Andrey Pokhmelkin, brother of congressman Vladimir Pokhmelkin, also intervened in the case, alongside local governor Gennady Igumnov. In 1997, he was acquitted of the crime by the courts. He has an estimated fortune of $7.3 billion. Aras Agalarov Pictured: Aras Agalarov, who hosted Trump at the 2013 Miss Universe contest in Moscow The Azerbaijan-born property developer hosted Donald Trump at the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in 2013, and Trump later featured in a music video made by Agalarov's son, Emin. The elder Agalarov previously said that Trump 'was thinking of building' a Trump Tower in Moscow, but it didn't work out. The Agalarovs were mentioned in emails ahead of a meeting between Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and others in June 2016. Ahead of the meeting, Trump Jr. was promised dirt on his father's election rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton. He has since denied such information ever materialized. Emin is vice-president of his father's firm - and also enjoys a music career on the side. It has been theorized that the reason Aras paid Trump the estimated $20 million to host the Miss Universe competition because he wanted to give his son a huge stage for his singing. Aras is estimated to have a fortune of $1.91 billion, making him - according to Forbes - Russia's 51st richest person. Dmitriy Medvedev Medvedev (pictured) has been accused by Russian opposition activists of large-scale corruption, claims he denies The Russian prime minister since 2012, Medvedev was previously Russian president from 2008 through 2012. That was in a 'tandem' arrangement with Putin, who left the presidency to become prime minister, and still wielded considerable power while avoiding presidential term limits. Medvedev has been accused by Russian opposition activists of large-scale corruption, claims he denies. In August 2008, just months into his presidency, Medvedev oversaw an invasion of Georgia during the Russian-Georgia War. It marked a low point in US-Russian relations since the Cold War. Also on the 'Putin list' is Medvedev's entire cabinet, including influential Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Energy Minister Alexander Novak, who oversees the Russian oil and gas industries. Putin's personal spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, makes the list as one of 33 officials from the presidential administration. Alexei Miller Miller has been loyal to Putin throughout his 17 years Miller has been loyal to Putin throughout his 17 years as chief executive of state gas company Gazprom. During that time, Gazprom has often been accused by European political leaders of using energy supplies as a geopolitical weapon. On some occasions, Eastern Europe's gas supply has been cut off due to disputes between Russia and neighboring Ukraine over energy pricing, often seen as proxies for wider political arguments. There is also a place on the 'Putin list' for Igor Sechin, head of state oil company Rosneft - though he's been under U.S. sanctions since 2014 over Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis - plus the CEOs of state-run rail, power and aircraft companies. Alisher Usmanov Born in what is now Uzbekistan, Usmanov has interests in metals and mining Born in what is now Uzbekistan, Usmanov has interests in metals and mining as well as some of Russia's biggest telecoms and internet businesses. He's also a part-owner of Arsenal soccer club in the English Premier League and president of the International Fencing Federation. Last year, he won a libel case against Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny over a video regarding Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's alleged secret wealth. Navalny had alleged that Usmanov transferred assets to a charity foundation run by a former classmate of Medvedev. Usmanov insisted it was a bona fide business deal. Usmanov was jailed for six years in 1980 on charges of fraud and 'theft of socialist property' in the Uzbek SSR. His conviction was quashed in 2000 when independent Uzbekistan's supreme court said it was 'unjust'. But in 2007, Craig Murray, the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, alleged that Usmanov was 'in no sense a political prisoner, but a gangster and racketeer who rightly did six years in jail'. He has an estimated fortune of $15.6 billion. Roman Abramovich Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich Perhaps best known internationally as the owner of Chelsea soccer club in London, billionaire businessman Abramovich made his fortune in oil and aluminum during the chaotic years that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. He's since embraced a glamorous lifestyle, with vast private yachts, art deals and his ownership of Chelsea, which he bought in 2003 and turned into title contenders in England and Europe. His former business partner, Boris Berezovsky, accused Abramovich of harassing him with 'threats and intimidation' in 2008 so he would sell shares at a lower price than their value. Berezovsky later brought a High Court suit against Abramovich in London, seeking over 3 billion in damages. But it was dismissed in 2012 because Berezovsky was said to be 'an unimpressive, and inherently unreliable witness, who regarded truth as a transitory, flexible concept, which could be moulded to suit his current purposes' Abramovich is estimated to be worth $10.5 billion. Advertisement It was argued this was not necessary because governments around the world have already canceled billions in contracts with Russian arms companies due to the mere threat of US action or secondary sanctions. Putin, meanwhile, said Russia would for now refrain from implementing reciprocal steps. 'We are not interested in curtailing our ties with the United States,' he told supporters in televised remarks. 'We are not going to look for trouble, (and) aggravate relations,' he said. 'We know what we want. We want to build long-term, stable ties (with the US) based on international law.' Putin is widely expected to win a fourth presidential term in March elections, extending his Kremlin term until 2024 and becoming the longest-serving Russian leader since dictator Joseph Stalin. 'We were waiting for this list to come out, and I'm not going to hide it: we were going to take steps in response, and, mind you, serious steps, that could push our relations to the nadir. But we're going to refrain from taking these steps for now,' Putin said today. The Russian president said he does not expect the publication to have any impact but expressed dismay at the scope of the officials and business people listed. 'Ordinary Russian citizens, employees and entire industries are behind each of those people and companies, so all 146 million people have essentially been put on this list,' Putin said at a campaign event in Moscow. 'What is the point of this? I don't understand.' Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with members of the United Nations Security Council at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Monday, January 29, 2018 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who came to prominence thanks to his investigations into official corruption, tweeted today that he was 'glad that these (people) have been officially recognized on the international level as crooks and thieves.' Navalny has exposed what he described as close ties between government officials and some of the billionaires on the list. US lawmakers passed the law - called the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act - out of concern that Trump, eager to have warm ties with Putin, might not take tough action to punish Moscow and Russian officials for interfering in US elections and destabilizing Ukraine. 'Today, we have informed Congress that this legislation and its implementation are deterring Russian defense sales,' State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. 'Since the enactment of the legislation, we estimate that foreign governments have abandoned planned or announced purchases of several billion dollars in Russian defense acquisitions.' The list does not trigger any U.S. sanctions targeting the individuals. Pictured: Trump and Putin in Vietnam last year The administration faced a deadline on Monday to impose sanctions on anyone determined to conduct significant business with Russian defense and intelligence sectors, already sanctioned for their alleged role in the election. But citing long time frames associated with major defense deals, Nauert said it was too soon to tell how effective the law had been, so it was better to wait to impose those sanctions. 'From that perspective, if the law is working, sanctions on specific entities or individuals will not need to be imposed because the legislation is, in fact, serving as a deterrent,' she said in a statement. President Donald Trump's administration also did not make public reports required by Monday under the bill he reluctantly signed into law on August 2, just six months into his presidency. The measure, known as the 'Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act,' or CAATSA, required the administration to list 'oligarchs' close to President Vladimir Putin's government and issue a report detailing possible consequences of penalizing Russia's sovereign debt. The administration said it would release at least some of that information to Congress, but it was not immediately clear whether it would be made public, or kept classified. Trump, who said he wanted warmer ties with Russia, had opposed the legislation as it made its way through Congress last year. Monday's deadline was seen as a test of his willingness to crack down on Russia. Several congressional committees, as well as Special Counsel Robert Mueller, are investigating whether Russia tried to tilt last November's election in Trump's favor, using means such as hacking into the emails of senior Democrats and promoting divisive social and political messages online. Trump and the Kremlin have separately denied any collusion. Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, one of the main congressional architects of the sanctions law, said he was not concerned that the administration did not announce sanctions or release all of the required reports on Monday. 'This is when sanctions season begins, and so they'll be rolling them out,' he told reporters. 'We feel pretty good about the process,' Corker said. 'They're rushing the information over to us today, and by the close of business, they're going to have two of the three, as I understand it. So they're taking it very seriously.' New York Rep. Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, lambasted the move to punish no one, saying he was 'fed up' and that Trump's administration had chosen to 'let Russia off the hook yet again.' He dismissed the State Department's claim that 'the mere threat of sanctions' would stop Moscow from further meddling in America's elections. 'How do you deter an attack that happened two years ago, and another that's already underway?' Engel said. 'It just doesn't make sense.' One person whose inclusion on the list has surprised people in Moscow is Vladimir Yevtushenkov, a billionaire who was placed under house arrest in 2014 over alleged money laundering and has since clashed with powerful oil boss Igor Sechin, head of Rosneft and a long-time Putin confidant. Russian conglomerate Sistema, which holds Yevtushenkov's assets, spent much of last year embroiled in a costly legal dispute with Rosneft over the privatisation of a smaller oil firm. Sistema did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sistema agreed to pay Rosneft 100 billion roubles ($1.79 billion) in a settlement deal in late December and has lost 40 percent of its market value since the legal battle erupted in early May. A senior person close to the Kremlin said the inclusion of Sergei Galitsky, CEO and majority owner of Russian food retailer Magnit, and Dmitry Kamenshchik, the owner of Russia's second-biggest airport, was also 'illogical'. A spokesman for Kamenshchik declined immediate comment. Magnit did not respond to a request for comment. Galitsky is not viewed as being close to Putin and a 20 billion rouble ($350 million) football stadium he built in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar was passed over for the 2018 World Cup. A Western banker in Moscow said he was surprised to see Galitsky on the list. 'Why the hell is he there?' he said. Kamenshchik spent more than four months under house arrest in 2016 on charges relating to security measures at the Moscow airport he owns at the time of a terrorist attack in 2011. Asked for comment on Tuesday, one source at a company whose chief executive was named on the list compared the U.S. report to a 'telephone directory'. 'What even is this?,' the source said. 'An obtusely complete list of the political leadership, plus the Forbes list. A Titanic work has been done.' Former New York City high school librarian Christopher Asch, 65, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Monday after he was found guilty of conspiring to kidnap, rape and murder women with people he met on a 'festish' message board on the internet A former New York City high school librarian was sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiring to kidnap, rape and murder women with people he met on a 'fetish' message board on the internet. Christopher Asch, 65, pleaded guilty to the twisted plot on Monday before he was given the length sentence behind bars. U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe in Manhattan, who said there was 'overwhelming evidence that Mr. Asch constitutes a danger to the community.' Asch, who used to be a librarian at Manhattan's prestigious Stuyvesant High School, was arrested in 2014. At the time prosecutors said Asch and another man, Richard Meltz, offered to help Michael Van Hise rape and murder Van Hise's wife, sister-in-law and sister-in-law's children after they met on an internet chat room called Dark Fetish Net. FBI Agent Jason Floyd told the court they found 'very extreme' S&M pornographic film at Asch's Greenwich Village home, which they believed he was using as research to carry out the murder. Authorities found out about Asch's plan while investigating the so-called Cannibal Cop Gilberto Valle, a NYPD officer who had plans of his own to kill and eat up to 100 women. Asch was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe in Manhattan, who said there was 'overwhelming evidence that Mr. Asch constitutes a danger to the community' Prosecutors say Asch worked with Richard Meltz (left) to help Michael Van Hise (right) when the 23-year-old asked the two men with help raping and killing his wife, sister-in-law and sister-in-law's children Valle was arrested after his wife discovered he was spending time on chat room Dark Fetish Net, he claimed all scenarios he described were mere fantasies. Federal agents initially planned to show the court screen grabs of 'Pain 35' - a pornographic video which Asch had two copies of. But they then decided to explain its bizarre contents instead. Agent Floyd said the video depicted two men torturing women who 'appeared to be consenting' with nipple clamps, leg spreaders, a riding crop, handcuffs, rope and needles inserted into one of the woman's buttocks, breast and genitals. Manhattan federal Judge Paul Gardephe told the jury he watched the video before allowing it to be entered into evidence and described it as 'very disturbing'. Jurors cringed as Floyd continued to describe the torture, saying the women had clamps with 'small metal teeth' attached to their vaginas 'with weights attached to the clamps', the New York Post reported. This photo contains items Asch brought to the same meeting with the FBI undercover in lower Manhattan to be used in the kidnapping, torture and rape of the women Prosecutors released these exhibit photos seized from Asch after his arrest. This is the taser disguised as a flashlight that Asch brought to a meeting with the FBI Pictured here are more items Asch brought to the meeting with the FBI Authorities found out about Asch's plan while investigating Gilberto Valle, a NYPD officer (above) who had plans of his own to kill and eat up to 100 women Asch's defense lawyer Brian Waller said the video was just a form of S&M fetish, and the plot was just a fantasy the librarian never planned to carry out in real life. But Agent Floyd responded that it wasn't any run-of-the-mill fetish video, but 'a very extreme form' of S&M. Asch and cohort Richard Meltz met Van Hise on fetish site Dark Fetish. In 2012 Van Hise, of New Jersey then approached Asch and Meltz for help with the plot to rape and murder his wife, sister-in-law and sister-in-law's children. Vegans have hit out at the activist group that stormed a steakhouse, saying their actions make them 'look stupid'. The demonstrators who attended the Melbourne restaurant on Saturday were from two groups known as 'Melbourne Cow Save Animal Liberation Army' and 'Direct Action Everywhere'. The rally saw protesters file into the building before chanting throughout the two-storey establishment using megaphones and flashing pro-animal signs. Social media pages have erupted in debate over the footage, with some Vegans praising their actions but many also condemning the behaviour. 'I'm vegan and it makes me cringe to watch this. Nobody in that restaurant was thinking "you know what, f**k it, Im not eating meat anymore" after they saw these pelicans. Its rude IMO too,' one person commented. Vegans have hit out at the activist group that stormed a steakhouse, saying their actions make them 'look stupid' The rally saw protesters file into the building before chanting throughout the two-storey establishment with megaphones Social media pages have erupted in debate over the footage, with some Vegans praising their actions but many also condemning the behaviour Some vegans didn't want to be put in the 'same category' as the activists who stormed Rare Steakhouse on Saturday evening The incident took place just after 6.30pm at Rare Steakhouse in the heart of the city's CBD. Footage of the stunt, labelled 'steakhouse disruption', was posted through the vegan groups' Facebook pages, saying their ambition was 'to speak up for animals where their dead bodies were being consumed.' '35 activists disrupted a Melbourne steakhouse... there is no humane way to kill someone who does not want to die,' Melbourne Cow Save captioned the video. The clip begins with activists quietly walking into the restaurant as unsuspecting customers are eating their meals. Demonstrators can be seen standing around the bar holding signs, on the stairs with megaphones and on the top level, all chanting, as a woman leads the chorus. 'It's not food, it's violence,' they repeat. Many are standing immediately next to patrons, who surprisingly seem undaunted by the choir of activists. Demonstrators can be seen standing around the bar holding signs, on the stairs with megaphones and on the top level, all chanting as a woman leads the chorus Many are standing immediately next to patrons, who surprisingly seem undaunted by the choir of activists The stunt has divided the vegan community, with many weighing in saying the protest 'wasn't helping anyone'. 'I don't think meat eaters truely (sic) understand or could understand the mindset of a vegan. However being vegan myself i would never do this as it doesn't help the cause,' a Facebook user commented. Just a vegan passing through saying that I think this is so s**t. Don't put us all in the same category.. this will only leave a s****y taste in these peoples mouths for veganism and its just rude in general. Makes me feel uncomfortable seeing all this 'in your face, guilt tripping' stuff,' another added. The stunt has divided the vegan community, with many weighing in saying the protest 'wasn't helping anyone' People condemned the activists who 'spoil the bunch' and labelled the group 'deluded' Others grappled with the idea, agreeing the stunt was far from ideal but still thinking it was an important message the activists were trying to convey. 'My immediate thought is that this kind of protesting makes vegans look stupid & doesn't work...but I just thought about how I would feel as a non vegan customer who hasn't & won't voluntarily watch the documentaries etc,' one social media user said. 'I don't think I could finish my plate of animal parts without giving it more thought & that experience would stick in my head.' 'Nothing wrong with a good bit of vegan protesting, this is just not the way to do it,' another said. Some customers can be seen smirking as they scream their point across, while others even begin filming the group. Others continue eating their meal as if there were no disturbance Some customers can be seen smirking as the activists scream their point across, while others even begin filming the group from their seats. Many patrons just continue eating their meal as if there were no disturbance at all. The footage then shows the protesters standing outside, holding signs to the windows as staff lower the blinds, after they had been led out by police. A manager at Rare Steakhouse told Daily Mail Australia staff initially attempted to stop the activists at the door but quickly realised they were powerless to stop the protest. 'There was one or two ring leaders who had the mics, they were very loud, shouting the same propaganda over and over again,' the manager said. 'We spoke to people while it was happening and tried to calm the situation and said police were on their way.' The footage then shows more protesters standing outside, holding signs to the windows as staff lower the blinds A manager at Rare Steakhouse told Daily Mail Australia staff initially attempted to stop the activists at the door but quickly realised they were powerless to stop the protest She said some customers were 'very emotionally upset' by the stunt, but others were able to 'laugh it off'. The manager also said, before being led away, a woman from the vegan group threatened 'we will be back'. The restaurant say they do not know if it was a targetted or random attack, but said they understood the passion of the demonstrators. 'The butchers we get our meat from, the animals are prepared humanely,' the manager said. 'They're from Australian cattle farms, we have a good connection with these people and we pride ourselves on making sure the standards of the meat and the way the animals are prepared is humane.' Police facts said Karlie Tyrrell had been acting 'aggressively' before exiting the Top Ryde shopping centre on December 22 The biological mother of missing boy William Tyrrell screamed 'coppers lost my son you c***s' at police before repeatedly spitting in an officer's face in a late-night shopping centre showdown. Karlie Tyrrell's foul-mouthed outburst - where she appeared to blame cops for losing William - was laid bare in police facts for the December 22 incident shown to a court this week. The incident came more than three years after she was told the devastating news William had vanished from his foster grandmother's home on the New South Wales north coast. The distressed mother appeared in front of a Sydney magistrate on Monday to plead guilty to assaulting an officer and swearing in a public place at Top Ryde mall, in the city's inner west, on December 22. Prosecutors told the court Tyrrell had been acting 'aggressively' - apparently toward shoppers - when security guards rang police. When the officers arrived Tyrrell launched into a sweary tirade, saying 'yous(e) are c***s', police alleged. The tirade continued even after they asked her to stop because children were present. Karlie Tyrrell was accompanied to Burwood Local Court by her father (right) on Monday morning. She will be sentenced next month 'The accused became very angry when (the) Constable ... asked the (boy) what the marks on his legs were. 'The accused has grabbed (the child's) leg and stated 'none of your f***ing business,' police alleged. The facts said when the officer began to speak to Tyrrell she said 'f*** off ranga c***', police alleged. 'At this time the accused has began to draw saliva into her mouth by making a throat clearing noise. 'She has then recoiled her head back and projected her lips forward, launching saliva from her mouth towards (the constable).' The hocked up spit landed on the police officer's right eyebrow and cheek. Tyrrell spat on the officer again before police restrained her on the ground and handcuffed her. Police later charged her with assault officer in execution of their duty and using offensive language in public. Court documents revealed Tyrrell has a lengthy record of minor criminal offences Where are you William? Karlie's son William vanished from his foster grandmother's home in Kendall, NSW last year. Neither his foster and biological parents are suspects Tyrrell pleaded guilty to the offences a week ago. In a written plea, she asked the court to consider she had suffered a panic attack and did not mention she was the mother of a missing child. 'I recently found out I suffer from panic attacks which played a major part into my behaviour but I'm not making any excuses'. Karlie Tyrrell, the boy's father Brendan Collins and his foster parents have been ruled out as suspects in the police investigation. A woman without arms or legs was at a loss for what to do when her boyfriend punched her in the ear on Sunday afternoon. Brandi Gregory, 39, couldn't call the police when she was attacked by her live-in boyfriend Patrick Moan because he'd broken her cell phone two weeks prior. But two hours after the punch on Sunday, Moan pushed her to a Walmart in Vero Beach, Florida, because he wanted her to tell someone, police told the Miami Herald. Patrick Moan, right, punched his armless and legless girlfriend Brandi Gregory, left, in the ear Sunday, then drove her to a nearby Walmart and told shoppers what he'd done because he wanted to be arrested Apparently, the 37-year-old was 'tired of taking care of her and pushing her in a wheelchair everywhere' Moan told someone shopping in the store, and said he hoped 'someone would call the cops so he could go to jail.' Apparently, the 37-year-old was 'tired of taking care of her and pushing her in a wheelchair everywhere.' The arrest report also says he's 'also tired of being her primary caregiver and felt if he punched her and confessed it, he would no longer have to take care of her and she would be the state's problem.' Moan, who is 6'9" and weighs 185 pounds is currently booked on a $1,000 bond. Gregory told police that Moan beats her up about once a month - or whenever he gets drunk, according to the Herald. Gregory was born without limbs - and only has one foot which extends from her lower torso. She and Moan have been dating off and on for at least two years. The arrest report also says he's 'also tired of being her primary caregiver and felt if he punched her and confessed it, he would no longer have to take care of her and she would be the state's problem' Gregory told police that Moan beats her up about once a month - or whenever he gets drunk, according to the Herald Moan has been arrested in the past, though it is not clear what he was booked for. Florida, where the crime took place, was ranked the worst state in the country according to a Thrillist ranking. Among the reasons in its 'Definitive and Final Ranking,' the website claims Florida's awful resume is 'staggeringly impressive,' due to the high crime rate and 'lack of contributions to America.' Thrilllist cited the popular Twitter page 'Florida Man' as proof. The account details real-life stories of people who live in Florida, many of which depict heinous acts of violence. A doctor who was stabbed 11 times by a man she met on Tinder has released images of the horrific injuries she suffered. Angela Jay, 28, posted the photos as part of her preparation for hiking the Kokoda Track in April to raise money for White Ribbon Australia. The confronting images show bruises and stitched-up stab wounds all over Dr Jay's legs, evidence of the sheer brutality of the attack which almost killed her. Obstetrician Dr Angela Jay (pictured), 28, was doused in petrol and stabbed 11 times by her ex-boyfriend in November 2016 'These photos were taken days after I was almost murdered': Dr Jay released a series of pictures of her horrific injuries this week 'Even though my attacker is no longer here, the memory of him and what he did terrifies me every day, but I didn't die for a reason,' she said Dr Jay's Tinder boyfriend Paul Lambert was shot dead by police in a standoff following the heinous crime 'These photos were taken days after I was almost murdered. It is with courage I share them with you,' Dr Jay said. 'Looking at them still shakes me to the core and reminds me of the darkest time in my life.' Dr Jay was attacked by her ex-boyfriend, Paul Lambert, 36, who stabbed her 11 times and doused her in petrol because she had broken up with him. Lambert lay in wait at Dr Jay's home before the sickening assault, and was killed by police after he fled the scene while she crawled to her neighbour's house for help. Dr Jay became an anti-domestic violence advocate following the terrifying attack and is now an ambassador for the charity White Ribbon 'Looking at (these pictures) still shakes me to the core and reminds me of the darkest time in my life' Dr Jay will be walking the Kokoda Track in April in a bid to help the charity The Port Macquarie obstetrician is now an ambassador for White Ribbon, a campaign to stop violence against women. Fresh from hiking the 6 5kilometre Larapinta Trail in September, Dr Jay will be walking the Kokoda Track in April. 'I have committed to hike the historic Kokoda Track in the 2018 Trek4Respect,' she said on her Trek4Respect page. 'Our team will trek the rugged 96km trail in Papua New Guinea, walking in the footsteps of our fallen soldiers during World War II. The Kokoda Track hike marks the latest stage in an incredible recovery that began after the November 2016 attack (pictured is Dr Jay) 'Making the trip even more special, we will complete this challenge during ANZAC Day 2018, and our final day will mark my 30th birthday. 'Please join me and speak out against domestic and family violence! 'Help me support the incredible advocacy and prevention work by White Ribbon Australia by making a donation today!' The Kokoda Track hike marks the latest stage in an incredible recovery that began after the November 2016 attack. Despite still suffering the after-effects of the horrific experience, Dr Jay (pictured, centre) has dedicated herself to raise awareness and encourage other women to speak out Despite still suffering the after-effects of the horrific experience, Dr Jay has dedicated herself to raise awareness and encourage other women to speak out. Dr Jay has previously spoken out about the deep emotional impact the event had on her life. She said all it takes is a man to walk past her on the street wearing her attacker's cologne to send her spiraling into anxiety and bring on a crippling attack of PTSD. 'Even though my attacker is no longer here, the memory of him and what he did terrifies me every day, but I didn't die for a reason,' she said. The soaring price of avocados is set to tumble from the record-high of $6 each after 2.5 million trays are harvested in Queensland. Starting next month, 15,000 tonnes of avocados will be harvested at Donovan Family Farms in Bundaberg, according to the News Mail. Grower Lachlan Donovan told the publication the influx of avocados will nearly halve the fruit's prices The cost of avocados is set to plummet as 2.5 million trays are harvested at Donovan Family Farms in Bundaberg, in Queensland, beginning next month Trays of avocados sold for $80 a tray last week because of limited crops in New Zealand. 'At the moment we're transitioning out of the old season and into the new,' Mr Donovan said. 'The supply is currently coming from Western Australia and New Zealand, and their seasons finish in January so this in between period is where prices increase. 'North Queensland crops are able to develop a few weeks earlier due to the heat in those regions, and Central Queensland crops will be available soon after.' A murder trial is underway for a woman accused of deliberately driving off a cliff in Hawaii and killing her identical twin sister. Alexandria Duval, 39, is charged with second-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty to killing her twin Anastasia in 2016. Her defense attorney said on Monday as the murder trial began that the crash was a tragic accident. Authorities have described the crash as a hair-pulling fight over the steering wheel. Alexandria Duval and her defense attorney Birney Bervar listen to testimony for her murder trial on Monday in Hawaii. She has pleaded not guilty to killing her twin Anastasia in 2016 The sisters, who were 38 at the time, were seen arguing on the narrow, winding Hana Highway on the island of Maui before their SUV plunged 200 feet over a cliff. Anastasia was in the passenger seat and was killed, but her sister Alexandria survived the crash and was arrested. Autopsy results allegedly showed that 'long, loose blond hairs' were found on both of Anastasia Duval's hands. A judge later ordered Alexandria released after finding no probable cause for a murder charge. She traveled to upstate New York and was arrested again months later in Albany after a grand jury indicted her. Alexandria (right) is charged with second-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty to killing her twin Anastasia (left) in 2016 Alexandria and Anastasia Duval were seen arguing on the narrow, winding Hana Highway on the island of Maui before their SUV plunged 200 feet over a cliff in 2016 Alexandria, pictured in court in 2016, has opted to have a judge instead of a jury decide the murder case Alexandria has opted to have a judge instead of a jury decide the case. The judge is expected to reach a verdict this week. Maui resident Chad Smith testified that while the women were passing him on the highway he could see them arguing. Smith, who was headed to a church, said he couldn't hear anything but the women looked angry. He said he had to swerve out of their way. The sisters, born Alison and Ann Dadow in Utica, New York operated popular yoga studios in Florida before they changed their names. They moved to Hawaii in 2015 from Utah. Duval isn't expected to testify, her attorney said. The sisters, born Alison and Ann Dadow in Utica, New York operated popular yoga studios in Florida before they changed their names and moved to Hawaii in 2015 Anastasia's ex-lover Keith Weiss spoke out after her death saying the two sisters had fights all the time. Weiss, a trained chef from Florida, told People that he was in a six-month romance with Anastasia a decade ago. He said that his ex-girlfriend and her sister had a toxic relationship. 'There was just so much drama. I remember this one time, the three of us were at the mall, and Anastasia smacked Alexandria in the back of the head. They raged,' Weiss said. He said the pair went back and forth 'pulling hair, pinching each other'. Labor wants to set up a national corruption watchdog within a year of winning government in a bid to restore public faith in politicians and the system. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was mocked on social media after announcing his plans for an integrity commission at the National Press Club in Canberra. Mr Shorten, sporting a new buzz cut, said he is not putting the policy forward because he is aware of any corrupt conduct, but because it is a question of trust. Labor wants to set up a national corruption watchdog within a year of winning government in a bid to restore public faith in politicians and the system (pictured is Mr Shorten) Opposition Leader Bill Shorten (pictured) was mocked on social media after announcing his plans for an integrity commission at the National Press Club in Canberra 'The most corrosive sentiment, awash in western democracies around the world, is the idea that politicians are only in it for themselves,' he said on Tuesday. 'And that's simply not true. But so long as the political news is dominated by the minority who do the wrong thing - the travel rorts and dodgy donors and sinecures where cabinet ministers walk straight into cushy jobs in the same sector - then we're going to have a hard time convincing the Australian people that we're serving their interests and not ours.' Twitter users were not convinced, and were quick to point out Shorten's ties to trade unions, a point echoed by the prime minister. 'That includes the union movement, right?' one user asked. 'I'm sure Chinese donation will be front and center! Or maybe not?' asked another, 'Ha ha ha Labour and anti-corruption, you're a comic Bill Shorten!' What's even funnier? Party donations!' said someone else. Mr Shorten (pictured) said he is not putting the policy forward because he is aware of any corrupt conduct, but because it is a question of trust Others reacted differently to the year-opening speech: 'To be honest I'd completely forgotten Bill Shorten existed,' wrote one person. A federal national integrity commission would be modelled on the lessons of state anti-corruption bodies. It would have to be independent, well-resourced, secure from government interference, and have a broad jurisdiction to effectively run as a standing royal commission into serious and systemic corruption, Mr Shorten said. One commissioner and two deputies would each serve a fixed five-year term, report to parliament annually, and make findings of fact that could be referred to public prosecutors if necessary. Twitter users were not convinced, and were quick to point out Shorten's ties to trade unions, a point echoed by the prime minister 'I'm sure Chinese donation will be front and center! Or maybe not?' asked one Twitter user Others reacted differently to the year-opening speech: 'To be honest I'd completely forgotten Bill Shorten existed,' wrote one person Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull pre-emptively went on the attack ahead of Labor's announcement, saying Mr Shorten's track record in the area isn't great. 'Bill Shorten is no anti-corruption warrior,' Mr Turnbull told reporters in Sydney ahead of the speech. 'This is a guy who has done everything he could to prevent the corruption in the union movement and corruption between unions and businesses being exposed.' He cited Mr Shorten's opposition to the trade union royal commission and the Registered Organisations Commission. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) pre-emptively went on the attack ahead of Labor's announcement, saying Mr Shorten's track record in the area isn't great The Turnbull government continues to consider recommendations from a Senate committee about the best format for an integrity watchdog. The prime minister insists it has not been ruled out, but cautioned it wasn't an issue to rush and there was much to be learned from the states' experiences where some watchdogs had worked better than others. Mr Shorten said Labor's policy had been shaped over a year of consultation with experts and reviewing Australia's anti-corruption framework. Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce on Sunday said a federal corruption watchdog was unnecessary because there was ample parliamentary oversight of government decisions. Charles Manson's alleged grandson has just lost his bid to the cult leader's remains and belongings. A California judge has ruled that Jason Freeman does not currently have a right to pick up the remains from the prison where Manson died, according to TMZ. Freeman is one of three people who have tried to take possession of the remains and Manson's estate, including claiming children. It appears the reason the judge rejected the claim was because Freeman filed his case in Los Angeles and Manson died in Kern County, meaning the judge lacked jurisdiction. Charles Manson's alleged grandson Jason Freeman (pictured, Friday) has just lost his bid to the cult leader's remains and belongings It appears the reason the judge rejected the claim was because Freeman filed his case in Los Angeles and Manson (pictured, 1969) died in Kern County, meaning the judge lacked jurisdiction Assets associated with his estate could include potentially lucrative rights to the use of his image and songs he wrote and any other property. Freeman said he should have the rights to his grandfather's remains. 'I'm here to claim my grandfather, have him cremated, spread his ashes and do the right thing,' Freeman said outside of court. The fight over Charles Manson's remains is threatening to spiral out of control, with four people claiming their rights to his body and belongings in two California courts In a 17-minute, at times rambling press conference, Manson's grandson spoke of his eight-year relationship with his grandfather. 'What do I feel for Charles Manson? I'm gonna take it as one thing from my heart. And say that I love my grandfather. Everybody makes mistakes.' He did his time. If a grandson can't say that he loves his grandfather then our world is a little messed up,' he added. Freeman pleaded with Judge David Cowan to reach a speedy resolution. 'We could be looking months down the road. While my Grandfather has been on ice for over 60 days,' he said. Accountant and part-time actress Rebecca Evans was revealed today by DailyMail.com as one of the latest claimants, a potential daughter of Manson. Evans was rescued as a baby in 1969 from Spahn Ranch, the location of Manson's hippy commune in Chatsworth, California, and is seeking a DNA test to prove Manson is her father. She joins her alleged half brother, Matthew Roberts - real name Matthew Robert Lentz - who has already filed a will in California courts with Manson's signature, claiming he is Manson's son. Freeman claims that Manson never wrote a will, and says that he has the right to take control of the murderer's body and belongings Speaking outside the courtroom, Freeman hit out at his rivals, claiming that Channels 'always used my grandfather for a paycheck', and that Lentz has a 'made up, fraudulent will' Accountant and part-time actress Rebecca Evans was revealed today by DailyMail.com as one of the latest claimants, a potential daughter of Manson. She is seen arriving at the Los Angeles courthouse for the hearing She joined her alleged half brother, Matthew Roberts - real name Matthew Robert Lentz - who has already filed a will in California courts with Manson's signature, claiming he is Manson's son A second rival will has also been filed by murder memorabilia collector and Manson pen pal Michael Channels, which entitles him to all of Manson's personal belongings, including cash, image rights and clothing. Judge Cowan today decided to split the Manson court case. The LA courts will rule on who gets Manson's estate, because he lived in LA county before he was imprisoned. But what happens to Manson's remains will be decided by the courts in Bakersfield, California, where Manson languished before his death last November. Both courts will now have to decide separately which of the wills if any are valid. One of Freeman's three lawyers, Alan Davis, said Freeman may have problems staking his claim, now that the case has been split between two counties. Freeman stands outside court with a friend reading through what appear to be his legal papers Michael Channels, former pen pal of cult leader Charles Manson is seen walking away from the court at the end of the hearing Manson walks with public defender Fred Schaefer (in suit) as they attend preliminary hearings, making their way past photographers, Independence, California, December 1969 Freeman pleaded with Judge David Cowan to reach a speedy resolution. 'We could be looking months down the road. While my Grandfather has been on ice for over 60 days,' he said. 'Jason doesn't have a will, but he's more than likely related to Manson and as a relative he has a claim. But his claim might be lower though than somebody who has a will. That's going to be interesting to see how the judge in Kern County looks at that.' 'There's one will that I know of, that's the Channels will. There's a section in there that says what to do about the remains,' said Davis. 'That would have priority if the judge up in Kern Country decides that it's valid.' Davis said the will that Channels filed is 'questionable', as Manson's signature doesn't have its usual swastika, and there weren't enough witness who signed it. Freeman said: 'It's hard to understand the court system while my grandfather is still on ice. If my mother died we would come together as a family and take care of everything. 'I'm standing here now to take care of everything for my grandfather. I just want to see a proper burial, and family comes first.' Freeman said he had a relationship with his grandfather for eight years. He added that it was 'by no means an easy, smooth relationship,' but said that he couldn't judge him. A mother spent hundreds on a new pair of school shoes for her teenage daughter only for the high school to give her detention for having the wrong shoes. The Brisbane high school student was reportedly wearing a pair of $350 shoes, only to discover they were on the banned list, according to ABC News. The girl's mother, Karen Bishop, said she was unaware of the height requirement and the rule was 'utterly ridiculous'. A Brisbane high school student was given detention after reportedly wearing a pair of $350 shoes, only to discover they were on the banned list (pictured) The school outlines in their uniform guide student's shoes mustn't have a heel higher that 20 millimetres or lower than five millimetres. The detention was lifted after Ms Bishop spoke to the school who offered to buy her daughter a new pair of shoes to replace the black leather Vans lace-ups. 'I know that you can't send your child off to school in purple shoes. I know all about respect for rules and everything like that, but when a child has a brand new pair of black leather lace-up shoes, I don't see the reason for making them collect a uniform pass,' Ms Bishop told Courier Mail. '[The deputy principal] was very good in the way he dealt with me but they will not change their stance on compliance. 'Just give her an education.' A Department of Education spokesman said the student school uniform policy is to balance the rights of students for the best interest of the entire school community. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the high school for comment. The victim was thrown to the ground held in a choke hold and verbally abused The man encouraged his son to bash a 14-year-old Aboriginal boy in December The father has pleaded guilty to assault in court in South Australia on Tuesday A 46-year-old man was filmed encouraging his son to bash another teen last year A South Australian father who was caught on camera encouraging his son to viciously attack another teen has pleaded guilty to assault. The 46-year-old father and his son were charged with aggravated assault after allegedly assaulting a 14-year-old Aboriginal boy in South Australia in December. The pair were arrested after a sickening video of the teen being verbally and physically attacked was uploaded to Facebook. Scroll down for video A South Australian father who was caught on camera encouraging his son to viciously attack another teen has pleaded guilty to assault The 46-year-old father and his son were charged with aggravated assault after allegedly assaulting a 14-year-old Aboriginal boy in South Australia in December The father - who cannot be identified as his son, who is a minor, has also been charged - appeared in the Port Augusta Magistrates Court on Tuesday. He pleaded guilty to one aggravated count of committing an assault without a weapon, Adelaide Now reports. He was remanded on continuing bail to face sentencing submissions in March. The vicious bashing was uploaded by the victim's aunty and shows the young boy being chased down and thrown to the ground by the brother of a girl he allegedly spat on, while her father yelled threats. The slender teenager first faced a series of shoves from the son, with the father threatening to 'smash his f***ing face in' if he retaliated. 'Tell him to leave me alone then,' the defenseless teen yells while being thrust backwards in a choke hold. 'Nah you deserve what you get mate,' the father says. After being smashed into a concrete wall and thrown to the ground at the hands of the son, the father then demands the boy to apologise 'for spitting on his daughter'. The son continues to throw punches into the sides of the victim, who can be heard repeatedly screaming, 'I'm sorry'. As the son continues to unleash his aggressive wrath, the father halts the attack momentarily to direct the victim onto his knees. 'Who else are you sorry to? Sorry to my daughter? To his mum? You better f***ing mean it,' he bellows while standing above him. After being smashed into a concrete wall and thrown to the ground at the hands of the son, the father then demands the boy to apologise 'for spitting on his daughter 'You know what's going to happen to your f***ing famliy if I ever hear you say anything again, you know what's going to f****ing happen? 'I'm going to come to your f***ing house mate and it's going to be f***ing hell, you got it?'.' The son shoves the defenseless boy onto the bitumen as the father continues yelling threats. 'Look at me in the f***ing eye, you f***in got it?,' he howls while removing sunglasses from his eyes. 'You spit on my daughter again, I'm gonna f***in cave your head in, you got it c***, yeah?.' Finally released from the son's grip, the teen leaps to his feet and walks away swiftly as the father continues hurling threats in his direction. Two police officers from Toronto, Const. Vito Dominelli (pictured) and Const. Jamie Young have been suspended after they allegedly consumed marijuana edibles and called for backup Two police officers from Toronto have been suspended after they allegedly consumed marijuana edibles and called for backup. Const. Vito Dominelli and Const. Jamie Young from Toronto's 13 Division were in the city's north end around 1 am on Sunday conducting plain-clothed surveillance. Apparently one of the men called for help after he felt like he was going to pass out and the other one ended up in a tree, reported CTV News. Sources say that policeman from a neighboring division were summoned to the area. On arrival a female officer slipped on the ice and sustained a serious head injury, which turned out to be a concussion. The Toronto Police Association confirmed she was okay. President of the Toronto Police Association, Mike McCormack, declined to comment on specific details regarding the incident until an investigation is completed. Const. Dominelli seems to be an active user on social media (pictured here in one of his posts He did however confirm that the two officers in question have been suspended with pay pending the investigation, which will be conducted by the Professional Standards Unit. He said that the officers involved 'could be charged or they could just be cleared through the investigation.' It is currently unknown where the edibles came from but apparently investigators are looking into whether they were confiscated as evidence during a dispensary raid. Const. Dominelli seems to be an active user on social media, however since the incident his Twitter profile has been deleted and his Instagram account has been set to private. However since the incident Dominelli's Twitter profile has been deleted and his Instagram account has been set to private His boss Mike McCormack said he's concerned with some officers' social media presence, saying 'I don't want the public to be under the misconception that we have a bunch of officers who have nothing to do but use social media' McCormack then went on to say how there are concerns regarding some officers' social media presence. 'I am always concerned when something belittles what we do in policing and doesn't represent us in the right light. I don't want the public to be under the misconception that we have a bunch of officers who have nothing to do but use social media.' President of the Toronto Police Association, Mike McCormack (pictured), declined to comment on specific details regarding the incident until an investigation is completed A policeman who was stabbed by a child sex offender in a horror Australia Day attack has made a 'miracle' recovery after more than three days of fighting for life. Det Sgt John Breda was stabbed in the chest and abdomen as he tried to arrest child rapist Nick Newman at the Maroubra Junction Hotel, in Sydney, on Friday afternoon. The 45-year-old was rushed to St Vincent's Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery, while Newman, 33, was shot dead at the scene by two other police officers. After opening his eyes on Monday the veteran cop began rehab just one day later, in what New South Wales police commissioner Mick Fuller said was simply a 'miracle'. Scroll down for video John Breda (left), who was stabbed in Maroubra in a shocking attack on Australia Day, has made a miracle recovery The devoted father-of-two spent more than three days fighting for life in St Vincent's Hospital but will begin rehabilitation on Tuesday The veteran of the Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad was awarded the police force's highest honour in 2015, the National Medal (pictured) by the Prime Minister 'It is a miracle... we're some four days down the track now, and John is talking and preparing for his first rehab session this afternoon,' Mr Fuller said. 'He's a lucky man, but in saying that, he was incredibly fit and incredibly strong mentally. 'The doctors put that down to one of the key reasons he survived such a horrific attack. 'John, as humble as ever, asked me to thank those who have put out their thoughts and prayers for John and his family, which is indicative of the sort of guy that John is. 'I'm sure people across NSW and Australia will be pleased to hear the progress John has made in such a short amount of time.' The father-of-two's first rehab session will see him take the major step of moving out of his bed and into a chair in his hospital room. Mr Breda, a veteran of the Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad, also worked in Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad and received one of the police force's top honours. In 2015, the 45-year-old was given the National Medal by the Prime Minister. NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller (pictured) said Mr Breda's recovery was a 'miracle' Photos show the devoted father spending time with his two children and wife as well as enjoying baking pastries in the kitchen (pictured) The hero detective was stabbed by Newman, who was then shot dead at a pub in Sydney Newman (pictured) stabbed Det Sgt Breda in the chest and abdomen during a violent outburst at Maroubra Junction Hotel Assistant Commissioner Mark Walton said a lot of people were concerned about the senior officer as he is 'very well regarded'. 'We're certainly very concerned about his condition and our thoughts are with him and his family,' he said. Daily Mail Australia understands during the violent arrest, Newman slit his own throat with a knife before being shot, with witnesses hearing up to four or five gunshots. Wanted for child sex offences Newman reportedly failed to appear in court on Wednesday and police sent out a public appeal to find the man. At least 20 police officers locked down the area, putting up tape and telling nearby businesses to close A dozen police cars and ambulances rushed to the scene on Anzac Parade, shutting down area Newman was wanted for six counts of rape, one count of intentionally choking and one count of aggravated sexual assault against a person under 16. Dramatic video shot by a witness at the scene showed officers with guns draw at a back entrance to the pub, before entering in combat stance. Another man was seen being marched away from the pub by police but it was not clear why he was arrested. At least 20 police officers locked down the area, putting up tape and telling nearby businesses to close. A convicted rapist who murdered West Australian teenager Hayley Dodd has been jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years. Francis John Wark, 61, was granted a judge-alone trial in the WA Supreme Court last year and Justice Lindy Jenkins sentenced him on Tuesday. Hayley, 17, was last seen walking along a road near rural Badgingarra, where Wark had lived for 15 years, on July 29, 1999. Francis John Wark, who murdered West Australian teenager Hayley Dodd, has been jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years Hayley, 17, was last seen walking along a road near rural Badgingarra, where Wark had lived for 15 years, on July 29, 1999 Under Western Australia law, Wark had been charged with wilful murder but was instead found guilty of murder. Justice Jenkins was visibly shaken as she handed down her verdict. Wark showed no emotion but Hayley's mother Margaret burst into tears. Prosecutors had alleged Wark lured Hayley into his ute between 11.40am and midday, murdered her and disposed of her body before 1.36pm when he paid an account at Badgingarra roadhouse while riding his motorcycle to Perth. Pictured are West Australia police searching a site in Badgingarra, north of Perth, for information about the disappearance of Hayley Dodd Prosecutors had alleged Wark lured Hayley into his ute between 11.40am and midday, murdered her and disposed of her body before 1.36pm Wark's lawyer Darryl Ryan argued it was possible an ankh-shaped earring matching a description of the style Hayley was wearing when she went missing could have been planted by police. The key piece of evidence was only found in September 2013 when a car bench seat cover that police seized one week after Hayley vanished was examined at the state forensic laboratory. Prosecutors argued the fact the hook on the earring was bent suggested a violent struggle, but there was no DNA recovered from it. TV home improvement star Christopher Dionne, 36 (pictured), has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 10-year-old girl while she attended a sleepover at his home in November. He has been charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor A married TV home improvement star has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 10-year-old girl. Christopher Dionne, of HGTV's 'Family Flip', turned himself in to police in Connecticut on Monday on charges of fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. A friend of his two children claimed he touched her in a sexual manner while she was attending a sleepover at his home in Old Lyme. According to documents provided to Fox News, the alleged incident occurred during a sleepover that Christopher hosted in late November. The girl told police she was asleep on the couch and awoke to Dionne assaulting her. He allegedly touched her buttocks under her clothes as well as her chest. Dionne is also accused of taking pictures of the girl's chest and asking if she wanted to touch his penis. The unnamed girl said that, additionally, he instructed her not to tell anyone or else he would go to jail and his daughter wouldn't have a father. His son and daughter were asleep in the same room at the time, according to the documents. The girl said that Dionne then went to go to sleep with his wife in their bedroom after the incident. Dionne (right) appeared on the pilot for 'Family Flip' with his twin brother Michael (left) in 2015 on HGTV but it was not picked up as a series The unnamed girl said Dionne (right, with Michael) instructed her not to tell anyone or else he would go to jail and his daughter wouldn't have a father Dionne told police that when he got home on November 26, around 1am, the victim was awake on the couch so he went and sat next to her, according to a warrant for his arrest. He allegedly told police that the victim was lying down and put her arm around his waist and began to rub his stomach. Dionne said he became uncomfortable so he moved her arm and said 'that's inappropriate,' the warrant said. Dionne stated the victim did it again and that he again moved her arm and told her 'that was big-girl stuff'. The victim allegedly began to cry and he reportedly rubbed her back and told her to go to sleep, the warrant said. He is currently being held in lieu of $100,000 bond. Dionne (right, with Michael) told police that when he got home on November 26, around 1am, the victim was awake on the couch so he went and sat next to her, according to a warrant for his arrest He (left, with Michael) allegedly told police that the victim was lying down and put her arm around his waist and began to rub his stomach and he tried to move her hand Dionne and his identical twin brother, Michael, appeared on the pilot of a potential HGTV series called 'Family Flip' where they flipped houses using reclaimed materials and sold them. However, the series was not picked up. According to police reports, Dionne was working on a new show in California at the time of the police investigation called 'House Rescue' on A&E. Dan Silberman, Senior Vice President, Communications of A&E and HISTORY, released the following statement: 'In light of the allegations which just came to light, we are suspending production on the series.' Friend and British backpacker Jamie Dumbleton, 26, died instantly in the crash Ms Greatley was high on cannabis when she drove into path of semi-trailer The pregnant charity worker pleaded guilty to a horror crash in May last year Rebecca Lee Greatley, 25, was sentenced to nearly two years in jail on Tuesday Jamie Dumbleton, 26, was killed in the crash A pregnant charity worker has been sentenced to at least 18 months jail for the horror crash which claimed the life of her friend last year. Rebecca Lee Greatley, 25, was high on cannabis when she drove through a stop sign and into the path of a semi-trailer in Port Pirie, Adelaide, last May. The crash killed 26-year-old Jamie Dumbleton, a British backpacker, and left Ms Greatley with a brain injury that made her forgetful. The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving, before appealing for a suspended sentence to avoid being separated from her unborn child. Rebecca Lee Greatley, 25, has been jailed for a horrific crash which killed Jamie Dumbleton, 26 Ms Greatley, a 'nightly user' of cannabis, had been driving erratically before the horrific crash Ms Greatley had been driving erratically before the crash, despite objections from her passengers, and her actions meant her offending was not at the lower end of the scale and warranted an immediate jail term, the prosecutor said. District Court Judge Stephen McEwen jailed the charity worker for 22 months, three weeks and three days on Tuesday, Adelaide Now reports. Ms Greatley was said to have wailed and sobbed uncontrollably upon learning of her sentence in court. Ms Greatley was said to have wailed and sobbed uncontrollably upon learning of her sentence Two other passengers, colleagues Lauren Canciani and Dylan James O'Donnell-Middleton, from Adelaide-based charity The Fundraising People were seriously injured in the crash Mr Dumbleton, a right-hand rear-sear passenger, was killed instantly after the semi-trailer collided with the silver Hyundai sedan. Two other passengers, colleagues Lauren Canciani and Dylan James O'Donnell-Middleton, from Adelaide-based charity The Fundraising People were seriously injured. Judge McEwan accepted Ms Greatley was 'remorseful' for the accident, but said he could not find a reasonable explanation to suspend her sentence or place her on home detention. Two other passengers, colleagues Lauren Canciani and Dylan James O'Donnell-Middleton, from Adelaide-based charity The Fundraising People were seriously injured in the collision Mr Dumbleton, a right-hand rear-sear passenger, was killed instantly in the car crash in 2017 'Whatever sentence I impose from the defendant's perspective (will) seem harsh,' he said in court on Tuesday afternoon. 'The consequences (are that) she did not intend to cause this collision obviously it was an accident.' Ms Greatley, who was reportedly a 'nightly user' of cannabis, was also banned from driving for 10 years. A Rebels bikie who bragged about his release from prison, has walked from court after pleading guilty to a jailhouse attack. Chris Michael Rymer threw his middle finger up at the cameras as he left Burwood Local Court on Monday, where footage of his attack on a fellow prisoner was played. The security footage showed the moment Rymer kicked and lunged at a man who he believed was linked to the death of his fellow gang member and close friend Michael Davey. Chris Rymer walked free from Burwood Local Court on Monday after his sentence for a jailhouse attack was backdated to when it occurred and considered served Chris Rymer (left) believed the man he was attacking was linked to the murder of his friend Michael Davey (centre) 'It's unprovoked... you see him punch then kick him in the face,' police prosecutor Sergeant Carter said about the December 6, 2016, attack inside Silverwater's Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre. At the time of the prison attack, Rymer was on remand with three other gang members facing kidnapping and assault charges. The men were charged with the kidnap and brutal 36-hour torture of a former gang president but were all found not guilty and were released on November 3, 2017. Since his release from the Silverwater prison, Rymer celebrated with a series of photos. Taking to his Instagram page to boast of his reclaimed freedom, Rymer shared photos of himself enjoying shopping trips to Louis Vuitton, visiting theme parks on the Gold Coast, and eating delicious cafe food. Since his release in November, a series of social media photographs show the man enjoying his newfound freedom He was pictured at a Gold Coast theme park with two children and also at a local cafe enjoying a meal Within weeks of being acquitted for the brutal bashing, Rymer also shared a snap with his glamorous partner announcing they were expecting a baby. In the crass reveal, the heavily-tattooed rebels member told followers: 'Straight out and straight into it. Love my lil fam can't wait till August to meet my new baby Rymer'. The photo was accompanied by the hashtags #freshouttajailknockingbitchesup and #6monthspregnantnotfunnypete. Rymer and his partner are expecting their second child, and he is expected to start work this week Speaking in Burwood Local Court on Monday, Rymer's solicitor Adam Williams said his client 'lost control of his emotions' when he saw the man who he linked to his friend's murder, The Daily Telegraph reported. Magistrate Joy Boulos said Rymer's situation at home changed since the 2016 jailhouse attack, and he was now expecting a child and due to start a new job. She gave him a six month jail sentence but backdated it to when he committed the offence. Rymer served the six month jail sentence by June 5, 2017 while on remand, which meant he could walk free from court on Tuesday. An Australian filmmaker accused of spying in Cambodia has been denied bail by a Phnom Penh court. A bench of four Supreme Court judges ruled on Tuesday that investigations into James Ricketson's activities should continue in a lower court. Ricketson, who has been held in pre-trial detention since June last year, arrived after the court delivered its decision and he was returned to prison immediately after his arrival. Australian filmmaker James Ricketson, 68, was arrested in June and charged with 'collecting information prejudicial to national security' An Australian filmmaker accused of spying in Cambodia has been denied bail by a Phnom Penh court He did not comment. Ricketson, 68, was arrested in June and charged with 'collecting information prejudicial to national security'. He faces five to 10 years' jail if convicted. Since his arrest, Ricketson has been detained in Cambodia's notorious Prey Sar prison where he has been kept under tight security. His case has been linked to the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party, which was dissolved by the courts amid a government crackdown on dissent that included the closure of media outlets. His son Jesse Ricketson, who has moved to Cambodia to help his father with the case, said the family was 'sorely disappointed' by the bail decision. 'We had all hoped very much that the court might return a positive result on the question of bail, allowing my father to sit through the investigation period in conditions more appropriate to his age,' Mr Ricketson said in a statement. Ricketson, who has been held in pre-trial detention since June last year, arrived after the court delivered its decision and he was returned to prison immediately after his arrival 'As he's almost 70, our family is very concerned about my father's health in the lead up to the hot period in March and April. 'He has already lost 10 kilograms and is currently housed in a cell the size of 16m x 6m with 140 other men and we're just not sure how long he can endure these conditions.' The Ricketson family has appealed to the Cambodian government to help ensure the investigation be carried out with transparency and due process. The statement describes Ricketson as a 'kind, decent and honest man', who had over the last 22 years volunteered a much of his time and money to help poor families in Cambodia. 'We firmly believe James is innocent of espionage or any other crime and hope to see him return home soon.' A father has pleaded guilty after smashing his ute into a tree drunk - killing his wife, daughter and a family friend. Russell Stewart previously pleaded not guilty to causing the death of his wife Susanna (pictured) Russell Stewart, 49, was expected to face trial on Tuesday for charges of careless driving causing death, careless driving causing injury and being under the influence of alcohol or drugs and failing to stop, Stuff reported. Stewart previously pleaded not guilty to causing the deaths of his wife Susanna, 48, his 16-year-old daughter Sadie and family friend James Wearmouth, 18, in the crash in Northland, New Zealand on June 6, 2016. He pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death and careless driving causing injury on Tuesday before his trial was set to start in Whangarei District Court on Tuesday. The charges of failing to stop at a crash scene and driving under the influence were dropped. His 16-year-old daughter Sadie (right) and family friend James Wearmouth, 18,were also killed in the crash Stewart had eight passengers in the ute he was driving when it crashed into a tree north of Dargaville in 2016. Four other people were injured in the crash, including Stewart's eldest son George. Russell Stewart, 49, was expected to face trial on Tuesday for charges of careless driving causing death, careless driving causing injury and being under the influence of alcohol or drugs and failing to stop All the passengers were members of the Exclusive Brethren, a wealthy Christian sect known for privacy. Stewart was supported by members of the group - now renamed the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church - when he appeared in court. He was remanded on bail, and will appear in the Whangarei District Court in February. A scientist has claimed that a 'humanzee' was born in an American lab nearly 100 years ago before being killed by panicked doctors. Renowned evolutionary psychologist, Gordon Gallup, told The Sun that the human-chimpanzee hybrid was born in a lab in Orange Park, Florida. Gallup, who developed the famous mirror 'self-recognition' test which proved primates could acknowledge their own reflection, coined the term 'humanzee' which refers to a human-chimp crossbreed. Evolutionary psychologist, Gordon Gallup, has claimed that a 'humanzee' was born in an American lab nearly 100 years ago before being killed by panicked doctors. Pictured is Oliver, a bald chimp who walked on his hind legs back in the 1970s Gallup, who developed the famous mirror 'self-recognition' test which proved primates could acknowledge their own reflection, coined the term 'humanzee' which refers to a human-chimp crossbreed. Pictured is Oliver the chipanzee in 1976 He told the newspaper that his former university professor claimed the humanzee baby was born at a research facility where he used to work. Gallup, who is also a University of Albany professor, told the Sun that the professor worked at Yerkes before the research center moved to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1930. 'One of the most interesting cases involved an attempt which was made back in the 1920s in what was the first primate research center established in the US in Orange Park, Florida,' Gallup said. 'They inseminated a female chimpanzee with human semen from an undisclosed donor and claimed not only that pregnancy occurred but the pregnancy went full-term and resulted in a live birth. 'But in the matter of days, or a few weeks, they began to consider the moral and ethical considerations and the infant was euthanized,' Gallup told the Sun. Gallups term humanzee became well known in the 1970s after the emergence of a chimp known as Oliver, a bald chimp who walked on his hind legs. Gallup (left) said his former university professor claimed the humanzee baby was born at a research facility where he used to work. Russia biologist Ilya Ivanov (right), in the 1920s, tried and failed to create a Soviet super-soldier using human sperm and female chimps Gallup claims that humans can be crossbred with other apes and not just chimpanzees. Above is a file image of the 1968 movie Planet Of The Apes Despite claims that Oliver was a human-chimp hybrid, tests later proved that the animal was not a humanzee. Russia biologist Ilya Ivanov, in the 1920s, tried and failed to create a Soviet super-soldier using human sperm and female chimps. Another reported case happened in China in 1967 where a female primate became pregnant with a human-hybrid, but died from neglect after the lab's scientists were forced to abandon the project. Gallup claims that humans can be crossbred with other apes and not just chimpanzees. 'All of the available evidence both fossil, palaeontological and biochemical, including DNA itself, suggests that humans can also breed with gorillas and orang-utans,' he added. A spokeswoman for Yerkes National Primate Research Center, said: 'We have not been involved with any "humanzee" experiments, but rather conduct and enable peer-reviewed research studies to help fight disease and improve human health.' Laboratory tests have linked Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons stockpile to the worst sarin gas attack of the Syrian civil war, scientists have revealed. Hundreds of civilians were killed in the atrocity in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta on August 21, 2013. Experts working for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons compared samples taken from the scene by a UN mission to chemicals handed over by the government for destruction in 2014. The tests found 'markers' in samples taken at Ghouta and at the sites of two other nerve agent attacks, in the towns of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib governorate on April 4, 2017 and Khan al-Assal, Aleppo, in March 2013, two people involved in the process said. Laboratory tests have linked Bashar al-Assad's chemical weapons stockpile to the worst sarin gas attack of the Syrian civil war which saw hundreds die in Ghouta (picured) The findings support Western claims that government forces under dictator Bashar al-Assad (pictured) were behind the atrocity The findings support Western claims that government forces under dictator Assad were behind the atrocity. 'We compared Khan Sheikhoun, Khan al-Assal, Ghouta,' said one source who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the findings. 'There were signatures in all three of them that matched.' The same test results were the basis for a report by the OPCW-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism in October which said the Syrian government was responsible for the Khan Sheikhoun attack, which killed dozens. The findings on Ghouta, whose details were confirmed to Reuters by two separate diplomatic sources, were not released in the October report to the U.N. Security Council because they were not part of the team's mandate. They will nonetheless bolster claims by the United States, Britain and other Western powers that Assad's government still possesses and uses banned munitions in violation of several Security Council resolutions and the Chemical Weapons Convention. The OPCW declined to comment. Syria has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons in the conflict now in its seventh year and has blamed the chemical attacks in the rebel-held territory of Ghouta on the insurgents themselves. Experts working for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons compared samples taken from the scene by a UN mission (pictured) to chemicals handed over by the government for destruction in 2014 Russia has also denied that Syrian government forces have carried out chemical attacks and has questioned the reliability of the OCPW inquiries. Officials in Moscow have said the rebels staged the attacks to discredit the Assad government and whip up international condemnation. Under a U.S.-Russian deal after the Ghouta attack in 2013, Damascus joined the OPCW and agreed to permanently eliminate its chemical weapons programme, including destroying a 1,300-tonne stockpile of industrial precursors that has now been linked to the Ghouta attack. But inspectors have found proof of an ongoing chemical weapons program in Syria, including the systematic use of chlorine barrel bombs and sarin, which they say was ordered at the highest levels of government. The sarin attack on Khan Sheikhoun in April last year prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to order a missile strike against the Shayrat air base, from which the Syrian operation is said to have been launched. Diplomatic and scientific sources said efforts by Syria and Russia to discredit the U.N.-OPCW tests establishing a connection to Ghouta have so far come up with nothing. Russia's blocking of resolutions at the Security Council seeking accountability for war crimes in Syria gained new relevance when Russia stationed its aircraft at Shayrat in 2015. The tests found 'markers' in samples taken at Ghouta and at the sites of two other nerve agent attacks, in the towns of Khan Sheikhoun (pictured) in Idlib governorate on April 4, 2017 and Khan al-Assal, Aleppo, in March 2013, two people involved in the process said Washington fired missiles at Shayrat in April 2017, saying the Syrian air force used it to stage the Khan Sheikhoun sarin attack on April 4 a few days earlier, killing more than 80 people. No Russian military assets are believed to have been hit, but Moscow warned at the time it could have serious consequences. In June, the Pentagon said it had seen what appeared to be preparations for another chemical attack at the same airfield, prompting Russia to say it would respond proportionately if Washington took pre-emptive measures against Syrian forces there. The chemical tests were carried out at the request of the U.N.-OPCW inquiry, which was searching for potential links between the stockpile and samples from Khan Sheikhoun. The analysis results raised the possibility that they would provide a link to other sarin attacks, the source said. Two compounds in the Ghouta sample matched those also found in Khan Sheikhoun, one formed from sarin and the stabiliser hexamine and another specific fluorophosphate that appears during sarin production, the tests showed. 'Like in all science, it should be repeated a couple of times, but it was serious matching and serious laboratory work,' the source said. Independent experts, however, said the findings are the strongest scientific evidence to date that the Syrian government was behind Ghouta, the deadliest chemical weapons attack since the Halabja massacres of 1988 during the Iran-Iraq war. 'A match of samples from the 2013 Ghouta attacks to tests of chemicals in the Syrian stockpile is the equivalent of DNA evidence: definitive proof,' said Amy Smithson, a U.S. nonproliferation expert. The hexamine finding 'is a particularly significant match,' Smithson said, because it is a chemical identified as a unique hallmark of the Syrian military's process to make sarin. 'This match adds to the mountain of physical evidence that points conclusively, without a shadow of doubt, to the Syrian government,' she said. Smithson and other sources familiar with the matter said it would have been virtually impossible for the rebels to carry out a coordinated, large-scale strike with poisonous munitions, even if they had been able to steal the chemicals from the government's stockpile. 'I don't think there is a cat in hell's chance that rebels or Islamic State were responsible for the Aug. 21 Ghouta attack,' said Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, an independent specialist in biological and chemical weapons. The U.N.-OPCW inquiry, which was disbanded in November after being blocked by Syria's ally Russia at the U.N. Security Council, also found that Islamic State had used the less toxic blistering agent sulphur mustard gas on a small scale in Syria. The Ghouta attack, by comparison, was textbook chemical warfare, Smithson and de Bretton-Gordon said, perfectly executed by forces trained to handle sarin, a toxin which is more difficult to use because it must be mixed just before delivery. Surface-to-surface rockets delivered hundreds of litres of sarin in perfect weather conditions that made them as lethal as possible: low temperatures and wind in the early hours of the morning, when the gas would remain concentrated and kill sleeping victims, many of them children. Pre-attack air raids with conventional bombs shattered windows and doors and drove people into shelters where the heavy poison seeped down into underground hiding places. Aerial bombing afterwards sought to destroy the evidence. The large quantity of chemicals used, along with radar images of rocket traces showing they originated from Syrian Brigade positions, are further proof that the rebels could not have carried out the Ghouta attack, the experts said. Samuel Patton, 58, has been sentenced to four years and 10 months behind bars for burning his ex-lover's travel agency in Adelaide as 'revenge' after they broke up An Adelaide man who burned down his ex-lover's travel agency has been sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison. Samuel Patton, 58, appeared in the South Australian District Court for sentencing on Tuesday. He pleaded guilty to arson over the destruction of the Parkside business in September 2017. Patton used his key to enter the travel agency in the early hours of the morning, before lighting what he said was intended to be a small fire. In sentencing, Judge Gordon Barrett described the arson attack as 'calculated, premeditated and vindictive'. Scroll down for video Patton used his key to enter the business and lit what he said was intended to be a small fire The blaze engulfed the building, which also housed a chiropractor's rooms and a packing company, and caused $220,000 in damage - but the cost to rebuild will exceed $500,000. The agency belonged to Rosalie Stott, who had been in a relationship with Patton for more than four years when it came to an end in May 2017. The jilted lover's ex-girlfriend spent 30 years of her life building the business, according to Adelaide Now. Samuel Patton (right has been jailed for four years and ten months for burning down ex-girlfriend Rosalie Stott's (left) million dollar travel agency as 'revenge' after they broke up The judge said Patton's offending was 'far too serious' to escape imprisonment and set a non-parole period of two years and five months. Speaking outside court, defence lawyer Craig Caldicott said his client was devastated at the jail term. 'He's really, really sorry, and if he could take it all back he would,' he told reporters. Security footage of the night shows a man walking along the nearby street as he removes a face disguise as he leaves. The builder had reportedly drunk a lot of alcohol before setting fire to the agency, which lost $2 million in gross turnover, ABC News reported. Security footage of the night shows a man walking along the nearby street at the time of the fire 'I think about it every day and I still can't believe what I have done,' Patton said. 'I can't apologise enough for the grief I've caused.' Patton, a father-of-four and grandfather, broke up with Ms Stott four months before the blaze and allegedly burnt down the agency in an act of revenge, according to 9NEWS. Ms Stott said Patton had done the 'most devilish, wicked, evil act' possible where his 'despicable behaviour' had 'destroyed [her] livelihood'. Ministers today dismissed a grim Whitehall assessment of the impact of Brexit - saying the leak was an effort to 'undermine' Britain's departure from the EU. A cross-government study suggests growth would be lower under a range of scenarios. Even a comprehensive free trade agreement would see the economy 5 per cent smaller in 15 years' time than it would be otherwise, according to the study. But Brexit minister Steve Baker told the House of Commons he had not even seen the draft paper until this morning, and it was incomplete. He said the government would publish an impact assessment when one was prepared, but the publication of an early version represented an 'attempt to undermine our exit from the EU'. The rebuttal came as Leave-supporting MPs pointed out that the Project Fear campaign made similar dire predictions before the referendum and they turned out to be wrong. Brexit minister Steve Baker told the House of Commons today that he had not seen the draft paper before this morning, and it was incomplete Theresa May held a Cabinet meeting this morning, with Michael Gove (left) and Liam Fox (right) among those attending Boris Johnson, one of the Cabinet's leading Brexiteers, has yet to respond to the leak A study drawn up for the Brexit Department headed by David Davis (pictured at a Lords committee hearing yesterday) shows growth would be lower under a range of scenarios The extraordinary leak of the confidential document, to Buzzfeed News, sparked an immediate hunt for the culprit. The material was meant to be shown to senior ministers in private, with strict rules in place to prevent them taking the paperwork out of the room. But within hours of the briefings getting under way it had been passed to journalists. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith branded the timing of the claims - with Brexit negotiations at a critical stage - 'suspicious'. Government sources stressed the analysis was incomplete and had not considered Theresa May's favoured outcome of a bespoke trade deal with the EU. The analysis found the loss of GDP would rise to 8 per cent if Britain left without a deal and was forced to fall back on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. Alternatively, if the UK were to retain access to the single market through membership of the European Economic Area the reduction would be just 2 per cent. The forecast does not claim the economy would get smaller, but suggests it would not grow as fast as if the UK remained in the EU. The Prime Minister is now facing renewed demands to publish the Government's full impact assessments. As Mrs May prepared to fly out on a three-day trade mission to China, opposition MPs said the public were entitled to know the true cost of leaving the EU. The PM leaves behind her a Conservative Party in turmoil, amid deepening unrest among MPs over the direction of the talks with Brussels. Mr Duncan Smith told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think the timing in this is highly suspicious in the sense that suddenly in the midst of all this conversation about the European Union we have a leaked document. 'But,I would observe that almost every single forecast coming from Government, and most of the international organisations, has been completely wrong. 'I think we should take this with a pinch of salt.' Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at Downing Street in London for a Brexit meeting yesterday Speaking about the report's findings, Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG) of Tory MPs, said they were 'highly speculative'. He said similar modelling by the Treasury before the Brexit referendum - predicting large scale job losses following a Leave vote - had been 'comprehensively wrong'. But Labour MP Chris Leslie, a member of the Open Britain group which campaigns against a 'hard' Brexit, said ministers must now release the findings in full. What the report shows The economic impact assessment claims growth would be lower under a range of potential scenarios: If UK can negotiate a comprehensive free trade agreement: Growth will be down 5% over the next 15 years. over the next 15 years. If UK has no deal and must fall back on World Trade Organisation rules: Growth will be down 8% If UK can retain access to the single market through European Economic Area: Growth will be down 2%. Advertisement 'No one voted to make themselves or their families worse off,' he said. 'The Government must now publish their analysis in full, so that MPs and the public can see for themselves the impact that Brexit will have and judge for themselves whether it is the right thing for our country.' In response to the leak a Government source said officials from across Whitehall were undertaking 'a wide range of ongoing analysis'. 'An early draft of this next stage of analysis has looked at different off-the-shelf arrangements that currently exist as well as other external estimates,' the source said. 'It does not, however, set out or measure the details of our desired outcome - a new deep and special partnership with the EU - or predict the conclusions of the negotiations. Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured), chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG) of Tory MPs, said the report's findings were 'highly speculative' Pro-EU campaigners protest outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster yesterday 'It also contains a significant number of caveats and is hugely dependant on a wide range of assumptions which demonstrate that significantly more work needs to be carried out to make use of this analysis and draw out conclusions.' The disclosure comes amid anger among pro-Brexit Tories at the latest negotiating guidelines from Brussels which said the UK would remain subject to EU law - including any changes passed after it leaves in March 2019 - during a proposed 21-month post Brexit transition. Amid fears among some Brexiteers that the Government is heading for a 'soft' break, retaining many of the current elements of Britain's relationship with the EU, Mr Rees-Mogg said the Prime Minister needed to spell out what sort of deal she was looking for. Brexit bill begins its passage through the House of Lords today The Government's flagship Brexit bill is set to begin its passage through the House of Lords today. More than 190 peers are listed to speak in a marathon two-day second reading debate on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill. While the legislation cleared the Commons last month relatively unscathed - with only one Government defeat - it is likely to face a far rougher ride in the upper chamber which is overwhelmingly opposed to Brexit. The main battles will come in the weeks ahead when it reaches the committee stage when peers are likely to try to push through a series of major amendments. Advertisement 'We would take for the first time since 1066, laws imposed on us by a foreign power without having a say over it ourselves. That may be acceptable if we have a clear idea what the end point is,' he told BBC2's Newsnight. The Times quoted one source close to the ERG as saying Mrs May's chances of survival were no better than '50:50' with pleading from Cabinet ministers said to be the main reason she was still in place. The paper said that reports were circulating among pro-Brexit MPs of a revolt at a recent dinner for Conservative donors with around a quarter arguing she should go. Mr Rees-Mogg insisted that said he knew nothing about the reports, saying: 'That is nothing to do with me.' Accused drug smuggler Isaac Roberts gave some bizarre advice to reporters as he was escorted to prosecutors ahead of his Bali trial. Roberts, an Australian accountant who was allegedly caught with 19.97 grams of crystal meth and ecstasy pills, spent the past week in a police hospital after 'raging and talking to himself in his prison cell' nearly two months following his arrest. As the 35-year-old was led handcuffed in an orange jumpsuit by police to be transferred to the prosecution office, he told reporters: 'Say no to drugs', the Courier Mail reports. Roberts, (pictured) an Australian accountant who was allegedly caught with 19.97 grams of crystal meth and ecstasy pills, spent the past week in a police hospital As the 35-year-old (pictured) was led handcuffed by police to be transferred to the prosecution office, he told reporters: 'Say no to drugs' Queensland-born Roberts faces the death penalty for drug importation after he was allegedly found with the substances at Denpasar Airport in December last year. He was also taken to hospital a month ago after suffering from shock and it is alleged he suffers from depression and was at risk of committing suicide. Doctors cleared him as physically fit before he was handed over to prosecution. 'The suspect, indeed, had suffered depression. I think it is a normal thing. From a free person, suddenly he has to stay in the jail, so it's normal,' Deputy director for narcotics at Bali police Sudjarwoko said. Roberts was arrested in Bali on December 4 however his incarceration was kept hidden until weeks later, when he was paraded at gunpoint dressed in a balaclava in front of waiting media. Queensland-born Roberts (pictured) faces the death penalty for drug importation after he was allegedly found with the substances at Denpasar Airport in December last year Roberts was arrested in Bali on December 4 however his incarceration was kept hidden until weeks later, when he was paraded at gunpoint dressed in a balaclava (pictured) in front of waiting media He was taken to hospital a month ago after suffering from shock and it is alleged he suffers from depression and was at risk of committing suicide The former accountant (pictured left and right) was arrested in December for allegedly smuggling drugs into Bali The former chartered accountant confessed to being a prolific drug user and told waiting media he was a 'f***ing addict', but alleged he was not a dealer. His lawyer argues Roberts requires rehabilitation and not a prison sentence. Roberts also alleges he was invited to Indonesia by a customers officer who 'knew' he was going to smuggle drugs into the country. 'I was working with a customs officer and they knew I was going to bring something,' he told reporters in Bali. Roberts (pictured) also alleges he was invited to Indonesia by a customers officer who 'knew' he was going to smuggle drugs into the country His lawyer argues Roberts (pictured) requires rehabilitation and not a prison sentence Roberts ran as a Liberal Democrat candidate in the seat of Higgins in Melbourne in 2009. He was unsuccessful, polling eighth out of 10 candidates. His social media accounts reveal the alleged drug user to be a dedicated gym junkie who regularly visits the Indonesian island and Thailand. Pictures on his Instagram show his frequent travels to Asian destinations such as Sukhumvit in Bangkok, Thailand. His trial date is yet to be set but is expected to take place within weeks. Thousands of people are clogging the hospital emergency rooms every day when they could just be treated by their regular doctor. A new report has revealed that in NSW alone, there are 3000 unnecessary visits to the emergency department every day - and another 1700 in Victoria. But hospitals in Queensland only see 1100 patients that could have gone to their doctor, and experts are putting it down to the educational campaign imploring people to 'keep emergency departments for emergencies'. Scroll down for video In NSW alone there are 3000 unnecessary visits to the emergency department every day Mr Davis describes the ad as a 'light-hearted look' at the issue that discourages hospital visits 'Shocking numbers aren't they...I think it's gotta be down to ignorance,' said Brisbane-based BBC Radio 4 broadcast journalist Ben Davis during an Tuesday morning appearance on Sunrise. 'Bulk billing for doctors service, even the home doctors service after hours, that's a booming industry...Maybe it's to do with the ad campaign that we've been running [in Queensland].' Mr Davis describes the ad as a 'light-hearted look' at the issue that also 'guilts you into not going' to the emergency room. The ad shows a surgeon removing a patient's ingrown toenail in the hospital operating theatre It also shows a doctor saying, 'Clear!...Her nose, it's all blocked up' while holding nasal spray The ad shows three doctors rushing a man on a gurney into an operating room and a surgeon asking for clippers while frantic music plays. It then cuts to the surgeon bending over a patient and removing a ingrown toenail. Another scene shows a trauma nurse shouting 'clear!' and then, 'Clear her nose, it's all blocked up' while holding a container of nasal spray. At the end, the Queensland government reminds viewers that 'emergency departments are for medical emergencies only.' 'It's an education campaign and one that makes you think twice about going to the emergency department,' Mr Davis explained. The ad reminds its viewers that 'emergency departments are for medical emergencies only Tory Shepherd said on Sunrise that if the ad works then it should be rolled out across Australia The Advertiser's South Australian state editor Tory Shepherd also praised the ad, saying that if it works then it should be rolled out across Australia. 'It's way too many people clogging up the hospitals and if it does come down to an ad like that working, then let's have that nationally,' she suggested. Ms Shepherd also pointed out that the issue with patients going to the hospital with the flu is that they may pass it on to other hospital patients who have more serious illnesses. 'Nobody wants to go to a hospital, surely, when they could go to their local GP,' she said. Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen, 31, arrives at Folkestone Magistrates' Court in Kent her hate crime trial to continue today A mother-of-two said today that she blames the deputy leader of Britain First for the death of her stillborn daughter after she was subjected to racist abuse in her home. Jayda Fransen, 31, is accused of hate crimes alongside the leader of the far-right group Paul Golding, 36. Fransen shot into the international media spotlight last year when US President Donald Trump retweeted some anti-Islamic posts issued by Britain First. And Fransen later told the court that she requested a sit down meeting with TV presenter Piers Morgan after he accused her organisation of being racist. She and Golding were arrested over the alleged distribution of leaflets and online videos, which were posted during the trial of three Muslim men and a teenager, who were later convicted of rape. She went to the Kent home of one of the defendants Tamin Rahmani and shouted abuse through the front door, Folkestone Magistrates' Court heard. His partner Kelli Best said she was alone with their two children, aged three years and 18 months, during the incident on May 9 last year. She told the court that she was pregnant at the time and blames Fransen for the death of her stillborn daughter. Britain First leader Paul Golding (left) and his deputy Fransen (right) arrive at the court today Giving evidence from behind a screen today, she said: 'She (Fransen) was making racist remarks: 'Dirty Muslim rapist, come out, we're not going to leave until you're gone, come out. Dirty scumbags'. 'It was directed at Tamin because she thought he was in there but he wasn't.' She added: 'It made me feel very anxious, I didn't go outside for a long time. I was also pregnant at the time it happened. 'Two days after I started to bleed heavily and lost my daughter, she was stillborn. I blame Jayda Fransen because there was no other reason for it to happen.' Piers Morgan (right) had the first international TV interview with US President Donald Trump (left) last week, in which he apologised for retweeting Britain First's video posts She said her young son still gets scared when anyone knocks on their door. 'He would make remarks saying 'I'm not dirty', it's really affected him,' she added. On a video played in court, Fransen could be seen banging on the door and shouting: 'Come out and face me you disgusting rapist, come on.' Miss Best sat shaking and crying in the witness stand as the footage was played. Later today, giving evidence, Fransen said she has more than 2.5 million followers on social media and has been retweeted by Mr Trump. Fransen said broadcaster Mr Morgan (pictured on The Andrew Marr Show in London on Sunday) had 'labelled me a racist, which I'm not' Kevin Smallcombe, defending, said that Britain First is a 'controversial' organisation, that was described by Mr Morgan as racist during an interview with Mr Trump. 'Yes Piers Morgan labelled me a racist, which I'm not,' Fransen replied. 'My response was to invite Piers Morgan to discuss and debate with me. 'I'm pretty certain if he allowed me to sit with him he would be more than convinced that I'm far from racist. He hasn't taken me up on that offer unfortunately.' Mr Morgan is the DailyMail.com US Editor-at-Large as well as a presenter of ITV's Good Morning Britain. Fransen and Golding, both from Penge, South East London, are accused of hate crimes The 52-year-old had the first international TV interview with Mr Trump last week, in which the US President apologised for retweeting Britain First's video posts. Earlier, the court heard how Fransen was previously convicted of racially aggravated harassment, relating to an incident in January 2016. She approached a woman wearing a hijab in Luton town centre and told her she 'had been hidden because your men can't control their urges', prosecutor Madeleine Wolf said. The victim later told police that Fransen said 'you cover because you don't want to be raped', the court heard. Fransen (pictured today) is charged with four counts of religiously aggravated harassment 'This was a Christian patrol carried out by Britain First in Luton,' Miss Wolf added. Golding has a previous conviction for harassing a person in their home, relating to an incident in January 2015, the court heard. He told a woman living there that her son was a terrorist and that 'we want to evict him, we don't want him to live there', Miss Wolf said. Golding also posted leaflets around the neighbourhood telling them there was a terrorist living near them, she added. The location of the incident was not given to the court. The details were given during a prosecution bad character application, which was denied by Judge Justin Barron. An Australian mother-of-three has been accused of copyright infringement by a US company selling a similar product. Samantha Cardone, who developed the Plane Pal, an inflatable cushion designed to help children sleep on planes, stole the design from US company Fly Tot, the two owners of the business allege. The women, Winnie Lu and Kate Kuo, told The Sydney Morning Herald Ms Cardone had originally contacted them asking to be the Australian distributor for their product before asking for more details on the cushion. She also offered to sign a non-disclosure agreement, but one was never offered and a deal was never made. Instead, Ms Lu and Ms Kuo say the Gold Coast woman simply bought a Fly Tot off their site. Spot the difference? Samantha Cardone says her Plane Pal (left), had a superior design to the Fly Tot (right) and was more durable Ms Cardone (pictured), who developed the Plane Pal, has been accused of ripping off Fly Tot, a similar product developed in the US Ms Cardone then allegedly contacted a manufacturer for Fly Tot based in China, writing an email which shared her intention to: 'produce a similar product for a different international market'. 'Could you please advise if you are able to produce an item similar to the one you are already producing with my branding?,' she allegedly wrote. Ms Cardone has vehemently denied the claims, noting her product is visually similar but that is where the likeness ends. She told Fairfax her Plane Pal is made from a lighter material and features an internal structure that makes the cushion more durable. Ms Cardone did not appear phased by the allegations, and took to Facebook to laugh it off 'Fly Tot is just another inflatable like many others before it, and many more that are likely to follow,' she said. The entrepreneur, whose company is expected to turn over $1million this year, did not appear to bothered by the comments of Ms Lu and Ms Kuo. 'When your competitors cant compete with you in the real world so they try to slag you in the media,' she wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. Lu and Kuo attempted to file legal procedings against Ms Cardone, but found they were unable because they did not have a patent in Australia for their product - and were unable to apply for one because the Fly Tot had already hit the market. A British mum who took 14 hours to pick up her three-year-old son from police after he went missing has had the child taken away from her. The expat mum was warned she faced prosecution after the youngster was found wandering barefoot in pyjamas along the seafront in the Costa Blanca holiday resort of Torrevieja. She discovered officers had taken her child to hospital for a check-up an hour after she lost sight of him - but then took another 11 hours to call police and a further two hours to go and fetch him. An expat British mother has had her three-year-old son placed in protective custody while she is taken to court for abandonment after she lost the boy at the sea front in Torrevieja (file) When asked why she had failed to call police immediately, she told officers that 'she was tired', local media reports. On Tuesday court officials confirmed she was being investigated on suspicion of a crime of child abandonment following the bizarre incident last week - and said the youngster had been placed in temporary care. The investigation is being led by an investigating judge at Court of Instruction Number Four in Torrevieja. A court official confirmed: 'Court of Instruction Number Four in Torrevieja has placed a British woman under official investigation on suspicion of a crime of child abandonment. 'She was arrested last week after police found her three-year-old son alone. 'The judge has authorised the three-year-old's entry into a child protection centre and has provisionally removed him from his mum's custody. 'The child will remain in regional authority care. The court has informed local authorities including social services in Torrevieja and state prosecutors. 'After being questioned in court by the investigating judge, the British woman has been released on bail pending an ongoing investigation.' The extraordinary sequence of events which ended with the unnamed 34-year-old being reported for alleged child abandonment began around 8.30pm last Wednesday. A fast food worker called police to say a young boy was wandering alone along Torrevieja's promenade wearing just pyjamas and socks. Police took him away after failing to identify him and confirming no missing alert was out for him - and took him to hospital for health checks while they tried to establish who his parents were. The same fast food worker who had alerted local police spotted a woman 'looking for something' along seafront promenade Paseo Juan Aparacio around 9.30pm the same night. The boy was found wandering in his pyjamas and was taken to this hospital by police. The mother was informed an hour later what had happened, but took 11 hours to contact police and another two to go an pick the boy up The worker told the woman that her child was with the authorities after confirming she was searching for her son. Police only got their first call from her at 8.30am last Thursday and she took another two hours to turn up to collect her son after being urged to come in immediately because he was about to be placed in temporary care. She is said to have told officers when she finally arrived that she knew her child was in safe hands after losing sight of him while she was out with a group of friends. It was initially reported that she had escaped arrest, but court officials said she had been read her rights before being hauled to court. The promenade where the youngster was found is in the heart of Torrevieja town, close to the spot where an off-duty police officer arrested a man suspected of trying to abduct a two-year-old girl last September. Local reports at the time said the Spaniard, described as well-built and around 60, ran off with the girl in his arms before dumping her as he was intercepted by holidaymakers alerted by the youngster's screaming relatives. He was pinned to the ground by the off-duty police officer - and handed over to Civil Guard officers for questioning. In July 2016 police in Benidorm further up the coast arrested a British holidaymaker accused of abandoning her two nine-year-old twins while out drinking. One of the boys was taken into a police station by a couple who found him walking alone on the streets of the Costa Blanca resort looking for his AWOL mum. His twin brother was discovered lying in the door-well of his holiday apartment after crossing town to return to where they were staying. Police arrested their mum after failing to find any search of her in the area where her children had last seen her - and tracking her down the following morning asleep in bed at her holiday accommodation. A hunter has told how he fought off a wounded Siberian tiger by wedging his arm in the beast's jaw to stop the predator 'going for my neck'. Dmitry Korchevsky, 39, said he wrestled with the endangered wild animal for ten minutes - but now he faces a probe into whether he had been poaching the rare big cat when he was attacked. The Russian man came across the tiger as he checked forest traps he had set for sable, he claimed. 'It lay under a cedar, preparing to jump at me. I took two steps back and shot three times,' he said from hospital. Dmitry Korchevsky (pictured) said he wrestled with the endangered wild animal for ten minutes 'He pounced on me, and tore my hand and head.' Korchevsky told how the tiger 'was gnawing at me for ten minutes. 'Trying to protect myself, I stuffed his jaw with my arms - so that he didn't get to my neck 'My left arm his badly bitten, it now doesn't move 'He bit my right arm around the elbow and ripped my scalp off. 'He was biting me with all the might he had left in him. 'Then he died on me. I climbed out from underneath him and saw him dead' Now he faces a probe into whether he had been poaching the rare big cat when he was attacked. Above, a Siberian tiger seen closer to the road earlier this month His three gun shots eventually proved fatal. 'I crawled away from him and for as long as I had strength in my legs, I walked towards my home.' He trudged wounded for almost six miles - blood pouring from his cuts - before getting in mobile coverage, so he could summon a friend to help him and take him to hospital. 'I didn't stop for a minute, even though I was in pain because of wounds. 'I was scared that if I was to stop even momentarily, I'd freeze to death from blood loss. 'He almost ate away my left arm, it's bitten all over now, I don't feel it and can't move it.' The hunter is 'badly wounded' but will survive the attack. He trudged wounded for almost six miles - blood pouring from his cuts - before getting in mobile coverage, so he could summon a friend to help him and take him to hospital However, Russian hunting officials are now checking his account amid suspicions that he was a poacher seeking to slay one of only 500 or so of this endangered species still living in the wild, reported The Siberian Times. Siberian tigers are the largest big cats in the world, and their skins fetch huge sums on the black market, as do their organs valued by the Chinese for traditional potency cures. Korchevsky claimed there was blood under the cedar tree where the tiger lay in wait for him - indicating a poacher had earlier wounded the predator. Checks are now to be made at the site in the Olginsky district of Primorsky region, in then Russian Far East. The hunter is 'badly wounded' but will survive the attack after receiving treatment in hospital. File photo Hunting control officer Dmitry Pankratov said: 'How did this happen? What exactly was this man doing there? Why did the tiger attack him? 'There might be all sorts of circumstances as to what happened, but we have not had tigers attacking humans like this for a very long time. 'This is not a kind of an animal that just jumps on a man like this. 'Tigers are incredibly cautious, they have to be seriously provoked to attack.' The type of wounds on the tiger's body, and traces at the site, will help the experts figure out exactly what happened. If suspected of poaching, the wounded man will face criminal charges. The case echoes another ten minute fight with a Siberian tiger faced last year by a woman keeper at Kaliningrad zoo. Mother of three Nadezhda Srivastava, 44, also used her arms to stop the tiger going for her neck. Horrific footage showed the attack. Eventually onlookers made such a commotion that the tiger retreated. She said: 'I needed to concentrate as much as possible to try somehow to control the predator's every movement . 'He had badly torn my arm, it hurt terribly. 'I began to push him back with my foot, but he bit into my leg, ripping off off my boot. 'When I turned unsuccessfully - he sank his teeth into my the back.' The former head of GCHQ has warned it's only a matter of time before cyber attackers kill someone in the UK as he backed claims attacks from Russia could leave thousands of Brits dead. Robert Hannigan, who served as the Director at Britain's spy base until last year, said it was 'perfectly respectable' for Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson to claim Putin could kill 'thousands and thousands' of Brits by attacking energy supplies. Mr Hannigan said: 'So far we have not seen anyone physically harmed or killed through cyber attack. But I do think it is just a matter of time. Mr Hannigan said it was 'perfectly respectable' for Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson to claim Putin could kill 'thousands and thousands' of Brits by attacking energy supplies 'The danger of miscalculation in cyber is much greater than in other areas. 'In cyperspace it is extremely hard to know what the collateral damage will be and what the unintended consequences will be. Some countries are behaving quite recklessly with those weapons. 'If people do take reckless gambles inside power grids for example, it is almost inevitable that at some stage somebody will die as a result of cyber.' At the same session Mr Hannigan defended Mr Williamson after the Defence Secretary was accused of leaking intelligence on Putin to distract attention from his private life. Former head of MI6 Sir John Sawers also said that British jihadis returning from the conflict in Syria should not be subjected to 'Wild West justice'. He said that while former fighters should face justice, it was important that they were dealt with within the framework of the law. Former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers says fighters returning from Syria should not face 'Wild West justice' Appearing before the joint parliamentary National Security Strategy Committee, Sir John expressed concern about 'loose comments' by politicians suggesting they should simply be killed. He said it was essential that members of the intelligence agencies or the armed forces were not put in a position where they were expected to break the law. Mr Williamson said last month that everything should be down to 'destroy and eliminate' the threat from returning fighters, claiming: 'A dead terrorist can't cause any harm to Britain.' Sir John told the committee: 'One or two loose things have been said about all those Brits who went out there should be killed. 'I think it is very important that politicians don't put members of the armed forces or the intelligence services in a position where they are expected to break the law. Mr Hannigan said that as ISIS lost territory on the ground, it was increasingly focusing its activities online 'There are very clear laws governing military action and so on. One of the essences of our system is that we operate within the framework of the law. 'Yes, many of these people need to be brought to justice, but that doesn't mean a Wild West justice.' Mr Hannigan said that as ISIS lost territory on the ground, it was increasingly focusing its activities online. 'As it is destroyed on the ground, the online caliphate becomes more and more important to it. We need to bear down on that. 'The longer term worry is that we didn't really see Daesh coming. If you see Daesh as simply the latest iteration of Sunni extremism, we have to assume there will be another one and it may not look exactly like Daesh. 'We need to try predict correctly where it comes from and what it will look like. That ought to be a major concern for the next five years.' Mr Hannigan also expressed concern about the use of cyber warfare tactics by countries like Russia and North Korea. He said nation states were increasingly working with sophisticated criminal gangs, and warned that if they continued to take risks, there could be fatal consequences. 'Against the backdrop of a sense of a disintegrating set of (international) rules, states have been prepared to take risks that are seriously dangerous,' he said. Former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers criticised Theresa May's weak leadership and blamed her for allowing Britain to be eclipsed by French President Emmanuel Macron in world affairs. The former head of MI6 told Parliament's joint National Security Strategy Committee: 'It's having a quality of national leadership and the interest to devote to world affairs and we're seeing a contrast here in contrast her for example to President Macron in France. 'You cannot run an effective global foreign policy and have global reach unless you have a well-equipped and well-funded diplomatic service and that has certainly been driven too far down.' A psychologist accused of sexually assaulting female patients during appointments has been released on bail. Pieter Jozua Rossouw, 62, appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court after NSW police issued a warrant for his arrest earlier this month. The charges relate to allegations he repeatedly assaulted a 17-year-old female patient while he was working as a private psychologist in 2004. Pieter Jozua Rossouw, 62, (pictured) appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court after NSW police issued a warrant for his arrest earlier this month The charges relate to allegations he repeatedly assaulted a 17-year-old female patient while he was working as a private psychologist in 2004 (Rossouw pictured) Two other female patients, aged in their 30s and 40s, told police that Rossouw had also assaulted them during sessions. Police prosecutor Matt Kahler told the court Rossouw was facing charges of aggravated sexual assault, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years, because he was in a position of authority when the alleged incidents occurred. 'The victims at the time were very distraught,' he said. 'They trusted him and he abused that trust.' Mr Kahler claimed Rossouw was still a registered psychologist who had access to clients. But defence lawyer Craig Pratt said Rosshadn't practiced since 2009, was 'somewhat retired' and now only held workshops for professionals in the field. Police prosecutor Matt Kahler told the court Rossouw (pictured left and right) was facing charges of aggravated sexual assault, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years Mr Kahler claimed Rossouw (right) was still a registered psychologist who had access to clients 'He is an academic with a distinguished career,' he said. Mr Pratt said his client denied the allegations and would fight them in court. NSW police officers appeared in court in an attempt to extradite Rossouw, who has been living in Queensland for eight years, back to Sydney. But Magistrate Paul Kluck agreed to release him on bail on the proviso he report to police daily, surrender his Australian and South African passports, and reside at his home in the affluent Brisbane suburb of St Lucia. Rossouw is also required to front a Sydney court on February 5, where his bail could be revoked. NSW police officers appeared in court in an attempt to extradite Rossouw, (pictured) who has been living in Queensland for eight years, back to Sydney The psychologist is listed as a director and presenter at Mediros Clinical Solutions and two other companies that provide training and conduct research into neuropsychotherapy. The Mediros Clinical Solutions website also states he is a professor of education at Central Queensland University. He has also worked with several education departments across Australia, as well as Catholic Education Queensland and Victoria. Details have emerged of the last moments a young aspiring actor spent alive before he was viciously bashed to death. Eli Holtz, 18, was attacked in the Auckland CBD at 3.15am on Saturday, and died in hospital at 8.45pm on Sunday. He had fired a water gun at a group of people from a car, and was allegedly dragged from the vehicle as it was parked at a red light. He was allegedly beaten by one of the people he shot the water gun at, the New Zealand Herald reported. Eli Holtz, 18, was allgedly attacked in the Auckland CBD at 3.15am on Saturday, and died in hospital at 8.45pm on Sunday He had fired a water gun at a group of people from a car, and was allegedly dragged from the vehicle as it was parked at a red light Mr Holtz's sister Chanelle Armstrong said her brother was 'so gentle and kind' A 30-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter after Mr Holtz's death. The man appeared in the Auckland District Court on Tuesday morning, and has been granted interim name suppression. Mr Holtz's sister Chanelle Armstrong said her brother was 'so gentle and kind'. 'Nothing can be done to bring back my brother. It is just a tragedy everywhere,' she told the Herald. 'He had this huge beautiful smile and he was really kind-hearted, generous and gentle.' He was one of seven children born and raised in Whangarei, north of Auckland. He was allegedly beaten by one of the people he shot the water gun at, the New Zealand Herald reported He had just finished his final year of high school, and was planning to study drama He had just finished his final year of high school, and was planning to study drama in 2018. Family and friends of Mr Holtz took to social media to pay tribute to him. 'Gone way too soon but never forgotten,' one family member said, while another posted 'love you'. Detective Inspector Scott Beard said police are hoping to speak to three men who were at the intersection at the time of the alleged attack A friend of Mr Holtz posted 'rest easy up there in heaven... love you my bro'. Detective Inspector Scott Beard said police were hoping to speak to three men who were at the intersection at the time of the alleged attack. Police are also hoping to speak to the occupants of a white Toyota Prius parked behind the car Mr Fultz was in before he was allegedly pulled out. Baffled Brexiteers slammed the German ambassador today after he claimed Britain voted to quit the EU because it was obsessed with World War Two. Tory MP Henry Smith told MailOnline he had never heard anyone who campaigned for Brexit mention the war. Germany's outgoing ambassador Peter Ammon, who leaves his post in London this week, made the bizarre claim in a newspaper interview. Mr Ammon claimed Brexit was fuelled by the image of the British standing alone against the Nazis during the Second World War. Mr Ammon said the decision to leave the EU was 'a tragedy' and warned that Britain had 'illusions' about what could be achieved in negotiations with Brussels. He said that conversations with Brexiteers had led him to believe that the UK had a fascination with the Second World War. German ambassador Peter Ammon (file image) today claims Brexit was fuelled by the image of the British standing alone against the Nazis during the Second World War He said: 'History is always full of ambiguities and ups and downs, but if you focus only on how Britain stood alone in the war, how it stood against dominating Germany, well, it is a nice story, but does not solve any problem of today. 'I spoke to many of the Brexiteers, and many of them said they wanted to preserve a British identity and this was being lost in a thick soup of other identities. 'Obviously every state is defined by its history, and some define themselves by what their father did in the war, and it gives them great personal pride.' He said: 'You end up in a divorce in which you say, 'It was always your fault,' and you find some example, and start a blame game.' Mr Smith said: 'Ive never once heard a Brexit supporting colleague mention World War Two in such a context, so the German Ambassadors suggestion they are seems obsessive on his part. Tory MP Henry Smith told MailOnline he had never heard anyone who campaigned for Brexit mention the war. 'Rather than play out some kind of Fawlty Towers dont mention the war episode from the 1970s, when the European project might have been relevant during Cold War years, I prefer looking ahead to an outward, global Britain. Dr Ammon, 65, also blamed Brexit on the populism that has brought Donald Trump to power, telling The Guardian: 'Populism provides easy and understandable answers to very complex problem. 'If you say the words 'single market' or 'customs union', probably 99 per cent of the population would not understand. 'But if you say, ''Let us build a wall to stop these immigrants,'' people say, ''OK, that will probably help''. 'I know it is not a good answer to problems Germany has not had a good experience with building walls.' He also hit out at the idea that the European Union was dominated by Germany as the Brussels bloc's largest economy. Mr Ammon said that conversations with Brexiteers (including Vote Leave champion Boris Johnson, who wrote a biography pf Winston Churchill) had led him to believe that the UK had a fascination with the Second World War He said: 'When I tell people in Germany I am confronted by this narrative occasionally in public debates they say, 'This cannot be true. You are joking. This cannot be true. That is absurd.' Dr Ammon, who has also held roles in Paris and Washington, said he was concerned about three areas in which there could be a breakdown of Brexit talks the Irish border and trade deals both with the EU and with other nations. The ambassador, who has been in London since May 2014, claimed it was doubtful that Britain would manage to negotiate better free trade deals with other countries than those that the European Union has already secured. A factory worker in China has cruelly killed the factory's guard dog by hanging it by the neck from the top of a building. Apparently, the owner of the factory claimed that no one would be able to look after the pet during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, so the pooch had to be killed. The dog was said to be one of the two guard dogs in the factory. The factory owner told a local reporter that the dog was merely 'a toy' and 'it would be a waste to throw it away and not eat it'. A factory worker is seen hanging a white guard dog to death on a rooftop in Guangzhou, China Footage taken on January 28, shows the dog struggling to breathe as it got strapped by a rope Harrowing footage has appeared on Chinese social media, which shows the dog whimpering loud and struggling to breathe as it was strangled by a rope. MailOnline has decided not to publish the distressing video. Ms Chen, who lives near the factory, filmed the footage. She told The Paper that the man, believed to be a worker from the factory, was smiling at her when she asked why he was doing that to a dog. The incident occurrred in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, on January 28. The white tugou, or field dog, died of suffocation at the end and was skinned by the worker before boiling its meat as food, according to The Paper. Ms Chen saw the man preparing hot water and a knife-like tool after the dog was dead. The factory owner told Pear Video that they had been keeping the dog for four months. 'It's to guard the factory and to entertain us. But we are about to close the factory for Chinese New Year, so it's better to kill it,' said the owner. He added that he had 'no choice' as no one would be able to keep it or feed it and he could not take it to home. The dog died of suffocation and was later skinned before being boiling, according to Ms Chen Factory owner said no one would be able to look after the dog over holidays, so it had to die Peter Li, China Policy Specialist for Humane Society International, condemned the man's behaviour and called the incident 'heart-breaking'. Mr Li told MailOnline that factory dogs in China are often left behind during Chinese New Year as workers travel back home for celebrations. 'This faithful dog had served people by guarding the factory, only to be utterly betrayed by being hanged and eaten. 'There are no laws to protect animals in China, and until that changes I fear we will continue to see public displays of brutality that so damages China's global reputation,' Mr Li said. The 49-year-old male driver is currently assisting police with their investigation Burning debris was littered along 20km of Bruce Highway in the trailer's wake A man has been intercepted while driving with a burning trailer and no wheels Dramatic vision from a police dashcam has shown the moment a man was intercepted driving with his trailer fully ablaze on the Bruce Highway. In the early hours of Thursday morning, the Queensland Police Service received information that a trailer being towed by a Holden Rodeo had caught fire between Colosseum and Miriam Vale. Sparks and flames jumped onto the road as the burning trailer travelled north just before 3am, leaving burning debris in its wake. A trailer being towed by a Holden Rodeo caught fire between Colosseum and Miriam Vale The motorist drove 20km dragging a trailer that was on fire until he was finally pulled over The trailer did not have any wheels and was being dragged along the highway. The officer activated his car's lights and sirens in an attempt to get the motorist to pull over - but he kept driving. The driver finally pulled over at the intersection of the Bruce Highway and Dovedale Road after driving approximately 20km with a trailer engulfed in flames. Burning debris was littered across the highway in the trailer's wake, which set multiple spot fires blazing along adjoining bushland in the area. The 49-year-old male driver from Kybong is assisting police with their investigations into the matter. 'Its just Marty McFly, he's going back to the future with Dr Brown,' one amused Facebook user commented under the video. Liam Fox (pictured in Downing Street today) has warned Eurosceptics they must 'live with disappointment' Liam Fox has urged Brexiteers to stop making Theresa May's life difficult - insisting they must learn to 'live with disappointment'. The Trade Secretary, a hardline Eurosceptic, warned that the noises off were 'unhelpful' as the government battles to get a good deal from the EU. The comments are part of a concerted effort by senior figures to shore up Mrs May, amid increasing unrest on the Tory benches. The proposed 'transition deal' after we formally leave the bloc in March 2019 has caused anger among Brexiteers. Mrs May is being urged to reject the terms demanded by Brussels, which include accepting free movement and obeying EU laws without having any say in how they are set. Together with disquiet about 'timid' domestic policies, there has been mounting speculation that the PM could face a leadership contest sooner rather than later. But Dr Fox delivered a stark message that MPs need to keep their eyes on the bigger prize of taking the UK out of the EU. He stressed that the Tories did not have an overall majority without the DUP, limiting their room for manoeuvre on domestic policy. Asked about criticism of Chancellor Philip Hammond for supporting a softer Brexit, Dr Fox the Sun: 'It doesn't help us for people to be involved in this sort of briefing they were over the weekend against individual colleagues because nothing that would happen would change the parliamentary arithmetic. 'We don't have a working majority, other than with the support of the Democratic Unionists, and we need to accept the reality of that. 'I know that there are always disappointed individuals but they're going to have to live with disappointment.' But former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith told Dr Fox that the situation would be improved if Cabinet ministers said less and stuck to Mrs May's stance. Culture Secretary Matt Hancock (right) and Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt were also at Cabinet today Boris Johnson, one of the Cabinet's leading Brexiteers, has yet to respond to the leak Theresa May held a Cabinet meeting this morning, with Michael Gove (left) and David Mundell (right) among those attending He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I don't quite know what he means by disappointment. My view is leaving is the right thing to do and we will benefit from it in due course. 'I have a very simple message for my colleagues, generally: people should just calm down. The reality is this was always going to be bumpy. 'I think the best message I might send to Liam Fox and others is that, actually, if Cabinet ministers said a little less and speculated a little less about where they were, and stuck to what Theresa May has said, we might not have all of these disagreements.' Meanwhile, a study drawn up for the Brexit Department shows growth would be lower whatever deal the UK strikes with the EU. Even a comprehensive free trade agreement would see the economy 5 per cent smaller in 15 years' time than it would be otherwise, according to the study. But the findings were dismissed as incomplete by Leave-supporting MPs - who pointed out that the Project Fear campaign made similar dire predictions before the referendum and they turned out to be wrong. The body of a missing Virginia teenager has been found after she went missing two weeks ago. Jholie Moussa, 16, abruptly left her home on Friday January 12, after exchanging mysterious text messages and claiming she was headed to a party in a town 200 miles away. Her body was found covered in leaves last Friday morning in Woodlawn Park, which is seven miles from her home. Missing: Jholie Moussa, 16, of Alexandria, Virginia, went missing on Friday January 12 after claiming she would attend a party in the town of Norfolk, 200 miles away Family: Jholie and her twin sister Zhane Moussa had matching tattoos. The ink helped police identify the body that was found covered with leaves The teen was spending time with her twin sister, Zhane Moussa, when she became engrossed in her phone text messages and suddenly announced she had to leave. The teenager said she was leaving her home in Alexandria, Fairfax County in Virginia to attend a party in Norfolk, nearly 200 miles away, according to WRC-TV. 'She was doing my hair and then she stopped, for a good minute, to text some more. Then, out of nowhere, she was like, "I gotta go, I gotta go!"' she said. She said she needed to head out of the house for a minute. When Zhane texted her sister concerned, she received a bizarre response. 'She texted me that she was going to Norfolk. And I'm, like, isn't that more than 3 hours away?' she said. Those words were the last exchange between the sister. Jholie then missed her mother's calls that evening. Her family reported her missing the following day. 'Normally, she would have responded back to me. If she calls me and I don't answer, she always follows it up with a text,' Jholie's mother Syreeta Steward said. She was missing for 14 days before her body was found at 11a.m. on Friday afternoon. Heartbreak: Her family mourns the tragic news that her body is found. Police are treating the investigation as a homicide, but gave a contradicting statement saying she was not in danger Her body was found at 11a.m. at this part, around seven miles from her home She was identified based on her appearance and tattoo on her right shoulder, an infinity loop with her and her twin's name, according to police. Authorities said they are investigating the 16-year-olds death as a homicide, but oddly say she was not in any danger. 'Based on the facts of the case, there is nothing that indicates that Moussa is in any danger,' county police previously said in a statement. The family has started a Facebook page in memory of the teenager, saying they hope to bring awareness to the case after minimal support from police. 'This page is to help get Justice 4 Jholie. This was a parents worst nightmare. Fairfax County did not help this family to bring their child home safe,' the page says. Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has been hit by another flood when a sprinkler system misfired. Huge water jets were triggered by accident in one of the ship's main hangars. Sailors watched as water rushed into the aircraft storage area of the 3.1bn boat on Sunday. Officials said it took just a few minutes to shut the system down. The water was drained and there was no damage, officials confirmed. It is thought that the sprinkler malfunction delayed the ship's departure from Portsmouth for sea trials, with military sources suggesting she had been due to set sail this morning. But the Ministry of Defence claimed to MailOnline that this morning was merely the opening of a two-week period in which the vessel could leave. It comes just weeks after the ship - the UK's largest ever warship - leaked 200 litres per hour until a faulty propellor seal was discovered and fixed. Huge water jets were triggered by accident in one of the ship's main hangars The 65,000 ton carrier was delivered with the defect by ship building partnership the Aircraft Carrier Alliance. Millions were expected to be spent fixing the problem, with the ship dry docked. Repairs were made by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance and not the Ministry of Defence. At the time an insider said: 'We're about to uncover the true cost of carrier operations. 'There is a feeling that the ACA mugged us off by not sorting this before the handover.' The new leak happened when the ship was in her home port of Portsmouth for a training exercise at the weekend. It comes just weeks after the ship - the UK's largest ever warship - leaked 200 litres per hour until a faulty propellor seal was discovered and fixed. Workers are pictured repairing the ship When the ship sprung a leak weeks ago, the Ministry of Defence was forced to call in divers to fix the problem (pictured) A source said: 'The alarm for flood went around but it was only minor. 'No one knows why the sprinkler went off. It certainly is effective - that's good to know.' The Queen officially unveiled the carrier on December 7, 2017. A Royal Navy spokesman told MailOnline: 'We can confirm that following a routine exercise alongside, the fire warning system was inadvertently triggered on-board HMS Queen Elizabeth and some sprays activated, but she remains on track with her trials programme.' The vessel was assembled at Rosyth from nine blocks built in six UK shipyards, including BAE Systems Surface Ships in Glasgow, Babcock at Appledore, Devon, and Babcock at Rosyth. At present, the warship has a crew of around 700, but that will increase to 1,600 when it has a full complement of around 40 F-35B jets and Crowsnest helicopters. It comes just weeks after the ship - the UK's largest ever warship - leaked 200 litres per hour until a faulty propellor seal was discovered and fixed (stock photo) A source said: 'The alarm for flood went around but it was only minor. No one knows why the sprinkler went off. It certainly is effective - that's good to know' (stock photo) It will have an operational range of up to 10,000 nautical miles and will be capable of speeds in excess of 25 knots (29mph). The Queen commissioned the warship earlier this month, saying it embodied the 'best of British'. In a moving speech to the crew in Portsmouth, she said: 'The most powerful and capable ship ever to raise the White Ensign, she will in the years and decades ahead represent the country's resolve on the global stage.' The Navy has not had an aircraft carrier since HMS Illustrious was scrapped in 2014. The man who killed five and injured 14 when he drove a lorry through central Stockholm in last year's terror attack, took a picture from behind the wheel minutes before mowing down pedestrians. Rakhmat Akilov, 40, sent the picture to a friend, before turning a corner and embarking on his terror mission through the Swedish capital. The failed Uzbek asylum seeker later told police he wanted to punish Sweden for its part in the global fight against ISIS, which is why he had to 'run over the unbelievers'. Seconds to go: This photo was taken by Rakhmat Akilov moments before he mowed down pedestrian's on a busy street in Stockholm last April, killing five people and injuring 14 Terrorist: Akilov, a 40-year-old failed Uzbek asylum seeker, has been charged with terrorism and other offences over the attack Akilov, who was on the run from Swedish authorities after his asylum application was turned down, has now formally been charged with 'terrorism and attempted terrorism'. Akilov wanted to 'instigate fear among the public in Sweden and force Sweden's government and parliament to end Sweden's participation in military training of the global coalition against IS in Iraq,' the indictment said. Court documents reveal that Akilov was disappointed with the low death-toll and had aimed to kill '40-50 people' through detonating a home-made bomb, which failed. On April 7 last year, Akilov hijacked a beer lorry outside a restaurant in central Stockholm and sped some 500 metres down a pedestrian street, ploughing into shoppers before crashing the truck into a department store. Bloodied and with burns to his clothes after attempting to set off the home-made bomb, Akilov fled into a nearby subway station, leaving three dead - including an 11 year old girl - and 14 n injured. Two of the victims died later in hospital. Aftermath: Akilov stole a beer lorry and mowed down pedestrians before trying to detonate a home-made bomb which failed Motive: Akilov later told police he wanted to punish Sweden for its part in the global fight against ISIS, which is why he had to 'run over the unbelievers' He was arrested the same day outside a gas station in a Stockholm suburb after he was recognised from a CCTV picture. According to Ihrman, Akilov had planned his attack for months and had investigated a number of possible targets, including gay clubs and ferries. Akilov had asked in online conversations for practical advice on building a bomb and for spiritual guidance ahead of a 'martyr operation', the charges filed with a Stockholm court alleged. Ihrman said Akilov had pledged allegiance to ISIS, and had tried unsuccessfully to get to Syria, but it was not clear whether he had been directly instructed to carry out his attack. Mourning: Flowers left in Stockholm, Sweden, two days after the terror attack last year Akilov's lawyer Jonas Eriksson said his client admitted to the charge and and confirmed the motive, but declined to say whether Akilov had expressed regret for the attack. Sweden has not fought in a war in more than 200 years and is not part of NATO, but has taken part in international peacekeeping missions in places like Mali, Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo. It has also sent 70 instructors to aid Iraqi forces in their fight against IS as part of a U.S.-led operation. The trial is due to begin next month. The body of a British kayaker who went missing after his expedition team lost control during flash floods in Ecuador has been found, authorities said. Adam Vaughan, 22, of Newbury, Berkshire, was kayaking with four others when they got into difficulty during a flash flood on the Rio Abanico river in the country's south east on January 20. Two Irish men David Higgins, 26, and Alexander MacGourty, 19, have been confirmed by the Ecuadorian authorities to have died in the accident. Two other men, local guide Joaquin Meneses, 18, and American Jeremiath Stewart both survived the incident. The body of British kayaker Adam Vaughan (above) who went missing after his expedition team lost control during flash floods in Ecuador has been found Over the weekend, the Morona canton's fire service confirmed on social media that a body had been discovered. They said they had been 'alerted' to the 'presence of a corpse' and that it matched the last remaining kayaker to be located. Police, fire and judicial personnel attended the site and confirmed the body was Mr Vaughan's, the El Comercio newspaper reported. On Facebook, friends of Mr Vaughan replied to the fire service's post to thank authorities for their efforts during the seven-day search for him. Police, fire and judicial personnel attended the site and confirmed the body was Mr Vaughan's The 22-year-old was kayaking with four others when they got into difficulty during a flash flood on the Rio Abanico river in the country's south east on January 20 'We are all so grateful for the huge and incredible efforts that you have made to find Adam - thank you all so much,' wrote one. Another added: 'Thank you for all you've done.. my friend can finally come home.' Friends also took to social media to pay tribute to Mr Vaughan, an instructor at Cardiff's white water rafting centre, describing him as 'an amazing, humble and adventurous friend.' Will Usherwood wrote: 'Adam touched so many people's lives all around the world and stayed humble and true to himself; he will be missed by many. Rest easy brother!!' Ellie Thornber added: 'Even at 22, Adam had already achieved so much. Your boundless positive attitude, passion for adventure and lust for life inspired so many. You will be so so missed but never forgotten.' Over the weekend, the Morona canton's fire service confirmed on social media that a body had been discovered They said they had been 'alerted' to the 'presence of a corpse' and that it matched the last remaining kayaker to be located The 22-year-old studied Spanish at Cardiff University, with his third year spent in Colombia, and was the vice president of the university's kayak club Shortly after the accident, Andy Kettlewell wrote: 'Today has been one of the hardest days of my life so far, hearing the news that an amazing, humble and adventurous friend was caught in a tragic accident with a group of friends in Ecuador. 'Adam was a true gentleman with qualities and values of the highest order, he did everything with a smile and no matter how hard things were he was always there with a smile and cracking a joke.' His parents Christopher and Gillian are being assisted by the Foreign Office. 'We are assisting the family of a British man following his death in Ecuador, and are in contact with the Ecuadorian authorities,' an FCO spokesman said. On Facebook, friends of Mr Vaughan replied to the fire service's post to thank authorities for their efforts during the seven-day search for him Mr Vaughan began kayaking when he was just 11. He studied Spanish at Cardiff University, with his third year spent in Colombia, and was the vice president of the university's kayak club. In a Facebook statement, the group described Mr Vaughan as a 'fantastic teacher, inspiration and vice president'. The massive rescue and recovery effort, co-ordinated by a joint committee with the support of an Army helicopter, involved firefighters, Red Cross, police, armed forces, park rangers and the local Kayak Club. Mr Vaughan began kayaking when he was just 11 and worked as an instructor at the white water rafting centre in Cardiff The kayak team had been caught by a flash flood in a very remote part of Ecuador. Mr Meneses was found alive two days after the accident, telling rescuers he had survived by eating insects and naranjillo (edible plants). The Ecuadorian guide later told a press conference that although all of the kayakers were very experienced, the river was so powerful that 'getting out of the kayak was practically facing death'. 'The flow of that river was so strong that getting out of the kayak was practically facing death,' he said, according to El Comercio. 'In the canyons there were rapids with waves and hollows of meters of height. Being there was crazy.' Private tutor and parish councillor Heathcliffe Bowen, 50, of Ilkley, West Yorkshire, was regarded as a 'pillar of the community' - but it emerged he paid a 15-year-old boy for sex A 'predatory paedophile' who worked for a city's child safety agency while simultaneously grooming young boys for sex has been jailed for five years. Private tutor and parish councillor Heathcliffe Bowen, 50, of Ilkley, West Yorkshire, was regarded as a 'pillar of the community', a court heard. But while Bowen was administrator of the Safeguarding Children Board, in Bradford, he paid an under-age boy for sex and took part in sexually explicit online chats with other youngsters. He had also been chairman of a parish council when sex monster Jimmy Savile was invited to switch on the town's Christmas lights. Military historian Bowen, who had also been chairman of Ilkley Parish Council, was convicted of three charges of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity, one of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence, one of attempting to meet a child for sexual activity, one of attempting to cause a child to look at an image of sexual activity, and four charges of distributing indecent images of children. He was also convicted of six charges relating to attempts to engage children in sexual activity and attempting to meet one child after sexual grooming. The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, said Bowen had a 'deep and entrenched interest in underage children'. Prosecutor Christopher Rose told a jury that Bowen's offending had arisen from online conversations he had engaged in using Skype. Heathcliffe Bowen (pictured right) in 2011 with the then Lord Mayor and Mayoress of Bradford He said some of the allegations involved attempting to engage 'young teenage men' in sexual activity, including 'meeting men for sex'. Police later identified one of the people Bowen had communicated with as a 15 year-old boy. Mr Rose said: 'The conversations make it obvious that they were regularly meeting up for sex, for which sometimes the defendant paid.' One of the exchanges involved Bowen inviting someone who told him he was a boy in Year 8 at school to have unprotected sex if he ever visited Leeds, with another discussion including an offer to take the virginity of a user who said he was a 12-year-old boy. Bowen was a well-known figure in Ilkley's civic community, having served as a parish councillor for 20 years and as council chairman three times In one conversation using a webcam, Bowen performed a sex act on himself on camera while a 15-year-old boy watched. The defendant, of Woodlands Rise, Ilkley, was also convicted of distributing and possessing indecent images of children. He had told the jury that his online interactions were 'completely devoid of reality', claiming he was just chatting to other adults in a 'fantastical role play environment', acting a role in a 'bizarre internet drama'. Bowen worked as an administrator for Bradford Council in social services and safeguarding from 1995 to 2014. Before his trial he had already admitted three charges of possessing indecent images of children, and was cleared of one charge of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity. David McGonigal, mitigating, said Bowen had been diagnosed with an 'anxiety and depressive disorder' at the height of the chats in 2014, triggered by disciplinary proceedings linked to his job. He said Bowen had repressed his sexuality for most of his life, only recently telling his 93 year-old mother, with whom he lived and was the carer for, that he was gay. Mr McGonigal said Bowen had served the Ilkley community for 20 years, adding: 'He has lost everything as a result of these convictions. It is difficult for him to admit what he has done.' Bowen was a well-known figure in Ilkley's civic community, having served as a parish councillor for 20 years and as council chairman three times. During his chairmanship, Jimmy Savile was invited to turn on Ilkley's 2011 Christmas lights, but the now disgraced DJ and prolific sex attacker died aged 84 before he could honour that commitment - it would have been the third time he had switched on the lights. Bowen was Chairman of the council at that time and back in 2011, said a formal letter of condolence would be sent to Sir Jimmy's family. Its independent chairman, David Niven, said: 'We are grateful that a comprehensive investigation has caught a serious offender.'